Synopses & Reviews
Ken Follettand#8217;s Century Trilogy follows the fortunes of five intertwined familiesand#151;American, German, Russian, English, and Welshand#151;as they make their way through the twentieth century. It has been called and#147;potent, engrossingand#8221; (
Publishers Weekly) and and#147;truly epicand#8221; (
Huffington Post).
USA Today said, and#147;You actually feel like youand#8217;re there.and#8221;
Edge ofand#160; Eternity, the finale, covers one of the most tumultuous eras of all: the 1960s through the 1980s, encompassing civil rights, assassinations, Vietnam, the Berlin Wall, the Cuban Missile Crisis, presidential impeachment, revolutionand#151;and rock and roll.
and#160;
East German teacher Rebecca Hoffman discovers sheand#8217;s been spied on by the Stasi for years and commits an impulsive act that will affect her family for generationsand#133; George Jakes, himself bi-racial, bypasses corporate law to join Robert F. Kennedyand#8217;s Justice Department and finds himself in the middle of not only the seminal events of the civil rights battle, but also a much more personal battleand#133; Cameron Dewar, the grandson of a senator, jumps at the chance to do some espionage for a cause he believes in, only to discover that the world is much more dangerous than heand#8217;d imaginedand#133; Dimka Dvorkin, a young aide to Khrushchev, becomes an agent for good and for ill as the Soviet Union and the United States race to the brink of nuclear war, while his twin sister, Tania, carves out a role that will take her from Moscow to Cuba to Prague to Warsawand#151;and into history.
and#160;
These characters and many others find their lives inextricably entangled as they add their personal stories and insight to the most defining events of the 20th century. From the opulent offices of the most powerful world leaders to the shabby apartments of those trying to begin a new empire, from the elite clubs of the wealthy and highborn to the passionate protests of a countryand#8217;s most marginalized citizens, this is truly a drama for the ages.
and#160;
With the Century Trilogy, Follett has guided readers through an entire era of history with a masterand#8217;s touch. His unique ability to tell fascinating, brilliantly researched stories that captivate readers and keep them turning the pages is unparalleled. In this climactic and concluding saga, Follett brings us into a world we thought we knew, but now will never seem the same again.
Review
"An adrenaline pumping thriller." —
Associated Press "Movie-style twists and hairbreadth escapes." —Wall Street Journal
"Undeniably suspenseful." —Entertainment Weekly
Review
“A novel of majesty and power.”—Chicago Sun-Times
Review
“The peasants are revolting. Some, anyway. Others—the good-hearted varlets, churls and nickpurses of Follett’s latest—are just fine.
"In a departure from his usual taut, economical procedurals (Whiteout, 2004, etc.), Follett revisits the Middle Ages in what amounts to a sort of sequel to The Pillars of the Earth (1989). The story is leisurely but never slow, turning in the shadow of the great provincial cathedral in the backwater of Kingsbridge, the fraught construction of which was the ostensible subject of the first novel. Now, in the 1330s, the cathedral is a going concern, populated by the same folks who figured in its making: intriguing clerics, sometimes clueless nobles and salt-of-the-earth types. One of the last is a resourceful young girl—and Follett’s women are always resourceful, more so than the menfolk—who liberates the overflowing purse of one of those nobles. Her father has already lost a hand for thievery, but that’s an insufficient deterrent in a time of hunger, and a time when the lords “were frequently away: at war, in Parliament, fighting lawsuits, or just attending on their earl or king.” Thus the need for watchful if greedy bailiffs and tough sheriffs, who make Gwenda’s grown-up life challenging. Follett has a nice eye for the sometimes silly clash of the classes and the aspirations of the small to become large, as with one aspiring prior who “had only a vague idea of what he would do with such power, but he felt strongly that he belonged in some elevated position in life.” Alas, woe meets some of those who strive, a fact that touches off a neat little mystery at the beginning of the book, one that plays its way out across the years and implicates dozens of characters.
"A lively entertainment for fans of The Once and Future King, The Lord of the Rings and other multilayered epics."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
"A lively entertainment for fans of The Once and Future King, The Lord of the Rings and other multilayered epics."-Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review "Fans of Follett's previous medieval epic will be well rewarded"-Publishers Weekly
Review
“Enormous and brilliant …a great epic tale…crammed with characters unbelievably alive across the great gulf of centuries…touches all human emotion—love and hate, loyalty and treachery, hope and despair. See for yourself. This is truly a novel to get lost in.”—
Cosmopolitan
“Wonderful…will hold you, fascinate you, surround you.”—Chicago Sun-Times
“An extraordinary epic buttressed by suspense…a monumental masterpiece…A towering triumph from a major talent.”—Booklist
“A seesaw of tension….A novel that entertains, instructs, and satisfies on a grand scale” —Publishers Weekly
Review
“A ROUSING EPIC of 14th-century England…terrifically compelling.” —Diana Gabaldon, The Washington Post “JUICY HISTORICAL FICTION.”—USA Today “AN IMMENSE CAST OF TRULY REMARKABLE CHARACTERS…this is not a book to be devoured in one sitting, tempting though that might be, but one to savor for its drama, depth, and richness.”—Library Journal
Review
Praise for Edge of Eternity and#8220;Edge of Eternity is as compulsively readable a mighty page-turner as its two predecessors."
and#8211;The Seattle Times
and#8220;Hugely ambitious, the trilogy serves as a massive history lesson as well as an example of good, old-fashioned storytelling.and#8221;
and#8211;The New York Daily News
and#8220;The historical events are the backdrop but the characters are the focal point. Good storytellers know this and Follett is an excellent one.and#8221;
and#8211;The Huffington Post
and#8220;Mesmerizing....flowing with spicy, expertly paced melodrama, character-rich exploits, familial histrionics, and international intrigue.and#8221;
and#8211;and#160;Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Worth the wait"
and#8211; Library Journal (starred review)
"A fascinating, sprawling, epic conclusion to Ken Follett's Century Trilogy."
-- The Minneapolis Star Tribune
"A glorious conclusion to a remarkable trilogy that is wonderful, exhilarating reading for all ages. Fine, fine historical fiction."
and#8211;and#160;Historical Novel Society
"Follett does an outstanding job of interweaving and personalizing complicated narratives set on a multicultural stage."
and#8211; Booklist
Review
Praise for Winter of the World
and#8220;Even after all his novels and#8212; some 20 in all and#8212; the reader remains amazed Follett can research a book so thoroughly that you actually feel like you're there, even smelling the smells.and#8221;
and#8212;USA Today
This second installment of Follettand#8217;s epic Century trilogy is just as potent, engrossing, and prolix as the opening opus, Fall of Giants.... Rife with plot lines, interpersonal intrigue, sweeping historical flourishes, and an authentic and compelling cast, this is a tale of dynamic characters struggling to survive during one of the worldand#8217;s darkest periods.and#8221;
and#8212;Publishers Weekly
and#160;
"Follett does a masterful job of capturing the highs and lows of an extraordinary bloody time." - The Associated Press
and#160;
and#8220;What [Follett] knows how to do is put readersand#8217; hearts in throats...and#8221;
and#8212;The New York Times
and#160;Follett never lets the action lag as he adeptly ties together all the sweeping economic, cultural, political, and social transformations of the entire era.
and#8212;Booklist
and#160;
and#8220;Follettand#8217;s storytelling is unobtrusive and workmanlikeand#8230;he spins a reasonable and readable yarn that embraces dozens of characters and plenty of Big Picture history.and#8221;
and#8212;Kirkus Reviews
and#160;
"Abandon your normal activities for a couple of days when you crack this one open, because you're likely to get hooked like a Copper River salmon."
and#8212;The Seattle Times
and#160;
This book is truly epic.... Follett is a master craftsman. He fills his pages with fascinating characters and then uses the great events of this time to make an exciting plot. He succeeds in every way possible.
and#8212;Huffington Post
Review
Praise for Fall of Giants and#160;
and#8220;Just as potent, engrossing, and prolix as the opening opus, Fall of Giants. [Follettand#8217;s] dedication and ability to keep so many plots spinning while delivering a story that educates, entertainsand#8230;Will leave fans eagerly awaiting the trilogyand#8217;s crowning capstone."
and#8212;Publishers Weekly
and#160;
and#8220;Itand#8217;s a book that will suck you in, consume you for days or weeksand#8230; then let you out the other side both entertained and educated."
and#8212; USA Today
and#160;
and#8220;Meticulously researched and deftly weaves together historical fact, fictional characters and engrossing storytelling.and#8221;
and#8212; Associated Press
and#160;
"A tireless storyteller...grippingly told, and readable to the end."
and#8212;The New York Times Book Review
and#160;
"Suspenseful, tightly constructed, sharply characterized, plot-driven...some of the biggest-picture fiction being written today."
and#8212;The Seattle Times
and#160;
"Tantalizing"
and#8212;Newsday
and#160;
"Lively and entertaining."
and#8212;The Washington Post
and#160;
"Epic yarns in prose"
and#8212;The Wall Street Journal
Synopsis
Ken Follett s magnificent new historical epic beginsas five interrelated families move through the momentous dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for women s suffrage.
A thirteen-year-old Welsh boy enters a man s world in the mining pits. . . . An American law student rejected in love finds a surprising new career in Woodrow Wilson s White House. . . . A housekeeper for the aristocratic Fitzherberts takes a fateful step above her station, while Lady Maud Fitzherbert herself crosses deep into forbidden territory when she falls in love with a German spy. . . . And two orphaned Russian brothers embark on radically different paths when their plan to emigrate to America falls afoul of war, conscription, and revolution.
From the dirt and danger of a coal mine to the glittering chandeliers of a palace, from the corridors of power to the bedrooms of the mighty, Fall of Giantstakes us into the inextricably entangled fates of five families and into a century that we thought we knew, but that now will never seem the same again. . . ."
Synopsis
A thirteen-year-old Welsh boy enters a man's world in the mining pits; an American law student rejected by love finds a surprising new career in Woodrow Wilson's White House; a housekeeper for the aristocratic Fitzherberts takes a fateful step above her station, while Lady Maud Fitzherbert herself crosses deep into forbidden territory when she falls in love with a German spy; and two orphaned Russian brothers embark on radically different paths when their plan to emigrate to America falls afoul of war, conscription, and revolution.
From the dirt and danger of a coal mine to the glittering chandeliers of a palace, from the corridors of power to the bedrooms of the mighty, Fall of Giants takes readers into the inextricably entangled fates of five families-and into a century that we thought we knew, but that now will never seem the same again.
Synopsis
View our Ken Follett feature page. “An adrenaline-pumping thriller”(Associated Press) from the #1 New York Times bestselling author—first time in trade paperback.
A missing canister of a deadly virus. A lab technician bleeding from the eyes. Toni Gallo, the security director of a Scottish medical research firm, knows she has problems, but she has no idea of the nightmare to come.
As a Christmas Eve blizzard whips out of the north, several people, Toni among them, converge on a remote family house. All have something to gain or lose from the drug developed to fight the virus. As the storm worsens, the emotional sparks—jealousies, distrust, sexual attraction, and rivalries—crackle, with desperate secrets revealed, and hidden traitors and unexpected heroes emerge. Filled with startling twists at every turn, Whiteout rockets Follett into a class by himself.
Synopsis
In 1989 Ken Follett astonished the literary world with
The Pillars of the Earth, a sweeping epic novel set in twelfth-century England centered on the building of a cathedral and many of the hundreds of lives it affected. Critics were overwhelmed—“it will hold you, fascinate you, surround you” (
Chicago Tribune)—and readers everywhere hoped for a sequel.
World Without End takes place in the same town of Kingsbridge, two centuries after the townspeople finished building the exquisite Gothic cathedral that was at the heart of The Pillars of the Earth. The cathedral and the priory are again at the center of a web of love and hate, greed and pride, ambition and revenge, but this sequel stands on its own. This time the men and women of an extraordinary cast of characters find themselves at a crossroad of new ideas— about medicine, commerce, architecture, and justice. In a world where proponents of the old ways fiercely battle those with progressive minds, the intrigue and tension quickly reach a boiling point against the devastating backdrop of the greatest natural disaster ever to strike the human race—the Black Death.
Three years in the writing, and nearly eighteen years since its predecessor, World Without End breathes new life into the epic historical novel and once again shows that Ken Follett is a masterful author writing at the top of his craft.
Synopsis
As a Christmas Eve blizzard whips out of the north, several people converge on a remote family house. As the storm worsens, the emotional sparks-jealousies, distrust, sexual attraction, rivalries-crackle, desperate secrets are revealed, hidden traitors and unexpected heroes emerge.
Synopsis
Make this your next book club selection and everyone saves.
Get 15% off when you order 5 or more of this title for your book club.
Simply enter the coupon code FOLLETPILLARS at checkout.
This offer does not apply to eBook purchases. This offer applies to only one downloadable audio per purchase.
View our Ken Follett feature page.
Learn more about The Pillars of the Earth miniseries on Starz. The spellbinding epic set in twelfth-century England, The Pillars of the Earth tells the story of the lives entwined in the building of the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has ever known—and a struggle between good and evil that will turn church against state, and brother against brother.
Synopsis
The spellbinding epic set in twelfth-century England, The Pillars of the Earth tells the story of the lives entwined in the building of the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has ever known—and a struggle between good and evil that will turn church against state, and brother against brother.
Synopsis
View our Ken Follett feature page.Learn more about The Pillars of the Earth miniseries on Starz. A departure for the bestselling thriller writer, this historical epic—a twelfth-century tale of the building of a mighty Gothic cathedral—stunned readers and critics alike with its ambitious scope and gripping humanity
Synopsis
View our Ken Follett feature page. The #1 New York Times bestselling sequel to The Pillars of the Earth.
Ken Follett astonished the literary world with The Pillars of the Earth, a sweeping epic novel set in twelfth-century England that centered on the building of a cathedral and the men, women, and children whose lives it changed forever. Now, two centuries after the townspeople of Kingsbridge finished building the exquisite edifice, four children slip into the forest and witness a killing-an event that will bind them all by ambition, love, greed, and revenge...
Synopsis
Make this your next book club selection and everyone saves. Get 15% off when you order 5 or more of this title for your book club.
Simply enter the coupon code FOLLETPILLARS at checkout.
This offer does not apply to eBook purchases. This offer applies to only one downloadable audio per purchase.
Ken Follett has 90 million readers worldwide. The Pillars of the Earth is his bestselling book of all time. Now, eighteen years after the publication of The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett has written the most-anticipated sequel of the year—World Without End.
View our Ken Follett feature page. In 1989 Ken Follett astonished the literary world with The Pillars of the Earth, a sweeping epic novel set in twelfth-century England centered on the building of a cathedral and many of the hundreds of lives it affected. Critics were overwhelmed—“it will hold you, fascinate you, surround you” (Chicago Tribune)—and readers everywhere hoped for a sequel.
World Without End takes place in the same town of Kingsbridge, two centuries after the townspeople finished building the exquisite Gothic cathedral that was at the heart of The Pillars of the Earth. The cathedral and the priory are again at the center of a web of love and hate, greed and pride, ambition and revenge, but this sequel stands on its own. This time the men and women of an extraordinary cast of characters find themselves at a crossroad of new ideas— about medicine, commerce, architecture, and justice. In a world where proponents of the old ways fiercely battle those with progressive minds, the intrigue and tension quickly reach a boiling point against the devastating backdrop of the greatest natural disaster ever to strike the human race—the Black Death.
Three years in the writing, and nearly eighteen years since its predecessor, World Without End breathes new life into the epic historical novel and once again shows that Ken Follett is a masterful author writing at the top of his craft.
Synopsis
In 1989 Ken Follett astonished the literary world with
The Pillars of the Earth, a sweeping epic novel set in twelfth-century England centered on the building of a cathedral and many of the hundreds of lives it affected. Critics were overwhelmed—“it will hold you, fascinate you, surround you” (
Chicago Tribune)—and readers everywhere hoped for a sequel.
World Without End takes place in the same town of Kingsbridge, two centuries after the townspeople finished building the exquisite Gothic cathedral that was at the heart of The Pillars of the Earth. The cathedral and the priory are again at the center of a web of love and hate, greed and pride, ambition and revenge, but this sequel stands on its own. This time the men and women of an extraordinary cast of characters find themselves at a crossroad of new ideas— about medicine, commerce, architecture, and justice. In a world where proponents of the old ways fiercely battle those with progressive minds, the intrigue and tension quickly reach a boiling point against the devastating backdrop of the greatest natural disaster ever to strike the human race—the Black Death.
Three years in the writing, and nearly eighteen years since its predecessor, World Without End breathes new life into the epic historical novel and once again shows that Ken Follett is a masterful author writing at the top of his craft.
About the Author
KEN FOLLETT burst into the book world with Eye of the Needle, an award-winning thriller and international bestseller. After several more successful thrillers, he surprised everyone with The Pillars of the Earth and its long-awaited sequel, World Without End, a national and international bestseller. Follett's new, magnificent historical epic, The Century Trilogy, opened with Fall of Giants, followed by Winter of the World, both #1 New York Times bestsellers. He lives in England with his wife, Barbara.