I loved Follett‘s Kingsbridge series:
- The Pillars of the Earth (1989) set in the 12th century
- World Without End (2007) set 157 years later
- A Column of Fire (2017) starting 1558
- World Without End (2007) set 157 years later
Sad to see it end.
Happily Follett released a prequel in 2020 starting 997 AD.
Another long book. Very engaging.
I love reading about the technology of the day.
Follett, too, writes love stories as well as anyone.
… the end of the Dark Ages, and England faces attacks from the Welsh in the west and the Vikings in the east. Life is hard, and those with power wield it harshly, bending justice according to their will – often in conflict with the king. With his grip on the country fragile and with no clear rule of law, chaos and bloodshed reign.
Three Lives Intertwined
Into this uncertain world three people come to the fore: a young boatbuilder, who dreams of a better future when a devastating Viking raid shatters the life that he and the woman he loves hoped for; a Norman noblewoman, who follows her beloved husband across the sea to a new land only to find her life there shockingly different; and a capable monk at Shiring Abbey, who dreams of transforming his humble abbey into a centre of learning admired throughout Europe.
Rick McCharles 