Escapism from the first page............Just what the doctor ordered and perfect October reading. A vivid, absorbing and dark historical fiction tale of good versus evil, love and hate and a time when corruption and injustice was the norm. An unputdownable saga and yet horrifying in places. It certainly took me out of my comfort zone but I loved escaping back to the dark ages with this one every evening after work. It make me realise that life in 997 certainly wasn’t for the faint hearted or fo

12/25 (48%) 2 starsReview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YWV8... Dear Ken Follett,thank you for everything, but this is the end of our common path. You don't have to be sad: Since the moment I first read "The Pillars of the Earth," your books have given me a lot. You certainly played a big part in my aim to become a history teacher: Tom, Phillip and Aliena, even William, they all piqued my interest for the English Middle Ages. Thank you for the beautiful hours, the great characters, thank yo...

‘’At last, the church bell struck.’’ 997. England stands at a crossroads. The Dark Ages are almost over, a new era is about to begin. The dangers are still present as the Welsh threat and the Viking raids continue. But the true menace for the people comes from their own ground, from the clerics and the noblemen whose corruption, greed, and violence plague the weaker and the ones who dare to voice their independence. A Norman noblewoman, a boatbuilder and a brilliant monk find themselves in th

Quite interesting prequel, long but worth the time it takes. I guess it was my first HF on the times before Hastings, so I award the fourth star for the historical backgound.The story of Kingsbridge begin seventy years before the Norman invasion, and the relations with the Normans, differences in law, cultural clash, Viking raids etc are neatly integrated into the story. Time well spent, especially in company with Mr Lee's voice.

There’s always something exciting when reading a book by Ken Follett, as the reader is subsumed with history, drama, and wonderful storytelling. Follett has done well with his Kingsbridge trilogy, so much so that he chose to add this, a prequel, to deliver context on some much-wondered happenings in the early stages. Set at the end of the Dark Ages, the story explores the lives of three key characters and how their interactions bring a community together over a period of time. While the world is...

I loved Pillars of the Earth. Thought books 2 and 3 were meh. I was very hopeful that this book would be in line with the depth and breadth of an epic tale as I felt when I read Pillars. Alas, it is not. The writing is wooden and even stilted at times. Follett's characters are a regurgitation of previous books' characters, just with different names. I could predict exactly what was going to happen for the entire 900+ pages. Again, as with his other books, Follett's treatment of women is inferior...

I am officially in a book coma now... after reading all 3 previous books in the Kingsbridge series, was there any chance I'd miss the newest one, the prequel, entitled The Evening and the Morning? Nope... it was gonna happen as soon as possible. NetGalley declined me. I waited until the library had it available because I promised myself no new books until I read some on my TBR. I thought it would take 2 months to get to me on the list, then four days ago, NYPL told me I was next on the list. So....

I have so enjoyed Mr Follett's Pillars of the Earth series so to be able to read the prequel to that trilogy was something I so wanted to do.The story blends many characters both sinister and well intentioned into the village that would one day be Knightsbridge. The story takes us through the interweaving of a cast of characters that would eventually shape the town and the cathedral that many of us came to know in Mr Follett's previous books.This is a long saga, one that relates and intermingles...

It took a while to be pulled into this story, but once I was - I was in for the over 900 pages ! The novel follows the stories of three main characters and how their lives cross, and there’s a slew of other characters in England from 997 CE to 1007. This was a chaotic time filled with violence and power struggles over land and other riches. The power of men vs men, men vs the church, men vs their king, men vs women, slavery, the have and the have nots, deceit, violence, brutal punishments, lies,...

A Prelude for a Prequel Edgar is at the beach waiting for Sunni. They’ve been planning a escape for sometime, and... if everything goes according to plan ... tonight will be the night!But... unfortunately... nothing went the way he planned...Whilst searching for the graceful figure of Sunni, Edgar eyed one... two... three... manny... Viking caravels sailing silently towards the British coast. Their fierce occupants were all holding giant fire sticks and, for a moment, Edgar could do nothing but...

4.5 stars raised to 5 for its entertainment and enjoyment value. At first glance, the book seems formidable with 928 pages. Once I started it moved swiftly with scarcely a dull moment. It begins in the year 997 when the Dark Ages are drawing to a close and the start of what we refer to as Medieval times. The growth and transformation of a crude, small village to the thriving town of Knightsbridge, England, the setting of Pillars of Earth, is described through the hard work, tribulations, joys,

This is an excellent epic novel that begins in 997 CE, set in the fictional township of Dreng’s Ferry before it becomes Kingsbridge. Although some scholars, believing the height of human civilization was the Greek and Roman Empires, call this the Dark Ages, there are others who believe it wasn’t so dark. Ken Follet’s fictionalized account of life during this time period, reflects a busy and industrious period in the lives of English folk. It was often brutal with hardships that couldn’t be predi...

HOLD THE PHONE MY FAVOURITE SERIES IS GETTING A PREQUEL???Ken, you legend.☆ Blog | Twitter ☆

It's 997 CE, the end of the Dark Ages in England and one man is attempting to make his Abby a center of learning while others are fighting/manipulating/using corruption for Control. Who you marry is hardly ever a choice but an arrangement, there are power plays, wars, corruption and greed. There is also a sense of family, love, hope, survival and friendship.This book is the prequel to The Pillars of the Earth (which happens to be in my top 10 favorite books of all time). Needless to say, I quick...

I wasn't sure if I was going to review this book because, honestly, I feel pretty ambivalent towards it. I liked The Evening and the Morning more than A Column of Fire, but still quite a lot less than the previous two books. I agree with the reviews that say this has a closer feel to the first two books than A Column of Fire. It has that pastoral, everyday life feel that I came to love so much in The Pillars of the Earth and World Without End. I felt like CofF spun off in an entirely new directi...

Why I chose to read this book:1. Even though I really enjoyed The Pillars of the Earth and World Without End, I wasn't too crazy about Ken Follett's A Column of Fire, so I thought I would give Follett one more chance with this prequel; and,2. My audiobook hold became available.Positives:1. Unlike ACOF, I appreciated that this story returned to Kingsbridge (known as Dreng's Ferry during the Dark Ages);2. in typical Follett fashion, our protagonists continually get stomped on, over and over again

Such a disappointment. It’s Follett’s usual intermingling of characters’ stories but it fails to engage. The characters lacked depth and the plots lacked momentum. Overall, this is just lacking.

Another masterful work of historical fiction by Ken Follett, and an improvement, I think, on 'Column of Fire'.'The Evening and the Morning' is thoroughly enjoyable even if you are not familiar with the rest of the Kingsbridge series. The time and place are both excellently-rendered. Follett has a remarkable talent for showcasing the priorities of people in history -- what was most important to them in their cultural context. In a broad scope, those things don't change much over time: we yearn fo...

For you reading pleasure, I present the long-awaited prequel to The Pillars of the Earth (1989), The Evening and the Morning (2020). TPOTE is long thought of as a classic historical masterpiece, a sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with, but don't concern yourself, because this latest installment of the Kingsbridge series is just as immersive, dramatic, captivating and spellbinding, and I guarantee you will be as glued to all 832 pages as I was. Set at the end of the dark ages, on the cusp of the