Chapter 35 - Circle of Days

Periodically you will find a fiction author whose books just glow with originality and information. For me one of those authors is Ken Follett. Follett is a superb storyteller whose writing has only gotten better with every book he writes. A native of Wales, he was slow to get acclaim in his writing career. In 1978 his novel Eye of The Needle drew interest as a terrific spy thriller and was adapted into a movie. Following this blockbuster were a series of spy and war thrillers, many of which were made into movies or TV series. (I was going to list some of my favorites of this time period here but there are just so many!)

In 1989 Follett published Pillars of the Earth, in part about the building of a cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge, England. While the reader learns a lot about building cathedrals in this book it at its core a mystery and an excellent snapshot of the 12th century. He followed this with a few more thrillers, then went back to Kingsbridge in 2007 in the book World Without End. I guess he felt he was finished with the Middle Ages because he published his family saga The Century Trilogy consisting of Fall of Giants (2010), Winter of the World (2012), and Edge of Eternity (2014). This trilogy spanned the time period of 1911 through 1989.

Apparently Kingsbridge called to Ken Follett again because he published A Column of Fire in 2017, The Evening and the Morning in 2020, and The Armour of Light in 2023, all taking place in and around Kingsbridge. The Evening and the Morning is a prequel to the series and I honestly would recommend reading it first.

Follett's latest is Circle of Days is a Neolithic novel set between 3000 and 1520 BCE. The novel focuses on the different tribal groups on the Great Plain. I haven't read this one yet but you can bet, I will get my hands on it. This sounds like it would be a good read for anyone who enjoyed Clan of the Cave Bear.

If you haven't read any of Ken Follett's books I recommend you start with some of his early historical fiction thrillers like Key to Rebecca or The Man From St Petersburg. If you want to dive in on any of his behemoth but cleverly constructed series, you have a lot to choose from. Fall of Giants will get you into the Century trilogy or The Evening and The Morning will start you (chronologically) in the Kingsbridge series. Either would be a good start to some satisfying historical fiction reading for winter!