The Pillars of the Earth / World Without End / A Column of Fire

by Ken Follett

kingsbridge novels ken follett collection 3 books set includes titles in this set :- world without end, the pillars of the earth, a column of fire [hardcover]. Description:- World Without End (The Kingsbridge Novels) The saga that has enthralled the millions of readers of The Pillars of the Earth continues with World Without End.On the day after Halloween, in the year 1327, four children slip away from the cathedral city of Kingsbridge. They are a thief, a bully, a boy genius and a girl who wants to be a doctor. In the forest they see two men killed.As adults, their lives will be braided together by ambition, love, greed and revenge. They will see prosperity and famine, plague and war. One boy will travel the world but come home in the end; the other will be a powerful, corrupt nobleman. The Pillars of the Earth (The Kingsbridge Novels) A spellbinding epic tale of ambition, anarchy, and absolute power set against the sprawling medieval canvas of twelfth-century England, this is Ken Follett's classic historical masterpiece.The Pillars of the Earth tells the story of Philip, prior of Kingsbridge, a devout and resourceful monk driven to build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has known . . . of Tom, the mason who becomes his architect – a man divided in his soul . . . of the beautiful, elusive Lady Aliena, haunted by a secret shame . . . and of a struggle between good and evil that will turn church against state, and brother against brother. A Column of Fire (The Kingsbridge Novels) The saga that has enthralled the millions of readers of The Pillars of the Earth and World Without End now continues with Ken Follett's magnificent, gripping A Column of Fire.Christmas 1558, and young Ned Willard returns home to Kingsbridge to find his world has changed.The ancient stones of Kingsbridge Cathedral look down on a city torn by religious hatred. Europe is in turmoil as high principles clash bloodily with friendship, loyalty and love.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction

Paperback

Published January 1, 2018

About the author

Ken Follett is one of the world’s most successful authors. Over 170 million copies of the 36 books he has written have been sold in over 80 countries and in 33 languages.

Born on June 5th, 1949 in Cardiff, Wales, the son of a tax inspector, Ken was educated at state schools and went on to graduate from University College, London, with an Honours degree in Philosophy – later to be made a Fellow of the College in 1995.

He started his career as a reporter, first with his hometown newspaper the South Wales Echo and then with the London Evening News. Subsequently, he worked for a small London publishing house, Everest Books, eventually becoming Deputy Managing Director.

Ken’s first major success came with the publication of Eye of the Needle in 1978. A World War II thriller set in England, this book earned him the 1979 Edgar Award for Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of America. It remains one of Ken’s most popular books.

In 1989, Ken’s epic novel about the building of a medieval cathedral, The Pillars of the Earth, was published. It reached number one on best-seller lists everywhere and was turned into a major television series produced by Ridley Scott, which aired in 2010. World Without End, the sequel to The Pillars of the Earth, proved equally popular when it was published in 2007.

Ken’s new book, The Evening and the Morning, will be published in September 2020. It is a prequel to The Pillars of the Earth and is set around the year 1,000, when Kingsbridge was an Anglo-Saxon settlement threatened by Viking invaders.

Ken has been active in numerous literacy charities and was president of Dyslexia Action for ten years. He was chair of the National Year of Reading, a joint initiative between government and businesses. He is also active in many Stevenage charities and is President of the Stevenage Community Trust and Patron of Home-Start Hertfordshire.

Ken, who loves music almost as much as he loves books, is an enthusiastic bass guitar player. He lives in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, with his wife Barbara, the former Labour Member of Parliament for Stevenage. Between them they have five children, six grandchildren and two Labradors.

Reviews

[Rory Frost · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read Follett’s other trilogy and loving it’s scope, breadth and masterful weaving of character arcs I’ve always been tempted by this series but hesitant to try them. The 12th Century is not a period of history I’m hugely familiar with and the building of cathedrals something I anticipated to be dry and not as engaging as two World War’s and the Cold War period.
Put simply, I was wrong. Despite being a 1000 page behemoth of a book The Pillars of the Earth moves at such a pace that it is very difficult to put down and you become deeply invested in the characters. It introduces possibly the most evil villain in fiction and is almost overwhelming in the sense of unfairness you feel throughout.
My only criticism would be that the level of redemption at the end may not match the sheer scale of injustice faced throughout but I would not be surprised if that was an allegory for the vast iniquity of the life in 12th Century Britain. Life isn’t always fair.

[Grant Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve never read through a book series so fast. I really enjoyed these. They’re a bit more lurid than I would like, and I almost put the first book down for that reason. Still, a very worthwhile read. Going to start the prequel today! I enjoy getting to follow the characters through the years/ through major life events. I also loved being immersed in ancient Britain! 4/5

[Liesbeth Van T Ende · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved all three books, I think the first one was my favorite

[Rachelle Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

The telling of cathedral building wasn't at all what I thought it would be. I always thought I wanted to see castles in far away lands, until I read this trilogy. As soon as we got to London we started the list of cathedral visits, and visit them in every country. These are so beautifully written, you cannot help but love/hate the characters and feel as if you are there, watching, being a part of it all.

[Eleanor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant sequel to The Pillars of the Earth. Ken Follett weaves a rich and intriguing web of characters from the lowest to the highest. I really loved all the small details of everyday life in the past, it brought this period of history into vivid colour for me. I really enjoyed it and I can't wait to read the next in the series.

[Gary Soars · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book - just as good as the others in the series - with a mixture of fictional and real characters living out historical events (religious changes, the Spanish Armada, the gunpowder plot etc). Find Ken Follet’s historical fiction easy to read even with the large number of characters.

[Mar Beveridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really really enjoyed it! The end dragged a bit but I ate my way through it so definitely a recommendation for easy reading :)

[Stuart Haining · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only 8/10 on this second reading which is a surprise!

[Devin Gaumont]

An ecellent chronology of three generations of stone masons, Lords, Ladies, and the cathedral that surrounded their lives.

[Daphne · Rating 5 out of 5]

In het begin moet je in het verhaal komen maar wat een indrukwekkend werk! ik zag de tv serie na het lezen van het boek en die was mooi in elkaar gezet maar haalt het niet bij het boek.

[Siro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good page turner.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 out of 5 stars! Must read series.

[Isabel]

Lo leí en Español

[Jennyfromtheblock · Rating 1 out of 5]

Way to much sexually explicit content and rape situations

[Toni Dibartolomeo]

AMAZING!!!

[Kaycee Walton · Rating 5 out of 5]

An epic story! The era is a brutal one but it was a gripping series and I highly recommend.

[Caroline Payeur · Rating 3 out of 5]

J'avais déjà lu il y a longtemps Les piliers de la terre. Cette fois-ci j'ai lu World Without End. C'était intéressant, surtout le contexte pandémique, mais c'était très (trop) long.

[CATHERINE CHAMBERLAIN · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic series!

[Ranette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pillars of the Earth tracks the progress of building a cathedral in ancient times.

[Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book! Absolutely amazing!!

[Big Hard Books & Classics · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved them all; currently reading the final novel, The Amor of Light.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite trilogies of all time. Masterfully woven stories!

[Mary Cammarota · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Trilogies I've read!

[Erin Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of drama. Very good read. Took me a while but it's satisfying

[Katrina Murray-hesterlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

👏👏🙏💐

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 14%. I can’t like any of these characters and they keep dying and starving. It’s not fun.

[Katrina Murray-Hesterlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!👏👏🙏💐

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was interesting and it was written like a good historical fiction although it’s more fiction than history.

[Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this entire series

[Izzy Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Give me a ridiculously long tome in which there's no electricity and the inhabitants of the story drink tankards of ale while eating stew out of trenchers and I'm reading every last page. Although I prefer fantasy to historical fiction, this trilogy spellbound me, magic or no. I usually hate things that call themselves sequels but involve significant time jumps, but the characters in all three books are so great in their own rights that I can't fault it. I loved escaping into the world of the little town of Kingsbridge for generations, and would gladly return.