3 Review(s)

Sequel to The Pillars of The Earth, World Without End takes up the threads of the earlier story after a lapse of 157 years. The principal characters in World Without End are mostly descendants of the Pillars characters and the scene plays out in the town of Kingsbridge. Summary Of The Book Like The Pillars of the Earth, which was a historical novel, World Without End also encompasses two of the worlds greatest real-life events, the Black Death, which killed between 30 and 60 per cent of the total population of Europe, and the commencement of the Hundred Years’ War. Located in Knightsbridge, the same place where The Pillars of the Earth had been set, the narrative jumps forward by a century and a half. According to Follett, what has changed in Knightsbridge in the interim period is that, the monastery changed to an institution hungry for power, from the beneficial influence that it stood for in medieval society. The tale of secrets, lies, love, power and hatred continues with the Church and the Priory at its center. World Without End can be read as a story independent of The Pillars. The protagonists are Gwenda, Caris, Merthin and his brother Ralph. The latter two, though siblings, are polar opposites in character. Merthin is an apprentice carpenter, in love with Caris who renounces her nunhood to marry him. Ralph is totally ruthless and desperate to be an Earl, committing rape and murder in his efforts towards redeeming his family’s name. The World Without End has been adapted for the television by director Michael C. Jones for broadcasting in 2013 in the UK. About Ken Follett Aged 64, British author Ken Follett is an extremely popular author of thrillers. The New York Times ranked 4 of his books as the number one novel on their best sellers list. Some of the other books written by this immensely popular author are The Key to Rebecca, Fall of Giants, The Modigliani Scandal, The Third Twin and On Wings of Eagles. Married to Barbara Follett, his second wife, Follett started his writing career as a journalist, moving on to a publishing house Everest Books where he became the Deputy Managing Director. Writing novels and fiction first started as a hobby during his leisure time and weekends but Follett has not had to look back since Eye of the Needle was published in 1978. Famous for his thrillers, Ken Follett’s books have sold in excess of 100 million copies worldwide.