Review : World Without End by Ken Follett

Title : World Without End Author : Ken Follett Reading Dates : 13 Feb - 25 Feb 2011
Kingsbridge
Books in the series include : The Pillars of the Earth World Without End
From goodreads :
In 1989 Ken Follett astonished the literary world with The Pillars of the Earth, a sweeping epic novel set in twelfth-century England centered on the building of a cathedral and many of the hundreds of lives it affected. Critics were overwhelmed it will hold you, fascinate you, surround you (Chicago Tribune) and readers everywhere hoped for a sequel. World Without End takes place in the same town of Kingsbridge, two centuries after the townspeople finished building the exquisite Gothic cathedral that was at the heart of The Pillars of the Earth. The cathedral and the priory are again at the center of a web of love and hate, greed and pride, ambition and revenge, but this sequel stands on its own. This time the men and women of an extraordinary cast of characters find themselves at a crossroad of new ideas about medicine, commerce, architecture, and justice. In a world where proponents of the old ways fiercely battle those with progressive minds, the intrigue and tension quickly reach a boiling point against the devastating backdrop of the greatest natural disaster ever to strike the human race the Black Death. Three years in the writing, and nearly eighteen years since its predecessor, World Without End breathes new life into the epic historical novel and once again shows that Ken Follett is a masterful author writing at the top of his craft.

Book Review of World Without End.
What I liked and disliked about World Without End is similar to that of The Pillars of the Earth.

I felt slightly cheated because the story that I got was not the one I thought I’d be getting. For some inexplicable reason, I kept expecting an unforgettable epic. Instead, I got a story which seemed to meander on pointlessly. From the half-way point onwards, I kept wondering “... but what is the point of this story?”

What I did enjoy reading about was how the main characters went about achieving their individual objectives, though to a much lesser degree than The Pillars of the Earth. Since I read this back-to-back with the first book, I could not help noticing how similar a number of the plot lines and characters were. And while the number of likable characters had increased, they simply weren’t as colourful as Jack Builder. More importantly, their dreams and ambitions weren’t as fascinating.

My conclusions :

• Would I re-read the book ? Maybe.
• Would I want to read the next book in the series if there were one? No.
• Would I want to own my personal copy if I didn’t already own it ? No.
• Who would I recommend this too? Historical fiction fans.
• For those looking to read the book, would I recommend buying or borrowing the book? Borrow the book. And I wouldn't recommend reading the books back-to-back.

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