Ken Follett - World Without End

Eighteen years after the publication of The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett has written the the long awaited sequel, World Without End.
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 among 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.

Comment: Once again, one of my best friends, who loves historical fiction, let me borrow another book by this author, after having let me read The Pillars of the Earth. This time, it was the sequel to that story, 200 years after, but within the same world, the city of Kingsbridge. In this new novel, the biggest enemy is the black death and how could they fight it in a world without the resources we have nowadays? I was curious to see what would happen and how the story would be.

Therefore, this story follows the happenings in the other book, this time 200 years from then, in a medieval society, where England is going to war against France again and where the black death strikes. The main focus is on Caris, Merthin, Ralph and Gwenda and how they carry on in live while dealing with wins and defeats and challenges and intrigue. Their story starts in the same innocent way, but soon their lives are shaped by their personalities, their choices and their dreams. How could they find happiness in a world of change?

This book has a new cast of characters and their lives intertwine just like it happened in the previous book, in ways the reader perceives as good or bad, concerning their attitudes. I think the biggest issue in the book is the morality, the common sense and the knowledge of right and wrong of every character. Often, they would act wrong for good reasons, or at least reasons we can justify as human and basic, and other times they would act wrong just for their personal gain. There is a group of characters I liked and often they would do things I don't think were the best ones but I can't find the need to hate them..I'm not sure if it's my own sense of letting it go because of the time they were living in or simply because I could put distance between them and my own thoughts. But there is a constant feel of judgment which I thin it's intentional by the author, to let us watch them do bad actions for good reasons (self defense, rightful order of things, love, loyalty, honor, to help) but how that isn't always put aside. It's an interesting human and emotional dilemma that gave me strong feelings of defense when I thought they were doing the right thing and that made me angry when I thought the should be different.
Another example of this almost philosophical show of human behavior was how some characters, one in particular actually, would think and act wrong and despite the consequences of his terrible actions, sometimes I still understood his reasoning...that character wasn't always harsh and mean, but his excuses weren't as black and white... quite the food for thought these black and white ideas.

My favorite characters were Caris and Merthin. They fought for so long for their happiness and I rooted for them throughout all the book. I would despair when they got defeated in their battles (as I would with any character I'd love) and rejoice when they could be winners. They are center piece in the book and through them happened most of the important scenes. 
The author clearly did a wonderful research on costumes and traditions from the 14th century and the story feels alive with everything pertinent to that era. It was very interesting to see many things, from food, to activities, expectations, professions, medicine and society works. It's a very rich novel indeed.

I had the most amazing time reading. It's a wonderful experience and the fact we follow many character's POVs isn't weird. I kept hoping the good guys could triumph and was glad many things were positive. I've shed a tear when something I wished didn't happen, did and I was riveted all the time I spent reading. This was even better than Pillars of the Earth because I cared for the characters more and even the plot seduced me more. Well, even if one bears in mind many things are still recognizable from the other book, mostly character-types, plot and development patterns. But for me everything worked out well.

Now I'm curious to see how the author works with this type of plot in a modern novel and I already asked my friend to read his 20th century series.
As for this one, it's a winner, so wonderful, it was amazing to spend time with it and be dazzled and provoked and how I learned many things.
Grade: 8/10

Ken Follett - The Pillars of the Earth

In a time of civil war, famine and religious strife, there rises a magnificent Cathedral in Kingsbridge. Against this backdrop, lives entwine: Tom, the master builder, Aliena, the noblewoman, Philip, the prior of Kingsbridge, Jack, the artist in stone and Ellen, the woman from the forest who casts a curse. At once, this is a sensuous and enduring love story and an epic that shines with the fierce spirit of a passionate age.

Comment: I borrowed this book from a friend. She really likes this kind of books (epic historicals I mean) and of course she raved about this one a lot. I wasn't very eager to read it despite the good critics because epic books tend to have a particularity that sometimes annoys me, which is making us care for the characters and because so much time passes while we see them live, usually someone dies or has the worst luck in the world. It's very annoying to see characters you love die tragically.

Anyway, I decided to try simply to ease my conscience, after all I didn't have to buy it, right?

I've read it in Portuguese and here the publisher divided the book in two, to be easier to carry. Of course, the price is the same as if it were two books in the first place which makes this a real deal for them, like the reader has no other option. I applaud their reasons, just not they execution...

This is the epic story of how a generation sees the construction of a cathedral in the medieval times. It's about how a group of people with no apparent connection see themselves wrapped in the challenges of living and surviving in a society that stands heavily on religion and difficulties. The characters take us in a voyage through their lives and how that impacts the reality around them.

I liked the story, overall. I didn't think it was that great, I wasn't as impressed as many people claimed to be, but I recognize it was a solid story, with many interesting and educative elements. 

The research shows and I very interested in knowing more about cathedrals although some of that technical part, such as how the plant should be set and how the arches had to be built and so on was a bit lost on me as I don't have much talent for that. But it was vital to make the story more elaborate and precise and it was filled with important facts, so I didn't mind all the descriptions.

Of course, the historical setting and the details about that time of the English real history were very interesting and it was brilliant to see the storyline inserted in that period.

The characters were the real strength in the story. Their lives and their beliefs and how their personalities would push them towards certain attitudes...I loved the heroes and hated the villains like it's expected and I was glad to see what became of them all, to a point. There was one character I wasn't fond of but I thought should have got a different destiny. Alfred was portrayed as a bully in training, but not all the time. He could have gotten a different life, a different personality. It suited some parts of the story for him to get bad, but he had a good family, a good example, why did he had to end up a bad guy? I was really angry over this,because the way I see it, the author used him to allow other things to happen and I just think his character could have been different and better.

There are many things in the book I thought were done great. I especially liked how the good guys were a step ahead of the villains many times. When the opposite happened I was more annoyed than mad because in a way I could put myself aside from that. I did cry here and there, but all in all, I wasn't that emotional over the story and I think it's one of the reasons I could be more than happy with the book but not overwhelmed. I mean, I recognize the strength of the story but it was only god for me.

Having now read the two types of stories this author writes, historicals and mysteries, I have to say they're both at the same level for me. I mean, I enjoy them, I spend some good time with them, but they don't leave me breathless and eager to read more. I suspect some time will pass before I feel I have to read another book by him. And I can always count on my friend for the epic ones.

Ken Follett - The Hammer of Eden

The FBI doesn't believe it. The Governor wants the problem to disappear. But agent Judy Maddox knows the threat is real: An extreme group of eco-terrorists has the means and the know-how to set off a massive earthquake of epic proportions. For California, time is running out.
Now Maddox is scrambling to hunt down a petty criminal turned cult leader turned homicidal mastermind. Because Judy knows that the dying has already begun. And soon, the earth will violently shift, bolt, and shake down to its very core....

Comment: I've had this book to read for more than five years. I remember I bought it on sale, it was quite cheap (I have it translated) but the blurb caught my eye and at that time I had read two books by the author and I remember enjoying them, so when I saw this one on sale I got it right away...but like most times I didn't get to it soon and it's been in my TBR list for...well, obviously a long time. I finally decided to pick it up because I had the idea of trying to go through many loose titles I have in my shelves and, in a way, start tidying things up a bit.

The book is a fictional story about the possibility of someone starting a earthquake somehow. When the governor of California signs the papers allowing the construction of a dam, many people who live in the place chosen will have to leave. There's a cult living in the valley that doesn't have the papers in order and they see it as their only way of survival, they have found happiness there. So, they come up with the idea of faking a threat by claiming they can start an earthquake if the plans to build the dam don't stop. To achieve this, their leader, Priest, will do anything to ensure they can keep their land, because although they don't pay taxes, they have legal papers and a business there, the source of their income.

However, the threat is considered real after they successfully start a minor earthquake and provoke panic among the government...

This book is, basically, the story of a group of people fighting for their things in the worst way and how a FBI agent is the person who solves the case.

I don't know if I enjoyed the book. I have to be honest and say it's not the most amazing thing I've read but I also can't say it's that bad because it did make me think.

The characters serve a purpose, of course, they're there to play a role. The big bad companies removing obstacles in their way to power and money and the law trying to catch the people who put at risk the lives of innocents. In the end the good guys win, etc.

The cult has some members who see things in a more radical way and those are the ones who stop at nothing to see their wishes accomplished. The worst part of the book was to see how badly they decided to pursue that. They had a good reason, illegal right to the land, because although they had a person who owned the propriety, they didn't pay taxes and they couldn't get compensation for it. They also claimed that place was unique for their wine production, their source of income. They also stated rich people couldn't just take what they wanted in order to make other rich people happy not seeing how it would affect those not so wealthy.

I have to say this impressed me. I considered their motifs strong and valid. How many groups and real villages have to bend their rights for the power of stronger and richer people? 

Like I said, they don't fight the best way. There are people who get killed because of this, they commit crimes and that is awful, but their work would be lost and circumstances put them aside from society, in part by their choice, but despite the fact they acted wrong and were rightfully condemned, I still think their reasons were good and it saddens me to think of so many people out there struggling and for money they can't have their things, their dreams...I think this is the strongest point in the book. Not how they fight or how they are caught, but why they do it.

The story flows easily, we see many things from both perspectives, the cult's and the FBI's. It's an interesting story for its theme but I think I made my point about what I felt was the best thing in it.

I'm not saying people should do what they want, without any rule or social backup. But sometimes the world is too hard with those in need, something even more obvious now, with the way economy is.

Anyway, the book presents a strong story I think. the end made me sad because the cult's leader was bad, he did awful things, he committed awful crimes but still I felt pity about the way the book ended. Was this the author's goal? Was it just my personal reaction?

I can't say, but the story itself wasn't, certainly, what I'll remember the most about this book.