World Without End - Review
Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. (Ephesians 3:21 , King James Bible)
World Without End cover
A few days ago I finished the book World Without End by Ken Follett. It is the sequel to Pillars of the Earth (1989) and takes place in the same fictional town of Kingsbridge. The characters in World Without End are descendants of the main characters in Pillars of the Earth.
The book follows the lives of four main characters. Caris, an unconventional girl of her time. Merthin, a boy who is ahead of his time. Ralph, a boy who lives to fight. And Gwenda, a girl who has found the love of her life. These children witness a mysterious murder when playing in the forest, that will connect them to secrets that are best buried.
First impression is that World Without End is quite the brick. It weighs in at 1111 pages in the hardcover version, being justified that it delivers the story with no extra fluff or padding. The inside of the front cover features a map over Kingsbridge, and the cathedral grounds. Most of the events happening in the book take place in Kingsbridge, so it is quite handy to have some points of reference, even for those that read Pillars. Alot has changed in 200 years. The book also stands on it’s own feet, you don’t have to have read Pillars before picking this one up.
The personalities and traits connected to the main and support characters are apparent early on, and most don’t change much during the course of the book. But it doesn’t make them static or uninteresting. Some characters live the status quo of their social station, others go up against the system and the church. Some characters you love, some you despise, others you hate. In all of this, there is a power struggle, where lords rule over the peasantry, kings rule over lords and God rules over all mortal men and women. All of these small and large struggles are tied in to a truly engrossing plot.
Medieval life is illustrated down to the most painstaking detail. It shows how they lived, what clothes they wore, what they ate, how they bred and so on through all social classes. This level of detail is sometimes abit too much, but it does give a feeling that you are in a living, breathing medieval town.
The historical perspective is the most interesting one. It’s obvious that the author has consulted historians for events that could tie-in with the plot and characters. Historical events are taking place right before our eyes. The book depicts a phase in the Hundred Years War, namely the Edwardian War, where England and France are torn in to a war over the french throne. We get to see the devastations to the french countryside by English-led troops and it all culminates in the Battle of Crècy.
The coming of the Black Plague is something that haunts all the characters in Kingsbridge. The author depicts how futile the current medical knowledge is, where Humorism is practiced by the monk physicians and blood-letting the cure for most ills. The book draws a vivid picture of how society is depraved by the deaths of so many people, but yet the story shows that some will not let this happen.
Ken Follet has successfully painted an epic masterpiece, written on a thriller canvas and framed in a medieval setting. The rich and colorful cast of characters combined with a level of detail makes this a book that appeals to everyone. The engrossing plot and subplots evolving around real historical events makes it an instant classic, even for those not interested in history. Summed up, this is a book that is not to be missed and a must read.