World Without End by Ken Follett

World Without End by Ken Follett

The second of Ken Follett's epic historical novels, World Without End is set in England in the 14th century period of 1327 to 1361. This book is set in the same fictional town as Follett's previous book, Pillars of the Earth -- Kingsbridge -- with the same backdrop of the Kingsbridge priory, two hundred years later. The book begins with the death of Edward II in 1327, passes through the beginning of the Hundred Years War in 1337, and describes the devastation of the initial stages of the Black Plague.

This book follows the same format as Pillars of the Earth -- a young man and a young woman are the central characters, both of whom are more intelligent than anyone else. These two characters lead the advances that occur in the historical period. The story includes villains who generally make life miserable for everyone else, and who depict the way in which the monarchy controlled and enslaved the population during that period. The story also includes the role of the church in controlling and enslaving the population. In describing the Black Plague, the story particularly describes the first steps in advancing medical science, and the terrible resistance of the church in accepting new ideas. As I have no knowledge of that historical period, I have to assume some level of accuracy in the historical descriptions in the book. I was struck by the minuscule advances in civilization in the two hundred years between the two books.

Like Pillars of the Earth, this book is a long soap opera, following the daily lives of the characters. The characters were well developed, and their stories were interesting. I was not put off by the length of the book; indeed, I found that I enjoyed coming back to it again and again, as someone watching a soap opera. I did not expect great literature, but I did enjoy the characters, the story, and the lessons in the history of that period. I also liked the way that Follett tied everything up at the end, leaving the reader feeling good. The only negative I felt as I read the book was Follett's descriptions of sex -- for some reason he used gross male terminology. I found this terminology out of place with the rest of the story, and felt that he could have used much better terminology while describing the same actions.