World Without End

By: Ken Follett

Narrated by: John Lee

In 1989 Ken Follett astonished the literary world with The Pillars of the Earth, a sweeping epic novel set in 12th-century England that centered on the building of a cathedral and the men, women, and children whose lives it changed forever. Critics were overwhelmed, and readers and listeners ever since have hoped for a sequel.

At last, here it is. Although the two novels may be listened to in any order, 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.

Three years in the writing, World Without End once again shows that Ken Follett is a masterful author writing at the top of his craft.

Listen to The Pillars of the Earth.©2007 Ken Follett (P)2007 Penguin Audio, a member of Penguin Group (USA), Inc.

Critic reviews

"Fans of Follett's previous medieval epic will be well rewarded." (Publishers Weekly)

Repetitive, but still enjoyable

For anyone who recently read or listened to Pillars of the Earth, I would suggest waiting a while before starting World Without End. I just listened to the first one two months ago, and I wish I had waited at least year before listening to the second.
At first, I felt as if Follett had used up all his ideas about basic personality traits and plot ideas in Pillars, and in the second book just mixed them around, assigning them to different characters (good monk becomes bad monk, bullying, jealous builder (Alfred) appears in a new family, etc). The plot "twists," this time much more predictable, and other obstacles were also all too familiar, but each with a new outcome or resolution. After about 20 hours of that, the plot finally took off and became a new story in its own right, and it was a lot more interesting and engrossing. Since it's so long, that still left me with about 30 good hours, but it would have been a lot more enjoyable if my memory of the first book had been dimmer.

The reader enhances the author's work.

I appreciate Ken Follett's ability to weave so many details and characters together and create such a good story that it can keep my rapt attention for 45 audible hours. I was consistently eager to resume listening and I think John Lee's reading enriched the experience.

awesome book

I really enjoyed the book Pillers of the Earth. When I first started listening to World Without End I didn't think I liked it as well but I have to say this book was even better. I say get it you won't be disapointed.

Buy Both Books

I read "Pillars of the Earth" years ago when it was new. When I started listening to audiobooks it was not available on Audible. Pillars is to date the only book I have bought on CD (compared to over 100 audible). I just finished "World Without End" and it was everybit as awesome as Pillars. I bought the hardcover for my daughter for Christmas. My best recommendation is that I usually never listen to a book twice, there is too much out there new. But, I will listend to this once a year from now on.

Best book in a very long time

After reading "Pillars Of The Earth" I dreamed of there being a sequel and thank God there was and is. I never thought Ken Follet could do better than "Pillars" but he has. This book by far is the most interesting book I have read or listened to maybe ever.

couldn't stop listening

I read Pillars of the Earth 15 years ago, and loved it; I liked listening to this one even more. Every one of the characters is believable, and the ending is satisfying. I didn't want to miss a word, even of the occasional descriptions of the physical layout of a town, or the physics of building. I overheard a description of Oprah's choice of Pillars of the Earth regarding its affairs of church and state, but at first thought this was the book she'd chosen, as so much of this book also reflects this power struggle.

Too much negativity but very readable

I read Pillars of the Earth so long ago, all I remember is that I liked it. This more or less sequel was overall very good but it doesn't strike me as being as good as the first. I found the sheer number of dispicable, back stabbing characters to be over bearing and tiresome. Being an engineer, Murthon is my favorite character. Even though there was significant "period" flavor and information, it wasn't enough. The war in France was interesting yet I found the nun's journey there pretty much unbelievable. The ending of the book was done very well.

Amazing Story

Ken Follett draws his readers into this amazine story of intrigue, war, history, romance and mystery as no author has done before. His research lends to one thinking that this could be a non-fictional story. And, John Lee is the best story teller. His dramtic reading allowed me to become part of the book. There were many times when I would arrive at my destination in my car and sit there listening to the story for sometimes 15 minutes more. It was so hard to leave the story and even harder to finish. I kept on thinking, what could I possibly listen to that could even be as good as this? Thank you Mr. Follett. Please do another soon!

Best Book I Have Ever Read (Listened To)

I don't normally write reviews, but World Without End is absolutely the best book I have ever read/listened to. Ken Follet's ability to recite details is amazing, and how he intertwines the lives of the main characters as they grow from children to adults keeps you at the end of your seat. Many times I tried to visualize how a particular thread was going to evolve, and was wrong every time. He is the master of story telling. I couldn't put it down and recommend it to everyone.

Awesome Book

Loved the story, loved the characters and loved the narration. I downloaded this as soon as I finished the Pilars of the Earth