World Without End

Kingsbridge, Book 2

By: Ken Follett

Narrated by: John Lee

The historical saga that has enthralled millions of fans, Ken Follett's Kingsbridge series continues with World Without End.

On the day after Halloween, in the year 1327, four children slip away from the cathedral city of Kingsbridge. They are a thief, a bully, a boy genius and a girl who wants to be a doctor. In the forest they see two men killed.

As adults, their lives will be braided together by ambition, love, greed and revenge. They will see prosperity and famine, plague and war. One boy will travel the world but come home in the end; the other will be a powerful, corrupt nobleman. One girl will defy the might of the medieval church; the other will pursue an impossible love. And always they will live under the long shadow of the unexplained killing they witnessed on that fateful childhood day.

Ken Follett’s masterful epic The Pillars of the Earth enchanted millions of readers with its compelling drama of war, passion and family conflict set around the building of a cathedral. World Without End takes readers to medieval Kingsbridge two centuries later, as the men, women and children of the city once again grapple with the devastating sweep of historical change.

World Without End is followed by the third of Ken Follett's Kingsbridge novels, A Column of Fire.

©2007 Ken Follett (P)2007 Penguin US

A worthy sequel to Pillars

You need to read Pillars of the Earth first. This sequel then starts a few hundred years after the end of Pillars and makes references to the characters and events in Pillars. The story however stands up on its own, and is a thrilling read from start to finish, just like the original.

a totally riveting story

An audio book you can totally get immersed in, story great, narration great and you really feel as though you you are in the 14th century. This is the second in a series but you don't need to read the first to enjoy this.

Loved it!

Would you consider the audio edition of World Without End to be better than the print version?

John Lee is amazing! He does all the accents without fail. I don't normally read or listen to this sort of book but Ken Follet just has such a gift for story telling. I now feel as if I have so much insight into WW1 and the people who lived in that time. He made it come alive.I will read everything else he's written now, especially read by John Lee.

Which scene was your favorite?

I loved the story about the Russian brothers

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I didn't want it to end.

Any additional comments?

Read it if you are interested in History.

beautiful, great narrator

Beautiful book with a very slow start. I'm glad I pushed through tho because I really enjoyed it.
The narration is done so well, the different characters really came through!

Astounding!

If you are ready for a 40 hour plus epic that runs seemlessly through an ancient age then put this on your list. There are writers and epic writers. Many may achieve the former but to write a book of such length, interest, diversity and spiced with history and keep it flowing and connected takes a master craftsperson. It is not heavy or intellectual or complicated; it is a great yarn and I loved it.

The towering jewel

May not be the best of Ken Follet with too much of lewd text marring an otherwise brilliant epic, but the characters have been well crafted and the plot never losing its grip.

Excellent, but...

This book was another great novel about the lives and intrigues of the folk from Kingsbridge. The characters show good development and motivation, the plot moves along smoothly with some good climax scenes. I particularly like the description of the plague and the symptoms and effects thereof.

The Narration was outstanding and added to the story.

But now comes the "but". If you have read the first Kingsbridge saga pillars of the earth, then this story and especially the characters will seem all too familiar. They are almost exact copies of the characters in the first book. Their struggles (although the specific story elements might be different) are those of the first book. The evil knight / Earl. The conniving clergyman, the talented builder, the strong woman. These are all the same. I would have liked to see other roles / inner conflict for these characters.

Pulled into the vortex of the 13th century...

What made the experience of listening to World Without End the most enjoyable?

The integrity of the characters was faultless. That's a big deal because you never say to yourself "that character wouldn't do that" - has a result the story keeps pulling you in.

What was one of the most memorable moments of World Without End?

The demise of a VERY evil character. Don't worry, I'm spoiling nothing because there are MANY evil characters in this book!!

What does John Lee bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

If I could have one wish in the "I'd love to meet" fantasy it would be to meet John Lee. What an AMAZING man. I can 'hear' every character in this book AND I can hear every emotion that those characters are conveying.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I listen to audio books as I am working and the were numerous times that this book literally made me gasp with surprise. Seriously!

Any additional comments?

This book certainly has it's 'sprinkle' of soap opera but it's only a sprinkle. As this book started out I actually thought I had chosen badly, it just wasn't 'my thing' - WRONG. I'm so glad I went one or two chapters more!!!!!!

Great listening, I love historical fiction

Where does World Without End rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I haven't listened to too many audio books at this stage but I found it very enjoyable.
Well narrated and fast paced.

Excellent

I feel as if I have been on a journey. Wow. Absolutely a whirlwind into a time in a plague in 1350. Over six hundred years ago.