Edge of Eternity

Century Trilogy, Book 3

By: Ken Follett

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 36 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

Edge of Eternity is the epic, final novel in Ken Follett's captivating and hugely ambitious Century trilogy. On its own or in sequence with Fall of Giants and Winter of the World, this is an irresistible and spellbinding epic about the fight for personal freedom set during the Cold War.

A Fight Against Injustice

1961, and in the United States George Jakes, a bright young lawyer in the Kennedy administration and fierce supporter of the civil rights movement, boards a Greyhound bus in Washington with Verena, an employee of Martin Luther King whom he is in love with, to protest against segregation.

A Rising Tide of Danger

In East Germany, teacher Rebecca Hoffmann finds her entire life has been a lie as she is targeted by the secret police, even as her younger brother, Walli, dreams of escape across the Berlin Wall to Britain. In Russia, activist Tania Dvorkin narrowly evades capture for producing an illegal news-sheet, her actions all the more perilous because her brother, Dimka, is an emerging star of the Communist Party.

A Cold War That Could Eliminate the World Forever

In a sweeping tale that began in 1911, the descendants of five families will now find their true destiny as they fight for their individual freedom in a world facing the mightiest clash of superpowers it has ever seen.

©2014 Ken Follett (P)2014 Pan Macmillan Publishers Ltd

Critic reviews

"The true historical events are probably the most exciting bits to read, because Follett always gives his puppet eye-witnesses an excellent vantage point from which to recount them." (Private Eye)

superb

It was everything I imagined it would be. A superb and perfect end to the trilogy

Love Love Loved it

I hesitated to download this book because it was a huge commitment at 36 hours but I have enjoyed every minute and didnt want it to end. Ken Follett has the ability to make you bond with the characters and feel real emotions for them.
I enjoyed this the most out of the series possibly because it is an era I remember most of the things happening,
Worth the download

Very political

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I looked forward to this book with great anticipation. I enjoyed the story line and the characters but none hooked me and kept me caring about them as in the prior two books.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The ending felt rushed and as if the author was just trying to wrap up in a hurry to get on with something else.

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

John Lee is a great narrator. He adds a depth to the story and proves quite enjoyable to listen to.

Did Edge of Eternity inspire you to do anything?

To look into some historical events that the author claims took place.

Any additional comments?

The author is blatantly biased in his political views. He dislikes Republicans and goes into detail smearing them while singing the praises of Democrats and completely overlooking any of their scandals or events. He even manages to highlight and endear John Kennedy's many affairs and callousness and turn him into a beloved and revered president. I did not enjoy this book as much as the other two but I am glad I read it to tie up the events and families. There were no stand out characters that I fell in love with or became involved with. It was just ho-hum.

History Soap Opera

After enjoying the first two books in the trilogy, Edge of Eternity was a disappointment. It isn't so much a story, but a history soap opera with a considerable left of centre political bent. I do continue to be amazed though at the amount of research and knowledge of places, cultures and events that would need to go into a book like this.

good but downhill from the first one.

What made the experience of listening to Edge of Eternity the most enjoyable?

As part of the century trilogy the book continues to put the main characters in the midst of the most important events on the XX century, however the tone and the characters themselves are less alluring than the characters from book 1 or even book 2.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Hearing the context for Martin Luther King's I have a dream speech was awesome, I really enjoyed that part.

Which character – as performed by John Lee – was your favorite?

John Lee gives an amazing performance, be on the lookout for this and other works by him, his female characters are good enough but Fitz in his old age is amazing.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There are several, this is a must read book if you initiated the trilogy and it's a good enough standalone book.

Any additional comments?

It is somewhat sad to see beloved characters pass away from old age, the book could have been more emotional on those parts.

3rd best of the trilogy

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Anyone who wants an overview of world events from 1950s onwards might find this interesting. The parts set in Europe seemed to be a bit better.

Would you ever listen to anything by Ken Follett again?

He knows his historical fiction, so I will be interested in his future works.

Have you listened to any of John Lee’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

John Lee is always a great performer, once you get used to his strong accents. I thought he handled this book well, which can't be easy since there are so many different characters.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Edge of Eternity?

None of the American characters were interesting, and only existed to give a voice to the Kennedys and Martin Luther King. For anyone interested in them, I'd suggest reading a better book.

Any additional comments?

The biggest flaw in the book was the characters who are completely wooden, and only exist to listen and comment to speeches made by political figures. There was very little continuity from the first two, I barely remembered who was related to who.