World Without End

Kingsbridge, Book 2

By: Ken Follett

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 45 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

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

Epic!

An epic story narrated by the best! This is my third in the Kingsbridge series, having read The Evening and the Morning before World Without End, and it managed to exceed my expectations. It is no mean feat to write and also narrate a book that provides 45 listening hours of suspense and intrigue and to still leave the reader/listener disappointed when it is finished. Now on to my next Ken Follett.

One hoped the world would end before the book...

What did you love best about World Without End?

I thoroughly enjoyed all of the Kingsbridge novels. You can never beat the first reading so Pillars of the Earth #1 was clearly my favourite. That was until I listened to an audible book recording of World without End narrated by John Lee. Even though I had read the book previously I found myself enthralled over again . This now rivals my readiong of the Pillars of the Earth as an experience. I am waiting to listen to the audio recording of the Pillars as I watched the TV series recently. Luckily there are another 1770 books in the library to finish.

What other book might you compare World Without End to and why?

Obviously the other Kingsbridge novels and other Follett novels like Fall of Giants.The closest novels in actual feel are probably in the fantasy genre. There is a reason why fantasy novels use the medieval setting so much . The lawlessness, the enormous gulf in power between the ruling classes and the rest , the existence of visible injustice etc which are all great elements for heroic adventure.

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

There is no doubt, a gifted narrator can bring heightened levels of dramatic nuance particularly in areas of dialogue where regional and class accents give enormous depth to characterisations. I would thoroughly recommend John Lee's readings in this case to fans of this book and the Pillars of the Earth which I have yet to listen to.

Who was the most memorable character of World Without End and why?

Caris is a wonderfully resourceful lead character.

Any additional comments?

If you enjoyed the intrigue of this novel you may enjoy the Empire trilogy by fantasy writer Raymond Feist.

brilliant.... masterful storytelling.

The kind of book that you can't put down/stop listening to. Splendid villains and courageous yet unlikely heroes

A great story

I love the intricacy and detail of Ken follett books, characters are well developed and story lines have interesting twists. My only negative would be that after 3 kings bridge books - there is predictably a protagonist who isn’t just annoying or bad they are horrific (esp this book) and they always survive through most unlikely odds - right til the last chapter, having raped, murdered, robbed, stolen and killed over and over again without consequence - and made untold hundreds of peoples lives a misery. It would be nice to have a bit more joy sprinkled in.

Engaging, absorbing, difficult to turn off...

Ken Follett's epic 'sequel' to Pillars of the Earth is engaging, absorbing, magnificently structured and wonderfully read by John Lee.

The downside of not being able to stop listening is that the repetition (necessary perhaps in a novel of this length) is more glaring than it might be to a reader not listening for hours and hours at a time.

Wonderful book

The story was breathtaking in its scope. Kept you wanting more...and thankfully it was a lovely long book. But even so I did not want it to end. Makes you want to read more about this period of history, and also more from Ken Follett - highly recommended

great, loved the book, can't wait to read more

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

top of the list

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

started slow but through the middle and end could not stop listening

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

mervyn

Great Narration

The second in the Pillars of the Earth saga lacks the grandeur of its predecessor, yet it keeps the listener begging for more since it is a great mix of drama, betrayal, love, adventure, and a bit of mystery. John Lee brings the book to life, his narration was impeccable and conveyed each character's mood and personality minute after minute. I certainly want to listen to more books read by him.

Incredible historical details

Whilst this is a work of fiction the incredible details of life in the Middle Ages makes it feel very real. I enjoyed every minute

Great book

Fascinating historical details, dramatic saga. Narration was perfect. Can’t rate this too highly. I will miss the characters now it’s finished!