Advantages: good English, excellent story
Disadvantages: you need to have some free time to read 1355 pages

...I couldn't find Ken Follett's books in the list, so I'm writing here... Though I would not consider "The Pillars of the Earth" a thriller. The book is about the construction of a cathedral in Kingsbridge, in the 11th century, and it's extremely good reading while on holidays or sick list, - the last part for those who read as slowly as I do. The spirit of the epoch is very truly captured, or that is the illusion a person who knows virtually nothing about the century in question gets. Describing the life and sorrows of Tom, a builder, and his family, the author makes us see and smell the woods and towns of olden times, hear their noises, fear their dangers. We get acquiainted with people from different social groups and backgrounds, and there is certainly a love story, a death, a humiliaton of the king, a fire and lots... Read review

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Advantages: compelling reading, packed full of action and detail
Disadvantages: compelling reading and lots of pages

...Opening with a hanging and a curse, this novel concludes with the beating of a hair-shirt wearing penitent. In between, depending on edition, are over a thousand pages of fast moving historical fiction. First published in 1989 by Macmillan, Ken Follett's masterpiece "Pillars of the Earth" took him thirteen years from penning the first word to marking the final full stop. My battered and dog-eared paperback was bought, by chance, from a sale at my local library for the princely sum of just 40p. It's a special edition, published in 1999 and benefits from a lengthy introduction by the author, explaining how and why the book came to be written. ~ Background ~ Follett wrote and submitted his ambitious outline in 1976, on reflection he suggests that at 27 years of age he wasn't capable of writing such a complex story and so put... Read review

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Advantages: good story, true documentation, to charm
Disadvantages: none

...I am a Librarian and "The Pillars of the Earth" is one of the books more reading, I have 2 copies but there isn't, never, in the shelving. But that isn't only in my Library, it is the same in all Spain. Here, this novel by Ken Follet is one of the books more sellings and it is going for his tenth edition. Is a big succesful. It can be a bit strange, because it isn't a "short" book, "The Pillars of the Earth" has more than 1.000 pages but when you start to read this novel, you understand why. The novel tells us the story by a British family that built Cathedrals in the England of the Middle Age. A long all this 1.000 pages, we are going to know this family and we are going to learn more about this period. The story is writing so good and to charm us since his first page, because is writing with an understandable language, for all... Read review

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Advantages: A beautiful, well research novel, which justs happens to be historical as well!
Disadvantages: Be prepared to not to do anything else as you get lost in this book.

...If you want to step into history and relive another time, then open this book. Once a year I put my life on hold and read ‘Pillars of the Earth’. It is an epic tale of love and hatred and human achievement. Each page reeks of a past time. There are wonderful characters with outstanding bravery, commitment and passion, who I love and then there are others who so foul they make me feel like I need a bath after meeting them. The book centres on the building of a cathedral and how this mighty achievement rises out of the ambitions of men and up from the earth. Personal integrity, determination and compassion combating blood lust, jealousy and pride are the themes of this fantastic book. It starts with the events that create the political and personal ambitions which lead to this construction. The story deals with the practical... Read review

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Advantages: Superbly researched, finely plotted
Disadvantages: Probably not for those who prefer the action shoot-em-up style.

...are established….although in some cases, it will be a while yet before we see exactly how and exactly what impact that will have on their lives. The Pillars of the Earth is an epic although it breaks all of the rules about such works. It covers a mere twenty years in the main body of the novel, or thirty if you wish to include the prologue. It doesn't span the globe, scarcely getting further south or east than southern Spain, and focussing mainly on Shiring, Wareham and Kingsbridge. It has no cast of thousands. This is the interplay of the lives of a few families and individuals whose paths cross and diverge and re-cross. On the other hand, what more epic theme could there be but the building of a great cathedral? What more noble endeavour? Unless it be the quest for love! Or for power! Of course this is a romance. A great... Read review

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Advantages: Detailed, fact-based, lifelike characters, improves on historical events
Disadvantages: None

...I am an Indian living in the UK for the past 5 years. India has historic links with the UK, so English history has always been of much interest - also considering that I was a history student at University in India. As I am a 'first edition' book collector, and a avid reader, I bought Ken Follett's "World Without End" last year in 2007. Then I decided to read its prequel "Pillars of the Earth". Both the books are masterpieces in themselves, though I found World Without End a bit repetitive and more or less in the same tradition as the Pillars.....However, no amount of praise is enough for both these books when it comes to the genius of a master-storyteller, who has the sense to interweave the story with true historical and architectural facts. I was totally facsinated with the idea of how the great cathedrals of the West were... Read review

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Advantages: It will be one of the best books you have ever read!
Disadvantages: There are none!

...I understand that this is the audio version, but I could not find the book and therefore will review this as if it were the novel! This book, as the author himself says , is very much a word of mouth book and many years after its publication is now climbing the charts as one of the best novels of recent times. In fact it was recently on Opera's list of must read books! Pillars of the Earth, set in the middle ages, follows Philip a monk at Kingsbridge Priory and his epic journey, where he comes across everything from treason and fully fledged battles to evil Earls and heroic Knights. I don't want to give away much else regarding the plot as that obviously takes away the fun of reading it! All that I will say with respect to the story is that this is one of the greatest adventure stories written and it would be a mistake not to give... Read review

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Advantages: Excellent source of instruction, inspiration and encouragement
Disadvantages: Zen is not for everyone.

...As explained in my Personal Homepage, I have practised Zen for about the last 25 years and to begin this review I will take the heading from my Zen blog… Zen is certainly not for everyone. It's rewards are hard, if not possible to define with words, yet words are all we have to communicate on the internet. Zen communicates through experiential practices. In his excellent book The Three Pillars of Zen (which is, in my opinion, indispensable for someone starting out in Zen), the late Roshi Philip Kapleau explains the value of zazen (Zen meditation) over other forms of meditation thus... "[In zazen]the mind is freed from bondage to all thought forms, visions, objects and imaginings and brought to a state of absolute emptiness, from which alone it may one day perceive its own true nature, or the nature of the universe." He goes... Read review

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Advantages: Looking at life through an alien's eyes
Disadvantages: none

...***Background*** This is one in a whole series of books about how Dr Xargle looks at things on Earth from his home on a bizarre planet where he lectures to his students. Jeanne Willis is the author of this strange but very funny series and her words are helped along by the illustrations of Tony Ross, who is of course so well known for his lovable character, The Little Princess. ***The Story*** When we open the book we see Dr Xargle, who is a green alien with many eyes long straggly arms. He informs his class that today they are going to learn about Earth Hounds. We are told that they have fangs at one end and a waggler at the other but sometimes it can be difficult to tell which end is which when the Earth Hound is hairy, so a sausage can be held at either end to find this out. He goes on to explain that they have... Read review

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Advantages: RPG in Middle Earth, fantastically realistic with rules covering every situation
Disadvantages: Over-complex and therefore time consuming

...Anyone who’s played Dungeons & Dragons (or the like) has probably at sometime read Lord Of The Rings (or these days, seen the film). It probably doesn't apply in reverse, but I’m sure a fair few people that have enjoyed Tolkien’s books have wanted something more. Iron Crown Enterprise’s MERP (Middle Earth Role Play) game gives you just that opportunity – a chance to actively participate in adventures in Middle Earth. What is role play? Role play games are probably more popular than ever now they’ve spread to computers as well as traditional multi-player dice games. Generally you need 2+ players, with 4 being about optimum. Depending on the complexity of the game, they’re probably not suited to youngish children – so from about 10-12 to adult. I won’t explain too much of the basics of role playing – I want to opine on this system... Read review

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