Pillars of the Earth & World Without End (Ken Follett)

I'm going to do something a little different today and review two books I read ~15 years ago* (before I started blogging). Both are historical fiction thrillers by Ken Follett.

The Pillars of the Earth takes place in "Kingsbridge," England over the span of decades (1123-1174) and centers the dramas of various characters (from all spheres) around the construction of a fictional Gothic cathedral.

World Without End is set in the same town two centuries later during the Black Plague (1327-1361) and, similarly, looks at the lives of various people in the area and their respective struggles.

Though my memory is fading, I recall both novels to be excellent—a sweeping historical survey intertwined with heart-pumping thriller. They were hard to put down, and you get a feel for what it must have been like in that time. Both have their graphic scenes, though, so let the reader beware, and there are some historical inaccuracies (think of this as thriller first, historical fiction second).

Rating (for both): A-

*Cleaning out my bookshelves; wanted to cover some things before I part with them.