Circle of Days
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3.9 • 76 Ratings
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- $24.99
Publisher Description
From a bestselling author of epic fiction comes the deeply human story of one of the world’s greatest mysteries: the building of Stonehenge.
A FLINT MINER WITH A GIFT
Seft, a talented flint miner, walks the Great Plain in the high summer heat, to witness the rituals that signal the start of a new year. He is there to trade his stone at the Midsummer Fair, and to find Neen, the girl he loves. Her family lives in prosperity and offer Seft an escape from his brutish father and brothers within their herder community.
A PRIESTESS WHO BELIEVES THE IMPOSSIBLE
Joia, Neen’s sister, is a priestess with a vision and an unmatched ability to lead. As a child, she watches the Midsummer ceremony, enthralled, and dreams of a miraculous new monument, raised from the biggest stones in the world. But trouble is brewing among the hills and woodlands of the Great Plain.
A MONUMENT THAT WILL DEFINE A CIVILIZATION
Joia’s vision of a great stone circle, assembled by the divided tribes of the Plain, will inspire Seft and become their life’s work. But as drought ravages the earth, mistrust grows between the herders, farmers and woodlanders—and an act of savage violence leads to open warfare . . .
Truly ambitious in scope, Circle of Days invites you to join master storyteller Ken Follett in exploring one of the greatest mysteries of our age: Stonehenge.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
In this engrossing novel, Ken Follett offers his take on one of antiquity’s greatest mysteries: the building and meaning of Stonehenge. Follett takes us back in time to 2500 BCE. Here, priestess Joia and her former flint-mining brother-in-law, Seft, seek to unite the troubled region with a remarkable feat of ancient engineering. Follett spins a sprawling historical yarn with this riveting, well-researched listen about Neolithic England, filled with intriguing ideas about prehistoric life. He sketches a credible world of farmers, herders, and woodlanders as they deal with drought, famine, family, and spirituality. Narrator Richard Armitage ably voices the extensive cast, fleshing out the author’s well-crafted characters and building tension as hardship turns them on one another. Gather your clan and stoke the fire for an audio trek through the origins of an iconic world wonder.
Customer Reviews
Classic Follet - both good and bad
I’ve been a fan of Ken Follet’s for as long as I’ve been reading novels. The subject matter and stories are great, and I’m fascinated by the world he is bringing to life in this book. But there is a critical flaw in his writing that almost led me to skip this one and to then drop off in the middle; the anonymous evil of his antagonists. They are just horrible monsters made of pure evil, disdain, and - well - antagonism. There is no depth or true character to them. They just take the clearest path to causing harm. Anonymous Evil. It makes the books frustrating to read, and a little shallow. I’m looking forward to being done with this one.
Immersive and entertaining
This audiobook is excellent. In my opinion, the Woodlander storyline is the standout - genuinely compelling and solidly paced.
As per usual, Follett’s writing puts you directly into the world and you’re not reading about events, you’re experiencing them.
The antagonists are my one complaint. They’re one-dimensional to the point of being almost cartoonish - think Doctor Evil without the self-awareness. But the weak villains are just a minor flaw in an otherwise excellent book. Highly recommend.
Boring and tedious
Ken, it sure how long it took you to write this but is too boring and tedious and lacking in substance