Been a Follet reader for decades
356667
Another great work. Polished it off straight away. Next: Winter of the World. Follet's story telling style simply captivates me. Brings the fictional characters to life while keeping within the historical context of world events. Great read!
3255130
I always learn interesting things in Ken Follet's books. He describes the environment so well that you feel as if you are there. His characters are usually well developed and complex. I really enjoy writing technique.
2279759
The entire century trilogy by Ken Follet was an outstanding work of fiction.  The writing was exceptional.  The "Edge of Eternity" was particularly relevant to me since I live through this era and was in the army during the Vietnam conflict.  The reader should keep in mind that this is a work of fiction.
4241814
Can't put this book down and am sad it is almost at an end.  The history, the characters and settings seem
so real.  It must be that Follett knows his stuff but also knows how to put it all down on paper!
4866312
I was extremely impressed with the first of the Century Trilogy, and not disappointed with Winter of the World. I highly recommend it. Following the characters through the historical events is engrossing, and provides a great perspective that I think is valuable to everyone.

I occasionally checked characters and events mentioned against historical sources, and always found that Follett's research is impeccable. That's one of the major reasons I appreciate this work and the previous one, in addition to being a great read, they're an educational opportunity that makes history more real.
2727035
Have read everything from Follett. This is one of his epic novels and he really goes into great detail regarding historical life.
1122207
Another home run for Ken Follett. Snippets from books 1 and 2 skillfully presented to awaken thoughts that make you say "Oh, I remember that". A bit of a history lesson if you open your mind to it. As an avid reader I sometimes put a book aside for a time, getting a fresh insight when I pick it up again. Not this one.
4309215
In my humble opinion, The Pillars of the Earth is Follett's best novel and I have read all of them. The characters and plot are riveting and the setting, 12th century England, provides a surprisingly rich and interesting background. You don't have to be a history buff to really enjoy this great work of epic fiction, I'm certainly not one either. If you enjoyed the mini-series on TV I can guarantee that you will love the book since it is about ten times better (again, in my opinion). Even if you're thinking, "whoa, I'm not sure I can handle that much of medieval England", trust me and give it a shot, you won't be disappointed. This book is undoubtedly the best historical fiction I've ever read which is why I am pretty bullish in my recommendation of it....I've loaned it to many friends and relatives over the years and never has one had a disparaging word....quite the opposite.
1780329
Set 150 some years later than Pillars of the Earth, in the same town of Kingsbridge, the plot begins as the children Merthin and Ralph, sons of a minor knight, Gwenda, the daughter of a disreputable landless laborer, and Caris, the daughter of the most successful wooler in town witness a skirmish in the forest between a knight and some royal henchman.  The other three flee, but Merthin stays and makes a vow to the knight to never reveal what he has seen. Ken Follett drops the reader into a well researched time warp of life in 1300's at the beginning of Edward III's reign.  Follett's well-developed characters play the survival game through the political machinations, the power struggle between the church and town, the black death, the weakening of the feudal system, the development of modern hospitals, the structural repairs of cathedrals and bridges, and of course, the everyday lives and romance of the people of the time. Although the book is long, I dreaded coming to the end.  I really enjoy when an author successfully blends fiction into history, and his characters become people you come to love or hate. This is a great read: informative, dramatic, exciting, and fun.
3696556
I am a huge fan of Ken Follett's writing style in general. Ever since I first read Pillars of the Earth 2 years ago I have voraciously read as many of his works as I could. I feel that Edge of Eternity is a great ending to his Century Trilogy and brings great closure to the principles addressed in the series as a whole. As a political moderate conservative did I find this book a little too leftist? Yes. Did I feel that detracted from the overall story and principles addressed within? No.
Ken Follett is unabashedly liberal. Almost Socialist in his standing. As a European this is not unexpected and I feel people should know that before reading any of his books. I knew that going in, so the blatant shout out to liberal agendas and scorning of republican figures did not bother me in the least. I looked at it objectively and honestly I feel it is important to know how the other side thinks and feels. It helps me make more informed decisions personally.
The story is very strong, and as is typical to any Follet novel, the character development is very intricate and well rounded. A few of the relationships fall flat as opposed to the 2 earlier books in the series but for a book so long I kind of expected that. This book is by no stretch the masterpiece of the first two, but it does close a lot of the principles both political and moral in a satisfying manner. If you have read the previous books in the series I recommend this book.
3968103
Very few authors are as skilled as Follett.  In this series, he tackles the majestic sweep of history that is the 20th century.  While the books look daunting due to their length,  they read like water flowing over stone.  I only wish they were even longer,  and there were more of them.
1424102
Read the entire Trilogy, starting with Fall of the Giants, then Winter of the World and finish with Edge of Eternity.  These are amazing historical novels that are well researched and written.  Ken Follett is one of my favorite authors.
4934073
Follett's finest.  Avery good read and repeat.
101874
one of the best I have read. this is only my third book by Follett and so far I have not been disappointed.
11578
This a wonderful book, but takes a dedicated reader since it is very long.  It covers a lot of fictional history and lots of people/families during World War II.  I have enjoyed all the books I've read by Ken Follett.
4897317
Excellent story-telling as usual for Follett.  The individual characters and their families were not as smoothly connected as in the first two volumes of the Century Trilogy, but the narrative kept me engaged.  Since I lived through the time setting of the book, the events in the book are not new to me, but their presentation matched my memory of them.  Fabulous book as one would expect from Ken Follett.
1547078
I have, in recent years, been a bit disappointed by Follett's works. This trilogy puts him back into the top echelon of historical fiction writers. I wanted to cancel all my business appointments and just read this book--it is wonderful, historically accurate (pre-World War One to it's conclusion), and absolutely riveting. When I finished  Fall of Giants, I immediately started  Winter World, which picks up in 1933. This volume is tougher to read, as the it chronicles the events in Germany as Hitler and his Brownshirts seized power. It is, if possible, even more compelling. The range and depth of his character development as well as his social, economic and political insights as played out against the events of the unfolding 20th century, mark this book as a must read. Do not miss this trilogy--or be deterred by its length--it is a very fast read.