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The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett tells the story of the building of a cathedral in the fictional English town of Kingsbridge during the 12th century, while two nobles, Stephen and Maud, were feuding for the crown. The story covers a range of characters, from the godly but ambitious prior of the cathedral’s monastery to the family of masons who design and assemble it. It’s a big book, with nearly 1,000 pages, and covers several decades. As such, it makes for an interesting comparison with epic fantasy novels.
This book was, apparently, a labour of love for Follett, who was better known as a writer of thrillers. His prose style is simple and accurate, and he feels in complete control of his massive plot: events from near the beginning come round to affect the characters towards the end. Follett skilfully adds real-world events to the story, including the martyrdom of St Thomas a Becket, and is good at showing how the wider conflicts affect the local people and their struggle to build the cathedral.
Follett makes his medieval citizens strange and sympathetic: they’re comprehensible, but deeply pious and superstitious. Even the arch-villain, a raping, murdering lowlife, is terrified of Hell. On that subject, some readers might find there to be a bit too much rape and pillage in The Pillars of the Earth (it was published thirty years ago), so be warned, but it’s never especially gratuitous. I don’t know if Follett is religious (he says in the foreword that he was brought up in a Puritan sect that disapproved of cathedrals) but he treats the characters and their piety with respect. Anyone who is used to the cartoony hellfire of Warhammer and the like will be surprised at the sophistication of Follett’s characters.
Sometimes, the language feels a little too simple. Follett breaches the “show not tell” rule fairly regularly, but I don’t mind that, and it works. Years are skipped, and months fly past as the work on the cathedral continues (or goes horribly wrong). People die – there’s no plot armour – and others take their place.
If I had to compare it to a fantasy novel, I’d choose A Game of Thrones (except that The Pillars of the Earth has a clear ending). It’s of a similar level of violence and complexity to that, and told about as well (perhaps better). Perhaps Pillars could have been 50 pages shorter, but Follett tells his epic story effectively and quite swiftly. As a matter of fact, I felt that one character’s plotline was wrapped up a bit too quickly, but this is a small complaint. I would recommend this book, especially to fans of epic fantasy.
This book was, apparently, a labour of love for Follett, who was better known as a writer of thrillers. His prose style is simple and accurate, and he feels in complete control of his massive plot: events from near the beginning come round to affect the characters towards the end. Follett skilfully adds real-world events to the story, including the martyrdom of St Thomas a Becket, and is good at showing how the wider conflicts affect the local people and their struggle to build the cathedral.
Follett makes his medieval citizens strange and sympathetic: they’re comprehensible, but deeply pious and superstitious. Even the arch-villain, a raping, murdering lowlife, is terrified of Hell. On that subject, some readers might find there to be a bit too much rape and pillage in The Pillars of the Earth (it was published thirty years ago), so be warned, but it’s never especially gratuitous. I don’t know if Follett is religious (he says in the foreword that he was brought up in a Puritan sect that disapproved of cathedrals) but he treats the characters and their piety with respect. Anyone who is used to the cartoony hellfire of Warhammer and the like will be surprised at the sophistication of Follett’s characters.
Sometimes, the language feels a little too simple. Follett breaches the “show not tell” rule fairly regularly, but I don’t mind that, and it works. Years are skipped, and months fly past as the work on the cathedral continues (or goes horribly wrong). People die – there’s no plot armour – and others take their place.
If I had to compare it to a fantasy novel, I’d choose A Game of Thrones (except that The Pillars of the Earth has a clear ending). It’s of a similar level of violence and complexity to that, and told about as well (perhaps better). Perhaps Pillars could have been 50 pages shorter, but Follett tells his epic story effectively and quite swiftly. As a matter of fact, I felt that one character’s plotline was wrapped up a bit too quickly, but this is a small complaint. I would recommend this book, especially to fans of epic fantasy.
