Author: Ken Follett
Published: September 23, 2025, by Grand Central Publishing
Format: Kindle, Hardcover, 704 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Blurb: 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
My Opinion: I was looking forward to this book. The idea of a story rooted in the mystery of Stonehenge had me intrigued. It’s the kind of concept that sparks curiosity and promises something epic. And knowing it came from Ken Follett, I expected to be swept away.
But somewhere around page 130, I realized I wasn’t turning the pages with any urgency. The characters weren’t the problem; they were fine, even likable. What I needed was momentum. A sense of discovery. Something to make me lean in. Instead, the story felt stuck.
It’s disappointing, especially when the premise holds so much potential. I kept waiting for the Stonehenge thread to anchor the narrative in something mythic or mysterious. But that promise never quite materialized; at least not before I set the book down.
This wasn’t a rage-quit. More of a quiet fade. I gave it a fair shot, but in the end, it just didn’t grab me. And with Follett, I know he can deliver better.
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
My Opinion: I was looking forward to this book. The idea of a story rooted in the mystery of Stonehenge had me intrigued. It’s the kind of concept that sparks curiosity and promises something epic. And knowing it came from Ken Follett, I expected to be swept away.
But somewhere around page 130, I realized I wasn’t turning the pages with any urgency. The characters weren’t the problem; they were fine, even likable. What I needed was momentum. A sense of discovery. Something to make me lean in. Instead, the story felt stuck.
It’s disappointing, especially when the premise holds so much potential. I kept waiting for the Stonehenge thread to anchor the narrative in something mythic or mysterious. But that promise never quite materialized; at least not before I set the book down.
This wasn’t a rage-quit. More of a quiet fade. I gave it a fair shot, but in the end, it just didn’t grab me. And with Follett, I know he can deliver better.
No comments:
Post a Comment