OOOH, am I excited! Ken Follett has written a sequel to Pillars of the Earth! I really enjoyed that book, but had given up on ever seeing another one like it from him.
The book is called World Without End, and will be release on October 9.
Well there goes $20 of MY money. Thanks for pointing this out!
Pillars of the Earth was the last Follett novel I actuality liked, I hope he still has some magic left.
If it’s anywhere near as good as Pillars of the Earth, I’m sure I’ll be reading it.
That was a wonderful book. Thanks for letting us know.
Yay! 
I loved Pillars of the Earth.
I have awesome memories of Pillars of the Earth as I read it last fall, while touring France. It was pretty amazing to read all the descriptions of the cathedrals at night, and go tour similar cathedrals during the day. Put a whole different spin on the architecture.
Cool. Thanks for this. I love Pillars. I’ve read it three times. Looks like it will be time to read it once more before October.
You’re welcome, everyone! I would like to read Pillars over again before I read it, too, Diogenes, but between work and the kids, I’m not sure I’d get through a 1000-pager by October! The info on Amazon seems to imply that it’s not a true “sequel,” in the sense that maybe you don’t have to remember a lot of details from Pillars to enjoy it. I’m hoping that’s the case.
Yes! Sweet! I’d heard he was working on a sequel but I didn’t dare hope it’d be finished so soon. I’m gonna have to dig out my dogeared copy of Pillars out from under the bed. It’s been years since I last read it.
It’s a sequel but only in a broad sense. World Without End is set in the same town as Pillars of the Earth but two hundred years later.
I loved Pillars of the Earth.
This one will be a birthday present to myself, I think.
From Publishers Weekly:
Bump to say I just finished World Without End and I think it was just as good as the first book. As with Pillars, Follett writes as a storyteller and entertainer more than as a historical pedant. His research is on display in the book but it serves the story. It’s very character driven with an assortment of sympathetic protgonists and hissable villains and it has a pretty satisfying ending. Anyone who liked Pillars of the Earth will like World Without End.
I don’t think it was as good as the first book, but I still think it was really good, and I enjoyed it a lot.
Pillars of the Earth is currently rated by me as the best book I’ve ever read. Using it as a benchmark I’d give World Without End a B or B+.
Great read and great story but the original still stands alone on its lofty perch.
I wonder if they’ll make a boardgame from the sequel like they did with Pillars of the Earth.
Marc
What he said. It was good - really good.
But it’s no Pillars of the Earth.
I guess I agree. It’s not as transcendent as Pillars and it lacks the central theme which that book had (the building of the cathedral) and it lacks a central character like Prior Philip, who was the moral heart of the first book, but World is still a page turner with engaging characters and storylines and a few affecting moments. It does give readers a lot of what they liked about he first book and I think they’ll find it enjoyable.
Loved Pillars and look forward too the sequel. 
-XT