Ken Follett takes a bite out of crime

I'm taking a short break from reading crime fiction. One reason for this is that I haven't seen my brother Mike in awhile, and I always rely on him to load me up with boxes of paperbacks, which he consumes like popcorn. Then I'm still working on the novel, a project that proceeds at a glacial pace despite the impetus of getting a new computer to write it on. Finally, I think it's a good idea for any writer to stray outside the genre once in awhile.

Which is why I recently bought Ken Follett's World Without End. Many years ago (about 17, I guess) I picked up his Pillars of the Earth expecting to be bored silly and found that I couldn't put it down. Set in 12th-century England during the construction of the fictional Knightsbridge cathedral, it's one of those sweeping old-school historical novels that spans decades. World Without End is the sequel. This will sound churlish, but I should mention that I discovered it quite on my own, without Oprah Winfrey's announcement today that Pillars of the Earth is her latest book club selection. Damn it, that woman is everywhere.

Anyway, I've barely started this 1,000-page tome, so it's too soon to say whether I like it or not. But I'm wondering if so much time spent with crime fiction hasn't spoiled my appreciation for broader, more sedately-paced works. I'm used to being grabbed by the jugular in the first few sentences; here, a sort of ho-hum beginning requires a leap of faith to stick with it. Also, any novel described as "sweeping" is going to have a lot of characters, and I'm already having a problem keeping the names straight. After 40 pages, I count 18 major characters. No doubt they'll have room to breathe in the chapters to come, but it's getting kind of crowded here at the front entrance.

Now I'm asking myself: Did Pillars of the Earth start out this way? I'll have to look. If so, maybe I've changed more than Ken Follett has. I do know that I've long admired him as a writer of popular fiction; his Eye of the Needle remains one of the best thrillers ever written. (The movie wasn't bad either, inspiring a decades-long infatuation with Kate Nelligan.)

Comments

Linda said…
Hi Dave,

Your post made me want to tell you about a thriller I just finished reading -- Prophecy, by Paul Mark Tag. It isn't long (about 350 pages), it's fast-paced and has two elements that you address here.

He actually includes a "Cast of Characters" that allowed me to quickly remember who a particular character is, if I forgot ;-)

Also, the plot has a touch of historical fiction, like Pillars of the Earth. It starts prior to the 1889 Johnstown flood in PA, in which over 2200 people died.

Don't know if you or your brother will have time for this book, but IMHO it is a treasure and definitely worth a read.

Cheers,
Linda
November 14, 2007 at 8:03 PM
Dave Knadler said…
Thanks for the recommendation, Linda. I just checked out the synopsis and it does sound intriguing. I'll have a look this weekend.
November 14, 2007 at 8:19 PM
Anonymous said…
I loved Eye of the Needle also, I used to read all Ken Follett's books when young (in my 20s) but for some reason, never do these decades. (dry but true humour)
I also adored Kate Nelligan in this and in other movies of the era -- she featured as David Hare's muse for ages. What happened to her? She was fab. One of the few who could aspire to Julie Christie's crown.
November 15, 2007 at 4:59 PM
Dave Knadler said…
Her latest role is the shrewish mother of Sandra Bullock in this year's terrible Premonition. Also, she appears to have gone in for cosmetic surgery, which in my view has destroyed her unique good looks. Sigh. At least Julie Christie didn't go that route ... or did she? Sure hope not. It never fools anyone.
November 15, 2007 at 7:13 PM
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