Circle of days by Ken Follet
Ebook
Book review
Historical fiction Genre
Based on the supposed story behind the Stonehenge monument
One major departure in this novel though is that lead character of the novel does not get into the action till much into the story! Now since it is Ken you know that the novel will move along smoothly but occasionally you do get a GOT vibe! Especially when some supposedly main characters get knocked off!
Starts with a main character who later on assumes a constant background role but still important.
He is the only character who survives the circle of days so to speak!
The only chief spoiler is that the whole novel is about the construction of the Stonehenge monument!
So once that let’s spoiler is out; you can go into the action so to speak!
The novel is set in 2500 BCE on the Great Plain, the novel follows a society divided into tribes of miners, herders, woodlanders, and farmers.
Though initially there is peace all round that’s only because the novelist starting! Even his non prehistoric novels were, violent you can imagine how the prehistoric novels would be!
There are rigid sections and divisions within the society, people who are farmers cannot marry people who are woodlanders or herders!
Even here the actual work yes done by the women!
The miners mine flint and sell them to the other class like herders and farmers and woodlanders
The farmers grow crop and they are the most hard working of the the lot as well as the most rigid!
The woodlanders are the most in tune with the nature and the most simple in their actions so to speak.
So you have lots of violence and you have a lots of issues and of course when two people get together you have a lots of love and fight!
All of this centered around the building of this huge monument with stones! The stones have to be procured from a place which was very far and in ancient times it is like 2 days of walk by people who may not know how to count about 10! So they have a group of people led by a priestess and they have a miner turned herder who is now a builder who is leading the whole construction!
And between then you have a dozen or so people who simply do not want any progress! These narrow minded gentleman (if you can call them that!) stand at every point of the way causing obstruction destruction death and damage!
Guess the prehistoric world is not that different after all!
The story flows like a swift boat on a smooth river guided by a great and expert driver!
A stand alone novel though the construction aspect can be linked to the Pillar of Earth series…
Enjoy!
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