'The pillars of the earth' was outstanding. It was one of the best books I have ever read. It was one of those books that you couldn't put down, there was always something happening so the storyline was never boring. It's characters were wonderful, they were all very different from each other and they all had different values, which made the story exceptional. This is truely one of Follett's best.

I have not read the other two books in this set, but "Pillars of the Earth" is outstanding. I have read every thing written by Ken Follett and have been extremely happy with all of them. "Pillars.." though is unique in that the setting is 12th century Europe and Follett does a remarkable job of making you feel like you are right there with the characters, feeling both their joy and pain. This book is not for the weak of heart. There are many graphic descriptions of both a violent and sexual nature. If for some reason this book does not become a classic and thus, required reading for some Honors English literature class, it will be due to the graphic nature I mentioned above.

Instead of one central character, there are several, all of which the reader will feel like he knows personally very early in the book. I would give most anything if this book could be made into a movie, but the only way to do it justice would be to make it multi-part mini-series with Ken Follett writing the screenplay, and even then it would not have the same effect.

Obviously, I give this book my absolute highest recommendation. So, don't wait, buy this book right now and plan on losing some sleep, because you won't be able to put it down !!!

I haven't read the other books in this set, but The Pillars of the Earth is my all-time favorite book. However, I would hardly call it a thriller. It falls more under general fiction, perhaps even a loose kind of historical fiction. That is not to say that it isn't an outstanding piece of work, just that it is a bit mislabeled in this boxed set. Perhaps the confusion is that most of Ken Follett's other books fall into the thriller/mystery category? The Pillars of the Earth is quite different from Ken Follett's many other books and I wish he would write more in this style!

This masterful saga of life in twelfth century England is epic storytelling at its best. The author weaves a rich and colorful tapestry of people, places, and events surrounding the building of a magnificent cathedral in the medieval town of Kingsbridge.

Early twelfth century England was a country in a state of flux. King Henry I had died without a male heir. His daughter Maude was to be queen. The English barons, for the most part, however, refused to swear fealty to her. Maude's first cousin, Stephen of Blois, then usurped her rights and proclaimed himself king. This was to plunge England into a civil war that was to last for many, many years, turning England into a virtually lawless and tumultuous land, until Maude's son became King Henry II of England.

For most people, however, life would go on with every day concerns being paramount. The book tells the story of a number of these lives. One story is that of Tom, a master builder, whose life long dream was to build a cathedral. The lives of Tom and his family would intersect that of a humble and intelligent monk named Phillip who would become the prior at Kingsbridge Priory. The fates would intervene and provide Tom with an opportunity to pursue his dream.

Their lives would intersect with a number of other individuals, some good, some evil, who would have a great impact on their lives and their goals. Tom would lose his first wife, Agnes, by whom he already had two children, brutish Alfred and sweet Martha, due to complications sustained during the birth of another son. This son was to provide a connection between Tom and Phillip of which Phillip would long be unaware.

Tom would ultimately marry Ellen, a strong willed independent woman of the forest, perceived by many to be a witch. Her son Jack, a sensitive, highly intelligent lad, whose father was deceased, would grow to manhood. His dream would begin where Tom's had left off. In Jack's background, however, was a mystery surrounding his deceased father, a French jongleur. That mystery in some way involved Sir Percy Hamleigh, Waleran Bigod, and Prior James, the old prior of Kingsbridge before Phillip.

When Earl Bartholomew of Shiring makes the treasonous mistake of siding with Maude in the conflict with Stephen, he ends up on the losing side. Sir Percy Hamleigh and his son William, siding with Stephen, attack the Earl's castle, and take Earl Bartholomew captive. Imprisoned for treason, he loses his earldom to the Hamleighs. His young son and heir, Richard, and his daughter, the beautiful Lady Aliena, are left to fend for themselves, but not until William Hamleigh has slaked his thirst for revenge upon them. You see, William had been engaged at one time to marry the Lady Aliena, only to be spurned by her to his vast public humiliation. This was the moment for which he had been waiting. Aliena and Richard would ultimately migrate to Kingsbridge to begin a new life.

Meanwhile, the church itself was having its own political intrigues. Phillip was tricked by Waleran Bigod, an ambitious arch-deacon, into supporting him for the post of bishop. Phillip would later best Waleran and incur his enmity for a lifetime. Remigius, a spy for Waleran Bigod, was a monk at Kingsbridge Priory who saw his dream of becoming prior at Kingsbridge dissipate with the advent of Phillip. He would spend a lifetime undermining Phillip and plotting against him. Moreover, the fate of Kingsbridge and the building of its cathedral would always seem to hinge upon the political vagaries of the time. Its fortunes would ebb and flow with the political winds.

Ever present throughout the destinies of all these characters is the age old battle between good and evil. Complicating it further were those who sought to do good but did evil, believing that the end justified the means. Spanning over fifty turbulent years, this is a spellbinding story of love, hate, faith, betrayal, revenge, and triumph. Against a backdrop of civil war, the sharply drawn characters grasp the imagination of the reader. Twelfth century England is laid out in painstaking detail, providing an unforgettable backdrop for the lives lived within the pages of this memorable work of historical fiction. This book is simply riveting. Bravo!

This book is really enjoyable and has many interwoven stories and characters. It is set in the 12th Century. Could not put it down, it is one of my favourites along with "One Hundred Years Of Solitude" from Marquez.
Este libro son muy agradable y tiene muchas historias entretejido con muchos carateres. No lo ponía bajo, lo es uno de mis favoritos como "Cien Años De Soledad" de Márquez.

Es un libro interesante sobre los espias en la segunda guerra mundial, agradable y rapido de leer, todo el tiempo esta en el tema y rara vez se sale del tema con descripciones de bosques y casas, siempre esta en suspenso la historia hasta el final.

El final esta un poco fuera de la realidad pero eso no le quita puntos al libro.

If you enjoy the architecture and art of churches, you will love this book. This anthology is the perfect coffee table book for everyone. The images are stunning and captivating.

This book has everything. A must read. You will fall in love with the characters and be sorry when the book is over.

Do not miss this book! I, too, was sad that it did not continue on for more than it's 1,000 pages. The time period had previously not been one of my favorites, but this novel makes it come alive. If you have read other books by Follett, be aware that this one is a little slow to "grab you" in the beginning, but hang in there, it takes off once you are farther into it

This book was given as a gift to my father. I had not heard of this author, but was totally impressed with this book. I've read it about 3 times, and every time, I am amazed at how well Mr. Follett makes the reader try to get into the mind of his characters. I felt myself rooting for Die Nadel til the very end. Great read!

Ken Follett has done a wonderful job of centralizing the plot of a novel around the life and work of the bad-guy. Rather than write a typical "good-guy" spy-thriller, he has introduced a whole new view of the spy-thriller. The novel is remarkable and one of my top three favorites produced by Follett. His ability to write a novel about the enemy's number 1 spy was entertaining and, in my opinion, the hallmark of his writing career.

Nadel is a ruthless spy. No family no loved ones. Just the way he likes it. It allows him to concentrate on the matter at hand. Killing opposition spies.

This was absolutely amazing and a quick fun read. If you have read some of Follett's other books such as "Pillars of the Earth", "Key to Rebecca", "A Dangerous Fortune", then you know what his style of writing is. Although different in content, his style is almost invented within these book covers. If you've read other works of Follett's, then you'll enjoy this book as being on par, but on a different course than those aforementioned.

Eye of the Needle is a unique spy-thriller well deserving of 5 stars. I would suggest those books above, along with this one if you're looking for a good weekend/vacation reading. Please see my reviews of the other novels as they may help you to choose which you want to read first.

Great Reading!!!

Die Nadel, Germany's top spy, is enjoying a peaceful stay in England. He's looking for a little sun, a little fun...oh, and he also wants to grab hold of the Allies' plans for the D-Day invasion. Can't forget that part! Die Nadel, or Henry Faber (his cover name), is discovered and must flee. He shipwrecks on a small English island, Storm Island. There he meets Lucy and her husband David, a cripple. Little by little, they discover the secret of their mysterious guest. The book held me in such suspense that I dripped spittle all over it and ruined it. That's what a wide-open mouth can do! Have fun with it. I did!

Steven King's novel "The Shining," delivers a bone-chilling ghost story in which a haunted hotel tests a families ability to overcome their past. King utilizes the conventions of the ghost story genre in order to serve different thematic functions.

It is easy to read this novel on a purely dramatic level. After all, "The Shining" is marketed as a book that is sure to "curl your hair and chill your blood." Although these promises of terror are fulfilled, King provides many opportunities for the reader to delve deeper- to move beyond his dramatic choices and examine the thematic issues that haunt the characters in the novel.

"The Shining" addresses the cyclical nature of history. History never fades: it surrounds the characters, forms their identities, and shapes their behavior. Jack's past is plagued by alcoholism, violence, and the memories of an abusive, alcoholic father. Wendy, Jack's wife, is desperately afraid of becoming her mother. She has come close to leaving Jack because of his violent behavior, but has stuck with the marriage. Clearly this is a family that has had a tragic and shaky past, but a past they have learned to survive thus far.

In Chapter One, King sets up the concept of history as manipulatable. Ullman is aware of Jack's violent past, and uses this knowledge to place him in a position of power over Jack. History holds a certain power for every character in the novel, but it is a power that can be fatal if not used correctly. Danny's unique gift: the ability to "shine," allows him to see events that have occurred in the past, and may occur in the future. This power places Danny, at times, at a disadvantage because of his youth and inexperience. Danny feels very alone, in that he cannot tell his parents about his visions, or his imaginary friend "Tony" who guides him through these glimpses into a possible future. Upon finding the hotel scrapbook filled with scandalous information concerning the hotel's secret past, Jack feels empowered to use the information to write the great American novel. Jack is so involved in the hotel's history that his own past begins to resurface: his familiar twitch, his craving for alcohol, his violent behavior. And what seems to be the catalyst for the resurfacing past? The Overlook Hotel. The very place Jack seeks comfort, focus, and isolation becomes his undoing. The Overlook not only isolates the Torrance's from society, it strives to isolate them from each other. The power of the family unit is thus tested. When the Torrance's are separated, they are vulnerable to both the Overlook's past, and their own. A recognition of the past is crucial for progression, yet this recognition can be abused (as in the situation with Ullman). If repressed, the past will most definitely come back to haunt. King inserts italicized phrases throughout the novel that function on a psychological level as indications of the repressed past, thoughts, or warnings. When Jack "unknowingly" sets the timer ahead during Hatfield's speech, the results, on a thematic level, are profound. This repressed past resurfaces when Jack yells at Danny to stop stuttering. The cyclical nature of history is also apparent in this novel's racial undertones. Doc's race works, both for and against him when he tries overcoming the challenges that keep him from traveling to the Overlook.

King structures this novel in five parts, referring to the Shakespearian Five Act Structure. Is it no surprise then that King manipulates this historical structure in an unconventional manner, placing the Inciting incident in the third section and pairing the crisis and resolution in part five. King transcends the ghost story genre to meet his own thematic needs. The thematic levels that underlie King's dramatic choices make this novel more intense and real than any suspense story I have ever read.

The Shining is King at his best - striving for (and achieving) quality rather than length. The story is taut, well-written, relentlessly building toward a terrifying climax.

If your only acquaintance with The Shining is from the movie by Stanley Kubrick, starring Jack Nicholson, you've missed out on something. Nicholson's performance, while memorable (who could ever forget, "Here's Johnny!"), changed the whole story, and not for the better. Nicholson's crazed, wild-eyed looks let you know within five minutes of the opening credits that the main character, Jack Torrance, is dangerously close to a major breakdown. The rest of the movie is anticlimactic.

In the book, however, Jack Torrance starts out as a much different character. He's an author, a former heavy drinker who broke his son's arm once in a fit of rage, got himself fired from a teaching position by attacking a student, and has barely held his marriage and life together. But...he _has_ stopped drinking, he's mended his marriage, he's managing the anger, and he's taken a menial job (tending the Overlook Hotel) to support his family. And, because not enough time has passed to restore his good name yet, he's doing it all while enduring distrust from those around him, as well as occasional humiliating charity.

The caretaker job does have it's advantages though; long months of complete solitude in which he can step back from all the problems he's had, and can take the time to finish making things right with his family. Not to mention that it's a perfect place for him to finish his latest book, a story he can already see is very good - good enough to be proud of, and good enough to put some real momentum back in his career.

In other words...Jack is back, or at least well on his way; and even his first steps in getting it together show a lot of promise of things to come. Unfortunately, the Overlook, and its ghastly inhabitants, have other plans for him, his wife, and especially his son Danny, a five-year old psychic prodigy. The story that ensues is more subtle - and tragic - than anything Kubrick and Nicholson dreamed of.

Untill this book I had never been afraid of what I read. But Stephen King made it. "The shining" is thrilling since the beginning to the very last page. It's the story of an ex-teacher thrown out of his job for beating up a student. But the life of Jack Torrance is a complete mess. Not only he's unemployed, he's also a drunk. And in between he's got to take care of his wife and his enigmatic son, Danny. Ah, almost forgot: he has a dream of writing this masterpiece script, a book that will reach the top of the bestselling list. How he can do all this? His companion in booze and master offers him a job as a caretaker of a famous hotel in Colorado during the winter season. The Overlook Hotel is famous not only because of its great view of the country, but for his shaky story. Built early in the century, it has passed through various owners, all faded with bankruptcy, Mafia murders and scandals. The present time of the story is the first year in many that the account books aren't closed in read ink. And Jake has to keep the integrity of the place during the long winter. It's the oportunity he asked for. Now he's got time for his family and his script. But... His son Danny has some special gifts, discovered when he arrives at the Overlook and meets the old black cooker and is told that he has "The shining". A power to view what other people can't normally see. That usually is something very nice, if you know how to use it in your favor. But that's something hard for a five-year old. And when the powerful forces that hide in the shadows of the Overlook decide to play with your gift, the long and easy winter may turn into a white-snow nightmare. Stephen King was able to create some very complex characters. Jake is a booze addict with a very hard past relationship with his folks, and his tendence is to loose it with his family. His behavior gets worse when he discovers the history of the Hotel in some newspapers at the basement, and what happened to the last winter caretaker. ! Danny is the central point of the plot. The Overlook uses him to "comunnicate" with the Torrance family, using his shine against him. Danny can see with his eyes all the terrible things that took place in the hotel. Wendy is the powerless wife, sees his husband loose his mind, take it over her son, and has her hands stoped with fear. Her construction is also very complex, even if it's hard to see. She has ger own family problems and loves her husband too much to do something against him. But when it comes to Danny... She transforms into the main character and her actions give road to the continuity of the story. But the most vivid and terrible part of the book is played by the Hotel Overlook... HIMself! Yes, I think that we can make it into a person, for he thinks, decides what to do, has a past background, everything that a real person would have. Because, in fact, he's the personality and the will of Stephen King. He overlooks his entire work, his imaginary Boulder, his characters and his plots. Only a writer like him could imagine the scenes with the grass animals. "The shining" is a unique piece of writing. Among King's works, it's only compared with the grandeur of "The stand".

Ken Follet actually wanted to write this book years before it was published. But his agent told him to build up his base of fans by writing several more thrillers. His EYE OF THE NEEDLE pushed him up to the best seller list.
At a later point, after writing those novels and studying medieval cathedral architecture, Follet got to write his 900 page novel centering around the British dispute of the crown between Queen Maude and King Stephen; these were the contestants who preceded Henry II, who is best known for his colorful History with Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard the Lion Hearted and the gray King John.
Story centers around several commoner types, with a few exceptions, whose lives intertwine in the eventual struggle to build a glorious cathedral. Without revealing too much and generalizing this story has: lurid scenes of lust, violence, intrigue, political disputes, wars, loves gained, loves lost, main characters dying, a child abandoned at birth and much more. And, to Historian lovers, it even teaches readers of the period.
Highly advised reading, even if the dialogue is a bit informal and the structure sometimes isn't as focused as it could be. If those two points don't bother you, this is a great book.

Wow. This is a big story that never fails to enthral and entertain. I stayed up many a night ripping off good sized chunks from a book I did not want to put down. At almost a thousand pages, there are a lot of chunks.

Follett uses the thirty year building of a cathedral in 12th Century England to spin a ripping yarn. This is a historical novel that uses the format to both teach about the times and tell a gripping tale of the lives of a score of characters involved either directly or peripherally with the construction.

Its all here. Love. War. Torture. Rape. Lust. Greed. Told against the backdrop of an English Civil War and the more immediate struggle between a priory (monestary) and a local earl. The real life Kings Steven, Henry I and Henry II and Thomas Beckett provide the historical backdrop as does the era. If Follett has done his research thoroughlly, then the misery and challenge of medival life is well portrayed (except very few people die of disease and no children or their siblings succumb before adulthood -- an improbable situation given the times).

Besides being captivated by a very good story with many facets, you'll learn a bit about the majesty and technique involved in cathedral building, the economics, industry and agricultural practices attendant to survival, medival politics and the struggle within the church and between church and sovereign.

The characters are well drawn and varied. Follett populates his story with strong women, and although unlikely given the practices and predjudices of the times, these women help form the focal point of the story and are easy to root for (except for sometime-Earl William Hamleigh's mother -- a cunning villan). The men are more evenly split between good, evil and in between. These characters are not one dimensional and most of the major figures have weaknesses that challenge them and make them very human in this book.

A great read you'll not want to let go.

I've never been a fan of Follett, and picked this book up with some misgivings - anyone these days can try to do an "historical" novel with some quick sex, some fake archaic new-speak, and a TV-movie-miniseries concept of history. While there are some minor flaws in this book, its sweep, characterization, tensions, and love of its subject are simply riveting. I could not put the darned thing down and have lost sleep for a week compulsively page-turning. Follett, unbelievably, seems to have made little splash with this book when it first came out - more shame to the critics who missed a "Gone With the Wind" from a conventional thriller author.

His primary strength in the book is his magnificent characters. By the end, Prior Phillip, Aliena, Jack, Richard, "Witch" Ellen, William of Hamleigh, Waleran Bigod, and a host of supporting characters are as real as people you know. Their strengths and weaknesses feel as sound as earth. I've just reached the part where the Cathedral is finished, and its magnificent image, built in love, hardship, and devotion, colors the whole book like light through stained glass. And I suspect the ending will be as immensely "right" as the entire rest of the book in its proportion in spinning out complicated human lives and emotions.

Follett manages to write of an age of religious devotion without tumbling into the two pits - making fun of medieval Christian faith, or uncritically adopting it. An IMMENSELY satisfying read.

I could quibble with what I feel is some gratuitous sex, some slightly contrived plot twists, but that's like complaining about some flotsam in the river as you're going over Niagara.

DO NOT MISS THIS BOOK if you love wonderful story-spinning and history.

Well done, Mr. Follett!

In my opinion, Ken Follett is one of the better writers working currently, and A DANGEROUS FORTUNE is one of his best books to date. I liked his EYE OF THE NEEDLE and PILLARS OF THE EARTH very much, too, and while I don't think FORTUNE is quite that good, it is still one of the most entertaining books I've read recently. The story is set in England in the latter half of the 19th century, and revolves around the wealthy Pilaster family. The Pilasters are bankers and control the large and powerful Pilaster Bank. As schoolboys, both Edward Pilaster and his cousin Hugh, son of the family black sheep, are involved in the death by drowning of a fellow student. That event is the beginning of 25 years of intrigue, corruption and murder as the fortunes of the Pilasters and those close to them play out. Follett weaves an intricate and fast-paced, if not always surprising, plot around his characters that carries the reader from the mansions of London's rich and powerful, through seedy bordellos, to vile gambling dens.

This is contemporary pulp fiction at its best. The characters have depth and believability and Follett seems to do a good job of evoking the look and feel of the period. The pages roll by quickly and the book is hard to put down. But, if it's so good, why didn't I give it five stars? Generally, I reserve five-star status for books of what I regard to be classic status. Caesar, Tolkien, Sherlock Holmes, Harry Potter (yeah, I do think Harry Potter will be around for a long time). Maybe Harry Bosch, although I may have gotten carried away, there. This is, after all, pulp fiction and it just doesn't have the depth of the above. It is very entertaining, though, and I think most readers will enjoy it very much. Consider it a strong four plus and give it a look.

Ken Follett writes two kinds of novels: good spy thrillers or good historical novels. This is the latter, a book where the reader is dipped into the subterfuge and manipulation of a major banking company in Victorian England, owned by the Pilaster family who have been haunted by an event which happened at a boarding school years ago. The plot has more twists than a corkscrew as the family's need for money and recognition plunge them into devious playing of Victorian values, ambitious plans and even murder. Hugh Pilaster, the hero of the story, has a kind of Hugh-Grantish confusion about him, even as he fights to keep the love of his life and his position in society, which is at times both endearing and annoying, and we find out more about Victorian brothels than we really want to, but other than that, a brilliant read.

ooow, this was a good one! great story-history,family,romance,money, greed...oh, delicious!
worth the read.