# Pillars of the Earth



## strawhatbrat (Aug 20, 2010)

AWESOME. Kings, wars, love, scandal... well written. That is all. AND you can watch it as a mini series on Stars on demand, now.  It's also a good show.


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

I thought the show is okay.

The book is fantastic.


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## daveconifer (Oct 20, 2009)

I missed in on TV but these two books are among the best I've ever read.  I'd like to see the mini-series and give it a chance.  

Ever since Jeffrey Archer's Kane and Abel, where they aged Kane by putting white powder in his hair, I've been skeptical about TV movies...


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## strawhatbrat (Aug 20, 2010)

The series wasn't exactly the same as the book.. you know how they change things. Movies/shows rarely live up to the books they are based on. But I really enjoyed the show.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I kept trying and trying to read that book and just can't finish it. I don't know what it is. I been trying for almost 2 years. It was one of the first books I bought for my Kinde at that time for a huge deal at 3 something. Just can't get into it. And the subject is totally up my alley too, love european history. But alas. I will finish the darn thing one day if it kills me  

But I loved loved the series, just watched the last episode last night. Fantastic actors in it.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

In my typical role here as a voice of dissent, I could not make myself finish this one, I don't think I even got beyond 15%.



strawhatbrat said:


> AWESOME. Kings, wars, love,...


...and lots of rape, needlessly described in detail, not to mention lots of other gratuitous violence -- not for your kids to read (and this not-a-kid-for-a-long-time found much of it disturbing).



> ...scandal... well written....


Before I quit, I got curious, and sure enough: after reading through about the last 20 pages I'd read, I could not find one simile or metaphor. Nope, I cannot call it well written, just bland, dark, depressing, and surprisingly boring. I'm not trying to say those of you who liked it are wrong, as we all have different tastes, tolerances, sensitivities, etc.; but I highly recommend anyone who's interested make use of the Kindle Store's sampling feature before paying money for this. But then, I suppose I'd recommend that for any book. 



Atunah said:


> ...I will finish the darn thing one day if it kills me....


I won't.


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## daveconifer (Oct 20, 2009)

Strawhat and Atunah, you've convinced me to check out the mini-series...


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## Jen (Oct 28, 2008)

To each his own!  My mom couldn't finish it either.  It's one of my top 3 favorite books of ALL time.  I'll read his new one that comes out next week just as soon as the price drops.


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## MoyJoy (Aug 24, 2010)

I loved the book, I had just gotten my K1 and wanted something really long to read.  It definitely wasn't something I'd normally pick up but I ended up loving it.

Haven't been able to get into The World Without End AT ALL and I didn't really enjoy the series.  I think maybe it was the language and it just didn't translate well.  I loved that with my Kindle a lot of the language was in the Kindle dictionary with etymology and everything but you lose that watching it on TV.


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

Jen said:


> To each his own! My mom couldn't finish it either. It's one of my top 3 favorite books of ALL time. I'll read his new one that comes out next week just as soon as the price drops.


One of my all time favourites too. However, I didn't like the sequel as much.


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## Neekeebee (Jan 10, 2009)

I loved the book, but being on the wimpy side, I asked Hubby to watch the mini-series with me b/c I was expecting it to be violent. "What's it about?" he asked me.

"Oh, a small town in 12th century England building a cathedral."

"How could _that_ be violent?" 

I'm not sure why, but I also didn't enjoy _World Without End_ quite as much. I just kept wondering,


Spoiler



when is life going to get better for these people?



N


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## jackwestjr_author (Aug 19, 2010)

I have been reading it for the last few weeks.  Love it!


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

Some friends who've been talking the series up to me finally lent me their copy.  I haven't started it yet, so this thread has intrigued me a great deal.  I will say when I flipped through it and read a random page, the first thing my eyes lighted on was a rape scene, so I wondered if there was a lot of violence or it was just a coincidence I flipped to that page.  Maybe after I've read the whole thing, I'll come back and post.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

purplepen79 said:


> Some friends who've been talking the series up to me finally lent me their copy. I haven't started it yet, so this thread has intrigued me a great deal. I will say when I flipped through it and read a random page, the first thing my eyes lighted on was a rape scene, so I wondered if there was a lot of violence or it was just a coincidence I flipped to that page. Maybe after I've read the whole thing, I'll come back and post.


I only got far enough for one rape scene. My understanding is there are several.


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## Basil Sands (Aug 18, 2010)

NogDog said:


> I only got far enough for one rape scene. My understanding is there are several.


I haven't read Pillars yet, but did read World Without End. There were numerous rapes throughout, and a rather vivid scene of sexual debauchery amidst the plague epidemic. Folletts books are usually quite sexual. This one was just more negatively sexual. My assumption is that Pillars is much the same.


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## Marguerite (Jan 18, 2009)

I loved the way that the characters were developed.  Although this book is not for everyone, I have enjoyed it many times.  I read it for the first time while I was in Spain and had the opportunity to visit La Sagrada Familia.  That church has not been finished and it really sparked my imagination.  I think that it is his masterpiece but did not like World Without End nearly as much.


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## Capri142 (Sep 25, 2009)

This was a really great read.  Ken Follett is a master storyteller. While the book 
may not be for everyone, to call in NOT WELL written suggests that the author of 
the post has his own agenda.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Capri, 

people are allowed to have different opinions here to include whether they find something well written or not.  You may disagree, you may say why you think the books is well written, you may support your argument with details from the book in question, but you may not make personal comments about other members.

Betsy
Book Corner Moderator


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## SpearsII (Jan 16, 2010)

My wife has just finished reading _Pillars of Earth_ and _World with Out End_. She is a historical fiction author herself and it is almost mandatory for her to read these books. Sorta like home work for any aspiring author. She has written about her thoughts reading them and I thought some others might like to read her perspective on the books. I at least find her perspective interesting, but that is probably for the best since I married her after all. Anyways, I hope this does not sound to self aggrandizing. I just thought Follett fans would find this interesting.

http://rosannelortz.blogspot.com/2010/09/what-would-wife-of-bath-say.html 

http://rosannelortz.wordpress.com/2010/08/31/the-pillars-of-the-earth-by-ken-follett/


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## padowd (Jan 14, 2010)

My husband is reading it now and loves it. We watched the series and he told me the book is so much better and it goes into much more detail about the characters. He loves history so I think that is why he is enjoying it so much.


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## daveconifer (Oct 20, 2009)

Yeah, the two books are brutal at times and there is a lot of rape. I can understand why people wouldn't want to read about this.

The fact is, though, that in those times the world *was* rife with cruelty and unfairness. Depending on social and economic class, many women were there for the taking to be raped and abused with absolutely no recourse -- and that happened a lot. It's only in recent centuries, when democracy and the rule of law have taken root, that life for the average person (both men and women) has become less brutal. All I'm saying is that in my opinion Follett portrayed the world accurately for that time period. For me, that's money.

There are lots of interesting sub-plots with much historical meaning in these books and that's what I liked the best. For instance, as roads and communication improved, linking the economic islands that the towns and villages actually were, entrepreneurs stepped in and established commercial enterprises. I loved how the woman foresaw a market for inexpensive colored cloth and went about building a business to fill that need, including production, storage and transportation.

But I fully understand how the violence and cruelty in these books are a turnoff to others. As NogDog (one of the most interesting reader-posters on KB) said, everybody has their own preferences and tastes when it comes to what they want out of a book.


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## Basil Sands (Aug 18, 2010)

I am intending to read Pillars soon, and while WWOE was a bit too sexual for my personal taste it was quite good. Stories in a similar vein that folks who enjoy these two books might also enjoy are some of the middle-ages / dark ages tales written by Bernard Cornwell. I've kind of balanced my idea of what types of Historical Fiction I enjoy based on Cornwells being at the center.


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

As long as violence is not gratuitous and I foresee a happy ending for some of the characters, I can read just about anything. I did throw out a Poppy Z. Brite book one time because I couldn't take the violence--there was just something in the way she had written it that felt gratuitous and disturbing to me, but to each her own. Anyway, inspired by this thread, I started _Pillars of the Earth_ last night and found the first scene very compelling, to the point I was tempted to post the first line on the best first lines thread. I figured I should read more first before I did that, though. I look forward to reading more tonight.


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## wm ollie (Aug 9, 2010)

the mini series was great


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## kglavin (Mar 18, 2010)

Pillars is probably my favorite Follett book. One of these days I'll catch up
and read his more recent works. I have the unfortunate habit of buying
more books than I have time to read, and hence, the pile grows and grows 

Kevin


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## Jen (Oct 28, 2008)

I seem to be alone, but I really liked World Without End as well. Not as much as Pillars, but I enjoyed it. I guess I went in expecting not to like it (I usually do not like sequels), but I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't love what happened to some of the characters, but I can appreciate that it was realistic for the times.

Has anyone read Cathedral of the Sea by Ildefonso Falcones? It's set in 1300s Spain, it isn't really about building the Cathedral but is set around the building of it. I really liked this one as well. 
http://www.amazon.com/Cathedral-Sea-Novel-ebook/dp/B0013TPVRO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1285602605&sr=1-1


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## Maker (Jun 22, 2010)

I absolutely loved Pillars. In my top 50 books of all time. I hope to start World Without End soon. I have three 400+ page tomes to get through before it...


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## Jon King (Sep 10, 2010)

I loved the book (though it took me a long time, and I read it pre-Kindle, so holding that mass-market paperback open for that long is just _torture_), but it seemed to be too vast for Follett to completely keep together. So many characters, over what is essentially a lifetime--it just felt like some characters who may have had more to contribute to the story pretty much disappeared without much explanation. Or they abruptly died...lots of that happened, too.

Still, one of the more ambitious and textured historical novels I've read. And the details of day-to-day life made me thankful for the industrial revolution, even as I sit here captive in one of the gray fabric boxes that eventually grew out of it.


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## Archer531 (Aug 13, 2010)

I popped in here to look to see about anyone discussing his new book and I find this! Yeah! I gotta say it was fun reading this thread and I get both sides. I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Pillars and I LOVED World Without End, but my wife could not get into Pillars and now I can't get her to try again. I think some of violence and sadness made it hard for her to read and I get that... I kep telling her to keep reading because sooo much happens throughtout the story that it's worth it. There was a page about Tom I read over and over again because I couldn't believe it... I just kept re-reading it to see if the words might change. I've never done that in a book before. For me I was trying to understand and accept that back then as someone said it was that violent, unfair and brutal. For some even now it's like that in some countries... it made me really appreciate just how great we have it in today's civilized societies. So many characters, so much plot and so much emotion. Few books made me want to know more then this book... who knew that rights to stone quarry's could be so fascinating and important.  

I wish everyone would try it and maybe if I get a Kindle copy and send it to her K2 that she might try it again... I really want to talk to her about the stuff in it ya know? 

I get HBO but not Starz so I haven't been able to watch the mini-series which I wanted to see regardless but would have been a ploy to get my wife to read it too!


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Yeah, I can see how the violence and subject matter might turn someone off that book, but in my case it was not any of that. It was strictly because of the writing. I have read books with a lot worse subjects, horrors you name it. 
I just could not get into the authors writing and I kept trying and trying. It felt all like cardboard to me. 
I can't really explain it good. From the beginning the characters felt empty and not in a human story for its time empty, just empty shells. I just could not connect to anything. 


Oh well, I will finish eventually, I read about over half now. The mini series had everything the book didn't to me. I normally prefer books to the movies, not in this case which is weird to me. 

But this isn't the first time I don't like something that seems to be loved by the masses. Not going anywhere new Oprah picks again


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## askenase13 (Mar 1, 2009)

I read both books within the past 2 months.  I really enjoyed Pillars. I was expecting a novel about building a cathedral- for me, that is NOT what I got.  i got a fascinating story of medieval life with much personal development of the characters and a really interesting story.  I didn't enjoy World as much, only because it lacked the overarching story of the building of the cathedral.  But, again the characters and the story of life in that time really held me.

I liked the mini-series very much, but was surprised at how many difference there was with the book (William's incest with his mother?  Where did that come from?)  But, in gneeral, the difference didn;t bother me- they just left me wondering.

I will certainly read his new book when the price drops to a reasonable amount. NOT at $19.99.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

I listened it using audible (and the follow up, different century offering - World Without End). I love it. (I can work and listen, so it was a nice way to make mistakes at work).  

Edward C. Patterson


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## R. Doug (Aug 14, 2010)

I've been wanting to purchase this and you people have pretty much convinced me to do so as my next book, right after I finish _Not What She Seems_ by our very own Victorine E. Lieske right here on Kindle Boards.

Thanks, all.


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## nmg222 (Sep 14, 2010)

Archer531 said:


> I get HBO but not Starz so I haven't been able to watch the mini-series which I wanted to see regardless but would have been a ploy to get my wife to read it too!


If you have Netflix, the series is available for download and streaming.


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## Archer531 (Aug 13, 2010)

nmg222 said:


> If you have Netflix, the series is available for download and streaming.


Sweet!!! I DO HAVE Netflix... I will check it out. Thanks for the heads up!


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## Joel Arnold (May 3, 2010)

Okay - now you've done it. You folks have convinced me that I must read this soon!


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## Archer531 (Aug 13, 2010)

Joel Arnold said:


> Okay - now you've done it. You folks have convinced me that I must read this soon!


You won't be disappointed, it's like a time machine back to those times.


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## GreenThumb (Mar 29, 2009)

I'm about 3/4 done with this book, and have really enjoyed it.  My husband is reading it right now, and he can't tear himself away.  (And I loved the miniseries!)


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Pillars was the first genre book that really engaged me.  Yeah, it was long, but I enjoyed coming back to it night after night.  Some of the scenes were really vivid (the ones that come to mind are the ones in the forest, with Ellen (Hope that's the right name), William and his knight friends terrorizing the peasants, etc.  I sent my hardback to Follett and he autographed it (for a fee).  Anyway, I'm looking forward to his next.  Best!


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## daveconifer (Oct 20, 2009)

Jen said:


> I seem to be alone, but I really liked World Without End as well. Not as much as Pillars, but I enjoyed it. I guess I went in expecting not to like it (I usually do not like sequels), but I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't love what happened to some of the characters, but I can appreciate that it was realistic for the times.
> 
> Has anyone read Cathedral of the Sea by Ildefonso Falcones? It's set in 1300s Spain, it isn't really about building the Cathedral but is set around the building of it. I really liked this one as well.
> http://www.amazon.com/Cathedral-Sea-Novel-ebook/dp/B0013TPVRO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1285602605&sr=1-1


Jen, you're not alone. I liked World Without End just as much. Caris is one of my all-time favorite characters -- you can't keep a good woman down.


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## Jeremy D Brooks (Sep 27, 2010)

OK, this is like the third time this week I've heard this book recommended. I probably need to pick it up.


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## tsilver (Aug 9, 2010)

I'm presently reading Follett's "World Without End" and it got me thinking about the punishments meted out by western religious and civic authorities in those days (burning at the stake, torture on a rack, flaying people by pulling off their skin while still alive, pulling people's extremities apart through quartering, etc. ) and the punishments meted out by Muslim religious and civic authorities today through Sharia law (stoning people to death, chopping off hands, arms, or other parts of the human body, excessive whippings, etc.).  Maybe we shouldn't feel so superior because we have our own history of cruelty.  We can only hope that the Islamic world comes to see their punishments as being needlessly cruel also.

Terry


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## DavidRM (Sep 21, 2010)

I read Pillars in paperback back in 1991 or so. I really enjoyed it. I loved the architecture and the setting and most of the characters. I loved the long historical feel of the novel.

When I tried to read it again, though, a couple years ago, I absolutely couldn't get into it. The beginning was oo dry, too detached. Since it was exactly the same (really huge) paperback, I'm guessing it was me that changed (somehow) and not the book.

I've read other Ken Follet books since then, "Key to Rebecca", "Something-Something Fortune", and I enjoyed them. I didn't enjoy them as much as that first time I read Pillars.

-David


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## FrankZubek (Aug 31, 2010)

http://www.bookpage.com/books-10013663-Fall-of-Giants

I thought some of you might want to know he has a new historic book due out
Fall of Giants (Book I of a trilogy)
This link is an interview with him


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## gone (May 8, 2010)

I read it years ago, loved it. Hope to get it for my Kindle someday. I must have read it 10-15 years ago, don't recall, lol.


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## chilady1 (Jun 9, 2009)

Going to add my two cents here since I just finished Pillars of the Earth. All I can say is WOW, what a book! I never had any interest in Ken Folliet's Eye of the Needle (not really into spy stories) so I was surprised how much I loved seeing the series on Starz. Both my husband and I were glued every Friday to what was coming next. Now with most things, the movies usually fall short. In this case, it wasn't bad and I can say that, having read the book.

However, the book was clearly more descriptive and there were a number of aspects in the movie that were not in the book. Specifically, the relationship between William and his mother, Regan. I abhor any type of scenes of rape, but in this case, it did add to the storyline and provided the motivation behind the character development. Not agreeing with it, but as I understand, this was something that happened quite frequently during this time of history. To be honest, I had a hard time with some of the other forms of punishment in the book, but again it was part of the times and could not be avoided. I think I would not have enjoyed the story as much, had these aspects been sugar coated.

Having said that, the characters were rich and I really became attached to them, especially Prior Phillip, Jack and Tom Builder. My favorite character in the story is Ellen a.k.a. the "Witch", who was called this because of her strong personality which I get the feeling was frowned upon during that time in history. She was so comfortable in her skin and throughout knew who she was, strong female characters like this resonant with me.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and have now started World Without End. I am so glad I read this book because it was unlike anything I have read before. I am on the waiting list for Giants at the Maryland Library. I figure by the time my turn comes up, I will be done with World.

Happy reading to all of you.


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## Neekeebee (Jan 10, 2009)

For people who own the Kindle ed. of _Pillars of the Earth_ and have a Kindle app on their iPhone (and I assume Droid, PC, etc. too), there are a lot of additional book features to look at now, like character descriptions and stuff. I had fun looking through several books to see what was added, but _PotE_ seemed to have the most additional items.

N


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## Jen (Oct 28, 2008)

brickwallwriter said:


> http://www.bookpage.com/books-10013663-Fall-of-Giants
> 
> I thought some of you might want to know he has a new historic book due out
> Fall of Giants (Book I of a trilogy)
> This link is an interview with him


I'll read it just as soon as it drops from $19.99. I can't wait for it, but I just can't pay that. And I'm not going to read it at the library either, probably - I have about 100 books on my TBR list on my kindle, I'll wait.

To those of you thinking about reading Pillars - READ IT!!


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## barryem (Oct 19, 2010)

I've read "Pillars of the Earth" about 3 times over the years, and "World Without End" once.  I liked both of them a lot.  I have to agree that Pillars is the better of the two but I think both are excellent reads.

The violence is more than I like in a book but that won't normally make me stop reading something that's good.  And in this case I think it really has to be there.  It's about a time when there was little law and for some people there was none at all.  It's about living in that situation and the violence was an important part of what makes the story so intriguing.

The beauty of these books is that they do drop us right into that lawless time and make us feel what it was like.  They're better than most books I've read at pushing the reader into another world and making him experience it.  Mika Waltari's "The Egyptian" does much the same thing, as does James Clavell's "Shogun".  Anita Diamant's "The Red Tent" might be another one.

I'm not saying that these books are similar.  They're not!  But they are all able to create a seemingly complete  and very alien world and make it feel real to the reader in a way that not many books do.

Barry


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## Madeline (Jun 5, 2010)

I absolutely LOVE these books.  In fact, except for all the books by my favorite author Torey Hayden, these two books are #2 on the list.  I have no idea why I like them so much, but I do.  They are both long, epic, and I was totally and completely unable to put them down.  I need to re-read them again and watch the series on Netflix.  I'm afraid to start it as I'll get sucked in and won't be able to do anything else until I finish it lol

I am looking forward to reading his new one as I hope its as epic as the POE books...but like everyone else, I REFUSE to pay $19.99 for a digital book.    That's just freaking ridiculous and they only thing I can think of is that they are purposely TRYING to keep people from buying it on Amazon.  In any case, if they lower the price, I'll buy it.  If not, I won't.


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