Waiting on Wednesday – Circle of Days by Ken Follett

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction, Waiting on Wednesday

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy.  Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.  For my latest Waiting on Wednesday post, I check out an awesome upcoming historical fiction novel, Circle of Days, from one of my favourite authors, Ken Follett.

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Ken Follett is an exceptional author who has been a leading thriller and historical fiction writer since the 1970s.  Originally known for an array of complex and intriguing thrillers, including Capricorn One, Eye of the Needle, Triple and more, Follett is probably better known these days as an author of historical fiction, thanks to Kingsbridge series and The Century trilogy.

Both these ambitious historical fiction series attempt to examine key periods of history, both in and outside of England, following large casts of complex characters.  For example, his Kingsbridge series, which started with the iconic novel, The Pillars of the Earth, showcases different eras of the fictional town of Kingsbridge, following a new set of protagonists with each book over a period of many years.  For example, A Column of Fire was set during the Elizabethan period, The Evening and the Morning (one of my favourite books of 2020) was a prequel novel set to the backdrop of Viking raids, while The Armour of Light (one of my favourite books of 2023) focused on the Industrial Revolution in Kingsbridge and the Napoleonic Wars.  The Century trilogy on the other hand was an impressive series that followed members of several connected families living in different countries (i.e. UK, US, Russia and Germany) as they experienced the key events of the 20th century from various perspectives.  I really enjoyed these elaborate and compelling historical epics, especially as Follett does a wonderful job of working key events into his fictional character’s personal dramas, and they are all five-star reads in my book.  As such, I am always keen for more historical fiction from Follett which is why I am so excited to see that he has a new novel coming out later this year with Circle of Days.

Circle of Days is an intriguing and awesome upcoming novel that will be based around the construction of Stonehenge.  Set for release in September 2025, Circle of Days will once again follow an array of compelling characters as they live their lives around this major event in England’s pre-history.

Plot Synopsis:

From the master of epic fiction comes the deeply human story of one of the world’s greatest mysteries: the building of Stonehenge.

A FLINT MINER WITH A GIFT

Seft, a talented flint miner, walks the Great Plain in the high summer heat, to witness the rituals that signal the start of a new year. He is there to trade his stone at the Midsummer Rite, and to find Neen, the girl he loves. Her family lives in prosperity and offers Seft an escape from his brutish father and brothers, within their herder community.

A PRIESTESS WHO BELIEVES THE IMPOSSIBLE

Joia, Neen’s sister, is a priestess with a vision and an unmatched ability to lead. As a child, she watches the Midsummer ceremony, enthralled, and dreams of a miraculous new monument, raised from the biggest stones in the world. But trouble is brewing among the hills and woodlands of the Great Plain.

A MONUMENT THAT WILL DEFINE A CIVILISATION

Joia’s vision of a great stone circle, assembled by the divided tribes of the Plain, will inspire Seft and become their life’s work. But as drought ravages the earth, mistrust grows between the herders, farmers and woodlanders – and an act of savage violence leads to open warfare . . .

Truly ambitious in scope, Circle of Days invites you to join master storyteller Ken Follett in exploring one of the greatest mysteries of our age: Stonehenge.

This sounds like another particularly cool and intriguing novel from Follett, and I cannot wait to see him explore this fascinating British period.  Focussing the plot of Circle of Days around the creation of Stonehenge is an awesome idea, and I look forward to seeing how the author envisions this era of pre-history.  It sounds like Follett will be utilising his typical style of focussing the story on multiple compelling characters, both protagonist and antagonist, which the author has used to great effects in his previous historical novels to create fantastic, character-driven narratives.  I am also very excited to see what complex and elaborate narratives evolve as a result, and the depictions of war, mistrust and shattered relationships, all set around the construction of Stonehenge, sounds extremely promising to me.  I am a little curious to see if Circle of Days will be some sort of very early prequel to the Kingsbridge books (the fictional town of Kingsbridge is set close to Salisbury), which will probably be a fun little revelation for existing Follett fans.

Based on Ken Follett’s previous historical fiction books alone, Circle of Days is a particularly highly anticipated read for me, especially as I have had an exceptional time reading Follett’s amazing books over the years.  However, I am also really intrigued by the new historical scenario that Follett is envisioning, and an elaborate, multi-protagonist narrative set around the creation of Stonehenge has so much potential.  I have no doubt that Circle of Days is going to be one of the top books of 2025 for me, and I look forward to reading it the second it comes out.