Ken Follett

Ken Follett: Biography

Ken Follett was born on June 5th, 1949 and is currently 74 years old. Ken Follett was born in Cardiff, Wales. Follett attended University College London where he studied philosophy.

Ken Follett is probably best known for his Standalone Novels. There are currently 21 novels available. The first standalone was released in 1976 with the novel Amok. The most recently released novel was Never which was released in 2021. There are no upcoming standalone novels by Ken at this time.

Ken Follett has also written the Kingsbridge series which has 5 books including The Pillars of the Earth and World Without End.

Ken Follett: Awards & Accolades

Ken Follett has won multiple awards including: The International Thriller Writers Award, Thrillermaster, in 2010 and the Edgar Award, Grand Master, in 2013.

Follett's books have also won multiple awards, Eye of the Needle / Storm Island won the Edgar Award, Best Mystery Novel, in 1979. Fall of Giants won the Goodreads Awards, Best Historical Fiction, in 2010.

Ken Follett books have also been nominated for multiple awards, Code to Zero was nominated for the Audie Award, Best Male Narrator, in 2001. Fall of Giants was nominated for the Audie Award, Best Fiction, in 2011. Winter of the World was nominated for the Goodreads Awards, Best Historical Fiction, in 2012. Edge of Eternity was nominated for the Goodreads Awards, Best Historical Fiction, in 2014. A Column of Fire was nominated for the Goodreads Awards, Best Historical Fiction, in 2017. The Evening and the Morning was nominated for the Goodreads Awards, Best Historical Fiction, in 2020 as well as the British Book Awards - Fiction Book of the Year in 2021.

Ken Follett: Lists & Other Mentions

• Triple was a New York Times: #1 Fiction Best Seller in 1979.
• The Key to Rebecca was a New York Times: #1 Fiction Best Seller in 1980.
• The Man from St. Petersburg was a New York Times: #1 Fiction Best Seller in 1982.
• Lie Down with Lions was a New York Times: #1 Fiction Best Seller in 1986.
• World Without End was a New York Times: #1 Fiction Best Seller in 2007.
• Fall of Giants was a New York Times: #1 Fiction Best Seller in 2010.
• Winter of the World was a New York Times: #1 Fiction Best Seller in 2012.
• Edge of Eternity was a New York Times: #1 Fiction Best Seller in 2014.
• A Column of Fire was a New York Times: #1 Fiction Best Seller in 2017.
• The Evening and the Morning was a New York Times: #1 Fiction Best Seller in 2020.

Ken Follett: TV/Movies Based on Books

There have been numerous books by Follett that have been turned into television miniseries, including The Key to Rebecca, Lie Down with Lions, On Wings of Eagles, and The Third Twin.

Whiteout was adapted into a two-part television drama for German television. It was known as Eisfieber and it was released in 2010.

The Pillars of the Earth was turned into an eight-part miniseries in 2010. The series starred Ian McShane and Hayley Atwell. Both actors received Golden Globe nominations for their performance in the show. The show was also nominated for Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television, but did not win. It did end up winning an Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Special.

World Without End was also turned into an eight-part miniseries. The cast included Cynthia Nixon, Peter Firth, Miranda Richardson, Ben Chaplin, Charlotte Riley, and Tom Weston-Jones.

Ken Follet's Eye of the Needle was turned into a film of the same name in 1981. The movie was directed by Richard Marquand and starred Donald Sutherland as Henry Faber. The film was well received by critics at the time.

In 1997, The Third Twin was made into a film for television starring Tom McLoughlin and Kelly McGillis.

A Dangerous Fortune was adapted in 2015 for a made-for-TV film on German television.

Ken Follett: F.A.Q

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Edgar A.

2 years ago

Ken Follett is a master storyteller that introduced himself to me with Pillars of the Earth. I would later learn that he was a spy thriller author though this had nothing to do with spy fiction.

I have since read many Ken Follett thriller novels but Pillars remains one of my favorites. It tells the story of the building of a small cathedral in a small village during the chaos of the 12th century.

World Without End was another novel I liked. It is set in the same setting as the debut but 150 years have since passed. Ken Follett waves an interesting story following the devastation of the Black Death across Europe.

Like many of my favorite historical fiction authors, Follett sometimes sets his stories in past eras. A Column of Fire is set in the fifteenth century and tells the story of the romance between Margery Fitzgerald and Ned Willard across half a century. I like the twist in the story that puts Queen Elizabeth in a tight spot as there are numerous plots to dethrone her at a time when Europe has turned against Britain.

I love to think of the series as a comprehensive account of the building of a civilization with beliefs, laws, customs and structures.

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Michael K.

2 years ago

Ken Follet’s success caught me off guard. I knew he was doing well. He wouldn’t have written so many books unless someone was buying them. But I thought he had middling sales because I was the only one in my circle that read his work.

I remember ‘The Pillars of the Earth’ knocking my socks off because it came out of nowhere. After entertaining me with spy thrillers, Follett suddenly pivoted to historical fiction, writing a story exploring the construction of a cathedral in England.

But even then, I had no idea he was doing so well until a few weeks ago when I read that he had sold over a hundred million copies of his books. That is incredible. It’s nice to know that I’m not the only Ken Follett fan in the world.

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Denis M

6 months ago

Just finished Armor of Light. Another powerhouse entry to the Pillars of the earth series. An involved story with credible characters working toward an engaging conclusion. I’ve read everything he’s written and just loved them.

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schiffwilliam

2 months ago

I thoroughly enjoy the Ken Follett books. Not only do you get a great story line but there is so much you learn from his narratives. The pages fly by.

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