Ken Follett’s 704-page book The Circle of Days reached bookshops worldwide on 23 September. Set in 2500 BCE, it opens with the Midsummer Rite that heralds both a new year and the first steps toward building Stonehenge. Follett follows Seft, an inventive flint-cutter fleeing a brutal family; Joia, a priestess with a bold vision; and Neen, the shepherd’s daughter Seft hopes to meet during the solstice gathering. As drought, tribal feuds, and violence threaten war, Seft and Joia pledge themselves to a monument meant to unite the Plain’s divided tribes.
“I have always been attracted to stories of ordinary people doing seemingly impossible things, and what could be more extraordinary than the construction of this enormous monument?” said Follett. His laborers drag monoliths across the southern English plain, determined to leave a stone circle that would endure for 5,000 years.
“The story needs a twist every four to six pages,” said the bestselling author, according to Die Zeit, adding that rapid pace kept readers “hoping and fearing” with the characters.
“Everything about Stonehenge is a conjecture. I merely assume that it was a religious monument and a place of pilgrimage—because it feels that way,” said Follett to reporters in London. Yet the novel nods to theories casting the ring as an oversized calendar or a unifying symbol for scattered communities—questions still puzzling archaeologists who wonder how ton-heavy blocks traveled kilometres before the wheel and spade were known.
The writer spent six months gathering material, visiting Salisbury Plain repeatedly and descending into an abandoned mine to “understand the soul of Stonehenge.” “When they were told it was impossible, these people invested everything in their stubborn determination and made it possible,” he reminded journalists at the Foreign Press Association.
Fans applaud what they call clear storytelling and accessibility; critics argue that the structure feels predictable. Follett brushed off the debate, saying literature exists “because it entertains and amuses us… If you don’t have fun, you forget everything in a week.”
Assisted by a news-analysis system.