Follett, Ken

Kenneth Martin "Ken" Follett, CBE, FRSL^{[2] [3]} (born 5 June 1949) is a British author of thrillers and historical novels who has sold more than 160 million copies of his works.^[4] Many of his books have achieved high ranking on best seller lists. For example, in the USA, many reached the number 1 position on the New York Times Best Seller list, including Edge of Eternity, Fall of Giants, A Dangerous Fortune, The Key to Rebecca, Lie Down with Lions, Triple, Winter of the World, and World Without End.^[5]

Early life[edit]

Follett was born on 5 June 1949 in Cardiff, Wales. He was the first child of Martin Follett, a tax inspector, and Lavinia (Veenie) Follett, who went on to have two more children, Hannah and James.^[6][7] Barred from watching films and television by his Plymouth Brethren parents, he developed an early interest in reading but remained an indifferent student until he entered his teens.^[6][7] His family moved to London when he was ten years old, and he began applying himself to his studies at Harrow Weald Grammar School and Poole Technical College.

He won admission in 1967 to University College London, where he studied philosophy and became involved in centre-left politics. He married Mary, in 1968, and their son Emanuele was born in the same year. After graduation in the autumn of 1970, Follett took a three-month post-graduate course in journalism and went to work as a trainee reporter in Cardiff on the South Wales Echo. In 1973 a daughter, Marie-Claire, was born.

Early career[edit]

After three years in Cardiff, he returned to London as a general-assignment reporter for the Evening News. Finding the work unchallenging, he eventually left journalism for publishing and became, by the late 1970s, deputy managing director of the small London publisher Everest Books.^[6] He also began writing fiction during evenings and weekends as a hobby. Later, he said he began writing books when he needed extra money to fix his car, and the publisher's advance a fellow journalist had been paid for a thriller was the sum required for the repairs.^[8] Success came gradually at first, but the 1978 publication of Eye of the Needle, which became an international bestseller and sold over 10 million copies, made him both wealthy and internationally famous.^[9]

My Opinion: Read some of his books years ago and remember them positively. Just started Pillars of the Earth and looking forward to it.

Bibliography[edit]

Apples Carstairs series (as Simon Myles)

• • The Big Needle (1974) (a.k.a. The Big Apple – U.S.)

  • The Big Black (1974)

  • The Big Hit (1975)

Piers Roper series

• • The Shakeout (1975)

  • The Bear Raid (1976)

Kingsbridge series

• The Pillars of the Earth (1989) X

  • World Without End (2007)

  • A Column of Fire (2017)^[31]

The Century Trilogy

• • Fall of Giants (2010)

  • Winter of the World (2012)

  • Edge of Eternity (2014)^[32]

Standalone novels

• • Amok: King of Legend (1976) (as Bernard L. Ross)

  • The Modigliani Scandal (1976) (as Zachary Stone)

  • The Mystery Hideout (1976) (as Martin Martinsen) (a.k.a. The Secret of Kellerman's Studio)

  • The Power Twins (1976) (as Martin Martinsen)

  • Paper Money (1977) (as Zachary Stone)

  • Capricorn One (1978) (as Bernard L. Ross) (based on screenplay by Peter Hyams)

  • Eye of the Needle (1978) (a.k.a. Storm Island) (Edgar Award, 1979, Best Novel)

  • Triple (1979)

  • The Key to Rebecca (1980)

  • The Man from St. Petersburg (1982)

  • On Wings of Eagles (1983)

  • Lie Down with Lions (1985)

  • Night Over Water (1991)

  • A Dangerous Fortune (1993)

  • A Place Called Freedom (1995)

  • The Third Twin (1996)

  • The Hammer of Eden (1998)

  • Code to Zero (2000)

  • Jackdaws (2001)

  • Hornet Flight (2002)

  • Whiteout (2004)

Non-fiction

• • The Heist of the Century (1978) (with René Louis Maurice, others) (a.k.a. The Gentleman of 16 July (U.S.), Under the Stars of Nice, Robbery Under the Streets of Nice, and Cinq Milliards au bout de l'égout (1977)^[33][34]

For more about this author go to: https://sites.google.com/site/bookreviewsfortherestofus/follett-ken