Thank you Hachette Audio for the ALC and Grand Central Publishing, #partner, for the finished copy of Circle of Days in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing / Hachette Audio
Published: September 23, 2025
Summary:
From a bestselling author 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 Fair, and to find Neen, the girl he loves. Her family lives in prosperity and offer 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 CIVILIZATION
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.
My thoughts:
I am no stranger to Ken Follett, having read part of his Century Trilogy – I believe I still need to read that final book and after loving this one so much, I definitely plan on doing that sooner than later. What I absolutely love about this author is that when I pick up one of his books, I’m in for a good saga and this one delivered that and so much more!
Of course, what initially hooked me with this one was that it centered around the history of Stonehedge, but of course, as we all know with a Follett book, you get such compelling characters along with that. As is usually case, I find myself completely spell-bound and invested in the characters and their lives, the choices they make, and this book was no exception.
For a 700+ book, this one moved quick, though I did purposely take my time with it. I didn’t want to rush through because not only was I enjoying all the history that Follett managed to pack in – I found the way the early carpentry and stonework was done as equally fascinating as was the explanations we were given for the different equinoxes. And I loved how this was all woven into the framework of the story, so seamlessly that you don’t realize it’s there unless you are paying attention.
There’s a reason Follett is a master storyteller, why his books are always so huge and why these mammoth books always sell…and yet to me, the size doesn’t even intimidate me because I know in his hands I will be completely swept away by a mesmerizing story time and time again.
Audio thoughts:
I did an immersive reading experience with this one, using both the audio and print and it was definitely the way to go. Sometimes I just did audio, but usually I had the print on hand, always able to flip back if I needed to. The narrator, Richard Armitage, who happens to be one of my favorites, is doing a fantastic job bringing this story to life. His pacing is just right & he makes listening to it so enjoyable.
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