Ken Follett was twenty-seven when he wrote Eye of the Needle, an award-winning thriller that became an international bestseller. After writing several more successful thrillers he surprised everyone with The Pillars of the Earth, about the building of a cathedral in the Middle Ages, which continues to captivate millions of readers all over the world. the long-awaited sequel, World Without End, was a number one bestseller in the United States, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain and France. Fall of Giants, the first bestselling book in the Century trilogy is followed by this, The Winter of the World.