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Circle of Days

The epic new novel from the No. 1 bestselling author of The Pillars of the Earth

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Circle of Days

By: Ken Follett
Narrated by: Richard Armitage
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About this listen

 'Monumentally epic . . . a superb novel' LEE CHILD

From the master of epic fiction comes the deeply human story of one of the world's greatest mysteries: the building of Stonehenge.

A PRIESTESS WHO BELIEVES IN THE IMPOSSIBLE

A MONUMENT THAT WILL DEFINE A CIVILIZATION

In the high summer heat, Joia watches the Midsummer ceremony that signals the start of a new year, enthralled. She dreams of a miraculous new monument, raised from the biggest stones in the world. It is a vision of a great circle, assembled by the divided tribes of the Great Plain. Helped by Seft, a talented miner, it will 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.

ONE OF THE GREATEST MYSTERIES OF OUR AGE

IMAGINED BY ONE OF THE GREATEST STORYTELLERS OF OUR TIME

'Always entertaining' THE TIMES
'Historical mastery' DAILY MIRROR
'As rich as it is thrilling' I PAPER©2025 The Follett Office Action & Adventure Editors Select Historical Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction

Editorial Review

Explore one of the greatest megalithic mysteries
Following a fictional timeline surrounding the creation of Stonehenge, Circle of Days paints a story of two interconnected characters: Joia, a priestess whose visions predict the birth of the massive stone circle; and Seft, a love-struck flint miner looking for a better life. Master storyteller Ken Follet consistently demonstrates an attention to detail, especially in his in-depth character development. Coupled with Richard Armitage, one of the best narrators in the game, I was transported back to the BCE era as these monuments are constructed, as love becomes complicated and as war begin to rampage across the Great Plain. Circle of Days is truly an unforgettable listen.—Nicole R., Audible Editor

Critic reviews

There could be no better match between author and subject than Ken Follett writing about Stonehenge. His trademark blend of the intensely human and the monumentally epic works to perfection here - a superb novel
A tour de force - Follett so brilliantly and engagingly immerses us in a world and society at the time of the creation of Stonehenge that feels indelibly real. It utterly grips and fascinates, and made me realize that apart from technology, so very little has changed between then and now in how we behave
A hugely enjoyable family saga. Books like this are a sort of anti-social media: just a reader turning pages, lost in a different world. Follett is one of the great storytellers
A must-read, wonderful saga for anyone who's ever gazed at Stonehenge in awe. The monument and the people that built it, brought to life like never before
One of the great, bestselling novelists
Follett is a master
Ken Follett is unquestionably a master storyteller but his unique skill is animating the ordinary lives that history too often fails to record. In Circle of Days, like Pillars of the Earth he breathes life into iconic stone, to fill history's silences with living breathing people
Another fabulous tale from the master storyteller, packed with passion, heartache and compelling historical detail. No-one does it better
Grand in scope but earthy in tone, this is historical fiction as rich as it is thrilling
Follett brings to rich and vibrant life this epic family saga . . . An addictive tale . . . Thrilling
Follett's origin story of Stonehenge is always entertaining
Thrilling
Nobody writes big blockbuster historical stories quite like Follett . . . A fascinating subject that comes to life in the usual Follett way, through the characters he creates that leap off the page
[A] giant of the literary world
Follett's gift for making his fiction seem tantalisingly authentic, and a plot that takes in murders, a famine, tribal warfare, and a drought, the distant past has never felt so viscerally alive
All stars
Most relevant
This fictional account of how the stone henge was constructed in times before recorded history is fascinating. There is a very long build up until you reach the part you have been waiting for, It would have been helpful to have an accompanying pdf with a list of the characters so one recalled who were farmers, herdsmen or woodlanders. However the whole reaches the satisfactory conclusion after all the obstacles along the way. Worth a second listen to remember how these obstacles were overcome and to cheer again the exploits of Seth, Neen and Joia with the cast of thousands (which we now know how to count!)

Another Ken Follett epic worth persevering with!

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While I appreciate the meticulous research, some of the more gory details were too much for me. The villains were two dimensional and not fully rounded. The central characters on the other hand were well drawn. The narration is excellent. Richard Armitage’s honeyed voice carried the narrative along well and each character had their own voice

Excellent Audio Performance

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I have loved Ken Follett books ever since Pillars of the Earth , however this one although enjoyable felt like it lacked depth in the story . At times it felt like the story was dragged out with little or no substance just to make up word count . While an enjoyable light listen it felt like candy floss for the brain leaving no urge to find out why would happen next .

A bit disappointing

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This has been one of my favourites of Ken Follett. Pillars of the Earth will forever be the best in my eyes, but this one is not far off! Richard Armitage did a fantastic job of narrating it too.

Another brilliant historical fiction!

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I do not really have a mathematical brain,nor an engineering one,but I was able to imagine the authors’ reasoning in this novel.The characters were believable,also the violent events. Richard Armitage could read anything and I’d listen but here he did quite a variety of voices. I have read many Ken Follett books and this is one of his best.

The mystery of Stonehenge .

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