“Edge of Eternity” by Ken Follett
Having hit all the right notes in the first two books of this trilogy, I was eager to see whether Follett had again managed to capture the same magic in the finale. And while I had more issues with Edge of Eternity than with the previous books, that in no way prevents it from being a worthy climax to the series.
In the final chapter of Follett’s epic Century Trilogy, we once more follow the fortunes of five intertwined families – American, German, Russian, English, and Welsh – as they make their way through the twentieth century. Now they come to one of the most tumultuous eras of all: the enormous social, political, and economic turmoil of the 1960s through the 1980s, from civil rights, assassinations, mass political movements and Vietnam to the Berlin Wall, the Cuban Missile Crisis, presidential impeachment, revolution – and rock and roll.
There's not much I can say about the anticipation I had for this book that I didn't say in my review of Winter of the World, so I'll skip that part. In brief, Follett manages to avoid any drop in quality as he wraps up the stories we have been following.
After the 1910s and the 1930s/40s, we now move on to the 1960s. And we can feel we in a different world. While the world of the second book felt like a continuation of the first, the 1960s seem a whole new one. I can't say for sure if this is due to the drastic social changes of the period, or just that the 60s, 70s, and 80s seem less "historical" to me.
As I was reading this, there was a nagging sense that something was different about this story. It took me a while, but I finally figured it out. In the first two books, we watched as the world tipped past the point of no return and into war. In 1914 and 1945, people desperately fought to prevent war, while those in power forged ahead for political reasons and the pursuit of "glory".
But in 1962, war is averted. The Cuban Missile Crisis is that tipping point, and the world steps back from almost certain war. That was the difference, and for me, it took something away from the story.
Without an actual "hot" war to focus on, our characters need to be closer to the political action to be involved. With more decisions being made behind closed doors, our characters need to be in the thick of it. And so we have one character working directly for the Kennedys and another for Khrushchev. And even the none political characters become world-famous musicians and actors.
The characters being small pieces of a world they have no control over, to being major players in it. And while that's not a bad change, per se, it gives a different feel. And while I loved this book as much as the others, I did prefer the previous feel.
But, overall, I loved this book. It was a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. And while there is a different feel, this is indicative of how much the world has change from the turn of the century. We’re no longer in the same world.
