Best-selling author Ken Follett to launch latest novel about Stonehenge with special event at Salisbury Cathedral

Tuesday, 22 July 2025 06:00

International best-selling author Ken Follett will be in conversation with Revd Tim Daykin at a special event at Salisbury Cathedral on Thursday, 4th September to launch his latest novel, Circle of Days.

Salisbury Cathedral is one of the buildings that inspired the author’s previous acclaimed novel The Pillars of Earth.

At this evening, Ken will read from his new novel, a deeply human and intriguing story about the building of Stonehenge and discuss his inspiration and research for the book. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions as part of a Q&A and audience members will receive an exclusive printed excerpt to take home, ahead of publication.

Ambitious in scope, Circle of Days invites readers to join master storyteller Follett in exploring one of the greatest mysteries of our age: the building of Stonehenge.

Ken Follett is one of the world's most successful authors. More than 198 million copies of the 38 books he has written have been sold in over 80 countries and in 40 languages. He started his career as a reporter, first with his hometown newspaper, the South Wales Echo and then with the London Evening News.

Ken's first major success came with the publication of Eye of the Needle in 1978, which earned him the 1979 Edgar Award for Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of America. In 1989, The Pillars of the Earth, Ken's epic novel about the building of a medieval cathedral, inspired by Salisbury Cathedral, reached number one on bestseller lists everywhere. It was turned into a major television series produced by Ridley Scott, which aired in 2010.

Ken Follett said, “I have always had a deep affinity and profound respect for cathedrals, and Salisbury Cathedral is no exception. It is a great privilege to be able to return to one of the buildings that inspired The Pillars of the Earth, to speak to my readers about my latest book, Circle of Days.”

Ken Follett: Circle of Days is at Salisbury Cathedral on Thursday, 4th September at 7.45 pm. Tickets, from £15, can be booked via the Salisbury Cathedral website www.salisburycathedral.org.uk.

Circle of Days will be published in the UK by Quercus on 23 September.