Winter of the World by Ken Follett

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Century Trilogy #2

          This is another of Follett's extremely well written books. His books tend to be very long, but well worth the time. His stories are complex, but compelling. I'm not entirely sure I liked this story, but it stuck with me. It made enough of an impression that I dreamed about it. This is not a "fun" book, but it is a good one.

          This part of the trilogy involves the years leading up to WWII through the start of the Cold War. This was a particularly dark era in the history of mankind. Man's inhumanity to man, while present from the dawn of time, was particularly widespread and virulent during that period. The book does a nice job of balancing the horror with the compassion and bravery. It explores the choices made by the individuals who chose to risk themselves for the greater good. And it shores up the idea that while democracy is not a perfect system, it is better than the alternatives, even if it allows us to vote it out of existence.

          This trilogy requires a commitment, but I know I've made worse ones. I would recommend starting with the first book, The Fall of Giants, because it is also a great book.