Review summary
This spoiler free review of The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett walks through why this historical fiction read that a kingsbridge novel still hooks readers. Ken Follett's The Evening and the Morning prequel returns to early Kingsbridge, following boatbuilder Edgar, Norman noblewoman Ragna, and monk Aldred as they fight corrupt bishop Wynstan and survive Viking raids at the end of the Dark Ages.
Full review
This spoiler free The Evening and the Morning review looks at how Ken Follett returns to Kingsbridge at the end of the Dark Ages. Set between 997 and 1007 in England and Normandy, the novel follows boatbuilder Edgar, Norman noblewoman Ragna, and monk Aldred as they push back against corrupt bishop Wynstan, Viking raids, and a fragile legal system that keeps ordinary people exposed to violence and injustice.
As in The Pillars of the Earth, the appeal is not just the big clashes, but the everyday work of building, trading, and arguing for fair treatment. Follett spends time on ferries, mills, manors, and monasteries, so you see how law, money, and church power shape the smallest corners of life. The tone is immersive and often brutal, with moments of hope built around craftsmanship, community, and the idea that written rules can be used to protect people rather than crush them.
Because this is a Kingsbridge prequel, many readers wonder whether The Evening and the Morning is worth reading after The Pillars of the Earth or whether they should start here first. In practice, it works either way. New readers can treat it as an introduction to Kingsbridge history, while long time fans will enjoy spotting the early bridge, minster, and families whose choices echo down into the later cathedral saga.
If you want to see how Kingsbridge begins on the page, you can secure your copy of The Evening and the Morning on Amazon and then move through The Pillars of the Earth, World Without End, and A Column of Fire for a full Kingsbridge reading order inside our historical fiction collection.
The Evening and the Morning Review Highlights
A grounded Dark Ages setting where Viking raids, weak royal authority, and church politics drive the stakes for villagers as much as nobles.
Three intersecting character arcs, with Edgar, Ragna, and Aldred each finding different ways to challenge Bishop Wynstan's grip on power.
Plenty of detailed building projects, legal fights, and quiet acts of resistance that show how the first bridge and minster of Kingsbridge come to life.
Who Should Read The Evening and the Morning
Readers who loved The Pillars of the Earth and want more Kingsbridge history will find this prequel comfortably familiar in tone, structure, and scope.
Newcomers who enjoy immersive historical fiction about justice, faith, and community can start here without having read any other Kingsbridge novel.
Best suited to mature teens and adults, since the book includes on page violence, sexual assault, and systemic abuse that Follett does not soften.
Kingsbridge Prequel Reading Resources
If you prefer strict chronological Kingsbridge series reading order, you can go The Evening and the Morning, The Pillars of the Earth, World Without End, and A Column of Fire, then continue with later entries if you want more.
If you already read The Pillars of the Earth, treating this book as a return trip to earlier Kingsbridge works well and helps you spot the origins of places and families you already know.
Book clubs can pair this novel with The Pillars of the Earth to compare how Follett writes about power, faith, and architecture across different centuries in the same fictional town.
Key ideas
- Power in early medieval England often runs through control of law, land, and church offices rather than open warfare, and small legal decisions can reshape entire communities.
- Education and craftsmanship, from Aldred's dream of a great library to Edgar's engineering skills, act as quiet forms of resistance inside a violent, unequal system.
- Women like Ragna work within limited legal rights to protect their households and tenants, showing how agency survives even when formal power is concentrated in the hands of men and bishops.
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FAQ
- What is The Evening and the Morning about?
- The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett is a historical epic set between 997 and 1007, following boatbuilder Edgar, Norman noblewoman Ragna, and monk Aldred as they struggle against corrupt bishop Wynstan, Viking attacks, and a weak royal justice system. Together their stories show how the town of Kingsbridge begins to form at the end of the Dark Ages.
- Do I need to read The Pillars of the Earth before The Evening and the Morning, and is it still worth reading if I already have?
- You do not need to read The Pillars of the Earth first. This prequel works as an entry point because it introduces a new cast and an earlier period in Kingsbridge history. If you already finished The Pillars of the Earth, The Evening and the Morning is still worth reading because it fills in the town's origin story, deepens the sense of place, and offers another full Follett style saga of conflict, romance, and construction.
- What is the best reading order for Ken Follett's Kingsbridge series with The Evening and the Morning included?
- If you care about historical chronology, you can read The Evening and the Morning first, then The Pillars of the Earth, World Without End, and A Column of Fire, adding any later Kingsbridge novels after that. If you prefer publication order, start with The Pillars of the Earth and circle back to The Evening and the Morning once you already care about Kingsbridge and want to see how it all began.
- What age rating and content warnings apply to The Evening and the Morning?
- The Evening and the Morning is best for older teens and adults. It includes violence, executions, sexual assault, and scenes of systemic abuse alongside descriptions of everyday hardship in the Dark Ages. Readers who are comfortable with that level of intensity in The Pillars of the Earth will find a similar tone here.
Reader-focused angles
This review intentionally answers longer questions readers often ask, such as the evening and the morning summary and main themes at the end of the dark ages, is the evening and the morning worth reading if i already read the pillars of the earth, kingsbridge series reading order including the evening and the morning prequel, and the evening and the morning age rating, content warnings and who this historical epic is for, so the guidance fits naturally into the analysis instead of living in a keyword list.
Each section of the review is written to speak directly to those searches, making it easier for book clubs, educators, and new readers to find the specific perspectives they need.
Reading guide
- Track how each main character's relationship to Bishop Wynstan and the Shiring power structure changes over time and ask where they gain or lose leverage.
- Pay special attention to scenes about ferries, bridges, and new buildings, then connect them to what you remember from The Pillars of the Earth to see how Kingsbridge's physical history develops.
- Because the novel is long and emotionally heavy, it can help to read it in clear chunks, taking breaks after major time jumps or intense confrontations so the slow burn pacing feels deliberate rather than exhausting.
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