book review: A Dangerous Fortune by Ken Follet

Published in 1993, this novel chronicles the life of a the Pilaster family, a British family involved in banking. Set in the last three decades of the 19th century, Follet creates a story that is enough to keep the reader wanting to find out what will happen to Hugh, Micky, Edward, and Augusta.

I discovered Ken Follet because of the tail end of Oprah discussing how fascinated she was with Pillars of the Earth. Oprah said the book was quite long yet it managed to move the story quickly. True enough, there was always a twist every third page.

A Dangerous Fortune was written after Pillars of the Earth but it does not have as much details as the latter. However, the narrative is tight that all characters and problems are resolved towards the end. Typical of all his novels is the justice meted out on all evil.

As a Follet fan, I'm already familiar with his style, straightforward, attention to details, twists, social deviants, human issues (there's always a tinge of homosexuality). However, this familiarity makes reading his works more interesting because of realizing the validation of my prediction as to what will happen in the end. I think that is where his magic lies. Follet is able to capitalize on the reader feeling that he/she is write as to what will happen in the end.

What I have read so far are in my order of reading: The Pillars of the Earth, World without End, A Place called Freedom, The Big Needle, and A Dangerous Fortune. My next novel is Fall of Giants but I'm dilly-dallying because it's the first of three and the two others have yet to be published. I have Night Over Water waiting to be read as well.

I think I should find his earlier novels and read them while waiting for the two other books to be published.