When Ken Follett releases a new epic, readers brace themselves for a vast journey across time and human spirit. His newest novel, Circle of Days, does not disappoint—it immerses us in one of the world’s oldest mysteries: the creation of Stonehenge. Like Follett’s previous works, it is a story both immense in scope and intimately human, weaving the struggle for survival, vision, and unity across the divided tribes of the Great Plain.

Every Stone Holds a Story

At the heart of Circle of Days is Seft, a gifted flint miner born into a harsh, brutal family. His life is laborious, marked by deprivations and a brutal father, but he carries a quiet strength. When he meets Neen, a girl from a prosperous herder family, his world expands to include hope, affection, and the possibility of a different life. Neen’s sister Joia, a young priestess, is a visionary and natural leader. From childhood, Joia is captivated by the rites and mysteries of their world; her remarkable dream is to build a great monument of stones so massive and permanent that it will bind the tribes together and endure across millennia.

This stone circle—fifteen massive monoliths transported from distant lands—is more than a physical structure. It is a symbol of survival and unity amid a land ravaged by drought, escalating conflicts, and deep mistrust among herders, farmers, and woodlanders. Follett’s narrative is a reminder that like these ancient stones, our lives too are composed piece by piece with resilience, vision, and love—building something lasting from hardship and hope.

The Tribes and the Inner Cast

Follett’s ability to create richly layered characters spanning tribes reflects the complexity of our inner world. The tribes—the miners, herders, farmers, and woodlanders—represent different ways of being, thinking, and relating, often at odds yet inherently tied. Each character wrestles with loyalty, fear, love, and ambition, illuminating human nature’s many facets, from cruelty to kindness.

Ask yourself:

• What tribes of thought or emotion fragment your inner life?
• Who are the key characters framing your personal narrative—the voices that uplift or suppress?
• Are there alliances or conflicts inside you waiting to be acknowledged or healed?

As in Follett’s saga, true transformation begins when fractured parts seek harmony, when opposing forces collaborate toward a common purpose.

Conflict Carves the Plot

The drought that grips the Great Plain is a relentless force, threatening survival and intensifying tribal hostilities. Acts of violence ignite open warfare. Yet, from these tensions arises the igniting force of creation—the vision to raise the stone circle as a symbol of shared destiny.

Conflict in Circle of Days is not just external but internal: between despair and hope, tradition and innovation, self-interest and collective good. Follett illustrates how the greatest monuments—and stories—are forged in the crucible of struggle.

Ask yourself:

• What inner conflicts have shaped your life’s trajectory?
• Which battles feel most daunting but might hold your greatest growth?
• Could your struggles be invitations to build something greater?

The Living Landscape

Follett’s Great Plain is more than backdrop—it is a living, breathing character influencing every choice, rhythm, and relationship. The cycles of seasons, the demands of drought, the mysteries of sun and sky are woven into the spiritual and practical lives of the people.

Your own environment—the places you inhabit, the sounds, the colors, the textures—resonates deeply within you, shaping your moods, thoughts, and stories. Like Follett’s tribes responding to the land’s demands, the settings you accept or change influence your inner drama and possibilities.

Ask yourself:

• What messages does your environment send to your spirit?
• Does it confine or inspire your vision?
• What shifts in your “stage” could open new chapters within you?

The Monument Within

At its core, Circle of Days is about legacy—the visible and invisible monuments we build through our choices, relationships, and dreams. The stone circle is both a historical marvel imagined anew and a metaphor for what endures beyond us: stories, values, connection.

Ask yourself:

• What is the “stone” you are called to raise in your own life, despite the weight?
• Where in your story do courage and vision still beckon, urging action beyond fear?
• How might your life’s monument inspire unity and hope for generations ahead?

The Turning Point: Your Story

Ken Follett’s Circle of Days invites us to see our lives as epic creations shaped by vision, persistence, and the intertwining of individual and communal destinies. Like the builders of Stonehenge, we are architects of stories and legacies, shaped by past stones but still shaping the future with each decision and dream.

You are not merely a character in your story—you are its storyteller and architect. The next chapter remains uncarved, waiting for your hand. What will you build?

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Discover Your Story with Peter de Kuster’s Coaching

Inspired by the themes of legacy, vision, and transformation in Circle of Days, a unique opportunity exists to explore and rewrite your own life story. As a story researcher and coach, I offer What is Your Story? coaching—an intimate, transformational experience designed to help uncover the hidden narratives shaping your life and empower you to write the next, most powerful chapter.

What is Your Story? Coaching Includes:

• Three private online sessions tailored to your unique life narrative and challenges.
• Exploration of the underlying scripts and beliefs that influence your decisions and potential.
• Identification and dialogue with the inner “cast of characters” impacting your story.
• Transformation of recurring internal conflicts into insights and breakthroughs.
• Revelation of the “forbidden mysteries” or unspoken truths you have kept silent.
• Creation of a compelling new chapter to live courageously and authentically.

This is not mere theory—it is an immersive journey into your epic life story, equipping you to live it with clarity, creativity, and resilience.

If something stirs within you—a whisper of “yes”—that is your call to begin the adventure of What is Your Story?

Coaching Details:

• Three sessions, fully online, for €495.
• Personalized guidance to unlock your narrative power and potential.
• The next page of your story awaits. Will you dare to write it?

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Ken Follett’s Circle of Days and the What is Your Story? coaching both showcase that the grandest monuments, whether built of stone or self, arise through purposeful vision, courage to face conflict, and the capacity to tell a new story. May your own story be the greatest masterpiece you create.

If ready, reach out to begin unlocking and rewriting your story today.