If you’re a fan of dark ages history then Ken Follett’s The Evening and the Morning is probably already on your radar. If it’s not, it should be. Published as a prequel to The Pillars of the Earth, this novel takes us back to the year 997 CE, a time when England was a fragile and fragmented kingdom under constant threat – from Viking incursions, internal corruption, and the delicate balance between church and crown. Follett masterfully blends historical authenticity with narrative drama, giving us a story that’s as satisfying for history buffs like me as it is for lovers of sprawling, character-driven epics.
A World on the Edge of Change
One of the most compelling aspects of The Evening and the Morning is how vividly it captures a world in transition. Namely, England at the start of the first millennium, when Anglo-Saxon England was still reeling from invasions and slowly evolving toward a more centralized structure under strong monarchs like Æthelred and eventually Cnut.
The title is taken from the Biblical phrase “And the evening and the morning were the first day,” and it’s fitting – this is a book about the end of an age and the uncertain dawn of another. Follett paints this time with broad strokes but loads of detail: muddy river ports, thatched huts, ambitious monks, and warriors hardened by the axe. If you’ve ever wanted to feel what it was like to live in a world where the legal system was shaky, the church was your best shot at upward mobility, and your enemies might arrive by longship, this is it.
Three Strands Woven Together
Follett’s signature move is the multi-character, interlocking plotline. Here, he gives us three major characters whose lives weave together over the course of the novel:
Edgar, a young boatbuilder whose life is turned upside down when Vikings attack his coastal village. Smart, innovative, and increasingly politically aware, Edgar is the kind of protagonist who feels thoroughly modern in his thinking but rooted enough in his time to be believable.
Ragna, a Norman noblewoman who marries into an English family and quickly discovers just how limited her power and autonomy are in her new homeland. Ragna’s perspective is especially compelling for readers interested in gender and class dynamics in the early Middle Ages – she’s both insider and outsider, and Follett uses her story to expose the contradictions and brutality of feudal life.
Aldred, a monk with high ideals and a genuine desire to bring education and literacy to his abbey and its people. His storyline brings us into the world of ecclesiastical politics, manuscript culture, and the tension between spiritual ideals and worldly power – a rich vein for medievalists.
Follett uses these characters to illuminate the systems and structures of the time: land ownership, justice, church reform, Viking threats, and the uneasy balance of local and royal authority. While none of the characters are based on real people, they feel historically plausible – archetypes, maybe, but well-drawn ones.
A History Nerd’s Playground
While Follett is a novelist first, he clearly does his homework, which I love. The social hierarchies, legal mechanisms (or lack thereof), and the day-to-day rhythms of medieval life are rendered with care. As someone who enjoys digging into early medieval legal codes and administrative structures, I was pleasantly surprised by how deftly Follett introduces things like the hundred court, the role of reeves, and the early stirrings of legal centralization. These details aren’t dropped in like footnotes – they matter to the plot, and to the fates of the characters.
Follett also highlights the fragile nature of power at this time. There’s no absolute authority. Kings are often absent or ineffective. Local lords rule their territories with brutal autonomy. The church can be both a sanctuary and a source of corruption. It’s this unstable ecosystem that makes the stakes feel so high – justice, land, and survival all hang on the whims of power.
What About the History?
So, is it accurate? Mostly, and that makes it far more satisfying for me.
Follett compresses some historical developments and smooths over a few rough edges for narrative purposes, but his world is consistent with what we know of 10th- and 11th-century England. He’s particularly strong on the social history side – how people lived, worked, and related to one another. He doesn’t delve too deeply into major political events (like the reign of Æthelred the Unready), but that’s part of the point. This is history from the ground up – ordinary people trying to build something lasting in a time when almost nothing was guaranteed.
A few modern sensibilities slip in now and then – particularly in the way Ragna and Edgar express themselves – but that’s a minor quibble in a book that otherwise does a solid job of honoring its setting.
Final Thoughts
If you’re the kind of reader who enjoys well-researched historical fiction with a strong narrative drive and a deep sense of place, The Evening and the Morning will not disappoint. It’s rich in historical texture, filled with characters you’ll care about (or love to hate), and it offers a surprisingly nuanced look at an era that’s often flattened into Viking clichés and doom-laden monasticism.
For fans of dark ages England, it’s a satisfying return to a world on the brink of transformation. And for those who have read The Pillars of the Earth (set later in the twelth century), it adds depth and resonance to that already-beloved story by showing how the seeds of that later cathedral-building world were sown.
Highly recommended for history lovers and anyone who enjoys epic tales of resilience, ambition, and survival.
