You finish that final page of The Pillars of the Earth. You’ve lived through the decades of stone-cutting, the freezing winters, and that agonizingly slow rise of the Kingsbridge spire. Now, your hands feel empty. Honestly, it’s a specific kind of "book hangover" that only Ken Follett seems to trigger.
Most people think finding books similar to Pillars of the Earth just means finding any long book set in the Middle Ages. They’re wrong.
It isn't just about the date. It is about the "sweep." You want that perfect, messy intersection of architectural obsession, political backstabbing, and characters who feel like your actual neighbors—even if they haven't bathed in three weeks because it’s 1145 AD.
Finding a replacement is tricky. You need the scale. You need the grit.
The "Catalan Pillars": Cathedral of the Sea
If you want the closest possible DNA match to Kingsbridge, you have to go to 14th-century Barcelona. Ildefonso Falcones wrote Cathedral of the Sea, and it is, quite literally, the Spanish answer to Follett’s masterpiece.
The story follows Arnau Estanyol. He starts as a fugitive serf and ends up a wealthy man, but the real star is the construction of Santa Maria del Mar. This isn't some airy-fairy royal project. It's built by the bastaixos—the humble stone-carriers who lugged massive rocks on their backs from the royal quarries to the building site.
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Falcones doesn't shy away from the brutality. You get the Inquisition. You get the Black Death. You get the sheer, bone-crushing labor of medieval engineering. It’s a massive tome, but it moves. Fast. If you loved the technical details of how a Gothic arch actually stays up, this is your next stop.
When You Want the "Place" to Be the Hero
Edward Rutherfurd is the king of the "biography of a city." While Follett sticks to a few generations, Rutherfurd says, "Hold my ale," and covers about ten thousand years.
Sarum is usually the one Follett fans gravitate toward first. It’s set in Salisbury, right where the real-life cathedral that inspired Kingsbridge stands. You follow five families from the Ice Age to the 1980s.
Is it a bit much? Sometimes.
One chapter you’re watching a hunter-gatherer trip over a rock, and three hundred pages later, his descendant is a master mason carving a statue for the West Front. But that’s the magic. You see how the geography of a place—the rivers, the hills, the stone—shapes the destiny of humans across millennia. If you liked the "town-building" aspect of Pillars, Rutherfurd’s London or Sarum will keep you busy for a month.
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The Gritty, Bloody Reality of Power
Follett’s villains are famously detestable (we’re looking at you, William Hamleigh). If you want that same "I can't believe this guy is so evil" energy, you need Sharon Kay Penman.
The Sunne in Splendour is her magnum opus. It’s a retelling of the life of Richard III. Forget the Shakespearean "my kingdom for a horse" caricature. Penman’s Richard is a man caught in the machinery of the Wars of the Roses.
Her research is legendary. Seriously, historians actually respect her. The prose is dense but incredibly vivid. You aren't just reading about the 15th century; you are smelling the damp rushes on the floor and hearing the clank of plate armor.
Why Penman Hits Different
- The stakes: It’s not just a village; it’s the throne of England.
- The nuance: There are no "perfect" heroes. Everyone is gray.
- The pace: Despite the 900-page count, the political maneuvering keeps the tension high.
Shōgun and the "Epic Displacement"
Sometimes, the itch isn't about the 12th century at all. It’s about the feeling of being totally immersed in a foreign, complex world with its own rules.
James Clavell’s Shōgun does this better than almost any book ever written. An English pilot, John Blackthorne, gets shipwrecked in 1600s Japan. He’s a "barbarian" in a land that is arguably more civilized—and infinitely more lethal—than the England he left behind.
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The political chess matches between Lord Toranaga and his rivals will remind you of the power struggles between Follett’s bishops and earls. It’s a long read. You’ll learn about tea ceremonies, seppuku, and the brutal reality of feudal Japan. It’s addictive. You’ve been warned.
The Forgotten Master: The Physician
Noah Gordon’s The Physician is a hidden gem that many Follett fans miss. It’s set in the 11th century and follows Rob Cole, an orphan who discovers he has a "gift" for sensing when someone is about to die.
He wants to be a healer. Not a medieval "bleed them with leeches" healer, but a real one. This leads him on a massive journey from the slums of London across Europe to the medical schools of Persia.
It has that same "single man against the world" vibe that Tom Builder had. The cultural clash between the stagnant, superstitious West and the scientifically advanced East during the Middle Ages is fascinating. It’s a sweeping adventure that feels deeply human.
Actionable Next Steps for the Follett Fan
Don't just grab the first historical novel you see. Most are just romance novels with a few swords thrown in. To get that Pillars feeling, look for these specific traits:
- Check the "Scope": Does the book cover at least twenty years? The passage of time is crucial for that epic feeling.
- Look for "Process": Follett loves to explain how things are made—cathedrals, wool, beer. Seek out authors who obsess over the "how" of history.
- Start with "Cathedral of the Sea": If you want an immediate fix, this is the one. It mirrors the structure of Pillars most closely.
- Try the "Century Trilogy": If you haven't read Follett’s other big series (starting with Fall of Giants), do it. It’s 20th-century history, but the storytelling "bones" are the same.
The Middle Ages were long, dark, and complicated. Luckily, the list of books trying to capture that chaos is just as long. Grab a heavy hardcover, find a comfortable chair, and get ready to lose another forty hours of your life.
Go find a copy of Sarum or The Physician. Start tonight. The spire won't build itself.