Stonehenge is the central theme of Ken Follett's new novel

One of the world's most beloved and popular best-selling authors, Ken Follett, publishes his eagerly awaited new novel, El Círculo de los Días (The Circle of Days). In this publication, Follett delves into one of the greatest mysteries of our time: the construction of the Neolithic monument of Stonehenge.

“This story is 4,500 years old and as relevant as today's news. It involves war, revenge, ethnic cleansing, sex, and misogyny. The world has changed, but humans are pretty much the same. The people who built Stonehenge hadn't invented the wheel, nor did they use animals to carry heavy loads, so it must have been a large number of people who moved those enormous stones by pulling ropes,” says the author.

Stonehenge is one of the most iconic and recognizable monuments in the world, but in reality, very little is known about it. In an era before the wheel had been invented, how was it built? Why? Who built it?

Initially, it was nothing more than a circular embankment surrounded by a ditch with a few small wooden posts or stones. Around 2500 BC, much larger stones brought from other parts of England and Wales were added. This marked the beginning of more than 800 years of further alterations that extended into the Bronze Age, the period in which the first metal tools and weapons were made. By then, it was already the largest temple in Britain.

Stonehenge has inspired people who have sought to study and interpret it for centuries. Medieval writers thought that only magic could explain its creation. In the early 18th century, the erroneous belief spread that it was built by Druids. Archaeology has attempted to answer some of the fundamental questions about Stonehenge: how and when it was built, who built it, and, perhaps most controversially, why it was built. But even with the evidence provided by modern archaeology and science, not all of these questions have been answered.

Stonehenge still holds its secrets, and in El Círculo de los Días (The Circle of Days), Follett has used his unparalleled artistry and rigorous research to imagine how things might have happened.

Who is Ken Follett?

He was born on June 5, 1949, in Cardiff, Wales. He is one of the world's most successful authors. He began his career as a reporter, first for his hometown newspaper, the South Wales Echo, and later for the London-based Evening News. Ken's first major success came with the publication of Eye of the Needle in 1978, which earned him the Edgar Award for Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of America. In 1989, The Pillars of the Earth, Ken's epic novel about the building of a medieval cathedral, reached number one on bestseller lists around the world. Years later, it was also turned into a television series produced by Ridley Scott, which aired in 2010. Ken has been actively involved with numerous literacy charities and was Chairman of Dyslexia Action for ten years. He was also Chairman of National Reading Year, a joint initiative of the British government and the private sector. He lives in Hertfordshire, England, with his wife Barbara. Between them, they have five children, six grandchildren, and three Labradors.

He has sold more than 197 million copies of his 38 books, which have been published in more than 80 countries and 40 languages.