November 28, 2007

Long Lost Love

I just reconnected with a long-lost love. I hadn't thought of him for 18 years, and after all this time he suddenly re-appeared in my life and made me fall in love with him all over again. Back then, in 1989, we had a richly rewarding week together. When we were together, I clung to his every word and he drew me into a world I didn't even know existed.

Our relationship was too good to last, and I lost track of him over the years. Then, I saw an interview with him in the newspaper. He was back, and I could re-enter his world for the low, low price of $19.99 plus shipping and handling.

My love affair with author Ken Follet was rekindled that day when I read he had written a sequel to that compelling book I had become lost in back in 1989. Before I could read the sequel, World Without End, I decided to re-visit the original, The Pillars of the Earth. It is the story of the building of a great cathedral. Here's what the back cover of the new edition says: "A spell-binding epic tale of ambition, anarchy, and absolute power set against the sprawling medieval canvas of twelfth-century England, this is Ken Follett's historical masterpiece."

It's all that, and addictive, too. At nearly 1,000 pages, it provides hours and hours of escape into another world. I'm enjoying it all over again, while anticipating getting equally as lost in the sequel, which takes place 200 years later. Together, the books are nearly 4 inches thick-a veritable feast for the imagination.

I use the word "feast" because when one discovers an author he likes, he wants to devour everything that author ever wrote. Some people feel this way about J.K Rowling. Or Stephen King. My son Jason discovered Orson Scott Card when I forced Ender's Game on him one weekend. He promptly went to the bookstore to get the rest of the series.

There is a certain urgency in this kind of reading frenzy-a sense of "Why didn't I know about this guy?" There is a feeling that time has been wasted and needs to be made up.

The joy of discovering an author one loves is akin to finding a gold nugget while casually wading through a stream. There is a compelling need to dig. There might be more treasure.

In the case of Rowling's Harry Potter series, loyal readers were treated to new adventures of characters that had become friends, in a memorable, enchanting fictional world. I'm not a Harry Potter buff, but I recognize the fanaticism that afflicts his readers.

Sometimes, I fall out of love in the middle of a relationship. When I first discovered Interview with the Vampire, I couldn't get enough of Anne Rice. Alas, I'd had enough by the time I had finished three of the four Vampire Chronicles.

I hope Ken Follett doesn't let me down with his sequel. I've just begun re-reading the first book, and I have 700 more pages of breathless anticipation ahead of me. Can love be lovelier the second time around? Or will the glow be gone?