Edge of Eternity was published by Macmillan in 2014, completing the Century Trilogy with a volume spanning 1961–1989. The third generation of the five families faces the defining tensions of the Cold War: nuclear brinkmanship, the Civil Rights movement in America, the Prague Spring, Vietnam, Watergate, the Solidarity movement in Poland, and the fall of the Berlin Wall.
George Jakes, an African-American lawyer (descended from both the Dewar and Peshkov lines), works in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations during the Freedom Rides and the March on Washington. Tanya Dvorkin, a Russian journalist, navigates Soviet censorship while secretly corresponding with dissidents. Walli Franck, an East German musician, tunnels under the Berlin Wall.
The novel ends where the trilogy began — at a moment of revolutionary transformation. As the Berlin Wall falls in November 1989, the grandchildren of the families who witnessed the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914 witness the end of the world order that assassination created.
Collecting Edge of Eternity
First edition (Macmillan, London, 2014): Boards with dust jacket.
Market values:
- UK first edition, fine in jacket: $15–$30
- Signed first: $40–$80
Projected values (2026–2036): Moderate appreciation.
The Cold War
The Century Trilogy concludes with a span from 1961 to 1989 — from the building of the Berlin Wall to its fall. The grandchildren of the original families navigate the Cuban Missile Crisis, the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, and the collapse of Soviet communism. Follett’s ambition is staggering: by the trilogy’s end, he has narrated the entire twentieth century through the lives of ordinary people caught in the machinery of history.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Century Trilogy historically accurate? The historical framework is accurate — Follett’s research is meticulous. The fictional characters and their personal dramas are entirely invented but are designed to illuminate the historical events they witness. Follett provides author’s notes distinguishing fact from fiction.