Rutherfurd, the edu-novel's reigning king

London By Edward Rutherfurd. Crown. $25.95 My family used to have a weather house - as the weather changed afigure popped out: man for rain, woman for sun. Edward Rutherfurd'snovels are like that. His subjects are as large as the climate: thegrowth of an English cathedral town (Sarum), the history of Russia(Russka) and now London, unabridged and a best-seller all summer.His characters pop in and out, while the narrative moves inexorablyon. His pages are crammed with curious facts. The cumulative effectis of a Bruegel painting or a Victorian diorama, something happeningin every corner.

Comparisons with James Michener are inevitable, but Rutherfurd'sprose is tighter and his research woven more closely into thenarrative than that of the famous standard-bearer of the edu-novel.Who but Edward Rutherfurd would make sure we know the origins ofPiccadilly? "The name, originally, had been a joke, because themerchant who had bought up the land had made his fortune supplyingthe `picadils' - ruff collars - to the Elizabethan and Stuartcourt." Or point out that each city in England set its own clocksuntil the coming of national railroad schedules made this impracticaland Greenwich Mean Time took over the land?

One cannot, however, reasonably expect depth of character orfully fleshed-out life stories of individual players in this kind ofsaga. Climb aboard the Rutherfurd time shuttle in 54 B.C.; 827 pageslater meet Sarah Bull, a young archeologist excavating a Roman sitenear the Thames in A.D. 1997. For more than 2,000 years, London isthe novel's stage, backdrop and central character. And what a cityit is!

Rutherfurd is a skilled storyteller with respect for hisreaders. He doesn't cast them adrift in a maze of characters andthousands of years. Right at the beginning he supplies several clearmaps of the evolving city and an essential family tree, whichidentifies succeeding generations in each chapter. He also usesliterary labels rather like those handy party stickers that say"Hello, my name is . . ." The bloodline of his central family, alldescended from a 9-year-old Celt called Segovax, is clearly traced bya distinctive, inherited lock of white hair and - to make doubly surethere's no confusion - oddly webbed fingers.

Rutherfurd juggles his immense cast with great poise andmomentum, but Duckets, Silversleeves, Doggets, Bulls, Merediths,Barnikels, Flemings, Pennys and Carpenters shepherd us through thehistory of England. The overall effect is of a brisk, multimediaslide show. Geoffrey Chaucer takes a bow; William Shakespeareoutwrites his rivals; John Wyclif translates the Bible.

Each segment is linked and has its own discrete tale. Eachcharacter struts his hour upon the stage and on we go. Let's beclear about this, though: Edward Rutherfurd makes reading about thethe Black Death a lot of fun. Most of the historical outline and thenames of monarchs and generals are vaguely familiar, but Rutherfurd'scommon folk, some of whom rise up the social ladder with remarkablecelerity, bring history to life.

The anguish that divided families between Catholic andProtestant, Cavalier and Roundhead at the time of the Civil War istruly moving. The plight of those down on their luck in the seamierside of 19th century London echoes the harsh social realism ofCharles Dickens. Rutherfurd is also a master of the cliffhanger,leaving a character in the lurch for a dozen pages but always comingback around to find another orphan with webbed fingers.

London makes absorbing reading. No tourist will look at theancient but chaotic city through quite the same eyes after followingits history through two millennia. The canvas is huge, but thecraftsmanship and the detailing are impressive. By carrying these800-odd pages around this summer, readers can strengthen their armmuscles and soak up some history. Not a bad deal!

Brigitte Weeks, editor-in-chief of Guideposts Books, wrote thisreview for the Washington Post.