Is "World Without End" as good as "Pillars of the Earth"?

Because I just finished Pillars of the Earth, and I don't want to let go of Aliena, Jack, Philip, and the whole gang...are they still in the sequel, or are there completely new characters? Should I attempt to read it? :SIs "World Without End" as good as "Pillars of the Earth"?
There are completely new characters because the book is set 200 years after the first one. It's still set in the same place with the cathedral. What I pick up from the reviews on Amazon is that it's not as good as "Pillars of the Earth," but still worth reading. It also sounds like the book can stand on it's own, meaning that it's not necessary to read "Pillars" before reading "World Without End," because it has different characters and a different plot but still gives the love,hate, greed, pride,ambition, and revenge around a cathedral that was in the other book.