The Pillars Of The Earth (the Kingsbridge Novels Series)

By (author) Follett, Ken; By (author) Follett, Ken
Short description/annotation
Mesmerizing in its scope, Ken Follett’s classic novel is beloved across the world. In medieval England, a resourceful monk strives to build the world''s greatest Gothic cathedral – and will let nothing stand in his way . . .
Description

An epic, spellbinding tale of ambition, anarchy, and absolute power set against the sprawling medieval canvas of twelfth-century England, The Pillars of the Earth is Ken Follett''s historical masterpiece.

A Mason with a Dream
It is 1135 and civil war, famine and religious strife abound. With his family on the verge of starvation, mason Tom Builder dreams of the day that he can use his talents to create and build a cathedral like no other.

A Monk with a Burning Mission
Philip is the church prior of Kingsbridge. A resourceful man, he knows that if his town is to survive at all, it must find a way to truly thrive. He decides, then, to build Kingsbridge the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has ever known.

A World of High Ideals and Savage Cruelty
As the prior recruits his mason, so begins a journey of ambition, anarchy and the struggle for absolute power. Facing enemies that would thwart them, they will stop at nothing to fulfil their grand plans of Kingsbridge. Soon build tensions between good and evil, turning church against state, and brother against brother . . .

The Pillars of the Earth is the first in The Kingsbridge Novels series, followed by World Without End and A Column of Fire.

Review quote
A highly enjoyable tale . . . this book evokes its period brilliantly
Review quote
A historical saga of such breadth and density . . . Follett succeeds brilliantly in combining hugeness and detail to create a novel imbued with the rawness, violence and blind faith of the era
Review quote
Enormous and brilliant . . . this mammoth tale seems to touch all human emotion - love and hate, loyalty and treachery, hope and despair. This is truly a novel to get lost in
Biographical note
Ken Follett was born in Cardiff, Wales. Barred from watching films and television by his parents, he developed an early interest in reading thanks to a local library. After studying philosophy at University College London, he became involved in centre-left politics, entering into journalism soon after. His first thriller, the wartime spy drama Eye of the Needle, became an international bestseller and has sold over 10 million copies. He then astonished everyone with his first historical novel, The Pillars of the Earth, the story of the building of a medieval cathedral, which went on to become one of the most beloved books of the twentieth century. One of the most popular authors in the world, his many books, including the Kingsbridge series and the Century trilogy, have sold more than 178 million copies. A father and husband, Ken lives with his wife in England and enjoys travelling the world when he can.
Promotional headline
1135. In a troubled world a resourceful monk strives to build the world''s greatest Gothic cathedral. The worldwide phenomenon now includes an extract from the highly anticipated third novel in the Kingsbridge series, A Column of Fire.
Flap / cover copy
The Pillars of the Earth tells the story of Philip, prior of Kingsbridge, a devout and resourceful monk driven to build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has known . . . of Tom, the mason who becomes his architect, a man divided in his soul . . . of the beautiful, elusive Lady Aliena, haunted by a secret shame . . . and of a struggle between good and evil that will turn church against state, and brother against brother. A spellbinding, epic tale of ambition, anarchy and absolute power, set against the spra