The Pillars of the Earth

Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read #1 New York Times Bestseller Oprah's Book Club Selection The “monumental masterpiece” (Booklist) that changed the course of Ken Follett’s already phenomenal career. Look out for the prequel, The Evening and the Morning, coming from Viking in September 2020. “Follett is a master,” extolled the Washington Post on the release of The Pillars of the Earth. A departure for the bestselling thriller writer, the historical epic stunned readers and critics alike with its ambitious scope and gripping humanity. Today, it stands as a testament to Follett’s unassailable command of the written word and to his universal appeal. 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 sprawling medieval canvas of twelfth-century England, this is Ken Follett’s historical masterpiece.

On the day after Halloween, in the year 1327, four children slip away from the cathedral city of Kingsbridge. They are a thief, a bully, a boy genius and a girl who wants to be a doctor. This work takes readers back to medieval Kingsbridge two centuries later, as the men, women and children of the city once again grapple with historical change

Christmas 1558, and young Ned Willard returns home to Kingsbridge to find his world has changed. The ancient stones of Kingsbridge Cathedral look down on a city torn by religious hatred. Europe is in turmoil as high principles clash bloodily with friendship, loyalty and love, and Ned soon finds himself on the opposite side from the girl he longs to marry, Margery Fitzgerald. Then Elizabeth Tudor becomes queen and all of Europe turns against England. The shrewd, determined young monarch sets up the country's first secret service to give her early warning of assassination plots, rebellions and invasion plans. Elizabeth knows that alluring, headstrong Mary Queen of Scots lies in wait in Paris. Part of a brutally ambitious French family, Mary has been proclaimed the rightful ruler of England, with her own supporters scheming to get rid of the new queen.

V románe Výzbroj svetla, dlho očakávanom pokračovaní románu Ohnivý stĺp, stojí anglické mestečko Kingsbridge na úsvite novej éry, kde pokrok naráža na tradície, triedny boj preniká do všetkých vrstiev spoločnosti a európsky kontinent sa zmieta vo vojne. Vynález tkáčskeho stroja v roku 1770 prináša novú éru výroby a priemyslu, ktorá v priebehu jednej generácie zmenila ľudské životy na nepoznanie. Istý robotník tragicky zahynie pri pracovnom úraze z nedbanlivosti a zanechá za sebou vdovu s dieťaťom, iná mladá žena sa snaží zachrániť školu pre chudobné deti, dobromyseľný mladík nečakane zdedí podnik na pokraji krachu, ďalší za každú cenu chráni svoj majetok. Medzitým sa z Francúzska ozývajú bojové výkriky a Napoleon Bonaparte sa vyhlasuje za jediného cisára sveta... Revolučné zmeny zasahujú do životov našich postáv, ktoré musia čeliť nejasnej budúcnosti a z popola vojny znovu vybudovať svet. Ken Follett napísal pred viac než tridsiatimi rokmi svoj najznámejší román Piliere zeme. V strhujúcom pokračovaní série Kingsbridge nás unáša prostredníctvom bohato vykreslených postáv na bojisko, kde medzi sebou zápasia súcit a chamtivosť, láska a nenávisť, pokrok a tradície.