The Kingsbridge Novels 5 Books Collection Set By Ken Follett (The Pillars of the)

A MASON WITH A DREAM

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, prior of Kingsbridge, is resourceful, but with money scarce he knows that for his town to survive it must find a way to thrive, and so he makes the decision to build within it the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has ever known.

Revolution is in the air

1792. A tyrannical government is determined to make England a mighty commercial empire. In France, Napoleon Bonaparte begins his rise to power, and with dissent rife, France’s neighbours are on high alert.

Kingsbridge is on the edge

Unprecedented industrial change sweeps the land, making the lives of the workers in Kingbridge’s prosperous cloth mills a misery. Rampant modernization and dangerous new machinery are rendering jobs obsolete and tearing families apart.

Tyranny is on the horizon

Now, as international conflict nears, a story of a small group of Kingsbridge people – including spinner Sal Clitheroe, weaver David Shoveller and Kit, Sal’s inventive and headstrong son – will come to define the struggle of a generation as they seek enlightenment and fight for a future free from oppression . 

'Another historical thriller of mighty proportions' – The Times

A Time of Conflict

It is 997 CE, the end of the Dark Ages. The king’s grip on the country is fragile and chaos reigns. A young boat builder dreams of a better future after a devastating Viking raid shatters the life he hoped for.

Lives Intertwined

A Norman noblewoman follows her husband to a new land only to find her life there shockingly different; and a capable monk at Shiring Abbey has a vision of transforming his humble home into a centre of learning admired throughout Europe.

A WORLD IN TURMOIL

1558, and Europe is in revolt as religious hatred sweeps the continent. Elizabeth Tudor has ascended to the throne but she is not safe in this dangerous new world. There are many who would see her removed, not least Mary Queens of Scots, who lies in wait in Paris.

A NEW ORDER

Elizabeth determines to set up a new secret service: a group of resourceful spies and courageous agents entrusted to keep her safe and in power. As she searches for those who will make the difference, one man stands out.

A childhood lost.

1327 and four children slip away from the cathedral city of Kingsbridge. It is All Hallow’s Day and their lives are forever changed when they see two men-at-arms killed. At the behest of the man responsible they vow never to speak of it again.

A never-forgotten secret.

Lives forever entwined, one boy travels the world, one eye always on Kingsbridge; the other becomes a powerful, corrupt nobleman. One girl defies the might of the medieval church; whilst the other pursues an impossible love. As ambition, love, greed and revenge reign, those living under that long-ago day’s fateful shadow wait.

A world on the verge of death.

But as the Black Plague sweeps Europe, disease reaches England and the city descends into anarchy. In desperate uncertainty for their futures, the four adults know the time must come for the secret to emerge . . .