The Armour of Light

The Kingsbridge Novels are Ken Follett''s classic historical masterpieces. Set in the city of Kingsbridge, Follett brings his rich expertise to this immersive and epic saga - full of ambition, love, power and family conflict. The story begins in The Pillars of the Earth , which centres on the struggles of Prior Phillip and his mason-turned-architect Tom as they attempt to build the greatest gothic cathedral in the medieval world. The sequel, World Without End , is set two centuries later and follows the lives of four children who witness two men being killed the day after Halloween. From that moment, their lives are bound together by love and revenge, as they confront the Black Death and the beginning of the Hundred Years War. The saga continues in the third novel, A Column of Fire . Beginning in 1558, it charts the star-crossed romance between Will Willard and Margery Fitzgerald over half a century. Meanwhile, Europe turns against England when Elizabeth Tudor becomes queen and finds herself beset by plots to dethrone her. The Pillars of the Earth , starring Rufus Sewell and Eddie Redmayne, and World Without End , starring Cynthia Nixon, have been adapted for television.

Auteur
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 - a body of work which together chronicles over a thousand years of history - and his latest novel Never - which envisages how World War III could happen - have sold more than 188 million copies. A father and husband, Ken lives with his wife in England and enjoys travelling the world when he can.