About the Author

Ken Follett is one of the world's best-loved authors, selling more than 170 million copies of his thirty-two books. Follett's first bestseller was Eye of the Needle, a spy story set in the Second World War. In 1989, The Pillars of the Earth was published and has since become Follett's most popular novel. It reached number one on bestseller lists around the world and was an Oprah's Book Club pick. Its sequels, World Without End and A Column of Fire, proved equally popular, and the Kingsbridge series has sold more than forty million copies worldwide. Follett lives in Hertfordshire, England, with his wife, Barbara. Between them they have five children, six grandchildren, and two Labradors. John Lee has performed at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles and the Globe Theatre in San Diego. He is the author of the plays Blood and Milk, Hitler's Head, Passchendaele, Clean Souls, and Frankincense.

Reviews

"[A] richly told, complex story . . . Follett is a powerful storyteller . . . [whose] fans will enjoy this jaunt through the days before England was merry."
--Kirkus (starred)

"Follett has done it again. Readers will gobble up this exciting prequel."
--Library Journal "[An] absorbing and lengthy saga of life in a chaotic and unstable England on the cusp of the Middle Ages . . . Fans of Follett's ever-popular Kingsbridge series . . . will flock to this . . . while intrigued newcomers can start here."
--Booklist "Follett vividly re-creates the ancient era . . . in this feast for his fans."
--AARP

Praise for Ken Follett and the Kingsbridge series "The Kingsbridge books . . . are swift, accessible and written in a clear, uncluttered prose that has a distinctly contemporary feel. . . . Follett presents his worlds in granular detail, but the narratives never stand still. Something dramatic, appalling or enraging happens in virtually every chapter. . . . The result is a massive entertainment that illuminates an obscure corner of British history with intelligence and great narrative energy."
--The Washington Post "Follett takes you to a time long past with brio and razor-sharp storytelling. An epic tale in which you will lose yourself."
--The Denver Post "[Follett is a] master of the sweeping, readable epic."
--The Philadelphia Inquirer "Follett is a master."
--The Washington Post