The Pillars of the Earth

by Ken Follett

Ken Follett is normally associated with airport spy novels so I suppose it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that this book reads a little bit like one. It's nearly 1000 pages of the following pattern: things are bad, things get worse, things get even worse, things get a little better, things get worse, things get even worse, and so on. Don't worry. It all ends right in the end.

This book is about the fictional English village of Kingsbridge and the people who live in and around it: most particularly the extended family and associates of Tom Builder. It's set in the 12th century: the time of King Stephen, King Henry, and Archbishop Thomas Becket. The framework that serves to bind the various elements together, and for which the book is named, is the cathedral which Prior Philip is attempting to have built at Kingsbridge.

It's a good book and it's well worth the read but the board game (which sparked my interest in the book) is even better.