It is 997 CE, the end of the Dark Ages. England is facing attacks from the
Welsh in the west and the Vikings in the east ... In these turbulent times,
three characters find their lives intertwined: A young boatbuilder's life
is turned upside down when the only home he's ever known is raided by
Vikings, forcing him and his family to move and start their lives anew in a
small hamlet where he does not fit in. A Norman noblewoman marries for
love, following her husband across the sea to a new land. But the customs
of her husband's homeland are shockingly different, and as she begins to
realize that everyone around her is engaged in a constant, brutal battle
for power, it becomes clear that a single misstep could be catastrophic. A
monk dreams of transforming his humble abbey into a center of learning that
will be admired throughout Europe. And each in turn comes into dangerous
conflict with a clever and ruthless bishop who will do anything to increase
his wealth and power ... [This novel] takes us on an epic journey into a
historical past rich with ambition and rivalry, death and birth, love and
hate, that will end where The Pillars of the Earth begins--