Science and mythology - and how they are the same thing.
A splinter group of Roman soldiers fight for their lives behind enemy lines after their legion is devastated in a guerrilla attack.
Britain, A.D. 117. Quintus Dias, the sole survivor of a Pictish raid on a Roman frontier fort, marches north with General Virilus' legendary Ninth Legion, under orders to wipe the Picts from the face of the Earth and destroy their leader, Gorlacon.
AD 117. The Roman Empire stretches from Egypt to Spain, and East as far as the Black Sea. But in northern Britain, the relentless onslaught of conquest has ground to a halt in face of the guerrilla tactics of an elusive enemy: the savage and terrifying Picts. Quintus Dias (Fassbender), sole survivor of a Pictish raid on a Roman frontier fort, marches north with General Virilus' (West) legendary Ninth Legion, under orders to wipe the Picts from the face of the earth and destroy their leader Gorlacon. But when the legion is ambushed on unfamiliar ground, and Virilus taken captive, Quintus faces a desperate struggle to keep his small platoon alive behind enemy lines. Enduring the harsh terrain and evading their remorseless Pict pursuers led by revenge-hungry Pict Warrior Etain (Kurylenko), the band of soldiers race to rescue their General and to reach the safety of the Roman frontier.
On the outskirts of the Roman Empire, in 117 AD Scotland, the brave Centurion, Quintus Dias, heads north along with the dauntless General, Titus Virilus, and a small detachment of the Ninth Legion, after seeing his distant outpost being wiped out. Hot on the trail of the blood-thirsty Pict leader, Gorlacon, and ordered to eradicate the ever-growing menace of the fearless Caledonian tribes, instead, nearly all the men are slaughtered in an unexpected raid. Under those circumstances--trapped and encircled by the mighty warriors--a handful of survivors led by Quintus must now fight tooth and nail to return to the safety of the border before a fierce traitor leads them to their demise. However, can they escape the silent enemy's trap?
Set against a backdrop of war, religious strife and power struggles which tears lives and families apart.
The Pillars of the Earth is set against a backdrop of war, religious strife and power struggles which tears lives and families apart. In that time, there rises a magnificent Cathedral in Kingsbridge. Against the backdrop, love-stories entwine: Tom, the master builder, Aliena, the noblewoman, the sadistic Lord William, Philip, the prior of Kingsbridge, Jack, the artist in stone work and Ellen, the woman from the forest who casts a curse. At once, this is a sensuous and enduring love story and an epic that shines with the fierce spirit of a passionate age. Follett masterfully weaves these stories through political turmoil of 12th century England, creating a relevant and viable world for today's audience and for generations to come.