I have read everything Ken Follett has written, but I pretty much had him pegged as a writer of extraordinarily readable suspense potboilers. Better than Stephen King, but no Cormac McCarthy. Then, in 1989 he unveiled Pillars of the Earth and I was stunned. Follett gave full rein to his incredibly vivid and compelling storytelling abilities. When I finished reading I was sad, because I could no longer follow the adventures of these heroic and scheming English men and women in the the tumultuous 12th century, a time of uncertainty over who should be on the throne.

Then, the epic novel was adapted for television. I have now watched the first six episodes small-screen adaptation on Netflix, and I'm dying to see the final two when they come available. I didn't know what to expect, but I can declare myself fully satisfied.

What worried me most going in about the series was the tone, but I didn't need to be concerned. Follett is a master of grand, operatic gestures, and the mini-series captures that.

He also is far from shy about sex, barbarism and vulgarity. There's a scene when the monks put Ellen on trial as a witch that made my jaw drop. No F-bombs, but one startling c**t bomb. The incest theme between William and his mother is not explicitly shown, but very clear.

Occasionally, it's a bit "stagey" and the CGI is good, but not state of the art.

Still, Pillars is a triumph of epic storytelling.