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The Foreworld Saga
Seer: A Prequel to the Mongoliad
SideQuests are stand-alone stories or novellas that chronicle the heroes, villains, and adventures in The Foreworld Saga across numerous eras and ages. They can be read in any order with or without prior knowledge of The Foreworld Saga. When a merchant appears at the Catalonian chapter house of the Shield-Brethren, seeking to hire guards for his caravan, young Andreas is suspicious. Knights with his martial prowess are above protecting mere cargo wagons. Yet Andreas’s wanderlust outweighs his concern, and soon the group is headed to the merchant’s mountain village―and into great danger. As the caravan approaches, a woman suffering from terrifying visions feverishly paints her latest revelation―in her own blood. The image horrifies her fellow villagers, who fear an imminent attack, or worse, the return of the brutal Inquisition. But when Andreas deciphers the painting’s true meaning, it may forever impact his wandering ways, his unspoken fears, and his very future with the Shield-Brethren. Following Sinner and Dreamer , this Foreworld SideQuest reveals the painful truth that sometimes seeing what is to come is far worse than not knowing.
Audio CD
First published September 1, 2015
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About the author
Mark Teppo
94 books102 followersMark Teppo has written more than a dozen novels across a number of genres. He's a book-seller, paper-hoarder, and troublemaker. Not necessarily in that order.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 1, 2015
Another short back-story prequel to the Mongoliad trilogy. Mine came free with my copy of the third book in the trilogy, and this time Teppo is concentrating on Andreas. He's based with a small group of the Ordo Militum Vindicis Intactae – The Knights of the Virgin Avenger – in Barcelona when a visiting trader requests to hire them to escort his cargo up into the Pyrenees to a small village that they won't have heard of. No clear destination, no idea what's in the cargo, nor any idea why a trader would suddenly want to hire the Shield Brethren. At least the knights got double what they were originally offered for the job.
Waiting for them in Estartyol is a woman who asked Jacobi de Reyns to find and hire the knights. She has visions, which she paints, and her visions will fundamentally change the direction of Andreas's life. Set after the events in The Sinner, but before the Mongoliad, this book sets Andreas on the path that takes him into a more active role in the Order and sets him up for the events of the Mongoliad.
Teppo has done very well with these three prequels. Each has explored one of more of the key characters in the Order and provided an interesting set of side stories for each of the three volumes of the Mongoliad.
Waiting for them in Estartyol is a woman who asked Jacobi de Reyns to find and hire the knights. She has visions, which she paints, and her visions will fundamentally change the direction of Andreas's life. Set after the events in The Sinner, but before the Mongoliad, this book sets Andreas on the path that takes him into a more active role in the Order and sets him up for the events of the Mongoliad.
Teppo has done very well with these three prequels. Each has explored one of more of the key characters in the Order and provided an interesting set of side stories for each of the three volumes of the Mongoliad.
January 6, 2025
It came included at the beginning (at least in my edition) of "Mongoliad: Book 3". Good atmosphere, good story telling, not excellent but good enough as part of this saga. Let's see how (and if) it dovetails with the rest of the tale.
Rating is 3.5/5, rounded up to 4.
Rating is 3.5/5, rounded up to 4.
September 29, 2017
Nice short story from the Foreworld saga. This one features Andreas who is one of my favorite characters and author Mark Teppo who is clearly one of the best of the Mongoliad bunch.
January 28, 2024
Another of the Mongoliad prequel novelettes.
This one had Andreas. See all previous reviews for all other relevant details.
This one had Andreas. See all previous reviews for all other relevant details.
December 27, 2022
When the Shield Brethren are ordered to protect a merchant, it seems to be beneath their abilities, so what secret is the merchant hiding?
Teppo's prequel to 'The Mongoliad' establishes the characters and leaves scope for further development.
Teppo's prequel to 'The Mongoliad' establishes the characters and leaves scope for further development.
February 6, 2014
Audiobook from Brilliance Audio
Narrated by Luke Daniels
Length: About 2 hours
Note: I received this audiobook as a complete package with the 3rd Mongoliad book, The Mongoliad: Book Three. This review only covers Seer: A Prequel to the Mongoliad, as I reviewed The Mongoliad: Book Three separately.
With the first two Mongoliad books, I read the prequel delivered with the book before I read the main series book (i.e. I read Dreamer: A Prequel to the Mongoliad before I read The Mongoliad: Book Two). Having read these two books "out of order," having read Book Three before Seer, I wonder if I managed to miss the tie between the prequel and the main series book, or if that tie was just particularly relevant with this pair of books.
In Seer, one of the main characters is Andreas, one of my favorite characters from the main series and a main character from previous prequels. This time, however, Percival is not involved. Andreas' character is explored in this story, and in many respects, it makes some of the events in the third main series book "make more sense." The story is about a small, remote European village where some of the Cathars have settled, pushed out of the larger towns by Christian Crusaders. In this village, there is a young woman (it may be a girl, it was hard to tell), who seems to have prophetic dreams. After waking from one of her dreams, she sends out a villager to bring back "the rose knights," members of the Ordo Militum Vindicis Intactae.
This villager, who has facilitated trade opportunities with other villages, approaches Andreas and some of the other rose knights, asking to hire them on as protection for his carts as he returns to the village. The knights take affront to this, since they eschew mercenary work, though they eventually agree, thinking something is afoot. Andreas and a few other knights go back with the villager, and what they find eventually sets up Andreas' involvement with Ordo Militum Vindicis Intactae in the main series of The Mongoliad.
Through the short story, the reader learns a bit more about Andreas. This is done via his interactions both with the men he leads but also the villager. He's revealed as smart but subtle. Maybe a little cocky. And loyal, but restless. These traits make a lot of sense in the larger context of the series. If I had a complaint, though, it's that this story was kind of...bleh. It felt like a lot of setup that felt (like other stories in this world) quickly concluded, rushed at the end. Unlike the first or second prequels, which I read last year, this one really was about the one character and didn't have much tension or typical "pyramid" story flow. I think it would have been nice to have more development of the actual story.
That said, in retrospect, I can appreciate what this book was setting up. and enjoyed it well enough. I wonder if I would have felt the same if I'd read it before reading the third book.
Narrated by Luke Daniels
Length: About 2 hours
Note: I received this audiobook as a complete package with the 3rd Mongoliad book, The Mongoliad: Book Three. This review only covers Seer: A Prequel to the Mongoliad, as I reviewed The Mongoliad: Book Three separately.
With the first two Mongoliad books, I read the prequel delivered with the book before I read the main series book (i.e. I read Dreamer: A Prequel to the Mongoliad before I read The Mongoliad: Book Two). Having read these two books "out of order," having read Book Three before Seer, I wonder if I managed to miss the tie between the prequel and the main series book, or if that tie was just particularly relevant with this pair of books.
In Seer, one of the main characters is Andreas, one of my favorite characters from the main series and a main character from previous prequels. This time, however, Percival is not involved. Andreas' character is explored in this story, and in many respects, it makes some of the events in the third main series book "make more sense." The story is about a small, remote European village where some of the Cathars have settled, pushed out of the larger towns by Christian Crusaders. In this village, there is a young woman (it may be a girl, it was hard to tell), who seems to have prophetic dreams. After waking from one of her dreams, she sends out a villager to bring back "the rose knights," members of the Ordo Militum Vindicis Intactae.
This villager, who has facilitated trade opportunities with other villages, approaches Andreas and some of the other rose knights, asking to hire them on as protection for his carts as he returns to the village. The knights take affront to this, since they eschew mercenary work, though they eventually agree, thinking something is afoot. Andreas and a few other knights go back with the villager, and what they find eventually sets up Andreas' involvement with Ordo Militum Vindicis Intactae in the main series of The Mongoliad.
Through the short story, the reader learns a bit more about Andreas. This is done via his interactions both with the men he leads but also the villager. He's revealed as smart but subtle. Maybe a little cocky. And loyal, but restless. These traits make a lot of sense in the larger context of the series. If I had a complaint, though, it's that this story was kind of...bleh. It felt like a lot of setup that felt (like other stories in this world) quickly concluded, rushed at the end. Unlike the first or second prequels, which I read last year, this one really was about the one character and didn't have much tension or typical "pyramid" story flow. I think it would have been nice to have more development of the actual story.
That said, in retrospect, I can appreciate what this book was setting up. and enjoyed it well enough. I wonder if I would have felt the same if I'd read it before reading the third book.
April 6, 2013
A quick, satisfying read. Very much the tonal flavor of the The Foreworld Saga from which it is spawned. It probably doesn't add much the the "why" of Andreas, in terms of revelations, but it does help build the character.
Written with a competent hand, consistent and sensical language choices...nice story arc, too, and while the ending clears both plate and palate, it still leaves one looking toward the kitchen for more. That would be a food metaphor of some kind, and that would mean it is lunchtime.
Written with a competent hand, consistent and sensical language choices...nice story arc, too, and while the ending clears both plate and palate, it still leaves one looking toward the kitchen for more. That would be a food metaphor of some kind, and that would mean it is lunchtime.
March 19, 2013
Another prequel, this time dealing with Andreas. He leads a band of Shield Breathern who has been hired to guard a caravan. There is a seer in this, who draws her visions on paper. It was alright, I really can't say any more without giving away some plot points. But it is a short book, so be warned there.
May 5, 2013
This SideQuest had quite a few linkages to the Mongoliad and the other SideQuests, but there wasn't much action. Still, I enjoyed it and will continue and finish up the others.
March 7, 2013
Fun lightweight little story that gives some interesting but not crucial insight into the Andreas character.
March 9, 2013
Just read the mongoliad, it's all in there
November 2, 2014
The SideQuests are actually excerpts from the Foreworld Saga instead of being independent sub novels. Disappointing.
I do like the series as a whole so the 3 stars.
I do like the series as a whole so the 3 stars.
December 12, 2013
This story was in the version of book 3 I am reading.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews