Dreamer: A Prequel to the Mongoliad

The Foreworld Saga

by Mark Teppo, Luke Daniels (Narrator)

During the Fifth Crusade, the bloody siege of Damietta grinds to a stalemate and a young Christian soldier begins having visions….

Raphael of Acre, a young initiate of the Shield-Brethren, becomes a war hero during a vicious battle for control of a Muslim stronghold. One of his companions, Eptor, is wounded in the battle and falls under the influence of strange hallucinations. When a superior plots to manipulate Eptor’s visions into war propaganda, Raphael struggles between duty to the cause and duty to his faith. Unable to reconcile his roles as Christian and soldier, Raphael seeks out an unlikely source of counsel - the great pacifist Francis of Assisi.

Part of the Foreworld Saga, Dreamer confronts the paradox of using sword and fist in an effort to spread a message of humility and compassion.

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Audiobook, Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Alternate History

Audio CD

First published September 25, 2012

About the author

Mark 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.

Reviews

[Soo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mini-Review:

Teppo's sparse writing and Luke Daniel's narration style work well together. Another short & satisfying side story to add to the Foreworld Saga world. An interesting mix of history, questions, faith and a strongly hinted resolution to internal conflict. A vivid & packed image for the end of the story. I liked it.

[Daniel Christensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit more backstory on Raphael.

This felt like an appendix to the original series; all it did was fill in Raph's background and paint a bit more of a historical context around the Crusades. But it did a good job of it. I enjoyed the failed Crusades in Egypt, and the politicking between the different parties.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short story starring the crusader Raphael. Includes some flashbacks to the battle for Damietta (circa 1218) and present day (circa 1244). Satisfying read, but nothing spectacular. But if you are reading the Mongoliad series, it needs to be somewhere on your bookshelf.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A crusader, Raphael of Acre, journeys to meet Francis of Assisi to repay a favour the monk did for Raphael's dying friend years previously.

The gentleness of St Francis is emphasised in another prelude to the 'Mongoliad' serial novel.

[Durval Menezes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story about Saint Francis and the crusade. Introduces a new character that will be part of Mongoliad Book #2. Read it as a bonus, included right at the beginning of that book. Rating for this story, 4 stars out of 5, no rounding necessary.

[Ctgt · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/10

[terpkristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook from Brilliance Audio
Narrated by Luke Daniels
Length: 1.5 hours

Like Sinner earlier this year, Dreamer: A Prequel to the Mongoliad is a prequel to the main books in The Foreworld Saga. We once again see Raphael, this time without Andreas, well before the events in The Mongoliad: Book One.

This story written by Mark Teppo is less plot-driven than the previous books in the series. Instead, it recounts a part of Raphael's past, and uses the writing to drive home some important themes/things to think about. The story is really two stories--one in Raphael's present (1244 or so) and one in his past (1219 in the battle of Damietta in the 5th Crusade). Raphael, you may remember, is a sworn knight, and participates in the battle against the Muslims during the Crusades. One of his brothers takes a vicious blow to the head during the battle and word gets out that, as he's recovered, he's had visions/hallucinations that seem to be prophetic. One of Raphael's superiors in the battle would like to use these visions to twist the truth and turn the tides of the battle, with Raphael acting as the "witness" to the prophecy. Raphael is obviously torn between his dual loyalties--that to morality and that to his superiors.

Some years later, he is still feeling the heavy weight of his decision. He seeks out St. Francis of Assisi--a pacifist--as a counselor. This is the "second timeline" of the story, Raphael's recounting of his tale to the non-violent brotherhood and Assisi himself. This is where a second morality question is presented, the difficulty of being both Christian and a soldier. Early on, Raphael reminds us that as a Christian, he is to love his fellow man. He also reminds the peaceful brothers that the Muslims have a saying much like the Christian "peace be with you," even if they don't believe in the same God. Of course, as a soldier, it's his duty to go where he is commanded, to fight for what's "right."

I usually like my stories to have a bit more plot than this one did, but I found myself enjoying the background and insight into Raphael's character. I'm not sure I would have liked this story if I hadn't read other (more action-y) books in the series, hadn't already been introduced to Raphael. So if you are going to read this, I definitely recommend reading at least Sinner: A Prequel to the Mongoliad first.

As usual, Luke Daniels did a fine job with the narration. I was able to put in my headphones, lay back in my recliner, and relax as I let the story wash over me. Unlike The Mongoliad: Book One, there weren't too many characters with odd-sounding names in this book, making it easier. I'm looking forward to going back into the main Foreworld saga, onto The Mongoliad: Book Two.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Teppo's short-story, The Dreamer, is the tale of a visitor to the La Verna retreat of Saint Francis of Assisi. Set a few years before the events of The Mongoliad: Book One, in 1224, the story covers the arrival of the Crusader, Raphael, into the community of Francis and his Fratricelli, and the excitement that causes amongst the brothers. Alternate chapters are presented as flashbacks to the first meeting of Francis and Raphael, during the fifth crusade at Damietta through 1218–1219. Raphael is the same crusader who features in the Shield Brethren in the Mongoliad some years later (in 1241). I don't know exactly how the writing duties of The Mongoliad are divided up, but Mark Teppo seems to have an affinity with Raphael – I understand that Sinner concentrates on the same character as well – but this short story provides a fascinating insight into the origins of one of the epic's side characters.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little disappointed to see a second prequel about Raphael. Dreamer presents a very different Raphael from the character in Sinner, and with no dates presented in Sinner it is difficult to understand how much time passed between the two stories. The reader can only assume much time has passed

In Dreamer Raphael is a warrior questioning the actions of his trade, and questioning the decisions of those placed in authority. This short gives Raphael a complex personal side not seen in Sinner. Hopefully we will get the rest of the story on Raphael in future shorts where we can understand how he works out his morale delimmas.

And lets hope we get additional shorts on some of the other fantastic characters in this saga.

[Mogsy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A prequel to The Mongoliad, Dreamer is a very short tale about the knight Raphael. A quick read that initially offered just enough to get me intrigued, but the writing fell short and the content left me far from satisfied. In all fairness, I might have liked this better if I'd been more interested in Raphael's character, but he was nowhere near one of my favorites in the main story.

[ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite of Mark Teppo's prequels to the Mongoliad series. St. Francis is very big territory for an author to carve out. Teppo does a great job with it. I'm really looking forward to see how this experience colors Raphael's later adventures with the Shield-Brethren.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Mongoliad prequel, this focusing on Raphael from the first one and gives him a bit of a back story.

[Tres Herndon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a lot to this story, but you learn a little about the Raphael character from The Mongoliad, and there is also a dramatization of St. Francis of Assisi receiving the stigmata.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting introduction to Raphael.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Emmanuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A background story for Rafael.