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The Foreworld Saga #4
Katabasis
With the death of the fearsome Ögedei Khan, the Mongol invasion of the West has been brought to an abrupt halt. The defenders, a band of brave warrior monks known as the Shield-Brethren, limp homeward again across a frozen, bloodied wasteland.
But where—and what—is “home” now that the threat of invasion no longer shapes their lives? Thirteenth-century Europe has been saved from annihilation at the hands of the Mongols, to be sure, but new and terrible threats are at hand: political and religious turmoil threaten to turn the warriors’ world upside down once more.
Painted against a rich backdrop of medieval mysticism and Russian folklore, Katabasis weaves together the tales of victor and victim alike in a fearless exploration of what it means not just to survive, but to truly live again.
But where—and what—is “home” now that the threat of invasion no longer shapes their lives? Thirteenth-century Europe has been saved from annihilation at the hands of the Mongols, to be sure, but new and terrible threats are at hand: political and religious turmoil threaten to turn the warriors’ world upside down once more.
Painted against a rich backdrop of medieval mysticism and Russian folklore, Katabasis weaves together the tales of victor and victim alike in a fearless exploration of what it means not just to survive, but to truly live again.
MP3 CD
First published October 29, 2013
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About the author
Joseph Brassey
11 books96 followersJoseph Brassey is a freelance writer and medieval fighting instructor who lives in Tacoma, Washington.
He lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife, son, and two cats. In his spare time, he trains in, and teaches, medieval martial arts. He has lived on both sides of the continental United States and has worked everywhere from a local newspaper to the frameshop of a crafts store to the smoke-belching interior of a house-siding factory with questionable safety policies.
He lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife, son, and two cats. In his spare time, he trains in, and teaches, medieval martial arts. He has lived on both sides of the continental United States and has worked everywhere from a local newspaper to the frameshop of a crafts store to the smoke-belching interior of a house-siding factory with questionable safety policies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
April 28, 2014
Audiobook from Brilliance Audio
Narrated by Luke Daniels
Length: 13.25 hours
When I reviewed The Mongoliad: Book Three in the Foreworld Saga, I didn't realize that there were to be a 4th and 5th entry into the series. The book ended with the end of a major story arc (if not the most satisfying of endings) and I thought it was okay to leave it there.
But the story didn't end there. Where the story in the first three books in the series really covered the story of the Christians versus the Mongols, this book follows the Shield Brethren into Russia while the Mongols mostly start gathering to find their new Kahn of Kahns. There was a greater supernatureal element with this book than the previous ones, and it was interesting to see characters I thought we had left at the end of the first book (or thereabouts) make a reappearance. At the crux of this story seems to be old religion versus new religion. It is hinted that Cardinal Vieshi, a cardinal in Rome who we met in the 2nd and 3rd books, is behind an attempt by the Levonian Brotherhood to defeat the Shield Brethren and help "modern Catholics" take a hold in Russia. The old religion, though, the Shield Brethren, the Shield Maidens, and the native Russians, are on their own mission to keep the old religion not only still around, but still relevant. As part of this, the Spirit Banner, guarded so carefully by the Mongols in the first three books, is a central part to the plot with Ferronantus, Raphael, and the Shield Brethren. In a bit of an oddity, Leanne (former slave Chinese woman in Ogedai Kahn's retinue) has managed to save the sliver of...well, it's still not exactly clear what it is, but it's important enough that GonSuk had her protect it and it was attempted to be stolen from Ogedai in the first book. This gives her a tie--if she's not really clear on what the tie is--to the Spirit Banner and the Shield Brethren.
In some ways, this was a complete story. There was a central conflict, and the plot moved to bring that to a relatively satisfying ending. In some ways, the plot lines here were less confusing than in the previous books. There seemed to be fewer plots and fewer characters to keep track of, generally speaking. However, at the end, it got muddled. I suppose it might be just me--I often have felt like I've been "missing something" while listening to these books and this one was no different. Something happened at the end that I didn't quite grok, and it's obvious that it will play out for the 5th (and final, I think) book in the main Foreworld Saga. I hope that when I finish that one, it will make more sense.
Luke Daniels did the narration for this audiobook, as with the other Foreworld and Foreworld Prequel books that I have listened to. Sometimes, his narration is fantastic. He does different voices for the characters and makes it easy to get drawn into the world. However, between the odd names, multiple plot lines, and sometimes difficult/foreign words, it can be hard to understand what he's saying or what's going on. As with the other books, this is one that I think might be easier to read the print first, or at least have a copy handy so you can refer to the Cast of Characters and/or re-read confusing parts. Sometimes, Daniels would do lines in a characters voice and...well, in character. So if the character was to be whispering or muttering, Daniels would do that. This would make it hard to understand what he was saying, especially when he used the thick accents.
All in all, I think I liked this book better than I liked the end of the first three books. I look forward to seeing what happens in the 5th book--which I note is not narrated by Luke Daniels. I hope to read it soon, so that the end of this one is still fresh in my mind.
Narrated by Luke Daniels
Length: 13.25 hours
When I reviewed The Mongoliad: Book Three in the Foreworld Saga, I didn't realize that there were to be a 4th and 5th entry into the series. The book ended with the end of a major story arc (if not the most satisfying of endings) and I thought it was okay to leave it there.
But the story didn't end there. Where the story in the first three books in the series really covered the story of the Christians versus the Mongols, this book follows the Shield Brethren into Russia while the Mongols mostly start gathering to find their new Kahn of Kahns. There was a greater supernatureal element with this book than the previous ones, and it was interesting to see characters I thought we had left at the end of the first book (or thereabouts) make a reappearance. At the crux of this story seems to be old religion versus new religion. It is hinted that Cardinal Vieshi, a cardinal in Rome who we met in the 2nd and 3rd books, is behind an attempt by the Levonian Brotherhood to defeat the Shield Brethren and help "modern Catholics" take a hold in Russia. The old religion, though, the Shield Brethren, the Shield Maidens, and the native Russians, are on their own mission to keep the old religion not only still around, but still relevant. As part of this, the Spirit Banner, guarded so carefully by the Mongols in the first three books, is a central part to the plot with Ferronantus, Raphael, and the Shield Brethren. In a bit of an oddity, Leanne (former slave Chinese woman in Ogedai Kahn's retinue) has managed to save the sliver of...well, it's still not exactly clear what it is, but it's important enough that GonSuk had her protect it and it was attempted to be stolen from Ogedai in the first book. This gives her a tie--if she's not really clear on what the tie is--to the Spirit Banner and the Shield Brethren.
In some ways, this was a complete story. There was a central conflict, and the plot moved to bring that to a relatively satisfying ending. In some ways, the plot lines here were less confusing than in the previous books. There seemed to be fewer plots and fewer characters to keep track of, generally speaking. However, at the end, it got muddled. I suppose it might be just me--I often have felt like I've been "missing something" while listening to these books and this one was no different. Something happened at the end that I didn't quite grok, and it's obvious that it will play out for the 5th (and final, I think) book in the main Foreworld Saga. I hope that when I finish that one, it will make more sense.
Luke Daniels did the narration for this audiobook, as with the other Foreworld and Foreworld Prequel books that I have listened to. Sometimes, his narration is fantastic. He does different voices for the characters and makes it easy to get drawn into the world. However, between the odd names, multiple plot lines, and sometimes difficult/foreign words, it can be hard to understand what he's saying or what's going on. As with the other books, this is one that I think might be easier to read the print first, or at least have a copy handy so you can refer to the Cast of Characters and/or re-read confusing parts. Sometimes, Daniels would do lines in a characters voice and...well, in character. So if the character was to be whispering or muttering, Daniels would do that. This would make it hard to understand what he was saying, especially when he used the thick accents.
All in all, I think I liked this book better than I liked the end of the first three books. I look forward to seeing what happens in the 5th book--which I note is not narrated by Luke Daniels. I hope to read it soon, so that the end of this one is still fresh in my mind.
March 4, 2019
In last books of the series and also in side quest stories new elements of godly intervention is brought into story and it makes this adventure story more diverse and interesting. Also Estonian locations and peasants are used in this book as there is a battle on the shores of Peipsi lake :)
November 8, 2013
Mongoliad is officially a dead horse and they should stop beating it :-(
December 9, 2017
"Katabasis" is one of the 2 much-needed sequels to "The Mongoliad". For those unwary buyers: "The Mongoliad" may appear to be a simple trilogy, but be warned- very few plot threads are actually fully resolved by the end of volume 3.
"Katabasis" does a solid job fixing that. The plot lines of the Shield-Brethren, the Mongol warrior Gansukh, as well as the Livonian Kristaps all get resolved with fairly impressive finality. Many characters get a send-off, a few get happy endings.
I actually enjoyed this more than most of "The Mongoliad". The reason being, having focus on only 2 main (and eventually intertwining) plot lines, with PoV chapters from both sides of each conflict made the novel flow much more coherently, when opposed to "The Mongoliad", where you had action jumping all over Europe and Asia from chapter to chapter, with so many pages dedicated to the Rome sub-plot that appeared to be going absolutely nowhere.
"Katabasis" totally avoids this: you have the Shield-Brethren fleeing the Mongol lands on their way back to Europe, with some Mongols giving chase; and you have Kristaps leading the Teutonic Order in a war against Novgorod, with a comeback from an old character giving insight towards his opponent, Prince Alexander Nevsky in a build-up to the climactic Battle on the Ice. The 2 stories are paced well, flow well, and the novel works. The action is solid (though I can't really give an idea on how technically sound the descriptions of the many fight scenes are), the writing is decent. If you wanted to know how the story of "The Mongoliad's" main cast ends, "Katabasis" will deliver.
"Katabasis" does a solid job fixing that. The plot lines of the Shield-Brethren, the Mongol warrior Gansukh, as well as the Livonian Kristaps all get resolved with fairly impressive finality. Many characters get a send-off, a few get happy endings.
I actually enjoyed this more than most of "The Mongoliad". The reason being, having focus on only 2 main (and eventually intertwining) plot lines, with PoV chapters from both sides of each conflict made the novel flow much more coherently, when opposed to "The Mongoliad", where you had action jumping all over Europe and Asia from chapter to chapter, with so many pages dedicated to the Rome sub-plot that appeared to be going absolutely nowhere.
"Katabasis" totally avoids this: you have the Shield-Brethren fleeing the Mongol lands on their way back to Europe, with some Mongols giving chase; and you have Kristaps leading the Teutonic Order in a war against Novgorod, with a comeback from an old character giving insight towards his opponent, Prince Alexander Nevsky in a build-up to the climactic Battle on the Ice. The 2 stories are paced well, flow well, and the novel works. The action is solid (though I can't really give an idea on how technically sound the descriptions of the many fight scenes are), the writing is decent. If you wanted to know how the story of "The Mongoliad's" main cast ends, "Katabasis" will deliver.
March 27, 2019
Alternative History.
The Foreworld series, starting with The Mongoliad, and continuing with this and other books, is clearly stated, as being, an Alternative History, or an Historical Fiction. The series should be read as such.
Readers should, therefore, NOT expect historical fact. To those readers who winged, that it didn't happen that way. I say get over it. Which part of Historical Fiction, don't you understand. FFS, don't you read the cover notes, the blurb, before reading?
I will never understand any who will spend the time to read in excess of 400 pages, only to trash it. Surely, after 50 or so pages, and not enjoying it, you would not just move on.
Now that I have had my rant. I have to say the I thoughougly enjoyed reading this series. I love the constant references to fictional and mythical, characters and events. It's a bit tongue in cheek, how even the historical figures, get to interact with the fiction, as it is presented.
The Authors are clearly and cleverly, presenting an alternative, yet plausible view, or theory as to what actually happened. It's all fun and entertaining to read. Factual? Not likely. A good yarn? Absolutely.
As Elwood Blues says to his brother Jake. "I didn't lie, I was bullshiting you." There is a difference. "
The Foreworld series, starting with The Mongoliad, and continuing with this and other books, is clearly stated, as being, an Alternative History, or an Historical Fiction. The series should be read as such.
Readers should, therefore, NOT expect historical fact. To those readers who winged, that it didn't happen that way. I say get over it. Which part of Historical Fiction, don't you understand. FFS, don't you read the cover notes, the blurb, before reading?
I will never understand any who will spend the time to read in excess of 400 pages, only to trash it. Surely, after 50 or so pages, and not enjoying it, you would not just move on.
Now that I have had my rant. I have to say the I thoughougly enjoyed reading this series. I love the constant references to fictional and mythical, characters and events. It's a bit tongue in cheek, how even the historical figures, get to interact with the fiction, as it is presented.
The Authors are clearly and cleverly, presenting an alternative, yet plausible view, or theory as to what actually happened. It's all fun and entertaining to read. Factual? Not likely. A good yarn? Absolutely.
As Elwood Blues says to his brother Jake. "I didn't lie, I was bullshiting you." There is a difference. "
January 6, 2018
My favorite so far in the Foreworld saga. While originally intended as a trilogy, this continuation picked up right where book 3 left off. So a reader definitely needs to read the others first. Katabasis sticks to the more enjoyable story-lines, following 2 packs of Shield Brethren/Maidens and a few of our favorite Mongols. We also get a glimpse into the Holy Roman Empire bumping up against ancient Russia (Rus). This one solidifies my goal to close out Forworld and read the remaining novel and novellas.
April 27, 2018
This one took a long time ... I was listening to it as an audio-book and reading it on kindle. The first three in the series had been very god and while this was an addition to what I thought was a trilogy. This book is a very good read; there's enough details that the story is engaging on its own, but I'd still recommend reading the first three.
March 14, 2019
A bit disappointing. Some characters were just totally forgotten. There were some new characters added but they weren't that interesting. Ho hum story. They should have made it a trilogy and ended it at the last book with this book's ending.
May 29, 2020
According to others, The Mongoliad is is a work of historical fiction that tells of the 13th century Mongol invasion of Europe. But the dialogue is so fantasy like, after three starts and stops, I could not get into it. Lets put this book into the category of DNF (did not finish).
May 16, 2022
Don't Stop Please
If you're a reader and you've gotten this far, I don't have to tell you to keep going. I will simply say that Katabasis continues the story, the characters, and the well crafted historical fiction you know you want. BTW, I read it twice.
If you're a reader and you've gotten this far, I don't have to tell you to keep going. I will simply say that Katabasis continues the story, the characters, and the well crafted historical fiction you know you want. BTW, I read it twice.
November 7, 2018
A great mix of medieval history mixed with myth, legend & mysticism.
February 16, 2020
Solid end
Solid end to a fun series. No real shocking twists or turns, but still very fun alternative history from a good team of authors
Solid end to a fun series. No real shocking twists or turns, but still very fun alternative history from a good team of authors
August 26, 2021
This series should have ended with the previous book
March 9, 2023
(2.5 Stars)
This was not as good as the rest of the series (IMHO), but wasn't bad.
I think it has less of the "historical sidebar rants" and more "mysticism" and that threw it off for me.
This was not as good as the rest of the series (IMHO), but wasn't bad.
I think it has less of the "historical sidebar rants" and more "mysticism" and that threw it off for me.
June 27, 2023
Great fast moving tale
A very unusuAl medieval tale, true enough to to the facts but people woven in to the tale all shine in their own stories
A very unusuAl medieval tale, true enough to to the facts but people woven in to the tale all shine in their own stories
March 23, 2024
I'm just a huge nerd for the Foreworld Saga. Very Neal Stephensonie, despite him having exited the project by book four.
November 20, 2023
The saga continues.
I'll admit (and maybe this is just suggestibility), without Stephenson involved the tone changed a bit, and I was slightly less of a fan. In particular, using magic to push the plot along so much didn't work for me. Even the fight scenes seemed less well developed.
That said, this still works - we reunite many of our heroes and we have an epic showdown with the bad guys.
I'll admit (and maybe this is just suggestibility), without Stephenson involved the tone changed a bit, and I was slightly less of a fan. In particular, using magic to push the plot along so much didn't work for me. Even the fight scenes seemed less well developed.
That said, this still works - we reunite many of our heroes and we have an epic showdown with the bad guys.
March 19, 2017
Not an Enjoyable Book
Way to many subplots. Very confusing. I gave up after trying to make sense of the first 58 percent of the book.
Way to many subplots. Very confusing. I gave up after trying to make sense of the first 58 percent of the book.
March 17, 2017
The change of writers is noticeable, but still a fun read, hence 4 instead of 5 stars. It continues where the previous book ended and resolves a few plot lines, along with adding a few new characters
April 23, 2015
OK. So, Book Four of The Mongoliad series by Neal Stephenson et al, except now Neal Stephenson is not listed as an author. hmm...
But we continue:
Synopsis: the broad story/theme of the Mongol invasion of Europe continues, as does Stephenson's practice of incorporating overarching themes (here, the idea that there was an indigenous spirituality in Europe prior to the spread of Christianity -- really an invasion of its own -- outward from Rome). We have several sub-points-of-view: the Mongols, both the invaders in Europe and the Mongol ruling aristocracy in Karakorum; Christian knights (several competing factions thereof) in Europe; European survivors of the Mongol invasion. Rome. The Pope. The Catholic aristocracy/bureaucracy.
We are moving toward a resolution in some ways, and doing it with acceptable consistency to the writing style of the previous three books in what Amazon is sub-titling "The Mongoliad Cycle Book 4".
Loose ends are tied-up; unfortunately some still remain.
One begins to wonder if Neal Stephenson and the Bears (Eric and Greg) have lost interest, moved on, and farmed-out the development of plot resolution to someone else...
Still, five thumbs up.
But wait!
SPOILIER ALERT to save your time: don't waste your time on Book Five "Siege Perilous". Worthless, juvenile and amateurish. Clearly Stephenson et al either lost interest or something, but he/they farmed-out the fifth book in the series to one author who is -- to be charitable about it -- a third-rate hack.
Interesting that Neal Stephenson, and Eric and Greg Bear are completely missing from any mention anywhere in Book Five: E.D. deBirmingham is the single, sole author. Which should have told me something...
Excerpt from my Book Five review at Amazon: "I don't usually bother writing book reviews, but I'll make an exception here. "Siege Perilous" is -- in a word -- dreadful. Coming as it does as the purported fifth book in Neal Stephenson's (et al) "The Mongoliad Cycle" it has become a clunky, awkward filler to end the series and tie up loose ends, that, in retrospect, might have better been left alone."
BUT READ THE FIRST FOUR BOOKS!!!
But we continue:
Synopsis: the broad story/theme of the Mongol invasion of Europe continues, as does Stephenson's practice of incorporating overarching themes (here, the idea that there was an indigenous spirituality in Europe prior to the spread of Christianity -- really an invasion of its own -- outward from Rome). We have several sub-points-of-view: the Mongols, both the invaders in Europe and the Mongol ruling aristocracy in Karakorum; Christian knights (several competing factions thereof) in Europe; European survivors of the Mongol invasion. Rome. The Pope. The Catholic aristocracy/bureaucracy.
We are moving toward a resolution in some ways, and doing it with acceptable consistency to the writing style of the previous three books in what Amazon is sub-titling "The Mongoliad Cycle Book 4".
Loose ends are tied-up; unfortunately some still remain.
One begins to wonder if Neal Stephenson and the Bears (Eric and Greg) have lost interest, moved on, and farmed-out the development of plot resolution to someone else...
Still, five thumbs up.
But wait!
SPOILIER ALERT to save your time: don't waste your time on Book Five "Siege Perilous". Worthless, juvenile and amateurish. Clearly Stephenson et al either lost interest or something, but he/they farmed-out the fifth book in the series to one author who is -- to be charitable about it -- a third-rate hack.
Interesting that Neal Stephenson, and Eric and Greg Bear are completely missing from any mention anywhere in Book Five: E.D. deBirmingham is the single, sole author. Which should have told me something...
Excerpt from my Book Five review at Amazon: "I don't usually bother writing book reviews, but I'll make an exception here. "Siege Perilous" is -- in a word -- dreadful. Coming as it does as the purported fifth book in Neal Stephenson's (et al) "The Mongoliad Cycle" it has become a clunky, awkward filler to end the series and tie up loose ends, that, in retrospect, might have better been left alone."
BUT READ THE FIRST FOUR BOOKS!!!
February 8, 2016
What to say about this book? I was, initially, very excited to find this book as Book 3 had ended in a very Neal-Stephenson-esque cliffhanger. Further, this book seemed to do away with the Rome storyline that I didn't like as much as the others. My excitement was tempered somewhat when I saw that Neal hadn't written any of this book, but I figured it would be ok.
OK is how I felt about the book. It certainly lacked something that made the first three installments so memorable for me. Maybe it was Feronantus showing himself to be, indeed, fallible. Perhaps it was the was the Haakon storyline ended. It could have been the increased supernatural content with Baba Yaga making an appearance. Perhaps it was simply that Andreas wasn't around anymore :(. Definitely all of these contributed. In the main, though, I thought this book lost its focus. Much like Raphael and the remaining Brethren of the Sword, this book seemed to wander without really having a clear destination in mind. Perhaps it will resolve itself better after the fifth, and last, book. I did enjoy a lot of the Russia storyline, specifically Illarion and Nika's storyline.
The first three books constituted a full arc. No matter how much I may have wanted the story to continue, it had resolved fairly satisfactorily, despite a few loose ends. Now, this is another transition book that builds towards something that isn't clear at all.
OK is how I felt about the book. It certainly lacked something that made the first three installments so memorable for me. Maybe it was Feronantus showing himself to be, indeed, fallible. Perhaps it was the was the Haakon storyline ended. It could have been the increased supernatural content with Baba Yaga making an appearance. Perhaps it was simply that Andreas wasn't around anymore :(. Definitely all of these contributed. In the main, though, I thought this book lost its focus. Much like Raphael and the remaining Brethren of the Sword, this book seemed to wander without really having a clear destination in mind. Perhaps it will resolve itself better after the fifth, and last, book. I did enjoy a lot of the Russia storyline, specifically Illarion and Nika's storyline.
The first three books constituted a full arc. No matter how much I may have wanted the story to continue, it had resolved fairly satisfactorily, despite a few loose ends. Now, this is another transition book that builds towards something that isn't clear at all.
January 22, 2020
I bought the set on sale from Amazon Kindle. The first three books we're very entertaining. Between three and four stars. This book was a definite step down. It was filled with inconcise, wandering text.
May 31, 2022
three and a half stars
I'm hooked on this sweeping historical 13th-century adventure taking place primarily in Eurasia and Northern Europe (particularly Rus) in the company of the Shield Brethren, Shield Maidens, witch-like Binders, and their allies and enemies. I have the same complaints from earlier novels: the devastating death of horses; too much step-by-step combat detail; and the occasional tone-deaf application of modern words that detract from the sense of historical authenticity (or the facsimile thereof).
This volume began badly for me with a narrative thread centered on Kristaps, a Livonian Knight with a grudge because I had already learned to loathe him. Much better to begin a new adventure with a sympathetic character before dragging in the forces of darkness. (And, yes, I am looking up these antique place names.)
The author does reintroduce earlier characters and their biographies as they spring up--a useful guide for those who are taking their time between volumes--but annoying for someone like me who has the leisure to read right through and keep the action fresh in mind.
Still, I'm embarking on volume 5 and, hopefully, a wonderful resolution.
I'm hooked on this sweeping historical 13th-century adventure taking place primarily in Eurasia and Northern Europe (particularly Rus) in the company of the Shield Brethren, Shield Maidens, witch-like Binders, and their allies and enemies. I have the same complaints from earlier novels: the devastating death of horses; too much step-by-step combat detail; and the occasional tone-deaf application of modern words that detract from the sense of historical authenticity (or the facsimile thereof).
This volume began badly for me with a narrative thread centered on Kristaps, a Livonian Knight with a grudge because I had already learned to loathe him. Much better to begin a new adventure with a sympathetic character before dragging in the forces of darkness. (And, yes, I am looking up these antique place names.)
The author does reintroduce earlier characters and their biographies as they spring up--a useful guide for those who are taking their time between volumes--but annoying for someone like me who has the leisure to read right through and keep the action fresh in mind.
Still, I'm embarking on volume 5 and, hopefully, a wonderful resolution.
December 2, 2013
The tales of the Mongoliad Cycle continue. The Shield Brethren completed their impossible task and now Europe is saved, temporarily, as the Mongol hordes return to their homeland to choose the next Khagan, Khan of Khans. The focus shifts to the battle for the souls of Rus (Russia) as the Roman Church attempts to wrench control from the Eastern church. There is more mysticism as the elements of the Old Religion meet the new one and both are embodied in the Shield Brethren; much of the new is laid over the old. There is more western on western martial arts here than in earlier books but the authors strive to depict authentic techniques and the fight scenes are easy to visualize. Some plots are tied up and others begin. All in all a solid story.
December 3, 2014
Well, we're moving along. Plots are coming together, and I have hope that the last book will resolve them, thank the gods. It seems that I can't actually pinpoint any sections that are unnecessary in the sense that all the text moves things along, but hundreds of pages of text are used to move character or thing A in a position so it can be used by group B at a much further time C. They're lucky they actually make use of it all, because there's so much to read and I just never would have started this business had I known this, but as I've said before, I've suffered through much worse. This really isn't bad at all, just the whole thing feels kind of unnecessary. But I'll reserve my full judgement until after the final (yay!) book!
October 12, 2016
It had more action than book 3, therefore there was less drag in the story line. However, when I finished it I saw there was a book 5. No. I cannot continue this series. In the series, each book is written by multiple authors. I did not find this a problem at first. However, in this book two of the main characters just disappeared. Percival walked into camp never to be mentioned again. Cnan was mentioned briefly in the epilogue, however, the other was not. Nor were his "visions" ever tied into the story. What was the point of them? It was as if the group of authors assigned the character to one writer who happened to forget about him. The editing should have caught this. This book was originally the last in the series. I was unimpressed.
November 21, 2015
This book was pretty good.Although it doesn't pick up any of the threads from the politics of the aftermath of selecting a new pope or the deal of what may be the Holy Grail, it does finish out the after affects of what was the beginning of the previous triology of book and focuses mainly on those characters. Most of their stories are tied up nicely even while one final battle is built to. And what has become the norm for the Foreworld saga, a bit of supernaturalism is added to the mix, with and old which and the mystery of the Spirit Banner of the Khan's. As there is on last book in this series that deals with the Grail, I would still say pick this one up it was an enjoyable read.
March 23, 2014
I went into this fourth book in the series with some trepidation since Stehpenson and Bear were not a part of it. but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I didn't really miss them all that much. The characters and plotlines had already been developed. The remaining authors are all good writers in their own ways. I found myself enjoying this book as much as the previous three.
The plot lines that continue are all well developed. The pacing is excellent. Many of the story lines started in the previous volumes are completed.
All in all, I enjoyed this volume every bit as much as the first three.
The plot lines that continue are all well developed. The pacing is excellent. Many of the story lines started in the previous volumes are completed.
All in all, I enjoyed this volume every bit as much as the first three.
December 17, 2013
In the first three books in this series, a group of characters set out on a great quest and reach its end. In this, the fourth book, the characters' lives in the aftermath of that undertaking are explored, as they make the long journey home and encounter others left behind on the way.
The book takes the characters home through the steppes of Russia, devastated by the Mongol horde and now threatened by invasion by powers sent from Rome. Alexander Nevsky is a character in the book and its climax is a battle between his forces and the Roman invaders.
The book takes the characters home through the steppes of Russia, devastated by the Mongol horde and now threatened by invasion by powers sent from Rome. Alexander Nevsky is a character in the book and its climax is a battle between his forces and the Roman invaders.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews