The Mongoliad: The Foreworld Saga, Book 3

By: Neal Stephenson, Greg Bear, Mark Teppo, Nicole Galland, Erik Bear, Joseph Brassey, Cooper Moo

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Length: 22 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

An untested group of Shield-Brethren initiates stand before the sprawling Mongol army in a bloody circus of sadistic violence, while a hardened company of their finest roam the desolate wasteland of the Mongol empire, wrapping their dead in blood-soaked soil and struggling to find the strength to fight even as they mourn. The warrior-monks, both in the East and the West, sharpen their swords for a final battle. The Khan of Khans must be slain if Christendom is to survive.

A sweeping historical interpretation of the battle for Europe against the invading Mongols and their ruthless Khan, The Mongoliad: Book Three brings the epic adventures of the Shield-Brethren to a brutal and thrilling conclusion.

©2012 Foreworld LLC (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

This Book Rocks

Would you listen to The Mongoliad: The Foreworld Saga, Book 3 again? Why?

Yes: the book is starts at great tempo and finishes with a bang I think the only down point is that the next book will need to bow this one away.


P.S. if you like Luke Daniels this is for you.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Gansukh: the way he learns to live in both worlds

What does Luke Daniels bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He makes you feel like you are the character and just makes you feel welcome

Any additional comments?

This is not a waist of time

I got confused

there is too little delineation as this story leaps from one character's perspective to another. I found myself having to go back and re listen on numerous occasions just to figure out where I was and who we were talking about.

Good finish to the series...

The third book wraps up all the main story lines nicely and like the first two books is fun to listen to. It's not spectacular in any way, but it was a good listen. See my reviews of the first two books for my thoughts on the writing.

This Review Needs a Title...

I could not get into book 1, DNF (did not finish), so book three, which was ordered at the same time also gets flushed. Note to self, don't order all the books in a series, if you don't know that you might enjoy it.

Brilliantly Wrought!

Where does The Mongoliad: The Foreworld Saga, Book 3 rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I have been amazed by Luke Daniels reading of this book. His characters are so easily identifiable by voice and character that you feel less like you are reading a story and more like listening into the conversations going on between the characters.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Mongoliad: The Foreworld Saga, Book 3?

I am amazed that this book kept the long journey feeling without belaboring the long journey to the point you were sick of hearing about it. The concept of covering that much land on horseback through rugged and unfriendly terrain has all the earmarks of being a very boring book marked only by the regular injections of interest by way of combat with roving bands. Not so here.

What does Luke Daniels bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I could never have imagined a higher quality of accents and speach patterns as I was given by listening to Luke.

If you could rename The Mongoliad: The Foreworld Saga, Book 3, what would you call it?

"After the Glimmer" I feel like the last book left us all with some glimmer or inkling of what was going to come next but still with plenty of space to turn about in a final twist of plot or ending. In many ways this book is what occurs as you round that last final bend in the story and you think you know how things will go. However often we are dazzled by glimmers and sometimes the after effect of the glimmer blinds us to what will happen next.

Not the most satisfying sequel

If you've already read book 1 and 2 of the series then nothing anyone says will change your mind about finishing the series off. So I won't say anymore.

Living History, well researched

characters and detailed fight scenes that included background strategy were most interesting to me. an era that is not well known, and I learned much about Europe's reaction to the eastern threat.

Looooong trilogy. And kinda flat ending.

Would you try another book from the authors and/or Luke Daniels?

I gather there are some more books following this one, but don't intend to continue.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

This is a loooong trilogy, and that's coming from someone who quite enjoyed Stephenson's Quicksilver trilogy. The Mongoliad makes the Quicksilver trilogy look simple and concisely written. There are interesting characters and stories being told, but even so it gets really slow going and felt like an epic achievement to make it through to the end. And the end itself is highly disappointing too, just fizzles out. So although some of the characters were interesting and I liked the way both sides were sympathetic instead of having cookie-cutter baddies and goodies, I really don't think the effort to get through the trilogy was worth it.

Loved it, great work

Fairly clean ending, but they left a few open ends just in case they want to continue the saga

Luke Daniels reigns supreme

In this third part of the Mongoliad series

Luke Daniels makes the story come alive

Is reading, character portrayal, and energy is vibrant throughout the entire story

I recommend this read

My only issue is with the audible app

Because I could not give him five out of five stars

Happy Reading!