The Mongoliad (The Mongoliad Series Book 2)

I really enjoy the various story lines couched in this period of history but this second book lacked as much development of the stories as the first. That's ok, I really enjoyed it and the third must have lots coming.

The Mongoliad is a historical fiction epic, taking place in an alternate reality, where a band of Western Christian knights, in an effort to save Europe and slow the Mongol invasion, travel across Asia to assassinate the Empire's Great Khan. It's a collaborative effort led by Neal Stephenson and a host of other authors. It consists of three books, weighing in at approximately 1500 pages. As it is all one story, I'll just post this review for all three.

It's actually a fantastic tale, and you can tell that every effort has gone into every loving detail to make it as realistic as possible. Some caveats on why I didn't give it five stars:

#3: Those details sometimes got in the way. While the epic clash between a Western knight and a Japanese samurai may be the epitome of every fanboy's nerdgasm, several times the writing of such encounters became bogged down and confused because the writer insisted on accurately describing EACH and EVERY twist and turn of the weapon/limb/bit of armor. It as as if they feared some anal-retentive troll was going to proof each melee to confirm they got it EXACTLY RIGHT.

#2: There was a side story introduced in book 2 and continued in book 3 regarding the religio/politio machinations of the Cardinals of Rome as they struggled to elect a new Pope. It's all very interesting, and frankly could stand alone as a book of its own, but ultimately, it had NOTHING to do with the main story of the knights. Part of me suspects it was a pet project of one of the contributing authors. Or maybe it was added because Stephenson seems to have a requirement that none of his books can ever come in at under 500 pages.

#1: IT DOESN'T HAVE AN ENDING. After nearly 2000 pages, you'd expect an ending. Sure, the knights and the Mongols have their epic showdown, but you need a little more than that. These books are bloated with characters, each carefully crafted with detailed back stories. Each of them deserved some kind of resolution. (Well, I suppose the ones that get killed got theirs, but the living ones didn't.) Their stories were definitely left hanging. All of them. It would require a fourth book, and another 500 pages, to tie up all the loose strings.

Caveat 1.a: It's quite possible that a fourth book is planned. I have no idea. the store seems to suggest there may be, as their seeded search values include a 4th book, but doing the results don't yield anything. Maybe that's because people like me think a fourth book is needed, so they keep searching for one.

Caveat 1.b: These books are part of something called the "Foreworld Saga", and the store is filled with several "Foreworld Sidequests". These appear to be novellas and short stories written by non-contributing authors. Maybe the characters get their loose strings tied up in those, but I'm not going to pay the store to find out.

there are several stories in these novels, and it can get difficult to keep track of the characters without having to refer to the character list now and again. the story unfolds turn by turn, slowly unfolding. i find this refreshing and immersive, unlike game of thrones2+, the subplots dont go off on completely random tangents and the authors have restrained themselves to a large, but set, cast of characters who dont all die every other chapter. i especially love that there are three female characters who are realistic enough to be relatable, but still badass fantasy enough to do fun things throughout ththe book. however, these books arent really a trilogy. it is really just one long novel randomly divided into three files for separate purchase.

Neal Stephenson, the author of the excellent Cryptonomicon, Snow Crash, Reamde among other books, wasn't happy with his writing of sword scenes in the Baroque Cycle. While Eastern martial arts are well represented in movies and have been heavily researched, he felt that Western fighting techniques weren't as well explored. He got a group of authors and enthusiasts together to form a group to study Western fighting techniques, including sword fighting. The group morphed into a project involving writing stories, programming the core for a sword-fighting videogame and it also spawned a website where stories with an emphasis on Western fighting would be written by Neal Stephenson, Erik Bear, Greg Bear, Joseph Brassey, Nicole Galland, Cooper Moo, Mark Tempo. The stories formed a big story arc called "The Mongoliad" and now they've decided to edit the stories from the website to create a trilogy of the same name. (I must point out, there are many interesting details about the website I am skipping, since the purpose is to get to the review of the book).

This book is the second part of the trilogy. While the book keeps going where it left off in the last book, I think the book is essentially self contained. It brought in new characters regarding an interesting subplot about the next Pope needing to be elected and the differences between some cardinals. There's also the main story arc, following from the last book, involving a group of warriors who are led by a messenger woman from the West to Mongolia where they plan to assassinate the Khagan (the leader of the Mongols), since this would create enough of a problem for the Mongols to prevent the Mongols from taking over Christendom (mostly Europe). The book also has a plot involving the Khagan trying to stop his excessive drinking. This plot is my favorite, since it has two very memorable characters: a Chinese slave woman who is very well educated and a warrior Mongol who was sent to try to help the Khagan reduce his drinking. This plot involves an unusual romance and interesting dilemmas that the characters must face.

When I finished reading the first book, I really wanted to read the next one. After reading the second book (this one), I have the same feeling of wanting to read more. As part of a trilogy, the book succeeds. The book has several plots all of which are interesting (some more than others) and it has well-written fight scenes (they are fewer than one would expect from the motivation of the project, but all of the action scenes are great reads). Even though the book has several authors, the book feels as if it came from one voice. The Mongoliad trilogy pulls it off the same way great TV shows manage to have a unique feel even though TV shows have many writers.

Overall, a fun, worthwhile read. It just wasn't breathtaking or memorable enough to warrant the fifth star.

Compared to Book One, it's as lively, needing less plot exposition to set the Binders, Shield-Brethren and their Livonian foes, the Mongol horde, and the capitulation of Rus into medieval context. Book Two will diverge considerably. Little overlap concerning protagonists: it's mostly new figures stepping on stage to ride on, scheme, drink, skulk beneath the streets of Rome, parry in the revived Circus of Swords, and advance the Brethren eastward over the Don into the steppes.

There's almost no Cnan and in her place Ocyrhoe in Rome conspires with knight Raphael (who gets in the Kindle edition a nicely handled "Dreamer" novella where he tells the story of the Fifth Crusade's siege of Damietta to Brother Leo, tied into Francis of Assisi's real-life meeting with the Sultan Al-Kamir in 1219 mingled into an account of the saint's stigmata on LaVerna a few years later). Raphael and comrades venture east for revenge on the Mongols.

Meanwhile, Raphael's struggle in Egypt and after between compassion and anger is echoed by Fr. Rodrigo, who has found Ferenc on the graphically, mystically, nightmarishly rendered battlefield after the apocalyptic Magyar defeat at Mohi. "Crushing them between two lines, like a blacksmith crushing a fly between calloused palms" is how Rodrigo recalls the bloody effect of the Mongol invasion. It's still unclear as to why Rodrigo has gone to Rome, but he meets the cardinals imprisoned to vote for the successor to Gregory XI, who are in a deadlock as to his successor. There, the story of Ocyrhoe will intersect, although as much here, it's open-ended at the end.

Likewise, Lian and Gansukh come into their own from the first book as they try to evade the Mongol leaders while a Chinese guerrilla attack interrupts, or advances, their plans to escape. The night flight of lit arrows makes a great set-piece, and the tellers enjoy the dappled canvas they paint on. I admit that characterization may give way to action, but reading about archers, swordplay (we meet Kim from Korea at the Circus; the back-and-forth battle between him and Shield-Bearer Andreas is handled well to increase tension), and clerically driven backstabbing makes for entertainment.

The story lines in Rome, the steppes and Brethren, the Mongol-occupied Lignica in Rus, and the Mongol push itself all move along the second installment. It's no surprise that they are unresolved. For after all, this is the transition between the start and the finish of this epic.

Lots of beautiful detailing on the world and time this takes place in, however rather dank and depressing for a good portion of the read. Fascinating to anyone who is into minutia of a period piece, but not all that great as a story. The view point is so diffused, it's difficult to pick out a main plotline. While I like a few of the characters, I did not care deeply for anyone and was pretty bored rather quickly. Sad to say, I didn't finish the book. I felt like I was slogging through it and it did not seem worth the effort to finish the task with so many other more interesting books to be read. Life's short, don't clutter it up. I'm sure there will be people who enjoy this book if only to piece out Neal Stephenson's voice in the tapestry, he is a very good writer and his pieces shine in this work. Unfortunately I'd rather go read a book that is all written by NS than wade through the 6 or 7 parts to his one who are not of the same calibur.

In this second book of the trilogy, those banded together against the Mongols continue to make plans to overthrow the invaders by assassinating the Khan, Ogedei. The main group in those banded together against the Khan are the Shield-Brethren who have vowed their mission to defeat the Khan even at the cost of their lives.

As before, there are multiple threads that move the novel along. Some of the Brethren have been taken hostage and are forced to do battle for entertainment in the Khan's Circus of Swords. Between fights, they recruit others who have also been forced into this slavery as gladiators for the pleasure of their captors. Father Rodrigo has received a vision and has made his way to Rome to deliver the message he believes he has been entrusted with. He arrives as the current Pope has died, and becomes mired in the struggle between the various Cardinal enclaves as they fight to have their own candidate declared the next Pope. Lian, the beautiful Chinese slave who is teaching Gansukh the ways of the Khan's court, has determined to try to escape. Gansukh is torn between his mission to help the Khan and his love of Lian.

As the story advances, some characters die and others join the group. The reader needs to be vigilant to keep all the characters in order. Neal Stephenson, Greg Bear, Mark Teppo, Erik Bear, Joseph Brassey, E.D. de Birmingham and Cooper Moo have created an intricate fantasy that leaves the reader eager to continue the story in Book Three. This book is recommended for fantasy readers.

I read Book One. Sorry I show review of Book Two. I have not read Book Two yet. Not a good day trying to do Book One Review.
Good read! Why? Each character is on a mission of his own, but their missions are complementary. The warrior monks are off to kill the Mongol Khan. A special Mongol warrior is sent to save the Khan from drinking himself to death. In each group there is a special woman with a special task to further the missions. I liked the book although there was no resolution of any mission. The mechanics of writing were different, but the differences were complementary to one another.

The Mmongol nation's history is interesting to me, so the movement in this book was not foreign to me. If this were the first bookI had ever read about the Mongols, the Crusades, warrior monks, and other pertinent history, I might have been confused and mad at the book. By design, this review is simple as compared to other reviews, but the other reviews were helpful to me.

This book was free from the store and serves as a teaser to the series. Thank you, dear authors, (that is a phrase not often used) for a good read. I enjoyed reading about the complex characters doing complex things in a complex historical era.

I must say, I love Neal Stephenson. Actually, I worship him! He is not an easy author to read, and that's what I like. He spins yarns of such importance that it's hard to comprehend he's living in this time on this planet. In short, he's not your normal author.

However, not all of the co-authors in the Mongoliad are up to Neal's ability. And it shows in this book.

It could of been my disinterest in this subject and that sword fighting is quite boring to me, but it also could of been that you can tell there are different styles at work here. Which is normal with co-authored books, but I found it hard to really get into this one after reading nearly all of Stephenson's prior works.

For anyone looking for a ripping good read with lots of swordplay this is definitely it. For those looking for classic Neal, look elsewhere.

I ordered the first in this series and was impressed enough to want to read the next installment. It's really good, too. It's got a fast-paced plot, the characters continue to develop, and the writers pay a lot of attention to historical accuracy.

This story pulls together a lot of events that happen in Europe and in Asia. A lot of times, books have a very limited scope, but this series is more ambitious. We see how a lot of what was happening in the Easy impacts cultural development in the West.

If you like adventure novels, or historical novels, this is a good choice. It is just the sort of book that will appeal to a young adult who likes gaming. That person will learn a lot and have fun, too.

I am really enjoying the series. I did feel like this book felt a little short - there were several individual storylines and none of them wrapped up in any way. I know it's a trilogy, but usually there's some sense of resolution at the end of each book.

This book introduced a fascinating new crew of characters - Ferenc, from Hungary, and Father Rodrigo, who is mistaken for a cardinal when the two arrive in Rome, after having escaped the slaughter of their city. Ferenc saw his mother killed violently and is still haunted by it. And then there is the mysterious young lady in Rome... The story also returns to characters in the first book, like the travelling tribe of western warriors, and the Mongol man who is torn between his patriotism and his lover.

As for my overall thoughts on the series, please see my review of The Mongoliad: Book One (The Foreworld Saga).

I really enjoyed book one of this series: it was a nicely written, well paced and didn't take itself very seriously. However, book two is a bore. As other reviewers have noted, it doesn't directly follow on from book one, and its emphasis is on the least interesting characters and plot lines. I had no idea what was going on with the chapters set in Rome - which make up about a third of the book - and ended up skipping through most of them (I don't think that I missed out on much). The chapters dealing with the Shield Brethren are quite good, but don't really go anywhere, and the rest of the book meanders along without much of interest taking place (the chapters about the depressed alcoholic Mongol khan moping about were particularly dull - this may be the first book to include a boring Mongol warlord!). I don't think that I'm going to shell out for book three on the basis of this book.

I think there are readers who would very much like this book. I certainly wanted to, and am a big fan of many of the contributors, especially Neal Stephenson. But the book dragged and I wasn't invested in the characters. The truth is I barely made it through volume I and by the time I opened volume II, I was overwhelmed with a sense of exhaustion and obligation.

The series began as an experiment; an attempt to combine a series with an unusual level of interaction between the authors and the audience. I didn't participate in that process, perhaps it would be a more interesting book if I had. The cover says that the book was restructured, edited, and rewritten by the authors, but it still feels like it speaks in many voices, and not all saying the same thing. Or rather, saying the same thing, repeatedly, with different tone.

This second book in the series describes the aftermath of the Mongolian invasion of 1241. It then degenerates into a teenage boys fantasy about courage in the arena. This storyline runs parallel with that of Father Rodrigo who takes on a holy mission to Rome even though that means becoming a man of violence in order to make the trek. His quest is long but somewhat predictable.

The book has all the right elements, but none of it moves along very quickly and much of it is predictable to the point of cliché.

There's just way too much going on in this book for it to be a satisfying, or even a coherent, read. That was true of Book 1, which I barely managed to slog my way through, and it's even worse in this continuation of the story. There are numerous plotlines in progress and we only get little glimpses into any one of them before moving onto something else. We hardly ever get a really satisfying examination of what's going on with any of them. That was true in Book 1, as I've said, and I'd hoped that Book Two would start to see the various threads woven more tightly together. There's a little of this, but not much, and to make matters worse, there are several new storylines, some of them completely unrelated to anything from Book 1 and driven by brand-new characters who never appeared before.

Oh, the characters! There are dozens of them, few of whom have any clear motivation for their actions. We hardly ever get a proper backstory, which has the effect of making their rivalries arcane and confusing. Few of them relate to one another in any way that's remotely interesting, and fewer still leave any kind of impression on the reader. There's a dramatis personae at the beginning of the book to help us keep track of who's who. This is nice, I guess, because the lack of compelling character arcs makes them pretty forgettable, especially when coupled with the fact that many have difficult, unfamiliar names. However, the DP often doesn't provide much information on who they are, other than alluding to one of the many knightly orders this boatful of authors has made up.

Pacing--It's hard to comment on that. Within each chapter, things usually move along. But when I got to the end of a chapter, and realized how little the story had been advanced, I felt drained. It felt like it took me forever to read the book, and many's the day I found myself making excuses not to read it. A novel is supposed to be read for pleasure, so when I need to overcome a reluctance to read it, it's hard to imagine a worse failure of the form.

If you want to read a fictionalized account of the Mongol Empire's salad days, check out Conn Iggulden. He's written a five-book series taking us from Genghis Khan's childhood to the height of Kublai's power. (I might wish for a sixth book to get us through to the end of the empire's golden age, but his stated intention is not to continue.) That series is a good example of excellent historical fiction. This--This is just a mess. I won't even bother with Book Three.

This follows some of the same characters from the previous book, but it didn't hold my attention enough to keep me reading. It's very obvious that this is a lot of exposition for a later work, while the first book in this series was strong enough to stand on its own. I'm thinking of trying to finish it in anticipation of the third book, but it's been slow going.

Overall, the writing and characterization are strong and professionally executed, but there is some kind of drive missing from this edition of the series.

Cardinals imprisoned in a ruined temple and pressured to choose between rival candidates to St. Peter's Throne; the last survivor of an ancient society of messenger witches; refugees from the Magyars' destruction by invading Mongols; rivals brotherhoods of Christian knights, struggling against each other as much as against the Khans of the Steppes; a demon-haunted Khaghan, desperate to regain his power and dignity; a Chinese slave and Mongol warrior who might be falling in love; martial artists of all stripes, oriental and occidental; and a band of misfit visionaries and fighters who plan to put an end to the threat to Christendom by assassinating the Khan of Khans. I'd first read about this story as an exercise in recreating authentic western fighting styles, but that aspect plays a fairly small role in a sprawling, chaotic, exciting adventure tale.

This book famously existed in multimedia digital form before it was reprinted by 47North. I don't know what I'm missing by not seeing the digital content, but the book is sufficiently self-contained to be satisfying. The adventure is fun and constant enough that I'd like to rate it five stars, but the prose has a nagging habit of falling into wooden fantasy mode, spending lots of time on milieu details and stuffy dialog ("We cannot contract any of our speech, for we would not wish to sound too modern, forsooth"... you know what I mean). But overall, a small complaint, and a satisfying read.

Historical fiction is a great way to learn history and this book does not disappoint. The rise (and fall) of the Mongolian Empire presents us with a great lesson in history. The story lines are cleverly done and keep your interest. I am hooked on this series and immediately ordered Book 3 when I completed this one. Also, worth noting, there is a section of the book called "Cast of Characters" that is very helpful in keeping up with the various stories all going on at the same time. I highly recommend this series!

read the whole series....Great adventure story!! I took short notes on characters as they showed up so could keep them straight. Really a great series of books. If you loved James Clavell's stories you will love this series!

This is an absolutely horrible book. I'm only glad I leased it instead of buying it.

Book 1 had, for the most part, interesting characters doing interesting and/or exciting things. This book, for the first 20% of the book (which is where I stopped reading) jumped to a new set of characters every chapter. None of whom seemed to be connected with one another. They were not interesting, and they did nothing exciting. They all seemed to spend a lot of time babbling about religion.

I found not a single character that I cared about. I was sort of hoping they'd all get killed so the authors could start writing about someone else (LIKE MAYBE THE CHARACTERS FROM THE FIRST BOOK!). After reading the 20% I mentioned earlier, it was apparent this was not going to happen so I quit. I know they list multiple authors for this Mongoliad series. I suspect those who wrote the first book were not involved in the writing of the second.

I suppose there might be people who say it gets better. I'm not going to find out.

I love a good, long epic read. I wasn't bowled over by the first book in the series, but you can tell I was committed enough to embark on the next big book - wanting to know more about the characters I had come to like well enough. Book 2 picked up stories of new characters without introduction and only revisited previous story lines well into the book, and briefly at that. I wondered for a long time if I had missed a book in the middle, but no. If the authors are working the plot device of many seemingly independent stories coming together in one big moment in time, they ought to remember the reader's patience may be shorter than their self-assured cleverness. I won't be reading book 3.

Get inside the minds of the people who walked the earth hundreds and hundreds of years ago. This book has all the pace and plot of the first book, with interesting insight into the characters and their motives. The setting and scope of this story are MASSIVE and the reader will journey miles and miles to reach their destination. This book, while incorporating some aspects of fantasy and mythology, more aptly belongs in the Historical Fiction category with the likes of "Fall of Giants", "Pillars of the Earth", "World Without End", etc. A fabulous followup to the first book~!

This book has three compelling story lines continued from the first book and one new line dealing with papal succession intrigue. Unfortunately, this new storyline is a complete bore with no clarity on the stakes at issue and way too many characters talking way too much. It felt like filler. The book also failed to make much ground on the storylines carried over from the first. Still a decent read but disappointing.

I think that the story is tightly woven and it wasn't possible to tell where one author left off and another started. It's a huge cast sweeping over a grand scale of the known world and the writing is so good that it makes it easy to not get lost in the cast or the hundreds of stories. As a bonus, the novel is really good.

What can be said that hasn't already? This is a great idea, well-executed, but the inclusion of so many authors makes it a bit difficult to really latch on to any one character. I don't want to put anyone off because this IS an very enjoyable excursion into historical fiction with an emphasis on swordplay. It just comes across slightly "clunky."

Anyone who read part 1 knows it ends abruptly. Part 2 follows the characters from part 1 and introduces Father Rodrigo, the Hungarian soldier Ferenc, and the Binder apprentice Ocyhroe. Those familiar with the stories online at [...] will welcome their appearance and the side trip to Rome where Rodrigo has a message for the new Pope whomever it may be.

<<Note: May be Some spoilers for Book 1.>>>

Feranathus and his group of sheild bretheran continue their mission to the East being lead by the binder Cnan. Book two picks up their encounter with the Sheild maidens and the Livonian Knights in Russia.

The other Shield Bretheran in Hunern try to keep the group's departure a secret from their enemies the Livonian Knights and Onghwe Khan. Andreas and the Korean Flower Knight Kim finally meet in the most unconventional way.

Lian plots her escape from the Mongols as Gansukh tries hard to redeem the Great Khan and restore him to the prestige of his father Genghis.

We discover what fate awaited young Haakon after he went past the Red Veil in the arena.

In Rome Father Rodrigo is mistaken for a Cardinal and is imprisoned by politicians who are looking to replace the dead Pope with someone not friendly to The Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II. Ferenc and Ochyroe try to rescue him from the clutches of Orsini the Bear who has killed all the binders of Rome.

Alas the book ends in a to be continued... fashion and the plot will be wound up in book three. The complete saga is available for members on the website now but be forewarned this is a more polished and readable version.

Hopefully the Foreworld people will continue the saga onwards.

I looooove Stephenson, which is why I wanted to go for this. I should have read book one; the experiment is too complex and confusing to hop into halfway through. I think I assumed that by being able to handle Martin's 'Game of Thrones' I would be fine with a busy fantasy world, but not enough info is set up to be able to easily start with a sequel.

I have difficulty with reviewing this book... it was okay, it didn't live up to the excitement and action of the first book, it was like a place holder story telling between the first book and the third. I personally dislike books that HAVE to be read in order, I just think it's a cheap marketing ploy, over used in these modern times.
This book wasn't bad, but from the beginning, I just got the idea that it was just stretching out the series, maybe because it didn't have the drama, the action or 'world building' of the first book, so in comparison it seemed pretty vanilla. I will get the third in the hopes that it can compare to the first, but this book.... it wasn't anything special. I would say to buy it, because I have a feeling that you have to read it to understand the third, but after reading the third, will I think that the series is useful? I don't know....these sort of series should be reviewed as a whole as they're not really stand alone books.

This saga continues in multiple storylines in Central Europe, Western Europe, Eastern Asia, and Italy. The Christian world not controlled by the Mongolian Empire is doing all they can to prevent the further westward expansion in Europe. The internal empire is starting to deteriorate as the Khagan's alcoholism reduces his ability to govern the massive Mongolian Empire. Now the Pope has died and a successor must be named to help unite the Christian world.

Great read,couldn't put the book down,would recommend to friends and family. Great story line and easy to read can't wait to read the next book. Many stories in one book,Stephenson hit this one out of the park. For people who like books with battle and sword play this series is highly recommended.

Too many characters, too many authors, too many details, and no real forward movement of the plots. I love the writing, and there are so many brilliant set-pieces, that I can't help myself but read the book. But ultimately it's not especially satisfying, it's just too much of a mess of details.

Lots of different people in this story to follow. Very descriptive, lots of dialogue, plenty of adventure. Better than and a good follow-up to the first book. I'm only halfway thru but I'm having trouble putting it down. I recommend it to anyone who likes stories about priests and Knights and Mongolian horse riders.

In the style of George r r Martin, the tale moves along at a pace to keep up with. Percival is still charmed. Cnan still guiding. Andreas is new, isn't he?

Good story telling. I read volume one a year ago, but was able to get back into the story quickly.

I really enjoyed this book. I would highly recommend. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that you can tell this book is setting up the next one. It does stand alone, however there are too many loose ends by the time you finish it.

Does not directly connect to the first book. Does not continue where the orginal characters left off.
Sort of feels like, I don't know where to go from the first book , so I'll just start a new story!

This book is a great concept (fantasy reworking of the Asian conquests and beyond of Genghis Khan), but I think it would have been better off in fewer volumes. As with many other series, little plot resolution and a lot of to and fro by the characters.

A fascinating experiment. I actually expected a Frankenstein mush-mash of styles to yield a healthy amount of incoherence. Instead, it's an enjoyable read that feels grounded in the historical record.

Due to the book being painfully slow at times.

New characters with no background and unfinished stories. Characters from the previous book given minimal story time. All in all there was a lack of focus in the book and in turn did not motivate me to keep turning the e-pages.

Here's to hoping the third time is the charm.

This is a good book with one drawback. Character development and story detail excellent. Drawback is the multiple story lines makes the reader feel like you are reading multiple books. I think they should come together quick. Even with this, I recommend the book.

This book is not high on fantasy that includes magic. It does have quite a bit of mysticism in it though. It is not for those who are looking for elves, giants and magic rings. It is well written though and the story line is pretty good.

THE MONGOLIAD--whose theme is the medieval development of the Mongol empire--is a collaboration among several authors. Stephenson's character development & plotting are done so skillfully, that the overall quality of the series is raised.

Just finished and I WILL read whatever follows. For a book written with contributions from various authors the writing and storylines are seamless. Superb character development and an alternate history tale that compels you to the next page. Is it perfect . . . NO, but it would not be as good if it was.

Summary (2.75 stars):
Book 2 of the Mongoliad picks up where Book 1 left off -- No transition, just starts. Book 2 does introduce some new characters -- Father Rodrigo (priest who witness Mongol Horde in action), Ferenc (Hungrian boy that Father Rodrigo saved) and Ocyrhoe (one of the last sister of a Minerva cult in Rome). The plot arc with the new characters deals with the naming of who will be the new Pope as the previous Pope died suddenly. Father Rodrigo was given a divine message to convey to the Pope in order to save Christendom from the Mongol hordes invading Europe -- Perceival minus the good looks, horse, arm and martial skills.

The main plot arc moves forward to a certain degree but only moves the assault team closer to the Khagan with losses and wounds. If you enjoyed the first book, then you will enjoy the second book as these two books should have just been connected as seperating them makes no sense given the lack of ending in Book 1 and how Book 2 starts. If you have not read Book 1, then do not even think about reading Book 2 first as it will not make much sense.

If you have a limited book budget, I would look for something else to purchase before this book.

Mileu/World Setting (2.75 to 3 stars):
The world setting is well done for the most part but Book 2 depends heavily on the atmosphere set in the first book. The cultures of the different characters is interesting to read about. Each character is rather sterotypical and depends heavily on the world setting information associated with the location each character is from to help you envision what the character is like and how they handle themselves.

Plot (2.5 stars):
The plot is moderately interesting for a history based fantasy novel. The book does not do a good job of engaging the readers; the authors assume the reader knows quite a lot about the Mongels and Europe at the time the book is set. The plots do not have significants twists in them -- just a straight up conflict/mission to be achieved by the characters.

Writing (2.5 to 2.75 stars):
The writing is consistent with Book 1. The writing style is clean, crisp and to the point. It is not a joy to read the words but more like morning gruel you eat hoping to get to some tasty bit hidden in the gruel to flavor it / make it more interesting.

Characters (2.5 to 3 stars):
The characters do not evolve at all between the start of book 1 and the end of book 2. The characters are just there to be architypal figures for the players in the historical drama. The characters are not memorable in the least. You will most likely forget about nearly of the characters shortly after you finish the book and move on to a different book.

I've really been enjoying this series, although my suspension of disbelief took a serious beating when it was suggested that the Hungarian villagers were growing corn in the 1240's. New World crop, yos.

Wasn't sure after reading the reviews that I would enjoy this book, but I did. Character focus was different in book 2, with the emphasis on more minor characters from book 1. Still, it was a fun story. Looking forward to the next volume.

While I enjoyed the first book, this was a definite improvement. Several of the characters became more well defined and the addition of new characters enriched the world. I am definitely continuing the series.

on its way somewhere, this book fails to follow up on the promise of the first book in the series. I checked it of the library on my kindle, made it 80% of the way through and turned it in for a new book.

The basic story contained in this book is very interesting and seems to even be historically accurate. The first book had more action and the story moved quicker. This book, I'm sorry to say, was boring.

After reading the first book of the Mongoliad series I couldn't wait to get the next installment. This group effort was still good, but there are just too many characters and the book jumps around so much it was hard to keep up with the complex plot. I probably could have given it a 4, because it is a good story, but I kept complaining while reading it of how difficult it was to keep the different plots and sub-plots together.... I hope book #3 ties it all together.

decent read, good narration, somewhat slow during romantic plot escalation, otherwise quite enjoyable as you jump around the to the various ensembles in this well scripted and detail orientated piece.

I was a little leary of the team-tale-telling technique, but Neal Stephenson, Greg Bear et alia work together like the Denver Broncos offense to advance their epic tale of Knights Templar and mongol hordes across the steppes of Asia to the strongholds of Genghis Khan. I borrowed both books 1 and 2 on Prime and can hardly wait for the third (due in February?)

I would rather read books in order that makes sense. Although this is a backstory, it seems to confuse rather than enlighten. I will still keep reading this saga since it does make me want to know what happens as a good story should.

The Mongoliad is an interesting concept and is done decently. However, it is not up to the works of George R.R. Martin, Robert Jordan, or Steven Erickson. It is fast paced with a fair amount of action but lacks in character development and dramatic tension. it seems like the authors had a grand concept and executed it decently but not brilliantly.

This book does not continue the story from where it abruptly ended in book one. The story is slow and mostly tells of adventures second hand. To be honest, I was so disappointed that I have not even finished the book. Nor will I read any more of this "series".

A vastly comprehensive work covering so many cultures and history's, you just can't wait to read what comes next. Any reader of almost any genra can't fail to enjoy this work of high quality authorship, keep up the good work we are on tender hooks awaiting future publications of The Foreworld Saga - The Mongoliad Books.

It's been really fun to continue the Mongoliad adventures, and with this team of writers its been an awesome blend of theological legend, historical reference, fantasy, action and mystery. Basically... If you read and like fiction - you won't be able to not enjoy this.