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The Foreworld Saga
Sinner: A Prequel to the Mongoliad
A severed head and a cry of “Witchcraft!” start a frenzied witchhunt in a sleepy German village. When Konrad von Marburg, a Church inquisitor, arrives on the scene, innocent and guilty alike find themselves subject to the inquisitor’s violent form of purification.
Two knights of the Ordo Militum Vindicis Intactae, Andreas and Raphael, soon arrive in the village. Though each journeys on a separate path, they quickly band together to confront the inquisitor as he whips the townspeople into a righteous bloodlust.
When her dead husband’s severed head appears on her doorstep, a local woman is charged with practicing heretical rituals, it is up to the knights to discover the truth behind the brutal murder before the torches are lit and the woman is burned at the stake.
Their task proves daunting, though, as the townspeople have their own long-buried secrets and sins that they want to keep hidden—even if it means allowing the sacrifice of an innocent woman.
With Sinner, Mark Teppo forges the first link in a chain that leads to the world-shattering events of the Mongoliad series.
Two knights of the Ordo Militum Vindicis Intactae, Andreas and Raphael, soon arrive in the village. Though each journeys on a separate path, they quickly band together to confront the inquisitor as he whips the townspeople into a righteous bloodlust.
When her dead husband’s severed head appears on her doorstep, a local woman is charged with practicing heretical rituals, it is up to the knights to discover the truth behind the brutal murder before the torches are lit and the woman is burned at the stake.
Their task proves daunting, though, as the townspeople have their own long-buried secrets and sins that they want to keep hidden—even if it means allowing the sacrifice of an innocent woman.
With Sinner, Mark Teppo forges the first link in a chain that leads to the world-shattering events of the Mongoliad series.
Audio CD
First published March 1, 2001
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625 people want to read
About the author
Mark Teppo
94 books100 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 - 29 of 29 reviews
January 9, 2019
I agree with "Jim" it's more a side story than a prequel that employs a couple of the characters who also are part of the Mongliad. Nothing too unusual about the plot, it serves to identify a place and time that the Mongoliad will flesh out.
December 1, 2015
While Teppo's Dreamer was a freebie at the front of my copy of
The Mongoliad: Book Two
, my copy of the previous novel,
The Mongoliad: Book One
, had no such gift (it didn't have maps either which was a point of some annoyance at the time). It appears that later versions of Book One do now have
Sinner
up at the front, but by that time I'd already borrowed a copy from the Kindle lending library. Again, Teppo visits Raphael's past in this prequel to the Mongoliad trilogy. I say again, but actually I've read them in the wrong order – this is the first of Teppo's prequels rather than the second – although it's actually set several years after the events of Dreamer.
Andreas and Raphael, both knights of the Ordo Militum Vindicis Intactae, meet coincidentally, while snooping around the beginnings of an inquisition into the brutal murder of a villager, and as Andreas points out: "One Shield-Brother might be a curiosity [...] but two?". The villager's wife is accused of both witchcraft and his murder; and the inquisition is not keen to properly investigate at all. The hotheaded Andreas and cooler-minded Raphael step in to avert the judicial miscarriage. The story is called Sinner, and all the chapters are named after the seven deadly sins (all in Latin of course): lust, gluttony, avarice, slot, anger, envy and pride; with the final, eighth, chapter being named humility. I wasn't entirely paying attention to the chapter titles at the time, but each chapter presumably concentrates on its titular sin.
While the Foreworld conglomerate, in the shape of the Subutai Corporation, continues knocking out the main Mongoliad novels – presumably there will be more than the three so far – Teppo seems to be making a nice sideline in these prequel short stories building out the back-history of characters like Raphael and Andreas. He has a third one to go with the third novel, The Mongoliad Book Three , which I've already got lined up on my Kindle.
Andreas and Raphael, both knights of the Ordo Militum Vindicis Intactae, meet coincidentally, while snooping around the beginnings of an inquisition into the brutal murder of a villager, and as Andreas points out: "One Shield-Brother might be a curiosity [...] but two?". The villager's wife is accused of both witchcraft and his murder; and the inquisition is not keen to properly investigate at all. The hotheaded Andreas and cooler-minded Raphael step in to avert the judicial miscarriage. The story is called Sinner, and all the chapters are named after the seven deadly sins (all in Latin of course): lust, gluttony, avarice, slot, anger, envy and pride; with the final, eighth, chapter being named humility. I wasn't entirely paying attention to the chapter titles at the time, but each chapter presumably concentrates on its titular sin.
While the Foreworld conglomerate, in the shape of the Subutai Corporation, continues knocking out the main Mongoliad novels – presumably there will be more than the three so far – Teppo seems to be making a nice sideline in these prequel short stories building out the back-history of characters like Raphael and Andreas. He has a third one to go with the third novel, The Mongoliad Book Three , which I've already got lined up on my Kindle.
September 23, 2018
3.5 Stars
Mini-Review:
Solid intro of Andreas & Raphael. Two knights of the Ordo Militum Vindicis Intactae become involved with a witch trial and seek to find out what really happened within the small village. The start of the short story is a bit wobbly but all the elements wrap up well by the end. I enjoyed this small peek into the two characters.
Mini-Review:
Solid intro of Andreas & Raphael. Two knights of the Ordo Militum Vindicis Intactae become involved with a witch trial and seek to find out what really happened within the small village. The start of the short story is a bit wobbly but all the elements wrap up well by the end. I enjoyed this small peek into the two characters.
March 21, 2013
Audiobook from Brilliance Audio
Narrated by Luke Daniels
Length: 1 hour, 39 minutes
I got this book as a part of my copy of the audiobook of The Mongoliad: Book One. I haven't yet read The Mongoliad: Book One; I decided that I wanted to read the prequel first. I have one or two other prequel stories, which I think I'll wait to read until after I've read The Mongoliad: Book One and The Mongoliad: Book Two and possibly The Mongoliad: Book Three. The reason I read this one before the others was that I happened to have it on my iPhone in that order. I don't think anything was lost by reading it before the main books...I just want to see what the main books offer before going into the shorter-story prequels.
The story itself introduced two characters who I believe play a role in The Mongoliad: Book One, Raphael and Andreas, two knights who meet by happenstance in a small town at a time when the town has suffered a tragedy. Otto, the husband of Goetta, was murdered, and Goetta stands accused for the crime. To make matters worse, an Inquisitor of the Roman Catholic Church is also passing through the town and he decides to personally adjudicate the matter. Raphael is an older knight, mostly wiser, and has a history with this Inquisitor. Andreas is younger, brasher, quicker to jump in...and that's where I'll leave the description, without spoiling anything.
The story was light and I'm guessing sets the stage for events in The Mongoliad: Book One. I suspect readers will learn more about the Inquisitor (named Conrad) in that book, and of course about Raphael and Andreas. One hopes that Raphael will be able to teach young Andreas a bit of his worldly wisdom. And I expect that Andreas will be able to help Raphael recover...or possibly seek revenge, from issues in his past. The story here really set up these characters, wrapped around an otherwise predictable plot.
There's nothing wrong with predictability, especially when interesting and intriguing characters are introduced. It's even better when the story isn't drawn out; it didn't need to be any longer. This story whet my appetite for the main tome and now I'd like to see what else is in store for these guys.
Luke Daniels is a prolific audiobook narrator, with good reason. His narration for this story, as with so many of the stories he's done, is spot-on. He adds life to the characters without distracting from the story. If I had one minor complaint, it's that it was sometimes hard to understand what he was saying when he was using Raphael's voice. He played the character with a heavy accent, which was sometimes hard to hear while driving down the road. The best way to listen to this type of book is to lay back and relax, put the earbuds in, and just listen. Daniels will take you to another place entirely...in this case, 13th century Europe. I'm looking forward to my next trip there with him in The Mongoliad: Book One.
Narrated by Luke Daniels
Length: 1 hour, 39 minutes
I got this book as a part of my copy of the audiobook of The Mongoliad: Book One. I haven't yet read The Mongoliad: Book One; I decided that I wanted to read the prequel first. I have one or two other prequel stories, which I think I'll wait to read until after I've read The Mongoliad: Book One and The Mongoliad: Book Two and possibly The Mongoliad: Book Three. The reason I read this one before the others was that I happened to have it on my iPhone in that order. I don't think anything was lost by reading it before the main books...I just want to see what the main books offer before going into the shorter-story prequels.
The story itself introduced two characters who I believe play a role in The Mongoliad: Book One, Raphael and Andreas, two knights who meet by happenstance in a small town at a time when the town has suffered a tragedy. Otto, the husband of Goetta, was murdered, and Goetta stands accused for the crime. To make matters worse, an Inquisitor of the Roman Catholic Church is also passing through the town and he decides to personally adjudicate the matter. Raphael is an older knight, mostly wiser, and has a history with this Inquisitor. Andreas is younger, brasher, quicker to jump in...and that's where I'll leave the description, without spoiling anything.
The story was light and I'm guessing sets the stage for events in The Mongoliad: Book One. I suspect readers will learn more about the Inquisitor (named Conrad) in that book, and of course about Raphael and Andreas. One hopes that Raphael will be able to teach young Andreas a bit of his worldly wisdom. And I expect that Andreas will be able to help Raphael recover...or possibly seek revenge, from issues in his past. The story here really set up these characters, wrapped around an otherwise predictable plot.
There's nothing wrong with predictability, especially when interesting and intriguing characters are introduced. It's even better when the story isn't drawn out; it didn't need to be any longer. This story whet my appetite for the main tome and now I'd like to see what else is in store for these guys.
Luke Daniels is a prolific audiobook narrator, with good reason. His narration for this story, as with so many of the stories he's done, is spot-on. He adds life to the characters without distracting from the story. If I had one minor complaint, it's that it was sometimes hard to understand what he was saying when he was using Raphael's voice. He played the character with a heavy accent, which was sometimes hard to hear while driving down the road. The best way to listen to this type of book is to lay back and relax, put the earbuds in, and just listen. Daniels will take you to another place entirely...in this case, 13th century Europe. I'm looking forward to my next trip there with him in The Mongoliad: Book One.
December 20, 2012
A good murder mystery short story. I'm looking forward to the other prequels and side quests. Mr. Teppo's story captured your attention from page one. I was a bit lost as the second chapter started, but then picked up the story line after a few paragraphs. The story moves very quickly, yet with enough detail to create a vivid picture in your mind of what is taking place - even though you may not want what he has to say in your head! In the end it is a love story - love between two people, love of the land, and love of ancient traditions.
November 21, 2022
Two knights of a religious order must protect a German woman accused of witchcraft after her husband's severed head is left on her doorstep.
Teppo sets a good, if fairly simple scene, where the plot develops at a faster pace than the characters. It is a setup for the wider 'Mongoliad' novels.
Teppo sets a good, if fairly simple scene, where the plot develops at a faster pace than the characters. It is a setup for the wider 'Mongoliad' novels.
November 14, 2019
Sucked. What a rip off. This was a measley tidbit of a story.
May 3, 2023
Great intro to the series. Hope Book 1 is just as good!
December 28, 2023
A very short story featuring Raphael and Andre.
I guess it gives a bit of back story.
I guess it gives a bit of back story.
November 3, 2014
"God is afraid of the night," the figure said, his voice a dry rattle in the darkness. "He is afraid of what lives in these woods. What has always lived in these woods. Your God has fled, and we are all that remain."
from "The Sinner", by Mark Teppo
This is a fun little tale that takes place in the universe of the multi-authored historical fiction series, "Mongoliad". The 60-page short story revolves around Raphael and Andreas, two knights drawn into a mysterious death in a small village and one accused witch's battle against the Church and the town. There's a hint of the supernatural, but author Mark Teppo creates a winning story out of his deft creation of two three-dimensional characters, and development of an interesting mystery in so few pages.
I have not (yet) read the "Mongoliad" and this story stands well-enough on it's own.
from "The Sinner", by Mark Teppo
This is a fun little tale that takes place in the universe of the multi-authored historical fiction series, "Mongoliad". The 60-page short story revolves around Raphael and Andreas, two knights drawn into a mysterious death in a small village and one accused witch's battle against the Church and the town. There's a hint of the supernatural, but author Mark Teppo creates a winning story out of his deft creation of two three-dimensional characters, and development of an interesting mystery in so few pages.
I have not (yet) read the "Mongoliad" and this story stands well-enough on it's own.
February 5, 2013
"Sinner" is an interesting tale richly written about two characters, Andreas and Raphael who are Knights of the Virgin Defender. They stumble upon a village where a woman is accused of witchcraft after the head of her husband is found on her doorstep. What follows is the narrow mindedness and evil within man when they covet what their neighbors have.
I found this tale interesting; but, at this point I am not sure this is my type of book. While I love historical fiction especially if there is a paranormal twist, I am not a lover of the history of war and the battles behind them. I doubt that I will go on to the other books in the series.
I found this tale interesting; but, at this point I am not sure this is my type of book. While I love historical fiction especially if there is a paranormal twist, I am not a lover of the history of war and the battles behind them. I doubt that I will go on to the other books in the series.
August 31, 2013
I just couldn't get into this book. I made it 41% into this and just couldn't hold my interest. The story moved along too slow for my likes.
Granted this is the prequel to the Mongoliad (The Foreworld Saga), I only could hope the story moves a lot smoother. I'm glad I picked this book up from Bookbub for free.
Granted this is the prequel to the Mongoliad (The Foreworld Saga), I only could hope the story moves a lot smoother. I'm glad I picked this book up from Bookbub for free.
October 31, 2012
An interesting introduction to two of the characters in the Mongoliad, showing part of the world of the amazing story. Showing a community in times of crisis, panicing, and seeing how the different characters react. Well worth reading.
February 27, 2013
A great idea for this series. I found the echoes of modern investigative procedurals to be a fun nod, and it works really well for these characters, about whom we read more in the main Mongoliad volumes.
March 2, 2016
Readability 8. Rating 5. I like these mini-books that the Kindle enables, especially when it allows an author to expand on characters and storylines like this. However, I can't say that I find the Mongoliad universe very compelling.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 3, 2012
Short and sweet, adds to the storyline in a nice way
October 2, 2012
A nice little story with Andreas & Raphael, not sure of its significance in the wider Foreworld Saga.
September 25, 2012
a really short book. It says it's a prequel to Mongoliad, but it felt more like a side story using a couple of the characters.
October 6, 2012
It was ok - it started kinda slow and then dissolved into your standard witchcraft narrative. It served as an interesting device to introduce the brotherhood.
December 13, 2012
This was a pretty interesting short story and gave a good introduction to the Foreworld universe the Mongoliad series takes place in.
February 18, 2013
Awesome prologue. I was already pretty excited to read Mongoliad, but now I can't wait. Amazed at how little time it took for me to LOVE the characters Andreas and Raphael.
March 13, 2013
Meh...
March 31, 2013
Mildly amusing preview to this series. Now let's see what the real thing is like...
December 31, 2013
A short prequel about some of the characters that appear in the Mongoliad.
January 17, 2014
It was good...going to read second book to see how it progresses.
April 27, 2015
I enjoyed this snippet, but haven't decided if I want to read more involving these characters
August 27, 2014
Read like a quick flashback, showing some characters in earlier setting.
April 18, 2017
This prequel was included at the front of my Kindle version of the Mongoliad. 2 knights meet. 2 knights bond. 2 knights solve a murder mystery. Certainly good enough to have me excited about the real thing. Take away or alter the first chapter which was a little too much vampire... and I would have considered a perfect rating for this short story.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews