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The Forerunner, Books 1-2-3
THREE NOVELS IN ONE! Like history and legends? Enjoy the gritty realism of Viking Age dramas or multi-character epic fantasy? Norse legends and lore, unforgettable characters and authentic history combine in an exciting series!
Thorfinn and the Witch’s Curse: WINNER of the 2020 Wishing Shelf Book and Readers’ Favorites 2021 Fantasy Awards! When a witch’s curse comes alive, a mishap turns young Finn into a vardoger, haunted by his own forerunner ghost. Suddenly thrust into a new realm beyond Midgard, Finn struggles to be a boy by day and a ghost at night. His own clan fears him, he overhears murder plots, he learns the truth of giants and the hidden folk, and the witch still hunts revenge… Will Finn find the courage to defeat his enemies and save his uncle?
The Vardoger Boy: Danish forces assemble for war on Wessex and the loyal Agneson Clan heeds the call to join the Great Viking Horde, but while honorable men gather in the midlands, a blood feud draws mercenaries to their undefended homestead for murderous revenge. Sailing his Viking crew to fulfill an oath, Karl harbors suspicions over strange occurrences that bedevil his nephew Thorfinn, while far to the north their sworn enemy werebear and his dark elf master strike back. And young forerunner Thorfinn learns the Nine Realms are full of surprising hidden folk, but to earn his place aboard the Viking’s ship he must accept a mast troll’s quest….
On Viking Seas: With the fall of the Danish army at the battle of Ethandun, historical events scatter the Agneson family—Cub is enslaved in the Devonshire tin mines while Sorven stalks retribution in Jorvik; Kara is unwillingly propelled toward a convenient Saxon marriage while Karl and his crew are castaway on a mythic floating island. Separated and marooned, each is forced to tackle their challenges alone while the forerunner Thorfinn faces supernatural revenge, a battle to lift a Jarl’s curse and the release of his Jotunhiem wyrm in Midgard!
Based on actual historical events and authentic legends, this epic fantasy follows the paths of the sons and daughters of Agne, Son of Ironfist in the Viking Era circa the year 880. Don’t miss this award-winning grand panoramic tale of over 300,000 words, 3 maps and ancestral lineage trees, with character glossaries and notes on key norse legends.
Thorfinn and the Witch’s Curse: WINNER of the 2020 Wishing Shelf Book and Readers’ Favorites 2021 Fantasy Awards! When a witch’s curse comes alive, a mishap turns young Finn into a vardoger, haunted by his own forerunner ghost. Suddenly thrust into a new realm beyond Midgard, Finn struggles to be a boy by day and a ghost at night. His own clan fears him, he overhears murder plots, he learns the truth of giants and the hidden folk, and the witch still hunts revenge… Will Finn find the courage to defeat his enemies and save his uncle?
The Vardoger Boy: Danish forces assemble for war on Wessex and the loyal Agneson Clan heeds the call to join the Great Viking Horde, but while honorable men gather in the midlands, a blood feud draws mercenaries to their undefended homestead for murderous revenge. Sailing his Viking crew to fulfill an oath, Karl harbors suspicions over strange occurrences that bedevil his nephew Thorfinn, while far to the north their sworn enemy werebear and his dark elf master strike back. And young forerunner Thorfinn learns the Nine Realms are full of surprising hidden folk, but to earn his place aboard the Viking’s ship he must accept a mast troll’s quest….
On Viking Seas: With the fall of the Danish army at the battle of Ethandun, historical events scatter the Agneson family—Cub is enslaved in the Devonshire tin mines while Sorven stalks retribution in Jorvik; Kara is unwillingly propelled toward a convenient Saxon marriage while Karl and his crew are castaway on a mythic floating island. Separated and marooned, each is forced to tackle their challenges alone while the forerunner Thorfinn faces supernatural revenge, a battle to lift a Jarl’s curse and the release of his Jotunhiem wyrm in Midgard!
Based on actual historical events and authentic legends, this epic fantasy follows the paths of the sons and daughters of Agne, Son of Ironfist in the Viking Era circa the year 880. Don’t miss this award-winning grand panoramic tale of over 300,000 words, 3 maps and ancestral lineage trees, with character glossaries and notes on key norse legends.
1005 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 31, 2022
3 people are currently reading
767 people want to read
About the author
Jay Veloso Batista
7 books98 followersJay Veloso Batista, based in Ocean View, Delaware, has published for over 20 years, including the Forerunner Viking Age Historical Fantasy novels, technical manuals and teaching materials for the Society of Motion Pictures & Television Engineers (SMPTE), multiple Role-Playing Games, short stories and poetry. His first book of The Forerunner Series, 'Thorfinn and the Witch's Curse' won the 2020 Wishing Shelf Bronze Award for YA Fantasy and the 2021 Reader's Favorite Bronze Award for General Fantasy Novels. With 35 years of executive experience in Media & Entertainment technology, Jay is currently the EVP for an international maritime domain awareness company specializing in radar solutions. A proud grandfather and father, Jay lives on the Mid-Atlantic shore with his wife and enjoys time at the beach, blue crabs and local brew pubs.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 3, 2022
Prior to her death at the hands of Alf "Ironfist," a Saxon witch cursed him with a curse that would follow him for three generations. Alf, the conqueror, constructed a homestead complex west of Jorvik in Northumbria and had three sons: Alf Alfenson, Agne Alfenson, and Karl Alfenson. While grieving for his wife, who died at childbirth, Ironfist went on to establish a successful trading business, extend his farmland, and win many friends and supporters.
The first book in the series tells the tale of Thorfinn, one of the seven children of Agne Alfenson and Gurid of Mercia. When Finn was ten years old, he did the typical Viking boy things like practise his martial arts, listen to terrifying tales, and follow his older brothers. His uncle, Karl, who had been living in exile for years, has finally returned home. Unexpectedly, a witch's curse comes to life and transforms young Finn into a vardoger who is haunted by the spirit of his own forerunner. Finn is thrust into an unfamiliar realm beyond Midgard, where he must choose between being a boy and a ghost. Defeating his adversaries, saving his uncle, and coming to terms with his new ghostly identity will need all of Finn's bravery.
In the second book, "The Vardoger Boy", of the Forerunner series, we follow Finn's older brother, Cub, and their father being summoned to battle in support of King Guthrum of Anglia as he goes up against King Alfred and the Wessex armies. To replace the crew he left behind, Karl hires some fresh Gallic sailors. Sailing with his Viking crew to fulfil an oath, Karl is suspicious of unusual happenings that befuddle his nephew Thorfinn, while their sworn adversary werebear and his dark elf lord strike back far to the north. And Thorfinn, the young precursor, discovers that the Nine Realms are full of intriguing secret beings, but in order to win his seat onboard the Viking's ship, he must undertake a mast troll's mission.
As the third book in the Forerunner Series, "On Viking Seas" opens, we find that to get vengeance on Thorfinn and Karl and their crews, the wounded dark elf has additional Midgardian minions to command, and he provides them with an enchantment to control Odin's mythical Wild Hunt. Wessex captured Cub after the battle of Ethandun and enslaved him in the Devonshire tin mines. Separated and stranded, each character must face their trials alone, while Thorfinn fights otherworldly vengeance, a struggle to break a Jarl's curse, and the unleashing of his Jotenhiem wyrm in Midgard!
The Forerunner series has everything and more that I like in a good book: characters you can sink your teeth into, that are fully developed and multifaceted; romance; violence, but not without purpose; excellent pacing, with lots of twists and turns in the plot; drama, drama, and more drama; power struggles and intrigue. Best of all, so far, anyway, the story is very well-written, and Jay Batista takes full advantage of a broad vocabulary, without it ever feeling gratuitous or pedantic.
The world is nominally magical, but it is low fantasy, focusing more on earthy political machinations and magic never really intrudes into the story or breaks the immersion with wand waving. The world is brutal, as you would expect from a Viking era setting, with gore aplenty, although not simply for the sake of it. The world the author creates is intricate, realistic, gritty, and beautifully crafted.
Jay Batista delights in turning expectations upside-down. He takes typical fantasy tropes and distorts them until the reader does not know what to expect. The way he describes the world and the characters' actions triggers your mind to think and imagine the scene. It is really significant to note that, while it is a fantasy world, it is modelled on Europe during the Viking Era, circa the year 880, and the families fighting for the throne at the time. The patriarchal society, arranged marriages, plotting, and treason exist because the historical background upon which the fictional work is based included all those elements, and they are necessary for the factions to make sense.
Author Jay Veloso Batista invests himself in every character he writes, and it shows. The men and women in the series show strength, resourcefulness, and really grow as characters. 'Depth' is a word that describes a lot of aspects of this series well. Of the cast, of each character's motivations (he went out of his way to take the more shallow characters from earlier books and flesh them out specifically.), the geography, the religions, the mythology, the history, the science, the minute details of cultures, transportation. Apparently, everything has been created and orchestrated towards what is going to be an amazing finish, I'm sure.
The first book in the series tells the tale of Thorfinn, one of the seven children of Agne Alfenson and Gurid of Mercia. When Finn was ten years old, he did the typical Viking boy things like practise his martial arts, listen to terrifying tales, and follow his older brothers. His uncle, Karl, who had been living in exile for years, has finally returned home. Unexpectedly, a witch's curse comes to life and transforms young Finn into a vardoger who is haunted by the spirit of his own forerunner. Finn is thrust into an unfamiliar realm beyond Midgard, where he must choose between being a boy and a ghost. Defeating his adversaries, saving his uncle, and coming to terms with his new ghostly identity will need all of Finn's bravery.
In the second book, "The Vardoger Boy", of the Forerunner series, we follow Finn's older brother, Cub, and their father being summoned to battle in support of King Guthrum of Anglia as he goes up against King Alfred and the Wessex armies. To replace the crew he left behind, Karl hires some fresh Gallic sailors. Sailing with his Viking crew to fulfil an oath, Karl is suspicious of unusual happenings that befuddle his nephew Thorfinn, while their sworn adversary werebear and his dark elf lord strike back far to the north. And Thorfinn, the young precursor, discovers that the Nine Realms are full of intriguing secret beings, but in order to win his seat onboard the Viking's ship, he must undertake a mast troll's mission.
As the third book in the Forerunner Series, "On Viking Seas" opens, we find that to get vengeance on Thorfinn and Karl and their crews, the wounded dark elf has additional Midgardian minions to command, and he provides them with an enchantment to control Odin's mythical Wild Hunt. Wessex captured Cub after the battle of Ethandun and enslaved him in the Devonshire tin mines. Separated and stranded, each character must face their trials alone, while Thorfinn fights otherworldly vengeance, a struggle to break a Jarl's curse, and the unleashing of his Jotenhiem wyrm in Midgard!
The Forerunner series has everything and more that I like in a good book: characters you can sink your teeth into, that are fully developed and multifaceted; romance; violence, but not without purpose; excellent pacing, with lots of twists and turns in the plot; drama, drama, and more drama; power struggles and intrigue. Best of all, so far, anyway, the story is very well-written, and Jay Batista takes full advantage of a broad vocabulary, without it ever feeling gratuitous or pedantic.
The world is nominally magical, but it is low fantasy, focusing more on earthy political machinations and magic never really intrudes into the story or breaks the immersion with wand waving. The world is brutal, as you would expect from a Viking era setting, with gore aplenty, although not simply for the sake of it. The world the author creates is intricate, realistic, gritty, and beautifully crafted.
Jay Batista delights in turning expectations upside-down. He takes typical fantasy tropes and distorts them until the reader does not know what to expect. The way he describes the world and the characters' actions triggers your mind to think and imagine the scene. It is really significant to note that, while it is a fantasy world, it is modelled on Europe during the Viking Era, circa the year 880, and the families fighting for the throne at the time. The patriarchal society, arranged marriages, plotting, and treason exist because the historical background upon which the fictional work is based included all those elements, and they are necessary for the factions to make sense.
Author Jay Veloso Batista invests himself in every character he writes, and it shows. The men and women in the series show strength, resourcefulness, and really grow as characters. 'Depth' is a word that describes a lot of aspects of this series well. Of the cast, of each character's motivations (he went out of his way to take the more shallow characters from earlier books and flesh them out specifically.), the geography, the religions, the mythology, the history, the science, the minute details of cultures, transportation. Apparently, everything has been created and orchestrated towards what is going to be an amazing finish, I'm sure.
May 8, 2022
Jay Batista's The Forerunner series is everything that readers - especially those in the fantasy genre - crave for. It's remarkably easy to read, despite its copious length and a mindbogglingly complex plot structure. Author Batista's language is rich, with vivid poetical descriptions of beautiful landscapes, and kick-ass characters with whom you can relate instantly.
The overall mood is dark, with grim violence and deaths. The series has its share of warring kings, scheming characters, flashy knights, and gritty warriors. In this one single story, you are in for a full spectrum of human emotions; love, violence, and everything in between; heartbreak, ambition, deceit, vengeance.
The story spans several view-points from across the lands of Europe during the Viking era. It is a story where no character is safe from harm at any time. Each of the character-arcs is expertly woven, and plot developments continually keep you in the dark whilst simultaneously steadily moving toward what can be some really devastating conclusions.
The detail and extent to which Jay Veloso Batista has gone to create this world will enthrall you on every possible level. The bottom line is that I found this series truly addictive. It was difficult to put down at times, and I really cannot recommend it enough. Give it a go — you will not regret it!
The overall mood is dark, with grim violence and deaths. The series has its share of warring kings, scheming characters, flashy knights, and gritty warriors. In this one single story, you are in for a full spectrum of human emotions; love, violence, and everything in between; heartbreak, ambition, deceit, vengeance.
The story spans several view-points from across the lands of Europe during the Viking era. It is a story where no character is safe from harm at any time. Each of the character-arcs is expertly woven, and plot developments continually keep you in the dark whilst simultaneously steadily moving toward what can be some really devastating conclusions.
The detail and extent to which Jay Veloso Batista has gone to create this world will enthrall you on every possible level. The bottom line is that I found this series truly addictive. It was difficult to put down at times, and I really cannot recommend it enough. Give it a go — you will not regret it!
May 13, 2022
In The Forerunner Series by Jay Batista, the author has created a world that is easy to get lost in and that is easy to connect to, while being quite different from the world order in which we now live. There are a lot of situations and characters that are still very relevant to the world we live in today. It's a gritty, yet very detailed, world.
What I love about these books is that every character serves their own purpose, has their own private agendas and are all capable of good and bad to one extent or another, they do what they must to survive, and through their actions I found myself able to relate to and bond with these fictional people, who I have liked, loathed, pitied and despised. These novels are extremely character-centric which means the reader really does become emotionally involved with its characters! The way the characters are interwoven through war, politics, intrigue and lust for power, life or love is spellbinding.
The Forerunner series is set during a viking time-frame, a time defined by murder, chivalry, classes and war, a lot of war. However unlike other fantasy series' magic and mythical creatures do not play a major role, but instead is allowed to steadily build and spread from the beginning. This gives the series more of a realistic grounding, and is perfectly researched by the author. Highly recommended.
What I love about these books is that every character serves their own purpose, has their own private agendas and are all capable of good and bad to one extent or another, they do what they must to survive, and through their actions I found myself able to relate to and bond with these fictional people, who I have liked, loathed, pitied and despised. These novels are extremely character-centric which means the reader really does become emotionally involved with its characters! The way the characters are interwoven through war, politics, intrigue and lust for power, life or love is spellbinding.
The Forerunner series is set during a viking time-frame, a time defined by murder, chivalry, classes and war, a lot of war. However unlike other fantasy series' magic and mythical creatures do not play a major role, but instead is allowed to steadily build and spread from the beginning. This gives the series more of a realistic grounding, and is perfectly researched by the author. Highly recommended.
May 18, 2022
This three-volume book set of The Forerunner series contains Jay Batista's epic masterworks: Thorfinn and the Witch’s Curse, The Vardoger Boy, and On Viking Seas. The way these novels have been written, the way they teleport you into the Viking era, their families, politics, battles; the way they capture the lives of all the different characters going on simultaneously throughout the events of the series without confusing or deflecting from the timeline of events is brilliant.
One of the best and worth mentioning things about this series is the characters. Mr. Batista introduces you to huge number of characters with diverse and complex personalities. Each character is different from one another and is unique in their own way. Some make you hate them and some make you love them. Because everyone’s got their own story and their own justifications. The way Jay Batista handled these characters shows how closely he has observed the society to make them very interesting and unforgettable.
The fantasy world, the explained Viking history, the multi-layered plot, the characterizations, everything has been written with great efficiency and effectiveness. The entire series as a whole has been epic with superb writing, fleshed out characters, and plot surprises that keep the readers on their toes. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in good plot and writing, especially those who like historical fantasy books.
One of the best and worth mentioning things about this series is the characters. Mr. Batista introduces you to huge number of characters with diverse and complex personalities. Each character is different from one another and is unique in their own way. Some make you hate them and some make you love them. Because everyone’s got their own story and their own justifications. The way Jay Batista handled these characters shows how closely he has observed the society to make them very interesting and unforgettable.
The fantasy world, the explained Viking history, the multi-layered plot, the characterizations, everything has been written with great efficiency and effectiveness. The entire series as a whole has been epic with superb writing, fleshed out characters, and plot surprises that keep the readers on their toes. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in good plot and writing, especially those who like historical fantasy books.
May 23, 2022
In The Forerunner Series, Jay Voloso Batista introduces us to a world of fantasy, mysticism, intrigue, romance, deception, betrayal, shocking violence, honor, faith, valor, insanity, and more. We travel to distant lands and see the cultural and linguistic distinctions that exist there, which may have significant repercussions as well as bring us unexpected admiration and appreciation for author.
Another feature I appreciated was in how our own world's histories are subtly integrated. As a real history buff that was a pleasure. The sheer enormity of the Viking era, the cultural details and life-like locations, the intricate weaving of storylines and how the countless protagonists interact while undergoing intricate character development - all coming together simultaneously to serve you with a soul-crushing empty feeling when you finally finish with the series.
The story can be hard to follow, not because it’s hard to read, but because there’s a lot of characters to keep track of. Maps and the appendix will be very useful. The Forerunner Series has everything you want in a fantasy read. Strongly recommended for anyone who loves to get lost in books.
Another feature I appreciated was in how our own world's histories are subtly integrated. As a real history buff that was a pleasure. The sheer enormity of the Viking era, the cultural details and life-like locations, the intricate weaving of storylines and how the countless protagonists interact while undergoing intricate character development - all coming together simultaneously to serve you with a soul-crushing empty feeling when you finally finish with the series.
The story can be hard to follow, not because it’s hard to read, but because there’s a lot of characters to keep track of. Maps and the appendix will be very useful. The Forerunner Series has everything you want in a fantasy read. Strongly recommended for anyone who loves to get lost in books.
May 19, 2022
You all ready for a historical fantasy rec?
This series was a very interesting read for me. 😊 I’m a big fan of fantasy—historical, urban, contemporary, I like them all—and this one was different but very entertaining. Imagine The Last Kingdom with a twist.
Jay Veloso Batista is amazing at creating the setting of his world. His descriptive explanations and narrations help the reader get a feel for the world he’s created. He’s put in a lot of effort to keep his series as close to historically accurate as possible and he deserves major credit for his efforts. You can see the history as a reader with the depth he’s created in this story.
I should warn you, this isn’t a series for your kids. The first book starts off tame but it moves into the PG-13 level as you get further in. There’s violence and some graphic scenes.
The Forerunner series contains multiple points of views which helps to tell the story from all directions. It took me a second to grasp everything—which is why I really appreciated the italicized text to differentiate when Finn is in astral form as opposed to physical.
Thorfinn and his brothers have a run-in with a witch. To protect his family, Finn battles the witch which is how he becomes a vardoger—someone who lives an average life during the day and travels as a ghost by night. There’s a bunch that happens but you’ll just have to read it and see what you think. 😁
This series was a very interesting read for me. 😊 I’m a big fan of fantasy—historical, urban, contemporary, I like them all—and this one was different but very entertaining. Imagine The Last Kingdom with a twist.
Jay Veloso Batista is amazing at creating the setting of his world. His descriptive explanations and narrations help the reader get a feel for the world he’s created. He’s put in a lot of effort to keep his series as close to historically accurate as possible and he deserves major credit for his efforts. You can see the history as a reader with the depth he’s created in this story.
I should warn you, this isn’t a series for your kids. The first book starts off tame but it moves into the PG-13 level as you get further in. There’s violence and some graphic scenes.
The Forerunner series contains multiple points of views which helps to tell the story from all directions. It took me a second to grasp everything—which is why I really appreciated the italicized text to differentiate when Finn is in astral form as opposed to physical.
Thorfinn and his brothers have a run-in with a witch. To protect his family, Finn battles the witch which is how he becomes a vardoger—someone who lives an average life during the day and travels as a ghost by night. There’s a bunch that happens but you’ll just have to read it and see what you think. 😁
April 3, 2023
This is a wonderful Norse fantasy tale that I really enjoyed reading! It was wonderful to be able to read a long series like this all-in-one. The plot was riveting, if a bit confusing at times, but alert readers will enjoy the saga.
January 8, 2022
Compilation of the first 3 novels in the Forerunner Viking Age Series.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews