Hey, just so you know ... this post is now about 10 years old. Please keep that in mind as it very well may contain broken links and/or outdated information.

The death of the fearsome Ögedei Khan has brought the Mongol invasion of the West to an abrupt halt. Exhausted, plagued by uncertainty and self-doubt, and reeling from betrayal by one of their own, the surviving Shield-Brethren struggle across a frozen, shattered wasteland to return home after their desperate battle in Mongolia. Their mission is complete—Christendom has been saved—but new and terrible questions haunt each member of the company: Are they heroes or villains? Or just pawns in a larger game, trapped in a world gone mad in the wake of the unspeakable devastation visited upon it by the Mongol horde?

When I started reading “The Mongoliad” last year I thought it was a trilogy, so I was surprised when I reached the end of Book 3 only to find the story hadn’t wrapped up. In fact, this part of the Foreworld Saga is five books and I just finished “Katabasis” by Joseph Brassey, Mark Teppo, Cooper Moo, and Angus Trim (no Neal Stephenson anymore).

Like the previous installments, “Katabasis” follows several separate storylines over several months in 1242. In Kiev, Illarion (who stayed behind when the Shield-Brethren left back in Book 2) and the Shield Maiden Kira, head north to help fight off the invasion of Rus by the Teutonic and Livonian knights (led by Kristapps). Far to the east, the Shield-Brethren company has been split since their leader, Feronantus, deserted them after the death of the Khan, riding off with the Mongol spirit banner on a quest known only to him. The remaining knights, along with Cnán, Vera, and Lian, flee to the west across the mountains during the harsh winter, pursued by Gansukh, Alchiq (Graymane) and the rest of the Mongol horde.

As expected, there are intricately described battle scenes with detailed swordplay, weaponry, and strategies. Historical and geographical references abound, and the mystery of the secret power of the spirit banner, and the living twig carried by Lian, continues to intertwine the stories, eventually tightening and tying them together (and in a more satisfying way than previously).

There’s no mention of the Rome/Pope plotline from the earlier books, but it looks like Book 5 (“Siege Perilous“) will return to those characters for the final (hopefully?) wrap-up.