Thorfinn and the Witch's Curse

Forerunner Series, Book 1

By: Jay Veloso Batista

Narrated by: Ulf Bjorklund

Viking legends, unforgettable characters, and authentic history combine in an exciting series starter! Vikings and Saxons, ghostly curses, witches and soothsayers, dangerous were-creatures, and a young boy who must find his courage! Danelaw life is good! Practicing martial skills, grumbling over chores, listening to scary stories, and shadowing his brothers everywhere, Finn is a normal boy of 10 in the Viking Kingdoms of ninth-century England. A bit timid, his father plots his apprenticeship while the family prepares a grand wedding. Off to the North, his uncle sails home after years of exile. And unbeknownst to all, the ghost of an ancient mage sits sentinel over his clan freehold.

But 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 for revenge....

Will Finn find the courage to defeat his enemies, save his uncle, and accept his new half-ghostly existence? Don’t miss Thorfinn and the Witch’s Curse, first book of The Forerunner Series by Jay Veloso Batista.

©2019 John Veloso Batista Jr (P)2023 John Veloso Batista Jr

Critic reviews

The 2020 Wishing Shelf Bronze Medal Winner

great adventure

This is my first audio book by this author which I enjoyed listening to. It will take you on an adventure that you won’t soon forget. I enjoyed how the narrator used different tones to make the characters come to life. I enjoyed being pulled into the story from the start. The growth of the characters is great and I enjoyed how supportive they are of each other. A story that took me on an adventure that is full of action. It is a journey of an emotional connection that made the story hard to stop listening to. I look forward to picking up another audio by this author. I highly recommend this audiobook.

Fascinating

Thorfinn's family was cursed by a witch down three generations. Two generations have succumbed to the curse before Thorfinn's story began. A young boy of 10 Thorfinn must overcome people plotting to unalive him. His own clansman fear him and he is now an enemy. He must also accept his new fate of being a boy by day and ghost by night. This was a fascinating book. I enjoy history but have never really gotten into Norse culture aside from the Hollywood version. I'm sure the author did a lot of research to describe things so wonderfully. It was like a movie playing in my head as I was able to visualize everything. I can't wait to see what the next adventure holds in this series.

Vikings meet paranormal

Thorfinn is a young boy of 9 years and coming of age under the historical Viking lore. Along with magic, ghost's, witches and paranormal events. He may be young, but his knowledge is powerful. Now he needs to grow long before he is ready. This is a very interesting story. I don't care to read historical novels, this one caught my interest. The story is well written and pretty easy to follow. As well as educational if you are interested in this genre. You can tell the author is knowledgeable in Viking history and paranormal characters, as is clear in this story. This audible story is fun to listen to. This would make for long driving trips. As the story builds, so does your heartbeat. This is a great story all together. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I look forward to the next book in this series.

Looooved the narrator’s voice and accent! So perfect for story telling!

Such a fun book to listen to! I did not read the book first, so this was my first experience with it, but I loved it! I’m not big history buff, but listening to it read by a narrator with an awesome accent that feels like old time story telling really captured my attention! Crazy story! Good characters, totally worth the time!

entertaining with a great narrator

I really like the story. The character development was strong, the characters each had a crucial role, and the ending wrapped everything together nicely. Listening to the book was challenging as at times I had a hard time figuring out who was talking as first person as it was told in different characters point of view but once you learned the narrators voices, it was much clearer. The narrator for the book was fantastic and was the perfect choice for this genre. I really felt like I was with the characters. Transition music was also nice as it set the tone for the next passage. Overall, I enjoyed the book.