An Altar on the Village Green by Nathan Hall

My dip into Kindle Unlimited continues, this time with An Altar on the Village Green by Nathan Hall, which has been getting some good praise on the review circuit. More excitingly, I finished it yesterday, so you don’t have to listen to my whining about how I read it a year ago. Hurrah!!

So, what’s it all about?

The world is changing. Madness spreads across the land, affecting towns and villages and the people that dwell within. All that stands against them are the Lances, soldiers of the Chained God who fight the Horror that is taking over the land. But the fight is not in their favour as they face not only the monsters that lurk in the villages, but the people who have been driven insane along the way.  

Is it any good?

Yeah, but it’s kinda weird starting off and takes some adjusting. It has a major RPG influence (tabletop or video) and some initially confusing POVs, but if you stick with it, it’s well worth it. The setting is great, oozing the darkness that affects the land. It’s that same village with more or less the same people throughout, told from the perspective of the few Lances. This is where the gamer influence comes in, as you soon draw the conclusion that the Lances and their restorative ichor is akin to “lives” in video games. Interestingly, the Lances retain their memories after they pop their clogs, so they can try something different. See the video game influence here? Not all the Lances have honourable intentions, which we see through their interactions with the villagers. The Horror themselves aren’t anything new and it’s actually the infected people who are more frightening. There is a horror/grimdark vibe throughout (which I always approve of) and once you get your head around the somewhat experimental nature of the book, you’ll be in for a treat. 

Verdict

I wouldn’t call it LitRPG, but definitely one for gamers.

• Format: E-book
• Obtained from: Kindle Unlimited
• Print length: 333 pgs
• Publisher: Self-published
• ASIN: 8094G8M5BG