Hello everyone and welcome to the cover reveal for Nathan Hall’s debut Fantasy/Horror novel, An Altar on the Village Green, book one of The Chained God series! I am really excited to read this book as soon as ARCs are available. From the amazing cover by Luke Tarzian, to the blurb, and the glowing endorsement from Sarah Chorn, excited might be an understatement.
Before we get into the cover reveal proper, Nathan was gracious enough to answer a few questions about his writing style, the book, and the cover itself, so be sure to check out the short Q&A below.
Author Q&A
What do you think characterizes your writing style?
I’d like to say that I picked up something from my favorite writers: flawed, unreliable narrators. Characters with limited views of the world and biased opinions. Hopefully, you take most things my characters say with a grain of salt, and build your own opinions out of all the viewpoints.
This isn’t to say that they’re lying to the reader, just that they may be wrong, or may be lying to themselves.
Describe your book in 3 adjectives.
Painful, lonely, but hopeful.
What do you think is the overarching theme?
The first book is all about compassion. What it costs, and what it’s worth. The main character struggles with how much compassion they can afford, in a place set to drag them down into madness.
Were there any specific challenges with writing An Altar on the Village Green? Or, did you find anything to be easier?
Honestly, too many to list.
I think one of the most fun challenges for this series is adapting or commenting on video game mechanics and tropes in something that is very much a traditional Fantasy novel. Elements like healing potions, checkpoints and respawning, etc., aren’t just borrowed from games. They’re woven into the worldbuilding and explored in the narrative.
What would it really mean, to be forced to repeat the same events again and again until you succeeded? What would the violence that we take for granted in your average video game actually do to a person?
I love the cover so much! How much direction did you give the artist when developing the cover?
I threw Luke a bunch of information. On one hand, I threw him a couple of excerpts I thought would make for a good cover image. But I also threw him feelings I’d like the viewer to get, key pieces of imagery. I told him to use whatever was useful, but not to be bound to it. Thankfully, Luke Tarzian is brilliant, and I couldn’t be happier with what he created.
Synopsis and Cover Reveal
“If one suffers, I suffer. If one is chained, I am chained.”
My faith called me to become a Lance. My compassion drew me into one of the fallen lands. Through my connection with the Chained God, I alone can find and destroy the Horror that stains the land.
Death can no longer chain me.
But I couldn’t have imagined the madness waiting for me in this village. I’m not sure my faith can withstand the secrets I’ll uncover. Or that my compassion can survive the violence to come. This Horror may swallow me whole.
Death can no longer free me.
A creature stalks in the dark. Buildings burn. People die. An altar has been built on the village green.
In the Q&A above, I asked Nathan to describe his book in three adjectives. He chose painful, lonely, and hopeful. I think that Luke really managed to capture at the feeling of those three words. We see a man, utterly alone, shrouded in darkness, but with a gaze fixed on the horizon. Now, whether that is that is the Lance we learn about in the synopsis or the eponymous Chained God, I don’t know. But, I am excited to find out!
Before we go, there is one more piece of information I think you will be excited to learn.
An Altar on the Village Green is available to pre-order NOW and is set to release on July 5th!
Just a special note that the book is on sale during the pre-order period for just $.99! It’ll be $4.99 upon release, so be sure to get your pre-orders locked in with the special pricing so you can be one of the first to experience this story.
About the Author
After reading The Riftwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist and The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan as a teen, I just KNEW I had to be a writer. I started immediately on my first novel, which was terrible. Sometime later, I started on my next novel, which was less awful, and in late 2017 I started on what would eventually become An Altar on the Village Green, book one in The Chained God.
I’ve spent several years as a freelance fiction editor, working with authors like Sarah Chorn and Michael Wisehart. I’m also known for my reviews, ramblings, and writer Crash Course series on my website.
I live in Indiana with my wife, two cats, and one sassy bearded dragon.
Website: https://nathanhalledits.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NathanHallEdits
Goodreads (add it to your TBR now!): https://goodreads.com/book/show/58035382-an-altar-on-the-village-green
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