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lauregul's review against another edition
5.0
Dark Souls in Buchform – das perfekte Buch für die Halloweenzeit
Die Welt stirbt. Immer mehr Orte werden von Schrecken (im Original horrors) verschluckt. Die Menschen dort sterben oder fliehen nach Ymrit, dem letzten Zufluchtsort der Menschheit. Auch die Kirche, die sich lange Zeit den Schrecken widersetzte, hat den Kampf mittlerweile aufgegeben. Nur der Protagonist, ein Page der Kirche, entschließt sich, zur Lanze zu werden und sich den Schrecken entgegenzustellen, um das Ende der Welt abzuwenden.
Der Autor selbst gibt an, dass Dark Souls als Inspiration für das Buch diente. Parallelen, die es neben dem düsteren Setting gibt, sind schnell zu finden. So sind die Flaschen mit dem Blut eines Gottes das Pendant zu den Estus-Flakons und die Anker das Gegenstück zu den Leuchtfeuern aus Dark Souls.
Besonders sticht das zuvor genannte düstere Gesamtsetting hervor. Wie auch in Dark Souls ist die Menschheit fast ausgerottet. Nur noch in Ymrit ist sie sicher vor den Schrecken, wie die Erscheinungen übernatürlicher, finsterer Wesen, die die Menschheit tyrannisieren, genannt werden. Nur die Lanzen, die Ritter des geketteten Gottes, können diese besiegen. Außer dem namenlosen Protagonisten scheint es jedoch keine Lanzen mehr zu geben und die Kirche ist dem Ende nahe – wie es sich für die Endzeitstimmung ziemt.
Die Erzählung aus der Ich-Perspektive fühlt sich außergewöhnlich natürlich an. Nie gibt der Protagonist für ihn überflüssige Informationen wieder, nur um dem Leser weitere Informationen zu geben. Auch, dass der Protagonist namens- und geschlechtslos bleibt, wirkt passend und erleichtert es, sich in die Geschichte und den Protagonisten einzufühlen. Der Charakter ist so, wie ihn der Leser sich vorstellt – ähnlich wie die freie Erstellung eines Videospiel-Charakters.
Lediglich die Erzählstruktur warf mich zunächst etwas aus der Geschichte. Immer wieder gibt es dabei Kapitel mit Erinnerungen von vergangenen Lanzen, die die Haupthandlung unterbrechen. Erst nach und nach wurde mir dabei klar, wie diese die Erzählung der Hauptgeschichte mit wichtigen Hintergrundinformationen bereichern.
Insgesamt ist [b:An Altar on the Village Green|58035382|An Altar on the Village Green (The Chained God, #1)|Nathan Hall|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1620938794l/58035382._SY75_.jpg|90951300] ein starkes Buch nach Vorbild der Dark Souls-Spiele. Dabei übernimmt der Autor viele Elemente der Spielreihe und schafft sein eigenes düsteres Setting. Ich bin gespannt, wie sich die Hintergrundgeschichte in den kommenden Bänden weiterentwickelt und welche wohin die Reisen des Protagonisten diesen führen.
Die Welt stirbt. Immer mehr Orte werden von Schrecken (im Original horrors) verschluckt. Die Menschen dort sterben oder fliehen nach Ymrit, dem letzten Zufluchtsort der Menschheit. Auch die Kirche, die sich lange Zeit den Schrecken widersetzte, hat den Kampf mittlerweile aufgegeben. Nur der Protagonist, ein Page der Kirche, entschließt sich, zur Lanze zu werden und sich den Schrecken entgegenzustellen, um das Ende der Welt abzuwenden.
Der Autor selbst gibt an, dass Dark Souls als Inspiration für das Buch diente. Parallelen, die es neben dem düsteren Setting gibt, sind schnell zu finden. So sind die Flaschen mit dem Blut eines Gottes das Pendant zu den Estus-Flakons und die Anker das Gegenstück zu den Leuchtfeuern aus Dark Souls.
Besonders sticht das zuvor genannte düstere Gesamtsetting hervor. Wie auch in Dark Souls ist die Menschheit fast ausgerottet. Nur noch in Ymrit ist sie sicher vor den Schrecken, wie die Erscheinungen übernatürlicher, finsterer Wesen, die die Menschheit tyrannisieren, genannt werden. Nur die Lanzen, die Ritter des geketteten Gottes, können diese besiegen. Außer dem namenlosen Protagonisten scheint es jedoch keine Lanzen mehr zu geben und die Kirche ist dem Ende nahe – wie es sich für die Endzeitstimmung ziemt.
Die Erzählung aus der Ich-Perspektive fühlt sich außergewöhnlich natürlich an. Nie gibt der Protagonist für ihn überflüssige Informationen wieder, nur um dem Leser weitere Informationen zu geben. Auch, dass der Protagonist namens- und geschlechtslos bleibt, wirkt passend und erleichtert es, sich in die Geschichte und den Protagonisten einzufühlen. Der Charakter ist so, wie ihn der Leser sich vorstellt – ähnlich wie die freie Erstellung eines Videospiel-Charakters.
Lediglich die Erzählstruktur warf mich zunächst etwas aus der Geschichte. Immer wieder gibt es dabei Kapitel mit Erinnerungen von vergangenen Lanzen, die die Haupthandlung unterbrechen. Erst nach und nach wurde mir dabei klar, wie diese die Erzählung der Hauptgeschichte mit wichtigen Hintergrundinformationen bereichern.
Insgesamt ist [b:An Altar on the Village Green|58035382|An Altar on the Village Green (The Chained God, #1)|Nathan Hall|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1620938794l/58035382._SY75_.jpg|90951300] ein starkes Buch nach Vorbild der Dark Souls-Spiele. Dabei übernimmt der Autor viele Elemente der Spielreihe und schafft sein eigenes düsteres Setting. Ich bin gespannt, wie sich die Hintergrundgeschichte in den kommenden Bänden weiterentwickelt und welche wohin die Reisen des Protagonisten diesen führen.
alwroteabook's review against another edition
5.0
I wouldn’t call it LitRPG, but definitely one for gamers - https://www.alwroteabook.com/2021/10/29/an-altar-on-the-village-green-by-nathan-hall/
In a fit of whimsy, I hereby announce I will give everyone five stars, but the reviews may not reflect it.
In a fit of whimsy, I hereby announce I will give everyone five stars, but the reviews may not reflect it.
apocryphal_goose's review
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
k_rose95's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 out of 5! Aside from a few editing errors (a few names got mixed up and misspelled, sometimes a spelling or grammar error but nothing terrible) this was a blast to read and I look forward to more.
lyrinad's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
cannedbread's review against another edition
3.0
So let me preface that I love Dark Souls to death and I'm also analyzing work on what to do and not do when I publish. My books I write strive to be similar to Dark Souls (and not to mention, books I actually want to read.) As a result, I might be more blunt on this book.
I feel like there were a lot of good and bad points with this book.
On one hand, this is finally the first book that reached me from word of mouth that was similar to Dark Souls, and it truly was! On the other hand, holy crap, there were pacing and grammar mistakes galore in this book.
The dichotomy with the different memories of the Lances were both the strength and downfall of this book. I loved this concept, but the problem is, some of the Lances in these memories I literally gave two shits about. And in a few cases, there were also glaring loop holes, such as runes.
What this book does well is give you exactly what that Dark Souls itch is craving, more so on the action side, rather than the lore side, which even if you like Dark Souls only for the lore, this is a good introduction to Dark Souls books.
The action side you can get lost pretty easily what Hall is trying to paint a picture of. Sometimes a character is walking, but then suddenly is in a different side of a building when the writing never said he went anywhere near this building? This might have been a stylistic choice, I'm not sure. I feel like the action writing wouldn't be a problem if he had some alpha readers read this before the 2nd drafts were done and maybe a few more editors to look at it. There were a few glaring typos and pacing issues I felt could have remedied this book into easily 4.5 stars. I feel like this book could be seen in big bookstores if these problems were fixed.
All of that said, I will be one of those peoples who can't wait for book 2! Assuming he gets better editors and alpha readers, I really want to see where our unnamed protagonist goes next! I want to hope other Lances are alive, waiting patiently at a faraway Anchor for someone...anyone to come to their rescue.
Edit: I forgot to mention, Hall has a weird marriage with similes. I can't tell if I am just hyper aware of similes in writing, but I feel like there's at least 5 per page and it kinda drove me mad lol
I feel like there were a lot of good and bad points with this book.
On one hand, this is finally the first book that reached me from word of mouth that was similar to Dark Souls, and it truly was!
Spoiler
Glares at "Shadow of the Gods"The dichotomy with the different memories of the Lances were both the strength and downfall of this book. I loved this concept, but the problem is, some of the Lances in these memories I literally gave two shits about. And in a few cases, there were also glaring loop holes, such as runes.
Spoiler
Specifically, in one memory, Termal was on verge of madness and was close to freeing the village by crossing out a rune that would free a town from the Horror, when we know, this is not how saving a land from Horror works, it involves cleansing the area of the Horror, not crossing out a rune. If this was the case, we would have seen the protagonist simply not kill the offspring of the Horror in that cave in the end. Another was in the coral islands. I can't tell if it's my incompetence at understanding the story, but it was not exactly clear what Horror was there. The other thing to nitpick about the memories was Ai, I loved that memory, but I had more questions to why the Horror simply died after eating the ox and it was barely a contest for her to cleanse the area. Maybe this gets explained earlier but it left me head scratching. I loved the idea, the execution was a bit ehWhat this book does well is give you exactly what that Dark Souls itch is craving, more so on the action side, rather than the lore side, which even if you like Dark Souls only for the lore, this is a good introduction to Dark Souls books.
The action side you can get lost pretty easily what Hall is trying to paint a picture of. Sometimes a character is walking, but then suddenly is in a different side of a building when the writing never said he went anywhere near this building? This might have been a stylistic choice, I'm not sure. I feel like the action writing wouldn't be a problem if he had some alpha readers read this before the 2nd drafts were done and maybe a few more editors to look at it. There were a few glaring typos and pacing issues I felt could have remedied this book into easily 4.5 stars. I feel like this book could be seen in big bookstores if these problems were fixed.
All of that said, I will be one of those peoples who can't wait for book 2! Assuming he gets better editors and alpha readers, I really want to see where our unnamed protagonist goes next! I want to hope other Lances are alive, waiting patiently at a faraway Anchor for someone...anyone to come to their rescue.
Edit: I forgot to mention, Hall has a weird marriage with similes. I can't tell if I am just hyper aware of similes in writing, but I feel like there's at least 5 per page and it kinda drove me mad lol
ciraabi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
starslang's review
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
cancrian's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
hope_draconic_reader's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was simply too well-written for me to not fall in love. Do yourself a favor and try it out if you like anything I’m about to say.
First, the prose was both easy to read and littered with evocative phrases. Every few pages at least one sentence would leave me in awe. As a self-published book it had a few awkward typos, but I was otherwise captivated.
See the end of the review for some non-spoiler quotes.
Next, the ideas were absolutely fascinating and the author had the skill to back them up. I won’t say too much as the discovery process was one of its strengths, but I was always immersed and intrigued. The author throws you into the world with just enough context to get your bearings but leaves enough out to make you desperate to learn more. Even once you know everything the MC does, there’s always something else to learn and another mystery to ponder.
To further praise this book, I’ll vaguely elude to one idea that’s introduced very early on: in the MC’s specific context in the story, death isn’t permanent. This could have easily caused the story to lose its impact, but the author actually achieved the opposite. The emotional and mental trauma of death is never shied away from and is only heightened by the MC experiencing it more than once. And of course, just because death isn’t permanent doesn’t mean there’s no risk or cost to it. It was just so intense. The story in general explored so much raw, tragic, screwed up humanity. I felt so many feelings…
I think one reason the book works so well is the MC. Despite their name and gender never being specified, they have a defined personality that gets tested, broken, and reformed throughout the book. They’re the perfect person to bring out the story’s most interesting elements.
Overall, this was incredible. And, while it’s book 1 of an ongoing series, I think it mostly works as a standalone if you’re okay with some loose threads.
Some Non-Spoiler Quotes
“Realization was like standing at the cliff's edge. Speaking was like jumping.”
“Looking at it made my head hurt like a muscle overextended, but I found my eyes drawn to it every time I pulled them away. And every time it looked into me, I grew more certain. Something sat behind the cloud of that eye. Intelligence. Awareness. Intention. Immense enough to swallow the lights of the sky.”
“Cities fell to madness forever. Kingdoms collapsed. Treaties burned and taxes withered. Trade was a rare treasure. The world had slid gradually, but ever more swiftly, out of balance. Hope was wounded on the roadside, bleeding, breaking itself further just to breathe, just to move.”
First, the prose was both easy to read and littered with evocative phrases. Every few pages at least one sentence would leave me in awe. As a self-published book it had a few awkward typos, but I was otherwise captivated.
See the end of the review for some non-spoiler quotes.
Next, the ideas were absolutely fascinating and the author had the skill to back them up. I won’t say too much as the discovery process was one of its strengths, but I was always immersed and intrigued. The author throws you into the world with just enough context to get your bearings but leaves enough out to make you desperate to learn more. Even once you know everything the MC does, there’s always something else to learn and another mystery to ponder.
To further praise this book, I’ll vaguely elude to one idea that’s introduced very early on: in the MC’s specific context in the story, death isn’t permanent. This could have easily caused the story to lose its impact, but the author actually achieved the opposite. The emotional and mental trauma of death is never shied away from and is only heightened by the MC experiencing it more than once. And of course, just because death isn’t permanent doesn’t mean there’s no risk or cost to it. It was just so intense. The story in general explored so much raw, tragic, screwed up humanity. I felt so many feelings…
I think one reason the book works so well is the MC. Despite their name and gender never being specified, they have a defined personality that gets tested, broken, and reformed throughout the book. They’re the perfect person to bring out the story’s most interesting elements.
Overall, this was incredible. And, while it’s book 1 of an ongoing series, I think it mostly works as a standalone if you’re okay with some loose threads.
Some Non-Spoiler Quotes
“Realization was like standing at the cliff's edge. Speaking was like jumping.”
“Looking at it made my head hurt like a muscle overextended, but I found my eyes drawn to it every time I pulled them away. And every time it looked into me, I grew more certain. Something sat behind the cloud of that eye. Intelligence. Awareness. Intention. Immense enough to swallow the lights of the sky.”
“Cities fell to madness forever. Kingdoms collapsed. Treaties burned and taxes withered. Trade was a rare treasure. The world had slid gradually, but ever more swiftly, out of balance. Hope was wounded on the roadside, bleeding, breaking itself further just to breathe, just to move.”