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Timothy J. R. Rains

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The Cracked Altar: A Medieval Fantasy Adventure Kindle Edition

by Timothy J. R. Rains (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.2 79 ratings

Book 1 of 3: The Cracked Altar

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A Missing Princess. A City Under Siege. A Compendium Of The Blackest Sorcery.

The Grand Mage of Caragol is the most dangerous man in the realm, so when Kerstin steals his spellbook right out of his tower she lights up a firestorm of trouble.

His fury rages through the city of Klomm. Houses burn. Innocents lie slaughtered in the streets. Yet countless lives are a petty sum for such great deal of power. With the spellbook, Kerstin can contend with the unspeakable horrors conjured by the Grand Mage.

But she is dancing on a spider's thread.

Meanwhile on the other side of the kingdom, fifteen-year-old Hinkle walks a tightrope of her own, spinning a web of dangerous lies around her new master, Sir Gilkrist of Lothellae.

When Sir Gilkrist’s quest brings them to Klomm, she discovers the secrets she’s been hiding are darker than she ever imagined. A diabolical scheme threatens to engulf the world in shadow and blood - and it has everything to do with her Aunt Kerstin.

But can Sir Gilkrist help her ... or will he devise a dark purpose of his own?

From the Publisher

The Epic Conclusion to The Cracked Altar Trilogy

A dark medieval fantasy series by Timothy J. R. Rains

Book 1: The Cracked Altar
Book 2: The Shattered Sword
Book 3: The Broken Chain (Coming 2022)

Experience the Harrowing Adventure ...

The Cracked Altar (Book One)

In an age of chivalry fraught with fear and superstition, a young servant-girl investigates her family's secrets. But what she finds is darker than she ever imagined ...

What readers are saying about The Cracked Altar:

"A complex and immersive world of nations at war, old grudges, magic and intrigue."

"A fresh take on witches, knights, and magic."

"What a beautifully written book!"

"A masterfully woven narrative."

"Enthralling!"

Start the series now!

Editorial Reviews

Review

What readers are saying about The Cracked Altar:

★★★★★ - "A fresh take on witches, knights and magic. While the novel stays true to its genre, the author brings a fresh look at magic, the dark arts, and everything in between. Characters are relatable and I really enjoyed the horror elements as well. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series."

★★★★★ - "I loved the darkness of some of the characters. The writing was very descriptive and immersive. A fantastic start to the series!"

★★★★★ - "Great fantasy novel. Action and excitement on the surface with deeper and heavier undertones. Rains builds a complex and immersive world of nations at war, old grudges, magic and intrigue."

★★★★★ - "The Cracked Altar takes the reader into a masterfully woven narrative. The characters are nuanced. The writing style is unique. The plot is winding. There is somehow the right mix of dark and humour. Timothy Rains demonstrates true power of creation in his work. Can't wait for the next in the series."

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08G4YQS44
Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 17, 2020
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 4859 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 375 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #1,533,581 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #860 in Military Fantasy (Kindle Store)
- #2,743 in Military Fantasy (Books)
- #2,976 in Metaphysical Fantasy eBooks

Customer Reviews:
4.2 79 ratings

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Timothy J. R. Rains

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Bewitched at a young age by all things to do with swords and magic, Canadian fantasy author Timothy J. R. Rains spent his youth slaughtering Minotaurs in the misty woods of rural Nova Scotia.

He studied cartography at the Centre of Geographic Sciences and has a degree in theology from Briercrest College. When he isn’t caught up in another dimension, he’s usually out in the middle of some cold river with a cigar in his teeth and a fishing rod in his hands. He lives with his wife and daughter in Riverview, New Brunswick.

Website: timothyjrrains.com

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5

79 global ratings

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Elisabeth Robare

Great Start to a Series

Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2019

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This was a great start to what is sure to be an excellent fantasy series. There were some religious themes, but I think anyone who enjoys medieval fantasy would like this regardless of personal beliefs. That said, most of the story centers around a pretty intense battle, so I wouldn't recommend it to those who don't like violence. The world this author created is very impressive and vivid, and I'm intrigued to learn more of Hinkle's family secrets. I never knew what turns this story would take, and can't wait for more from this author.

Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2020

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The story has promise. I didn’t connect with the characters as well as I would have liked. Perhaps this story just wasn’t for me.

The world- building was great. The scenes were vivid.

I do believe the story will appeal to its intended audience of young adult fantasy readers.

One person found this helpful

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desertrat

well written

Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2022

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Well written fantasy. Has a variety of twists and turns but is easy enough to follow. Also has a compelling main character that is easy to relate to. Recommend

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Catski

Cliff hanger with no warning.

Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2019

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Interesting story, few typos. But, I do not like cliff hangers. If you plan a series, say so up front.

13 people found this helpful

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headred

Satisfying Fantasy Read

Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2020

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Engaged from the beginning. Lots of action, balanced with introspection. I am looking forward to the next book in this series.. Well written, well-developed characters with full range of emotional and magical capabilities. This may be listed as YA , but I would consider it great for any age group of good Fantasy genre lovers.
.

Helpful

L. Carmichael

Charming Fantasy with Relateable Characters

Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2019

The Cracked Altar, a fantasy novel by Timothy J. R. Rains, first interested me because of its intriguing title. Would it have a religious theme? What dastardly action would happen, as when something says cracked, it usually has a clever twist. As soon as I dove in, Hinkle's near-capture captivated me. I'm not typically a reader in this genre, but the more I sample some works, I find myself becoming a fan.

Hinkle's family tree is complex. We immediately learn that her mother is gone. She's been living with a grandmother in a world where her family has suffered. There's an uncle who's a mystery and aunt who's either a pious nun or a nefarious witch. Which will it be? Hinkle is rescued by her own special brand of knight, and her grandmother engineers a solution that will benefit them all in the future. It's a powerful scene and sets a fantastic tone for the book. We follow Hinkle's path with her new protector only to learn nothing we've thought true is indeed accurate. In this world, what's gray is more important than what's black and white.

Rains builds a fascinating and well-developed world where the rich are rich, and the poor are poor. Part-fairy tale and part mystical quest, the novel will engage your visual senses as each scene and action are vividly described. The battle scenes were strong but not over-the-top. The secrets were revealed at timely moments. And the clues were in abundance. The story is gripping, and I'm hopeful there will be a sequel. Kudos to the author for gaining a new fan in the fantasy genre.

2 people found this helpful

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Kerry C. Zane

Good fantasy read

Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2019

This is a well written book, and I'm looking forward to other titles by this author. If I have any criticism at all, it would be over the name of the protagonist (unless, of course, you prefer hero, or more appropriately, heroine). I mean, any woman who named her daughter Hinkle must've been on a serious binge! Other than that, 'The Cracked Altar' is a good book, and well worth buying.

Helpful

Valicity Elaine

Good! But A Little Dark *For ME*

Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2019

I took a deep interest in this book from the title and the cover; the idea of a cracked altar certainly leans towards a religious theme—myself being devoutly Christian, I’m always hungry for more faith-based writing. In fact, this book was presented to me as ‘thinly veiled Christian fantasy’ after doing a bit of reading, I’m sad to say it is not very Christian at all. There are slight hints at Christianity, but certainly not enough to call this Christian fantasy. Maybe there are others who feel this book was screaming the name of Jesus from cover to cover, but I respectfully disagree and found myself feeling a bit misled and, therefore, a bit disappointed.

Despite the bad start I had going into this novel; I will admit that it was not bad at all! The writing was done very well, and the world building was honestly amazing! I love fantasy; discovering new worlds, battling mythical creatures, going on worldwide adventures—its probably the peak of human creativity. But this book took me back to old school fantasy; magic, knights, and good versus evil. I’ll be honest and say it was a little dark for my taste—not a huge fan of witchcraft or sorcery at all, but it was enjoyable for those who’ve got a little more grit than I do.

Aside from my initial complaint, I have to say I didn’t really enjoy one of the main characters. I found Sir Gilkrist very unlikeable and rude. His attitude was truly difficult to overlook, and I could not get myself to enjoy him as a protagonist. BUT this is a complaint based purely on personal taste, this is not a crack at the writing or even at the story itself. I wish I could have enjoyed Sir Gilkrist more, I wish I could have related to the main characters more in general. But I did not dislike the story or the cast as a whole.

I hit a few bumps going into this book but overall, I’d say it is certainly a book I would recommend to others. Now that I’m familiar with the plot, the characters, and the use of darker sorts of magic and witches, I’ll admit this is not something I would personally pick up but I’d be surprised if it didn’t make it onto the favorites list of many readers in the future.

The Cracked Altar is a well-paced read for fantasy audiences, but it can easily be enjoyed by those with an interest in magic and adventure. If you’ve got a thing for terrible villains and suspenseful endings, I would highly suggest cracking this open—I promise its well worth a read.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Andrew

Great Summer Read

Reviewed in Canada on August 3, 2020

Verified Purchase

It was a nice, quick read with a lightning-bolt plot. I liked the incorporation of old words (like seneschal, baronet, etc.) and there was quite a bit of depth to the magic system (rituals, components etc.). I can tell that Rains did his research. The book also touched on religious/philosophical questions in an honest, genuine way. The end left me wanting a sequel.

EHofmann

Beautifully crafted book

Reviewed in Germany on September 25, 2019

Verified Purchase

What a beautifully written book! The language is so well-crafted that I was inside the story right away, and it was magical. I loved the way the main characters were depicted in their time and setting, always somewhere between a rock and a hard place, not black, not white, but various shades of everything in between. The action and battle/siege scenes were vivid, and the cliffhanger at the end left me wanting more. I can recommend this book to anyone who loves a good medieval fantasy story with some dark magic and remarkable female characters. Am looking forward to book 2!

Mrs. Bruce

Gave up at 50% - too muddled for me

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 15, 2019

Verified Purchase

Sadly, this book did not live up to the synopsis nor the first chapter which I read before downloading.
I just gave up at 50% by which time the only magic performed was the witch Kerstin blowing up 3 bridges,
and the Princess that Sir Gilkrist was supposed to be looking for, hadn't been mentioned again!
I am giving it 2 stars as it was free. I did f/forward to the end to see what happened but it seemed to end
on a cliffhanger, so I'm glad I didn't carry on reading.

I didn't take to any of the characters as none had any depth to them. Sir Gilkrist thought himself a
noble knight, though he was an arrogant fool and looked down on peasants, but was happy to kill them
when starvation forced them to steal. He showed no mercy. He was tricked into taking Hinkle as his
maidservant but made her walk barefoot for miles. She was wishy-washy.
Her aunt, the witch Kerstin was nasty and rude, but very powerful. By 50% the reader hadn't discovered
why that was.
There were several gods, goddesses and demons mentioned, plus other characters and battles were
spoken of, but we didn't find out how they related to the main characters. All in all a muddled book which
might appeal to younger readers, but I just did not enjoy it. I read 5 books a week and prefer more magic
or paranormal in fantasy books.

Thomas Fligg

Very imaginative!

Reviewed in Canada on January 19, 2019

Verified Purchase

Little over half way through, and though I don't read much, this book keeps me on my toes, even when I'm not reading it! So many twists and turns already, I really don't know what to expect. Not for the faint of heart, but the imagery is spot on and realistic for the supposed time period.

Already wanting a sequel or prequel perhaps?

Peter Stam

granddaughter or a witch and daughter of a nun.

Reviewed in Canada on February 15, 2019

Verified Purchase

A good read!
This book is different than the fantasy I have read of late. I must say it held my attention from the first page.
I am looking forwards to read what Mr.Rains writes next.

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The Cracked Altar: A Medieval Fantasy Adventure Kindle Edition

A Missing Princess. A City Under Siege. A Compendium Of The Blackest Sorcery.

From the Publisher

The Epic Conclusion to The Cracked Altar Trilogy

Experience the Harrowing Adventure ...

The Cracked Altar (Book One)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Product details

Videos

About the author

Timothy J. R. Rains

Customer reviews

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