Hello everyone and welcome to my stop on the Escapist Book Co. virtual book tour for Thomas Howard Riley’s Fantasy novel The Monsters We Feed! Today, I am excited to help kickoff the tour by sharing an interview with the main character from the book, Jathan!
You can find our Q&A below, along with all of the info about the book, the author, and links to purchase a copy of The Monsters We Feed for yourself! Also, be sure to take a look at the schedule here or at the top of the post and follow along to see the stops from our other awesome hosts!
Book Information:
The Monsters We Feed by Thomas Howard Riley
Series: N/A, Standalone
Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy in medieval setting
Intended Age Group: Adult
Pages: 344
Published: December 6, 2022
Publisher: Self Published
Blurb
The morning before he found the dead body, Jathan Algevin thought he had his whole life just the way he wanted it.
He knows his city inside and out, and doesn’t bother carrying a sword, trusting his wits and his fists well enough to get by, hustling extra coin by ratting out loathsome magi to the law for execution.
He and his sister, Lyra, have watched out for each other ever since the day they were orphaned by a bloodthirsty rogue sorcerer, and now they finally have steady work, good friends, and the freedom to spend every night laughing at the bottom of a bottle.
But nothing lasts forever.
When he stumbles across a brutal murder, Jathan discovers a strange crystal lens that opens his eyes to an invisible world of magick and terror lurking just beneath the surface of his own, making him question everything he thought he knew.
But will gazing into this new arcane realm lead Jathan to save lives, or help destroy them?
With dangerous people hunting for the lens, monstrous lies unraveling his life, and a hidden underworld calling to him, it is only a matter of time before his whole world comes crashing down.
Will he find the answers he is looking for, or will he only find a monster needing to be fed?
Rated-R Dark Fantasy Noir in a city of hope, lust, and brutality, where swords are banned, and magick is just as likely to get you killed as it is to save your life.
There are always things about ourselves that we don’t want to see.
There are always things we can’t stop doing no matter how hard we try.
We all lie. We all have secrets.
We are all feeding monsters.
See Also:
Stick it to the Man! • Now You’re Thinking with Portals • 99 Red Balloons
Book Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Monsters-We-Feed-Luminaworld-Story-ebook/dp/B0BHVR3W6S/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63018773-the-monsters-we-feed
Character Q&A
Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Jathan Algevin. I live with my sister, Lyra. My love language is beating the shit out of your enemies. I am (over)protective of my sister and my friends, and I obsess over some pretty dark shit. Buy me a drink and I’ll steal one for you in return.
What music do you listen to?
Something uptempo that I can dance to, but if you want to know who I am, you just need to listen to “Magdalena” by A Perfect Circle and “Sober” by Tool, and you’ll have a pretty fucking good idea what I’m about.
What are 3 items you can’t live without?
1 – My good pair of running boots for when I race the maze of Tenement Lane, 2 – a bottle of literally any wine or spirit in my hand at all times, 3 – this weird artifact I just found at a crime scene that I am very much NOT supposed to have but I can’t let it go.
What is your biggest pet peeve?
I literally hate people who use magick, oh and I will kick your teeth in and make you swallow them if you say one word about my parents.
What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?
“Run along, stupid boy. Before you can’t get out.” Did I listen to this advice? No, I did not.
What do you carry in your bag?
I don’t have much use for one. If I had one, at the rate I stumble home drunk at night I’d just lose it somewhere anyway.
Do you have favorite saying?
“Everyone’s life changes the first time they find a dead body. That’s the moment you realize you are just meat and bone. There is nothing more to you. Everything just ends. You don’t even have a chance to know you ended. Realizing that, truly understanding that, reminds you that you have to grab what you can while you can.”
What is your favorite holiday?
Chal’s Day – no work and most of the sourhouses on Winesink Row give away brandy if you come early enough.
If you could go anywhere in [the book’s world], where would you go and why?
I never want to leave my city. The rest of this wide world is a mirage. It’s exotic splendors aren’t real. I want to be where I know how everything works so I can control my own destiny.
What do you do to relax?
Drink, dance, and run the maze of city streets at night just to prove I can.
What is your favorite food?
Sugared calpas fruit from the icery on the Promenade.
What is your favorite season?
I live on the coast. It’s never too hot or too cold so why should I give a shit?
How would you define happiness?
Steady work and hard play and if a brawl or two happen along the way so much the better.
What are you passionate about?
Helping protect the city from magi, and earning some coin for doing it.
How do you feel about your government?
I know whose palms to grease to get what I want.
What’s your biggest secret?
I found something I’m not supposed to have and I don’t want to give it back.
What do you hate?
Magi. Low down scumborn magi.
What’s your biggest fear?
Not being in control of my environment.
What do you think your best quality is?
I’m loyal. I know how everything works. I think I control my own destiny.
How would you describe the world you live in?
If you’re fast enough and hustle enough you’ll make it a long way in this place. If not, best not think too much about it.
About the Author
Thomas Howard Riley is an Epic Fantasy writer who grew up on Fantasy and Sci Fi and decades later still can’t put that stuff down. A former lead guitarist and sword-fighter, he spends most of his time now creating worlds and trying desperately to get them on paper and hopefully into the hands of those brave enough to step into the corridors of his mind. He is obsessed with cats and music and comic books and has little to no shame about any of it. He is frequently on twitter @ornithopteryx, and can sometimes be seen on clear nights when the moon is gibbous. He is the kind of person who stands in the rain on purpose, who goes on vacation just to write, and who always takes at least one book wherever he goes.
On Twitter he is @ornithopteryx.
On Instagram he is ThomasHowardRiley, where you will see books, and cats, and mayhem.
Author website: http://thomashowardriley.com
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