Apr 25, 2010

Book Review: "The Thorn" by Daron Fraley

Genre:  Speculative Fiction
Publication Date:  March 2010
Author's Website:  http://www.daronfraley.com/

First Sentence:  Another rumble of thunder, this one closer than the last, caused the final bird near the garden fountain to take flight.

About the Book:

Three tribes are at war on the planet Gan, unaware that the sign of Christ's birth on an unknown world - Earth - is about to appear in the heavens

During a bloody skirmish with Gideonite troops, Jonathan of Daniel spares Pekah, a young enemy soldier, gaining his trust forever. These two distant brothers from estranged tribes covenant with each other to end the war being waged by a self-proclaimed emperor, and soon discover the intentions of a far more dangerous foe named Rezon - a sinister general bent on ruling those he can bring into subjection and destroying all others.

In the end, Pekah's selfless bravery is the means by which all the tribes are united. But there are dissenters, and Rezon escapes a well-deserved fate. When the promised heavenly signs appear, will there be peace at last, or will the malefactors once again threaten the safety of them all?

My Opinion:

I'll preface my opinion by saying that Daron and I have the same publisher.  Be assured that this did not affect my review.  In fact, I honestly wasn't really looking forward to reading it because I thought it was a fantasy novel, which is my least favorite genre.  I really don't enjoy reading about other worlds.  I want to read about familiar things to which I can relate, and I was pleasantly surprised.

I've heard The Thorn described as the Old Testament on another planet.  But, while it takes place on another planet, the world is very similar to ours.  They speak the same language, call animals by the same names, don't have magical powers, and have landscapes that all seemed familiar.

Daron is a very descriptive writer which made it easy to imagine the setting because of his rich, vivid descriptions.  I also really appreciated the themes of family, faith, and friendship throughout the book. 

Probably because I'm a romance writer, there were occasional moments where I wished there was a little more emotion, and I would have liked to see women characters earlier in the book.  But overall, The Thorn is a very engaging story, and I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

The Thorn can be purchased on Amazon, and will be available in bookstores soon.  To learn more about Daron, visit his website

7 comments:

Keith N Fisher said...

good review. Daron is a great writer and a good man.

Elizabeth Mueller said...

Hi Kim! I love the sound of the first sentence. I skipped through your review and read part of the last. I like reading something without knowing what I'm getting into. Anticipation of 'unwrapping' the present?

Thank you! :)

PS--It was sooo much fun talking with you at the Whitneys! You're such an awesome person!

Daron D. Fraley said...

Thanks for the review Kim. :) I appreciate the fact that you read it even though it is similar to your least favorite genre. Glad you liked it.

And my thanks to Keith and Elizabeth for their kind words and comments!

Anonymous said...

I hear such different things about Daron's book and wonder how all of it can fit into one place. I suppose that says enough and that it's past time for me to buy it.

Unknown said...

Wow that sounds like a book that I would have really enjoy. I like your honesty in that you didnt expect to like it. Love your honesty and your review.

Brigetta Schwaiger said...

Hi. I am just making it back around from your visit to my blog at the UBP. So nice to meet you. I am so excited for you to be published. That is huge! Congrats!

Unknown said...

I like reading something without knowing what I'm getting into. Anticipation of 'unwrapping' the present?
Baby Bedding

Post a Comment

I LOVE Comments!!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...