J. Thorn
Author of Preta's Realm: The Haunting
About the Author
Disambiguation Notice:
#1 Thorn, J., author of The seventh seal.
If your book appears on this page, please edit your information to include the author's full name, rather than the surname and first initial only. Your book will then appear on the correct author page. Thank you for your help. (The initial "J" in J. Thorn might stand for John Thorn, ( see that author page), but could also refer to one of the other Thorn authors in LT such as Jeremy, Jon, or Jim Thorn.)
Series
Works by J. Thorn
Secret Powers of the Author Mastermind: How to Transform from Struggling Writer to Career Author (The Author Life Book 1) (2020) 4 copies
The Parting of Ways (Dustfall #2) 3 copies
Sons of the Lost (Dustfall #4) 2 copies
Shadows of a Lost Age (Dustfall #1) 2 copies
Dark Shadows: Vampires and Ghosts of New Orleans (An Authors on a Train Short Story Collection) (2018) 2 copies
The Post-Apocalyptic Reader's Guide: The Ultimate Stockpile of Post-Apocalyptic and Dystopian Books, Movies, Television, Games & More (2016) 2 copies
Rebellion: Stone the Crows Book One (A Dystopian Thriller in a Post-Apocalyptic World) (2018) 2 copies
Tales From a North Shore 1 copy
The Horror Writers Podcast 1 copy
Associated Works
Interviews with Indie Authors: Top Tips from Successful Self-Published Authors (2012) — Contributor — 4 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Gender
- male
- Short biography
- Want a story that's rooted in a fundamental aspect of being human?
I believe reading dark fiction can be healing. My overriding mission is to connect with you through my art, and I hope to inspire you to do the same. I'm a word architect and driven visionary. I'm obsessed with heavy metal, horror films and technology. And I admire strong people who are not afraid to speak their mind.
I grew up in an Irish Catholic, working class family and was the first to go to college. I didn't have expensive toys, so I used my own imagination for entertainment. And then I abused alcohol for entertainment. I spent the first thirty years of my life convincing myself I wasn't an addict and the last ten worrying about all the potential threats the substances hid from me.
Anxiety and depression are always hiding in the corner, waiting to jump me when I start to feel happiness.
I had to break through family programming and accept the role of the black sheep. In my 30s I started writing horror and formed a heavy metal band while my family rolled their eyes, sighed and waited for the "phase" to end.
I spent years paralyzing myself with self-loathing and criticism, keeping my creativity smothered and hidden from the rest of the world. I worked a job I hated because that's what Irish Catholic fathers do. They don't express themselves, they pay the damn mortgage. I may have left my guilt and faith behind long ago, but the scars remain.
My creativity is my release, my therapy and my place to work through it all. I haven't had a drink in a long time, but the anxiety and depression are always lurking. Writing novels and songs keeps it at bay. I scream over anxiety with my microphone and I turn my guitar up loud enough to drown out the whispers of self-doubt.
I hope to leave a legacy of art that will continue to entertain and enrich lives long after I'm gone. I want others to see that you don't have to conform to the mainstream to be fulfilled.
Don't be afraid of the dark. Embrace it. - Disambiguation notice
- #1 Thorn, J., author of The seventh seal.
If your book appears on this page, please edit your information to include the author's full name, rather than the surname and first initial only. Your book will then appear on the correct author page. Thank you for your help. (The initial "J" in J. Thorn might stand for John Thorn, ( see that author page), but could also refer to one of the other Thorn authors in LT such as Jeremy, Jon, or Jim Thorn.)
Members
Reviews
Horror can be many things. It can be shocking or terrifying but it can also be creepy and atmospheric like Portal Arcane 1 Reversion by J Thorn. The story begins in another world with a man name Samuel who has amnesia and a noose around his neck. He doesn't have much time to think before a pack of wolves finds him. Samuel escapes into a tree and is saved by a man called Major. He then finds out that the wolves were the least of his worries. The world he's in is being destroyed by a giant show more cloud which is preceded by an undead army. Samuel and three others must find a way to escape.
J Thorn does a great job of bringing his story to life by describing everything in great detail. The opening scene is excellent with Samuel waking up and looking around at the forest. He is happy to be alive but the mood changes quickly as he hears the howls in the background. I like how J Thorn doesn't set up the story right away. He puts his main character in a dire situation and you get to see the tension build. The opening scene was almost like the author was painting a picture. I liked how the wolves stalking Samuel were described along with the terror as he realizes he can't fight them off forever. At this point you don't know what is going on, but you see Samuel's situation and you are forced to root for him.
I also liked the description of the army of zombies that comes before the cloud and the reason why they are there. The use of flashbacks in the story was well done. Your not sure what you're going to get in the beginning of the story, it's almost like Portal Arcane 1: Reversion starts in the middle. J Thorn hooks you in with some eerie moments of terror and then delivers a good tale of dark fantasy.
Portal Arcane: Reversion is very reminiscent of Stephen King's Langoliers. The characters aren't really alive but there not dead either. Little by little you learn why they are here but where is here? Throughout the book there is a feeling of dread and the atmosphere is one of impending doom. Despite the story being very dark, I felt compelled to read on because I liked its theme of redemption and I wanted to see if the characters could make amends with what brought them here.
If you do decide to read this book pay close attention, because everything in the story is a metaphor for something, such as the Reversion cloud, personal objects that disappear and reappear and how nothing looks quite like it should. You could compare this story to a Twilight Zone episode because you have to pay attention to get the most out of it, in fact you might want to read it twice. Things aren't exactly what they seem and its very much a tail about morality. My only complaint about the story was the way it ended. There are some unresolved questions but I wondered if that was by design. This is the first of a series and the second book is available. Portal Arcane 1: Reversion is a great read if you like psychological horror. show less
J Thorn does a great job of bringing his story to life by describing everything in great detail. The opening scene is excellent with Samuel waking up and looking around at the forest. He is happy to be alive but the mood changes quickly as he hears the howls in the background. I like how J Thorn doesn't set up the story right away. He puts his main character in a dire situation and you get to see the tension build. The opening scene was almost like the author was painting a picture. I liked how the wolves stalking Samuel were described along with the terror as he realizes he can't fight them off forever. At this point you don't know what is going on, but you see Samuel's situation and you are forced to root for him.
I also liked the description of the army of zombies that comes before the cloud and the reason why they are there. The use of flashbacks in the story was well done. Your not sure what you're going to get in the beginning of the story, it's almost like Portal Arcane 1: Reversion starts in the middle. J Thorn hooks you in with some eerie moments of terror and then delivers a good tale of dark fantasy.
Portal Arcane: Reversion is very reminiscent of Stephen King's Langoliers. The characters aren't really alive but there not dead either. Little by little you learn why they are here but where is here? Throughout the book there is a feeling of dread and the atmosphere is one of impending doom. Despite the story being very dark, I felt compelled to read on because I liked its theme of redemption and I wanted to see if the characters could make amends with what brought them here.
If you do decide to read this book pay close attention, because everything in the story is a metaphor for something, such as the Reversion cloud, personal objects that disappear and reappear and how nothing looks quite like it should. You could compare this story to a Twilight Zone episode because you have to pay attention to get the most out of it, in fact you might want to read it twice. Things aren't exactly what they seem and its very much a tail about morality. My only complaint about the story was the way it ended. There are some unresolved questions but I wondered if that was by design. This is the first of a series and the second book is available. Portal Arcane 1: Reversion is a great read if you like psychological horror. show less
Although it took me a few more chapters than usual for me to get into this particular work of J. Thorn, I ended up really getting pulled into the characters and the world here. It's a dark book, partly because the collapsed societies and what's left are frighteningly believable in a way that's hard to dismiss; the discomfort of reading is elevated by the twisted logic of the villains as well, and the fact that it's slightly too easy to imagine how the world we know could crumble into what's show more depicted here, given the right catalysts.
I will say that this doesn't feel like a first book in a series--it feels complete and ended, to the extent that I'm curious how the series will continue, or even what character it will follow, so while elements of the book felt somewhat predictable (though, not many), the series itself is already turning out to be something of a surprise for me. One way or another, I expect to read the next one in the series, and although I've got mixed feelings about the ending here, I find that I'm actually really anxious to see where this storyline gets taken next. show less
I will say that this doesn't feel like a first book in a series--it feels complete and ended, to the extent that I'm curious how the series will continue, or even what character it will follow, so while elements of the book felt somewhat predictable (though, not many), the series itself is already turning out to be something of a surprise for me. One way or another, I expect to read the next one in the series, and although I've got mixed feelings about the ending here, I find that I'm actually really anxious to see where this storyline gets taken next. show less
This is a genre overflowing with books, new books published daily. This collection of 7 different zombie books and writers in one book piqued my interest and I decided to take a chance. Unfortunately, there is no summary available for any of the books in the package which caused me to start reading a title that I had absolutely no idea of what to expect. As it were, if the first couple chapters didn't grab my attention or interest I moved on to the next story in the collection. Some show more reviewers offered rave reviews to certain books and admit they had clumsy or slow starts...unfortunately, these were books that didn't grab me from the start and I never finished them. I did find four of the stories enjoyable: Affliction Z, Earthfall, Contamination Prequal and Slow Burn, which all deserve 4 and 5 star ratings. Their stories are much different from the majority of books in the genre...there is an apocalypse, of course, but the survivors and victims are much different The price of the entire collection is a pittance to what you might spend to purchase them individually - this book is guaranteed to keep your attention for several hours or more. A couple of those books I finished are book-one of a series - I do plan on adding them to my collection. Thank you for the opportunity to read through this collection. Highly recommended!
John Podlaski, author
Cherries - A Vietnam War Novel show less
John Podlaski, author
Cherries - A Vietnam War Novel show less
THE SEVENTH SEAL is a good example of the overuse of adjectives, adverbs and descriptive writing.
The use of descriptive writing sets the mood, but when it is used excessively in every sentence, it stilts the plot and makes scenes unclear. In one scene the author writes "...John's vision came into focus. The black cape of a vampire fanned out across the floor with a pool of dark liquid shimmering under his chest." Where did a vampire come from? John knew there was a Halloween party (however show more the reader does not know), why not just say it? It made me stop and look back to see what I had missed. We find out later these are costumes.
The paragraph continues with "The hardy flies that survived the bitter day buzzed above the corpse." Seriously? John discovers a dead body and this went through his mind?
And it continues "The Bee Lady slumped..." The Bee Lady? Who is that? Where did she come from? Is she a vampire too? "Mascara ran down her face and smudges of black lipstick caressed her chin." A supoosedly dead body (we are to assume from the dead vampire that she is dead) has lipstick that is caressing her? "Three ragged holes desecrated her chest." Okay, now I guess she's supposed to be dead. Desecratedly dead.
John walks into a bedroom. Mind you he has been unconcious in the basement for three days. He get upstairs, steps over some dead partygoers and raids the refrigerator and eats a ham. Then cooks some beans and eats those. Meanwhile "The stove rattled and popped, following the lead of the house in attempting to expel the intruder." The House was expelling him? He's an intruder now? I thought he was part of the party from three days ago.
So John eats and NOW he searches the house (I guess he was afraid of being expelled).
..."The faces of others sunk in sickening pools of life's essence." Did you mean they were facedown in blood?
"Black holes crawled down from the ceiling to the wall and escaped by shattering the two windows overlooking South Belvoir Road." What? What?
"John recognized the growl of an internal combustion chamber."
John is running from some Army guys, a "blinding beam of light cut through the sheer curtains..." John dives for the floor. In the next paragraph he climbs into a bed and goes to sleep. Okay, maybe he does. He doesn't seem too concerned over a houseful of dead friends. Maybe he can sleep with dudes just outside the window.
I think that is enough to show how slow the plot runs and how indifferent the first character we meet seems to act. The book reads like someone wrote it then went back and added everything they could think of to try and impress the reader with the author's literary knowledge and skill. Unfortunately, J. Thorn fails in the worst way and makes the same mistakes one would expect from a high school student. Thorn makes the plot plodding, confusing, and boring.
I love a descriptive novel. However, the use of description must be judicious and in the proper place. There is nothing wrong with setting a scene, but then stop it! Move the story along and put away the thesaurus!
I recommend this book only as an example of how not to write. show less
The use of descriptive writing sets the mood, but when it is used excessively in every sentence, it stilts the plot and makes scenes unclear. In one scene the author writes "...John's vision came into focus. The black cape of a vampire fanned out across the floor with a pool of dark liquid shimmering under his chest." Where did a vampire come from? John knew there was a Halloween party (however show more the reader does not know), why not just say it? It made me stop and look back to see what I had missed. We find out later these are costumes.
The paragraph continues with "The hardy flies that survived the bitter day buzzed above the corpse." Seriously? John discovers a dead body and this went through his mind?
And it continues "The Bee Lady slumped..." The Bee Lady? Who is that? Where did she come from? Is she a vampire too? "Mascara ran down her face and smudges of black lipstick caressed her chin." A supoosedly dead body (we are to assume from the dead vampire that she is dead) has lipstick that is caressing her? "Three ragged holes desecrated her chest." Okay, now I guess she's supposed to be dead. Desecratedly dead.
John walks into a bedroom. Mind you he has been unconcious in the basement for three days. He get upstairs, steps over some dead partygoers and raids the refrigerator and eats a ham. Then cooks some beans and eats those. Meanwhile "The stove rattled and popped, following the lead of the house in attempting to expel the intruder." The House was expelling him? He's an intruder now? I thought he was part of the party from three days ago.
So John eats and NOW he searches the house (I guess he was afraid of being expelled).
..."The faces of others sunk in sickening pools of life's essence." Did you mean they were facedown in blood?
"Black holes crawled down from the ceiling to the wall and escaped by shattering the two windows overlooking South Belvoir Road." What? What?
"John recognized the growl of an internal combustion chamber."
John is running from some Army guys, a "blinding beam of light cut through the sheer curtains..." John dives for the floor. In the next paragraph he climbs into a bed and goes to sleep. Okay, maybe he does. He doesn't seem too concerned over a houseful of dead friends. Maybe he can sleep with dudes just outside the window.
I think that is enough to show how slow the plot runs and how indifferent the first character we meet seems to act. The book reads like someone wrote it then went back and added everything they could think of to try and impress the reader with the author's literary knowledge and skill. Unfortunately, J. Thorn fails in the worst way and makes the same mistakes one would expect from a high school student. Thorn makes the plot plodding, confusing, and boring.
I love a descriptive novel. However, the use of description must be judicious and in the proper place. There is nothing wrong with setting a scene, but then stop it! Move the story along and put away the thesaurus!
I recommend this book only as an example of how not to write. show less
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 81
- Also by
- 2
- Members
- 478
- Popularity
- #51,586
- Rating
- 3.4
- Reviews
- 18
- ISBNs
- 35
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- 2