My Review of "The Thorn: Book 1 The Chronicles of Gan By Daron Fraley

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?

Daron Fraley has written a novel that sounds very much like a science fiction or fantasy book. I can tell you that would be a very wrong comparison. Though this story takes place on another planet, other than Earth, this story is about real people. There is no magic, or monsters or supernatural villains running around causing problems. There are villains, but of the ordinary "I am stronger and will take over the world" variety.

The one thing that really stood out for me with Daron's writing is that he writes with rich detail. You can see, hear, smell, touch and taste this world. His descriptions are so vivid you could actually be watching a movie. Let me give you an example:

"The mid-morning heat would soon make travel far less enjoyable. Behind him and above the rocky cliffs, the small twin solar disks of Azure and Aqua had climbed from the western horizon and into the dark blue expanse above him. The sun's distance made them visually small, and Jonathan could block them both with his little finger by lifting his finger skyward."

Now you can see what I mean. You can actually picture in you mind exactly what Jonathan is looking at. He has a wonderful descriptive writing style, but this doesn't mean he lacks on character development. In this speculative fiction novel, he develops some very strong players that captivate you and makes you care. The main character, Jonathan, is a strong man of God. Yes, you heard me right, this book has a very strong religious theme that spear heads the plot. You see Gan, is another world that God has made and the people await his coming some day. Even though this is written by an LDS author, you will not see LDS doctrine. The main theme is following a God, praying for help, feeling his spirit, and miracles taking place. This applies to any religion that follows God.

This book also will make you think of Book Of Mormon people; they dress and live the same way. There is much action in this book and there is a war taking place. There is a slight love story involving Jonathan and his intended, Rachel. If you are looking for a Romance character driven novel, you might not like this book. If you like a well written, highly detailed book, with action and a great storyline, "The Thorn" is for you.

I met Daron at the Valor Publishing Group book launch for five of their authors. He has some great ideas for this series. I was impressed with his enthusiasm. There is so much more to come in the next book.

Here is some more information about Daron...

He was born in Powell, Wyoming, but doesn’t consider himself a cowboy. Living in France for a couple of years provided him the opportunity to hone his cooking skills and to become addicted to good food and chocolate. Apart from his loving family, teaching and writing are his two most favorite things in the world. A classic computer geek, he still likes to fish and camp, makes a mean apple or pumpkin pie from scratch, and once fixed a gas clothes dryer using photocopier parts. With all of his interests in music, art, the sciences, and religion (especially religion), he would have been quite comfortable living during the Renaissance. Having toured chilly castles while in France, he is glad he didn’t live during that time. The Thorn is his first novel.

After ten total years in the wonderful state of Indiana, Daron, his wife Jennifer, and their six children once again live in the beautiful Rockies, close to friends and family in Wyoming and Utah.

You can visit Daron's blog here

E-mail Daron here

Here is the information about the book

Price: $16.95
Publisher: Valor Publishing Group, LLC (March 16, 2010)
Genre: Speculative Fiction
Binding: Trade Paperback
Pages: 300
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-1-935546-11-5
Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 inches

You can order the book here at Amazon.com.