Book Review: The Chronicles of Gan - Book One: The Thorn by Daron D. Fraley and a GIVEAWAY!

"I'm late!" seems to be my motto for this week. Sorry for being a day behind on getting this book review together and posted. =)  Today, we are going to talk about Daron D. Fraley's new series: The Chronicles of Gan - Book One: The Thorn. Here's the back jacket blurb:

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 Review:

I've actually read this book a few times. The very first time it came to be in my hands was when Daron contacted me to edit and review the manuscript. Even then and each time I've read it since, the concept of learning about what life might have been like on the "other worlds" Heavenly Father created and waiting for the sign of Christ's birth just fascinates me.

The book opens with Jonothan's city being attacked by the Gideonites. Jonothan's father urges his son to escape before the Gideonites find both Jonothan and The Thorn - both objects of their search. There's a lot of face paced action and the reader becomes acquainted with both the good guys and the bad guys right away. Later, Jonoathan sneaks back to find his father, only to discover him dead. He's once again forced to flee, and this time, he takes The Thorn with him.

There are so many emotions Jonothan deals with - grief, depressions, despair. After all, his father was killed and his birth city have just been destroyed. He's finally filled with determination to follow the Lord's promptings to do what he can to save the people who have been taken prisoner from his city. From there, you follow Jonothan through an adventure filled with trials, pitfalls, and triumphs as he seeks to fulfill his mission.

I personally really enjoyed The Thorn. I'm excited for the next book in the series to be released - and sad that since the first book just came out, that it will be probably a year before the second book hits the shelves. I'm ready for it now!  (Patience, I know . . . not my best virtue!)

For more information about Daron, you can visit his website and blog here.

You can purchase The Thorn on Amazon.com and your local bookstores.



The Thorn Giveaway:

Would you like a chance to win a copy of The Chronicles of Gan - Book One: The Thorn by Daron D. Fraley? It also comes with an autographed bookmark from Daron himself. Here's how to enter -

Leave a separate comment for each of the following items you do:

1. Follow my blog.

2. Follow me on Facebook.

3. Follow me on Twitter.

4. Follow Daron's blog.

5. Follow Daron on Facebook.

6. Follow Daron on Twitter.

7. Post on Facebook or Twitter about this contest with links back to this post. (one entry per day)

The contest ends on Monday, May 10th at noon. Enjoy!