Mike Thorn's Blog, page 22
March 11, 2021
"Boys Will be Monsters": A. Poythress Reviews Shelter for the Damned for The New Southern Fugitives
“Thorn’s debut novel is an insight into male violence, the sloppily-hidden depths of suburbia, and the isolation of abuse. It’s not typically what you would find in the pages of a horror novel about teenage boys and a deadly, abandoned shack, but it’s the subtleties of Thorn’s narrative that keep the story moving along so quickly.”
Read the full review.
Read the full review.
March 10, 2021
Night Worms Guest Post: Playlist for Shelter for the Damned
“I have curated two playlists that aim to capture the novel’s spirit, one with vocals and one without. The former playlist includes songs recorded in or before the year 2003, ranging from industrial and nu metal to hardcore and post-punk. Many of these tracks summon vivid personal memories from my teenage years. The second playlist, comprised of instrumental pieces (black metal interludes, dark ambient works, horror movie soundtracks, field recordings, and more) seeks to capture the novel’s dark atmosphere.”
Read the post and see the playlists.
Read the post and see the playlists.
March 9, 2021
Shelter for the Damned Reviewed on HorrorAddicts.Net
“Thorn’s writing brings a literary element to the horror genre. His descriptions are vivid and realistic. He tends toward psychological horror rather than a gorefest. Not to say there isn’t gore, but Thorn treats it tastefully.”
Read the full review.
Read the full review.
March 8, 2021
Gloria McNeely Reviews Shelter for the Damned
“Dealing with themes of familial tension, coming of age growing pains, and an otherworldly darkness creeping into ‘safe’ suburban lives, Thorn shows his skill as a story teller, a character builder, and an adept horror writer.”
Read the full review.
Read the full review.
March 7, 2021
Shelter for the Damned Reviewed on Horror Oasis
“Shelter for the Damned is suburban coming-of-age horror with shades of Stephen King, Lovecraft, and the movie Brainscan.”
Read the full review.
Read the full review.
March 6, 2021
Marna Larsen Reviews Shelter for the Damned
“One thing the book understands very well are how the most innocuous childhood memories can twist into a terrifying shape. Adults have forgotten – or are too consumed by their adult lives to think about – these horrors, except maybe, very, very, late at night. Thorn’s work invokes both childhood fears and those late-night moments when existential dread sinks its teeth into you as an adult and suddenly, you remember how helpless you still are.”
Read the full review.
Read the full review.
March 5, 2021
Influences on Shelter for the Damned: Novels About Obsession (Guest Post on Where the Reader Grows)
Obsession is a primary driving force in Ma href="https://journalstone.com/bookstore/sh...Shelter for the Damned, as the novel’s protagonist, Mark, becomes intensely fixated on a shack he discovers in a suburban field. As the Shack begins revealing its weird sentience, Mark’s interest grows. His relationship to the Shack eventually becomes horrifically parasitic, evoking the nature of debilitating addiction.
While writing Shelter for the Damned, I was conscious of several other books focused on obsession and dependency. I was especially interested in novels that used first-person or quasi-omniscient style to depict their protagonists’ experiences. I have provided snapshots for some of the most overt influences on Shelter for the Damned below…
Read the guest post on Where the Reader Grows.
While writing Shelter for the Damned, I was conscious of several other books focused on obsession and dependency. I was especially interested in novels that used first-person or quasi-omniscient style to depict their protagonists’ experiences. I have provided snapshots for some of the most overt influences on Shelter for the Damned below…
Read the guest post on Where the Reader Grows.
March 3, 2021
IndieMuse: Interview With Mike Thorn, Author of Shelter for the Damned
“Mike Thorn’s debut novel, Shelter for the Damned was just released from Journalstone on February 26, 2021. It recently received a 4-star review from IndieMuse. He is also the author of Darkest Hours, a short story collection.
We cornered Mike in the days leading up to his first novel release to learn a little more about him and his latest book.”
Read the interview.
We cornered Mike in the days leading up to his first novel release to learn a little more about him and his latest book.”
Read the interview.
March 2, 2021
February 28, 2021
“Art Excites Me When It Feels Reckless”: Philip Elliott Interviews Mike Thorn for Into the Void
“I often write about characters who are afraid of their environments and themselves, and who want to disappear. This set of interests flies in the face of many contemporary narrative trends, which align with the mandates of social media; namely, the desire to be seen.”
Read the full interview.
Read the full interview.
