Ian Thornton

Johan Thoms is poised for greatness. A promising student at the University of Sarajevo, he is young, brilliant, and in love with the beautiful Lorelei Ribeiro. He can outwit chess masters, quote the Kama Sutra, and converse with dukes and drunkards alike. But he cannot drive a car in reverse. And as with so much in the life of Johan Thoms, this seemingly insignificant detail will prove to be much more than it appears. On the morning of June 28, 1914, Johan takes his place as the chauffeur to Franz Ferdinand and the royal entourage and, with one wrong turn, he forever alters the course of history. Blaming himself for the deaths of the archduke and his wife, Johan hastens from the scene, and for once his inspired mind cannot process what to do next. Guilt-ridden, he flees Sarajevo, abandoning his friends, family, and beloved in the fear that he has caused them irreparable grievance. He watches in horror as the Great War unfolds, every death settling squarely on his conscience. Turning his back on his old life, Johan does his best to fade out of memory. But the world has other plans for Johan Thoms. As each passing year burdens Johan with further guilt for his inaction, he seeks solace in his writing and in the makeshift family he has assembled around himself. With everyone from emperors to hooli­gans at his side, and pursued by Lorelei, Johan winds his way through Europe and the twentieth century, leaving his indelible mark on both.

How One Man Scorched the Twentieth Century But Didn't Mean To

The Great & Calamitous Tale of Johan Thoms

O człowieku, który podpalił wiek dwudziesty, choć wcale tego nie chciał

btek başına I. Dünya Savaşı'nı çıkaran adam

Johan Thoms'un felaketlerle dolu muhteşem hikayesi

Michael Roberts

When the planet went into lockdown, many who create for a living or for fun or as part of childhood found themselves being funneled into new ways of expression. Whether it was by design or the path of least resistance or by strict and enforced measures, the mind, we started to see, might adapt and evolve in many astonishing ways, for she needs to keep busied and purposeful. I contacted friends, who in turn put out the word that there was an open forum, without specifications, without age limits; a blank page for those who wanted it. Seasoned and cynical poets, wanted hackers on the run, novelists, fathers, mothers, rock stars, grieving friends, ramblers, pals, big mouths, more shy types, Germans, and young uns. Welcome, all. Thank you, all. This is your book. When you are asked one chilly night far in the future, “Grampa/Nana, what did you do during the plague?” You might rub your hands in front of a warm hearth, smile, chuckle and declare, “I was a poet.” The proof of this you now hold in your hands.

The Day the World Stood Still

Alchemy

Aleister Crowley, also known as the Great Beast, is one of the most reviled men in history. Satanist, cult leader, debauched novelist and poet, his legacy has been harshly contested for decades. Crowley supposedly died in 1947, but in Ian Thornton's new novel, set in the present day, the Great Beast is alive and well and living in Shangri-la. Now over 130 years old, thanks to the magical air of his mystical location, he looks back on his life and decides it is time to set the record straight. For Crowley was not the evil man he is often portrayed as. This was just a cover to hide his real mission, to save the twentieth century from destroying itself and to set humanity on the road to freedom and liberty. The Death and Afterlife of Aleister Crowley is an epic novel that will make you see this notorious figure in a completely new light, as he encounters an impressive cast of real-life characters including Timothy Leary, The Beatles, Princess Margaret, Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock.

Ian Thornton

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