Darkly the Thunder (Easter Book Review!) · 7:40pm March 31st
I've reviewed the post-apocalyptic novel that details William W. Johnstone's confusing political views. Now here's the horror novel that goes into his confusing religious ones...
Reading through the Ashes series in a frickin' chore, man. Link to my review of the first book. I've never seen so many retcons. There are cannibalistic villains called the Night People whose origin story changes THREE times. Oh, and remember when the Rebels started World War III to stop America from becoming too liberal? Well, starting with Book 8, they are innocent little beans and all blame shifts to those nasty Soviets.
But just when I thought this series couldn't confuse me further, I get to Book 14...
Courage in the Ashes contains a bit where Ben Raines, the author's Mary Sue, gets shot and has a near-death experience. He finds himself in the classic tunnel and sees glimpses of his dead loved ones. However, he's informed that "the Force" isn't ready for him yet and wakes up. He tells his friends and is reminded, "Hey, didn't you write about something called the Force in a horror novel before the nuclear apocalypse?"
Released in 1990, Darkly the Thunder tells the story of Willowdale, a Colorado valley town besieged by a malevolent entity called the Fury. It comes to Earth every thirty years to cause mayhem, feeding on the souls of those killed as a result. A woman is eaten alive by invisible jaws, previously-good townsfolk begin rampages of murder and r*pe, zombies play in the streets with their body bags, etc. Fortunately, some survivors receive help from another entity called the Force.
The Force is an omnipresent being, described as, "the God of retributive justice - vengeance" (pg. 80). It can provide an afterlife for those it considers worthy, separate from Heaven and Hell. Reincarnation is also confirmed to be real. One character, a Viking in a previous life, prays to God, Thor, and Odin. God and Jesus are the Supreme Beings of the book's universe, but there's no real confirmation if Odin and Thor exist (why bring them up if they didn't?).
Aliens do exist, however. This comes up when the obvious question, "Why doesn't God just stop the Fury?" is asked. The answer is basically, "Because God thinks humans have become too corrupt. He's considering turning His attention to another inhabited world".
The Fury is eventually revealed to have been a collapsed neutron star which evolved into sentience. This leads to the conclusion that a neutron bomb could kill it. This actually works, but the unintended consequence is that all the evil souls the Fury had been collecting for centuries get released. The novel ends with the military struggling to contain an army of Vikings, pirates, gangsters, etc. within the valley.
Overall, Darkly the Thunder is a batshit, yet entertaining read. The Fury is a sadistically fun villain. Although, it must be said this novel does take Star Wars and other sci-fi, along with a big hodgepodge of theological concepts, and throws them into a blender with no real explanation of how it can all work together.
And before you say, "Who cares? It's just a story," let me remind you that Ashes is supposed to be a legit reflection of Johnstone's political beliefs. He said this when he was alive, as do his family and friends twenty years after his death. If Darkly was brought up within the series (written BY his self-insert), then there's a good chance that this novel does indeed reflect his religious beliefs.
"I recall now that I felt so strange while I was doing that manuscript. It was an... eerie sensation. Like I was trodding on very shaky ground... unexplored ground."
- Ben Raines in Courage in the Ashes, pgs. 145-146
I've got to wonder if William W. Johnstone made it in joining the Force. What would he say to me today? Probably something like, "Thank you, Nico-Stone. You're helping to keep the memory of my work alive... you're still a damn liberal, though." 
To be fair, that was more or less how religion worked until the Catholic Church invented the concept of "canon".