Apollos Thorne

Underworld - Book 7 - Chapter 46

Aeris found no need to help the others in their retreat. They were moments from Sanctuary already. She needed to rally everyone to either leave via the northern Outer Perimeter, or the Moreerie Grove. It would be safer to do so in the open space of the Cavern Level with the canopy of the forest to escape to. The last thing she wanted was to be stuck fleeing through narrow tunnels with a wall of man-eating meat chasing after them. Because of the original plan, she expected to find them there, ...

Underworld - Book 7 - Chapter 45

I glanced over and saw Shamash was having no trouble keeping up with us. Even Xaphan was distancing himself. I’d hoped he would’ve been getting frisky seeing such a big monster, but it seemed he had little trouble holding himself back from the fight.

I hadn’t given up yet. Even if I couldn’t brute force Scorching Sun into being, it seemed creating a small nuclear fusion reaction was much easier. That didn’t mean I’d reached fusion ignition. It wouldn’t be self-sustaining u...

Underworld - Book 7 - Chapter 44

The only real distraction I had revolved around the timing of being given the Light mana-tablet. Knowing the Whitfield’s, their primary motivation was likely what they said. That they saw my friends and home in danger and wanted to give me a chance to defend it. I wasn’t completely ignorant of political maneuvering, however.

Even if I didn’t succeed, they’d given me a real chance, and if I did? It would be impossible not to feel like I owed them. Shamash had praised the value of...

Underworld - Book 7 - Chapter 43

Once everyone was gone, only Aeris, Shamash and I remained. At least, that’s what it seemed until Debra and Jeremiah turned back. The couple shared a look and nodded to one another. Then Debra stepped forward and reached out with a gloved hand. A semi-translucent golden mana-tablet the size of a small book appeared.

“A late wedding present,” she said reluctantly. “The truth is…”

Her husband walked over to stand beside her. “The truth is that we were only going to giv...

Underworld - Book 7 - Chapter 42

We’d all agreed that Skyler should take over as Sanctuary’s leader since Aeris and I would so often be gone. That confused Xaphan’s advice a little in my mind, but I didn’t think he was referring to leadership structures or the practical outworking of how Sanctuary was governed. Using Liulfr as an example made it clear. It was how I responded to circumstances that determined how people saw me, and how they’d view Sanctuary.

I’d seen Skyler in the pits taking responsibility f...

Underworld Update

I went back to chapter 37, I think it was, and changed the detail about Laser Fist creating heat. I intended on hiding some low-level fission as a part of the skill to be discovered by Elorion in the future, but decided to keep it strictly in the realm of lasers. Since lasers don't create heat until they hit something they can transfer energy to, I updated that in the fight against the Gargoyle. In other words, Laser Fist doesn't heat up until it comes in contact with its target.

Smal...

Health Update

Hey guys,

Good news. We had a little scare with a medication reaction, but everyone is now fine. Let's get Underworld Book7 finished and get started on book 8. What do you say?

Quick Update

We had an emergency room visit and are waiting for info. Everyone is okay. We are just trying to figure out the cause.

I hope to get some more chapters out soon. I doubt I'll get anything out today, though. Just giving you guys a heads up.

Cheers!

Update

Hey guys,

It's new baby time, so I'm all over the place. I'm hoping this isn't another false start, but Underworld chapters will begin again today. We should be able to finish up the next book pretty quickly, and I plan on going right into book 8.

So let's go!

Audiobook! Heaven's Laws - Monolith - Preorder Live!

Heaven's Laws, Book 2

Length: 21 hrs and 41 mins

Release date: 05-14-24

Publisher's summary

Father Zan insists Chao and Huifen venture north.

Ancient ruins await. A divine spire there stands.

Their identities must remain hidden.

The Divine Flying Tiger Clan's Trials are in two short years.

©2024 Apollos Thorne (P)2024 Podium Audio

Quick Update

Hey guys. Things are well. Doing some last minute stuff on the chapter, and almost have the next cover finished. Chapter should be up tonight or tomorrow.

Cheers!

Update

Hey guys,

Kind of the perfect storm of having to head out of town for the weekend and everyone getting sick at the same time, except for me. My wife, who's pregnant, has not have a good last couple of weeks. She'd doing much better now.

With that said, I have been writing. Expect chapters to resume this coming Monday.

Cheers!

Underworld Book Title Poll

I've been actively trying to shorten the length of my books so that I can publish with greater frequency. I tested things in the other direction with so-so results. My books will still be on the longer side. 120k words on the low end all the way up to 200-220k.

Because of this, instead of just writing one Underworld book before moving on, I'll be writing two. The first will focus on base building now that Elorion has returned and the next one will be the Succubi city. This shouldn't ad...

Chapter Update

I'm waiting until Monday to publish. We plan on being out of town for a day, but there's a storm coming in so I'm not sure how that will end up. This way you guys know what to expect instead of me just saying I might get something up.

Cheers!

Underworld - Book 7 - The Succubi - Chapter 9

From high overhead, Shamash, Aeris, and me were taking in the landscape. The beginnings of our pyramid were below. We’d been silent for the last few minutes. The lich had made it clear. This was no city building simulation. There was no system to give us step by step directions. We couldn’t click on a building then have it show up on a screen only to reject its location placement until it was in the right spot. The truth was that we’d been luckier finding Sanctuary than we knew. Many of...

Underworld - The Succubi - Book 7 - Chapter 8

“Really? A pyramid?” Aeris asked, eyeing the tunnel Lilith had created. She wore a light green dress that had what she called an empire waist. Instead of hugging tight to her hips, it was snug on her ribs just below her bust. It relied on her natural curves to bell out.

My arm hung loosely around her back and rested on her hip. As with any time she was excited, I felt the vibrations course through her body. I have to admit I was a little distracted.

“It’s a solid design,�...

Update

Big chapter coming tomorrow. I had to work out some math for the base building and make sure it worked without going too crazy.

Cheers!

Underworld - The Succubi - Underworld - Chapter 7

I couldn’t rightly say if Intelligence and Wisdom improved a man’s performance in the bedchamber, but Constitution certainly did. Even more than that, my stamina restoring Light Magic was miraculous. If I could only figure out how to bottle my magic’s restorative properties, I could rule the energy drink market in a matter of days.

“I don’t sleep anymore, El,” Aeris said from where she was curled up beneath the covers beside me. She was wearing a silky pajama blouse and pant...

Quick Update

The family was sick last week. Nothing serious. Low end sinus infection. I don't think anyone had a fever for more than a day or two. I got it. Was able to work through it Monday no problem. I thought I was better so I didn't take any claritin last night. End up waking at 2:30 and was a mess. So today was all over the place. Took a nap at 9:30ish and woke up at noon. That's a recent record for me.

With all that said, the next chapter should be up tomorrow. I was thinking about cover a...

Underworld - The Succubi - Book 7 - Chapter 6

Lilith reappeared, descending slowly like a falling feather. She did one of those innocent model poses where she placed her hands on her knees so that her dress didn’t fly up. She daintily turned to the side as if bashful. Seeing that no one was falling for her act, she giggled to herself before straightening and calling out, “It is done. We’ll all see each other soon, I’m sure, but now I must be off. Feel free to take a look above and explore. There are no monsters in the immediate a...

Underworld - The Succubi - Book 7 - Chapter 5

As soon as the Mistress noticed she’d gained my attention, she approached. She was barefooted as ever, but the red dress she wore covered her up far more than most of the succubi dresses I’d seen. Her hair was still as unruly as ever, snaking against her neck and shoulders as if enjoying her warmth.

I stood and put on my best fake smile. “Mistress Nava.”

“Brother,” she replied, giving me a look like she was about to scold me. “You must call me sister. You’re at the...

Underworld - The Succubi - Book 7 - Chapter 4

It was music that queued my approach. This wasn’t just the semi-melodious sound of my friends trying to sing in tune, but literal instruments expertly played that filled the surrounding halls. The families that had come with Whitfield and his wife were proving to be far more prepared for throwing together a marriage ceremony than any of the original members of Sanctuary could’ve dreamed of being. It was an old song that had likely never been heard on the surface world, but it undoubtedly ...

Update

Next Underworld chapter is either coming today or tomorrow. We can't just have any ol' wedding now can we...

Underworld - The Succubi - Book 7 - Chapter 3

Our first guest arrived within the hour. Richard didn’t say anything until they were entering the mess hall from the inner chamber. We were still sitting at the same table when he said, “Introducing Master Khaba and Mistress Nane of the goblin tribe.”

I wasn’t the only one that shot to my feet. Aeris had darted over. I strolled up behind her to greet them.

The elder goblin was in his hobgoblin form. His level was registering exactly level 1,000, which was all the evidence ...

Update

The next Underworld chapter should be up tomorrow. I'm being careful to not overwhelm you guys with reminders of what happened in the last books, while not leaving out the necessary ones. Since this series is told from one POV, it's much easier than Heaven's Laws to write. There's still a lot of characters and the magic system is more complex since everyone can have unique talents.

Cheers!

Underworld - The Succubi - Book 7 - Chapter 2

I’d been back for nearly three days and seen the living quarters, but I hadn’t taken the time to really see it. Stepping out of Jasmine’s room quietly to give her space in case she wanted to try to sleep longer, I gawked at what I saw. At least, that’s what I thought I was doing until I caught myself still giving the impassive look that had been necessary in the vampire realm. Habits die hard after months of being surrounded by millions of stupidly powerful, too well dressed, undead b...

Underworld Update and Poll

Today ended up being an unintentional research day. I have the past novels pretty firm in my memory after listening to the series a few times, but I'm still getting the personalities of everyone in Sanctuary down. Next chapter should be up tomorrow.

What characters do you remember most fondly?

Elorion and Aeris don't count. Travis probably shouldn't either, but... Also, a few of the members left to the surface.

Underworld - The Succubi - Book 7 - Chapter 1

“Elorion,” my little wind sprite mumbled from where she slept curled up on my lap. She’d always been fairly short and petite, even by average human standards. That hadn’t changed with her advancements. She was far tougher in this form, but still felt delicate in my arms. At will, she could weigh practically nothing simply because her existence didn’t respect gravity’s domain as it once had.

In contrast, during my many advancements my body had been compressed like steel unde...

Update and Poll

Underworld chapters start tomorrow.

What should Elorion focus on next?
(Can selection more than one)

Did I miss something? Let me know in the comments.
(It is possible there are things I purposely didn't mention because, secrets... Guess?)

Heaven's Laws - Monolith is Live!

Heaven's Laws - Monolith

Book 2 is Live!

A cultivation fantasy series that doesn't shy away from the dark themes of the genre while handling them in a mature, thought-provoking way. Epic in scope!

The first novel in the series is 330,000 words. It has 4.8 out of 5 stars on Amazon with over 1,800 ratings.

(Link to the first novel in comments.)

Synopsis.

Father Zan insists Chao and Huifen venture north.

Ancient ruins await. A divine spire there stands.<...