David Thorne Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

David Thorne is an Australian Internet personality and humorist that has also been called The Internet’s Evil Genius. He writes dry humor that sounds more like deadpan delivery much in the same way as Red Meat’s Milkman Dan. The Internet is a Playground was the best known and most popular work that got him international attention and acclaim. His notoriety has seen him make appearances in many late-night talk shows such as “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and the “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.” Thorne is most famous for his email exchanges with a variety of people which he posts on his website 27bslash6. His website is in itself a vague reference to his apartment number which is also George Orwell’s address in the novel “Nineteen Eighty-Four.” He has been posting his email exchanges and tons of articles on his website for years but it was one exchange that went rival that made him one of the most known personalities on the Internet. “The Internet is a Playground” which was an email exchange in which he tries to pay his debts with a funny drawing of a seven-legged spider was the big break he needed to launch his career and become the satirist he is today. He looks up to the likes of Ricky Gervais Douglass Adams and Spike Milligan as the satirists he would love to model.

David Thorne asserts that he never had any ambition, something that followed him into his chosen career in graphic design. It was while he was getting bored to death as a graphic designer that he found his true calling. Writing for his website 27bslash6 in which he used common emails to lure in all manner of people into his web of deception, sarcasm, and cynicism, he gained quite a following. He has asserted that he uses the email exchanges with his hapless victims to amuse himself and the fact that it also amuses others is but a bonus. Since he is no respecter of persons he has exchanges where he trolls anyone from his school’s chancellor, police officers, coworkers, and landlord. Thorne combines shock humor with merciless wit and his work comes so naturally that he once won a bet that he could create a viral blog post at a moment’s notice. Overall, he never does initiate correspondence hoping to lure in some hapless fellow. While he could send hundreds of emails hoping that it would lead to something interesting, he prefers to write and respond to real emails. In fact, he says that the best emails are those from individuals and businesses that have an obligation to respond to the exchange. It is even more entertaining when his subject needs to respond in a respectable manner. He always manages to come up with hilarious replies to a variety of situations that would otherwise be bland. Once he starts the exchange, he lets it take a natural cause as long as he gets the amusement he needs from it. His best works are the satirical work particularly his email responses to his colleagues and juniors.

“The Internet is a Playground” is David Thorne’s first novel in which he introduced himself to the literary world as an asshole who loves pissing people off in a clever and funny way. The novel is a repackaging of some of the most popular blog content from his website to make for some hilarious stories and essays. In his emails, he manages to walk on the edge of the obnoxious while never becoming outright rude. He always gets replies to his emails even though it is hard to believe that the people he communicates with continue to engage him. The book is filled with emails, articles, and images from his blog similar to those of the spider story or where he is asked to create something by people who give him too much leeway to misinterpret their direction. The novel is a laugh out loud collection of his satirical works on all manner of topics and the email exchanges he has with his fans, colleagues and other unsuspecting recipients. The standout example in the novel is when his chiropractor billed him a sum of $233.95 which he then tried to pay off with the crude drawing of a seven-legged spider. Thorne has asserted that he does not initiate much of the email communication but rather responds stupidly to the communication he receives.

“I’ll Go Home Then, It’s Warm and Has Chairs” is David Thorne’s second collection of essays in novel format. In her second work, she compiles her childhood stories, emails, and interactions with businesses and neighbors that are as hilarious as they are priceless. He works with Simon his friend and finds a lot of joy trolling him, which means Simon spends a lot of time filing complaints about David with HR. This is more of a literary work since David tones down on the ridiculous essays which he replaces with his experiences at work and at home. He is still as hilarious as ever, even though he does not resort to any wacky and bizarre sequiturs that made the first novel so funny. He also includes hilarious and punchy picture stories, the best of which is when they are pulled over by the cops. He includes the forms, letters and formal notices that can be read on kindle making for a better and more vivid reading experience. Overall, the second novel is a much better work as Thorne ups his antics at trolling everyone in his path.

“Look Evelyn, Duck Dynasty Wiper Blades” is a little different from other novels written by David Thorne. The largely autobiographical novel gets very little from the blog articles from the website though there are a few familiar email exchanges. However, unlike the first two novels, it is more of a novel than a collection of blog posts, articles, and essays. It also does get quite dark in some sections though it still provides a good dose of laugh out loud moments. It is just as funny and classic Thorne, though it does jump back and forth in time particularly for its autobiographical aspects. It is also more personal as it tells the story of the author’s childhood including his neighbors and his house. He also does tell a story of helping Simon who was dealing with a cheating girlfriend which paints him a good light as opposed to the heartless troll in the first two novels.