Kenneth Johnson’s The Face In The Mirror Considers Fate and Free Will

–by Dr. Laura Wilhelm, LauraWil Intercultural

Kenneth Johnson is an Emmy Award-winning writer, director, and producer whose work has shaped television for 50 years.  Best known for creating The Bionic Woman, V, Alien Nation, and The Incredible Hulk, he has indelibly influenced generations of storytellers and viewers.

Bestselling Amazon novels such as The Man of Legends and The Darwin Variant have already demonstrated Johnson’s versatility as a fiction writer. 

These qualities combine in Johnson’s latest Amazon offering, The Face In The Mirror. Set in modern-day Manhattan but spanning millennia, the occult mystery/thriller blends modern science with ancient mysticism.   Matt Shaw, a struggling NYU medical student, is offered a Faustian bargain in the form of a full scholarship by a historian named Dr. John Zachery, who then uses a mysterious alchemical ritual to switch Matt’s youthful self into the octogenarian’s aging cancer-ravaged body.

Matt must fight against the cosmic clock and convince both his best friends and some paranormal experts who are complete strangers about his predicament in order to regain both his body and his soul. Nothing to it, right?  But Zachery’s demonic spirit first takes him on a rollercoaster of a time travel ride that would cause anyone to question their sanity and basic sense of right and wrong.

The book’s sophisticated Northeastern setting, appealing collegiate characters, and dense metaphysical themes should please fans of classic young adult authors like Madeleine L’Engle and Ursula K. Le Guin.  Johnson’s largely successful efforts to get inside the minds of an innocent good character and an experienced evil character recall the agon between Clarice Starling and Dr. Hannibal Lecter in Thomas Harris’ The Silence of the Lambs. 

Unsurprisingly for an Emmy-winning screenwriter, Johnson consistently conveys a strong sense of place in The Face In The Mirror. The book would be an obvious candidate as the basis for a spooky, brooding television series or movie.  The story’s eternal themes of identity and human agency should resonate with philosophers and popcorn audiences alike.  The shapeshifting John Zachery might even join the aforementioned Hannibal Lecter and the Joker as a legendary screen villain.

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BOOK DETAILS
Title: The Face in the Mirror
Author: Kenneth Johnson
Release Date: August 2025
Genre: Metaphysical Thriller / Mystery / Supernatural Suspense
Publisher: Cemetery Dance Publications
Amazon.com: The Face in the Mirror eBook : Johnson, Kenneth: Kindle Store

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kenneth Johnson is an Emmy Award-winning writer, director, and producer whose work has shaped television for 50 years. Best known for creating The Bionic Woman, V, Alien Nation, and The Incredible Hulk, he has influenced generations of storytellers and viewers alike. His novel, The Man of Legends, became a breakout hit on Amazon, praised for its cinematic pacing and emotional resonance. His follow-up book for Amazon, The Darwin Variant is in works for an eight-hour limited series. Johnson’s ability to blend big ideas with deeply human stories continues to set him apart — and The Face in the Mirror may be his most compelling work yet.