Book Review: Powers by John B. Olson

The Basics of Powers
Title: Powers
Author: John B. Olson
Publisher: B&H Publishing Group, Nashville
Copyright: 2009
Pages: 392
ISBN: 978-0-8054-4
Genre: Christian fiction/suspense

Plot of Powers
A band of men murder Mariutza's adoptive grandfather. Mariutza, a Gypsy girl raised in the swamp, sets out for the city. She can hardly believe when she meets a man with the face of the prophet her grandfather always talked about, a prophet named Jaazaniah.

But Jazz scoffs at Mariutza's wild tales. Jazz reminds her he's only a musician, not a powerful prophet. Yet it appears that the same men who murdered Mari's grandfather are hunting Jazz. Is it really the FBI and police after them, or are greater powers at work?

Why to Read Powers
Powers isn't a bad example of suspense. The pace moves along nicely. Olson has also managed to bring out a story from a lesser known biblical passage, the story of the Rechabites.

Cautions
Although Powers could easily stand alone, it does connect with Olson's earlier novel Shade. As a result, I hoped Powers would explain all the questions I had after reading Shade. It didn't. Shade was a very confusing book; Powers was slightly better but didn't clarify the story of Shade at all.

In addition, Powers left a few questions of its own. Olson never explains why the FBI was after Jazz. Since this was the most prominent plot line, I expected to find some answers at the end. Without an explanation for this major question, the story really doesn't make sense.

Rating by No-Spoilers
3 out of 5

Preview, buy, or read other reviews of Powersor Shadeat Amazon.

Note: B&H provided me with a complimentary copy of Powers for review purposes.