Review – Powers

“Purodad,” Mariutza’s chilling screams echoed through the trees as she raced through the dense forest toward her beloved grandfather everyone called the Prophet. She had trained long and hard since a wee gypsy girl for a time such as this. Her grandfather had honed her skills so she could defend herself against “The Badness” when she grew up. She was only one of a few that had the required “knowingness.” That knowingness now told her “The Badness” encircled her grandfather and if she didn’t reach him first they would kill him.

“Holy One, please…” she whispered as tree limbs slapped her face, and clinging stickers tore at her skin and clothes-until she heard a gunshot ring out, followed by another and another and another. Mariutza collapsed into the weeds, fear for her grandfather choking off her prayers and her sobs.

In the ominous silence she raised her head to peer beyond the reeds that sheltered her and heard a gurgling breath and saw a dark shadow creeping towards her. She stiffened when the dark shape rose abruptly only to collapse against the base of a tree several feet away. It was Purodad!

She ran to her prostrate grandfather, reciting prayers and saw the spreading stain across his stomach. She clutched his hand tight while he struggled for breath. His raspy voice cut through her prayers as he told her it was “his time,” and she must follow his last instructions. She was to dig a round grave, two and a half feet wide, deep enough to bury him upright and stressed she must follow his instructions to the last detail before he said his last words, “I must be buried standing.”

Add a mysterious musician named Jazz; cloaked dark men with murder on their minds, an FBI agent looking for terrorists, and readers are drawn into Power’s intriguing suspenseful story, set in the mysterious Louisiana swamps. Although a sequel to his previous thriller Shade, Power’s explores the paranormal, mental trickery, obscure prayers, ancient codes and dark spiritual forces and leads the reader into the fantastical supernatural.

I like Olson’s writing and look forward to reading his stellar work. Yet, Power’s disappointed me, although not enough to regret reading it. The action in Power’s is non-stop. The suspenseful plot combines with intriguing characters, but the author’s lack of speaker attribution was confusing and distracting. With that being said, I doubt Olson’s fans enjoyment will be lessened by that lack. Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker fans would also enjoy Olson’s paranormal fiction.