Review – Shade

Shade, by John Olson Reviewed by Karri Compton John B. Olson, a scientist-turned-novelist, co-authored the wonderful novel, Oxygen, with Randy Ingermanson. Since then, Olson has continued to cover new ground, especially with this latest work.

Hailey Maniates is a San Francisco graduate student in microbiology. All work and no play makes Hailey a little dull, but one night while working late at the lab changes her life forever.

She senses evil and races from the building, blind with panic. Instead of safety, she finds a man who pulls a knife on her. An unlikely rescuer appears from the darkness and chases the man away. Hailey’s hero is Melchi, a huge homeless man that seems to sense her thoughts and feelings as she can sense his.

Melchi carries Hailey to the hospital, where she is diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Is she really crazy or are her attacker and her hero both real? Nothing makes sense, but she knows there is something very strange going on.

Melchi is different from anyone she’s ever met, but his claims are too farfetched to believe. He says that he must fight the Mulo-some sort of evil being akin to a vampire. As one of the Standing, he must fight against this creature and shield the world from its heinous plans.

As the plot moves on, no one is who he seems to be, and Hailey grows more fearful and confused, yet more drawn to Melchi. Will she find out what is really happening and be a part of the solution? Is Melchi an agent for good or is it all a masquerade?

I’m so glad this novel got published. It’s one of the most unique plots I’ve read in a long, long time. Weird in a good way. Shade is about the possibilities of things unseen, deceiving appearances, the reality of the supernatural. Olson does a great job making the reader wonder who is sane and who is crazy, who is telling the truth and who is dangerous.

One thing that hit me was that what we’ve been taught shapes our lives whether or not those teachings are the truth. Beliefs are powerful, so we better make sure we believe in the right things. The evil versus good theme is very strong in this book-it overshadows every aspect of it.

No doubt, readers will be challenged and surprised by this dark adventure. I certainly want to read more from Mr. Olson. I’ve been a fan since the beginning and this offering only serves to heighten my appetite for more.