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Shade #1
Shade
"You will not fear the terror of the night." Psalm 91
A monstrous waking nightmare is pursuing graduate student Hailey Maniates across San Francisco to Golden Gate Park where she is rescued by a towering homeless man. She seems able to read her rescuer's mind, but is it just a delusion? Doctors diagnose her as a paranoid schizophrenic and attempt to prescribe away her alleged hallucinations. But too many questions remain around Hailey and the man who saved her. He appears to suffer from her same mental condition and is convinced that some type of Gypsy vampire is trying to kill them both.
Against reason, Hailey finds herself more and more attracted to this strange man. But what if he is a fantasy? What if he is the monster?
Endorsements:
"From its stunning first scene to its heartwarming last, Shade is a striking tale of mystery and danger that kept me hooked. This is Olson's finest work yet, and reading it, one gets the feeling he's just getting warmed up."
Robin Parrish, author of Relentless and Merciless
"Unseen enemies. Questioned sanity. The weighing of reality. All the things I like in a book! The shadows are not silent. I lost sleep over this book. I got goose bumps from this book. The kind of scary that you crave and cringe at, Shade offers up a monster made more frightening by its originality. Thanks a lot, John Olson--because of you, I will not walk alone at night for a long time to come."
Tosca Lee, author of Demon: A Memoir and Havah: The Story of Eve
"John B. Olson is a seasoned storyteller, and Shade is quite a story! As the heat turns up, and as menacing tones and brooding characters abound, the theme of God's grace boils to the surface. A few years back, Olson gave us a new twist on Jekyll & Hyde; now he puts his own fast-paced spin on the Dracula story. I can only hope there's a sequel in the works!"
Eric Wilson, author of Field of Blood and A Shred of Truth
"Shade is a smart, gripping thriller. John B. Olson whips you along in a breakneck odyssey through a hellish paradise lost--and keeps you up all night doing it."
Melanie Wells, author of My Soul to Keep and When the Day of Evil Comes
"Things that go bump in the night are not all figments of overwrought imaginations or evidence of mental illness. As our heroine discovers, evil personified preys on the ignorance of its victims. Lock your doors and windows, leave the lights on, and hunker down for a splendid, spine-chilling read."
Donita K. Paul, author of the DragonKeeper Chronicles
A monstrous waking nightmare is pursuing graduate student Hailey Maniates across San Francisco to Golden Gate Park where she is rescued by a towering homeless man. She seems able to read her rescuer's mind, but is it just a delusion? Doctors diagnose her as a paranoid schizophrenic and attempt to prescribe away her alleged hallucinations. But too many questions remain around Hailey and the man who saved her. He appears to suffer from her same mental condition and is convinced that some type of Gypsy vampire is trying to kill them both.
Against reason, Hailey finds herself more and more attracted to this strange man. But what if he is a fantasy? What if he is the monster?
Endorsements:
"From its stunning first scene to its heartwarming last, Shade is a striking tale of mystery and danger that kept me hooked. This is Olson's finest work yet, and reading it, one gets the feeling he's just getting warmed up."
Robin Parrish, author of Relentless and Merciless
"Unseen enemies. Questioned sanity. The weighing of reality. All the things I like in a book! The shadows are not silent. I lost sleep over this book. I got goose bumps from this book. The kind of scary that you crave and cringe at, Shade offers up a monster made more frightening by its originality. Thanks a lot, John Olson--because of you, I will not walk alone at night for a long time to come."
Tosca Lee, author of Demon: A Memoir and Havah: The Story of Eve
"John B. Olson is a seasoned storyteller, and Shade is quite a story! As the heat turns up, and as menacing tones and brooding characters abound, the theme of God's grace boils to the surface. A few years back, Olson gave us a new twist on Jekyll & Hyde; now he puts his own fast-paced spin on the Dracula story. I can only hope there's a sequel in the works!"
Eric Wilson, author of Field of Blood and A Shred of Truth
"Shade is a smart, gripping thriller. John B. Olson whips you along in a breakneck odyssey through a hellish paradise lost--and keeps you up all night doing it."
Melanie Wells, author of My Soul to Keep and When the Day of Evil Comes
"Things that go bump in the night are not all figments of overwrought imaginations or evidence of mental illness. As our heroine discovers, evil personified preys on the ignorance of its victims. Lock your doors and windows, leave the lights on, and hunker down for a splendid, spine-chilling read."
Donita K. Paul, author of the DragonKeeper Chronicles
408 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2008
9 people are currently reading
583 people want to read
About the author
John B. Olson
10 books62 followersJohn B. Olson is a novelist who lives with his wife Amy and two children in the San Francisco Bay Area. John earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and did postdoctoral research at the University of California at San Francisco. His books have won several awards, including a Christy Award, a Christy finalist, a Silver Angel award, and placement on the New York Public Librarys Books for the Teen Age.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
January 23, 2014
I didn't realize when I ordered this book that it was Christian fiction -- I picked it based on the grad students in San Francisco setting. I persisted in trying to read it anyway, and although the religious elements were pretty heavy-handed it was more the poor writing that was a turn-off. I read half of it and couldn't take anymore; I got too bored trying to skim to the next interesting bit. Part of this could've been improved with stronger editing.
However, I do want to say in Olson's defense that he clearly cares very much about the themes he addressed, not just the Christianity but also the treatment of the mentally ill and homeless. I picked this up directly after another unfinished book, an Iowa Writers' Workshop product that displayed what I'm afraid I find to the characteristic detachment of what I guess I'll call Writers Workshop Literature: both too detached, and conversely, not detached enough. How I mean this is that the authors often seem to be detached from any emotional investment in their story or characters, but instead to be concerned with how their prose reflects on them. It's as if while writing they're thinking more about whether this passage makes them look sophisticated or clever than about the story itself.
Olson's writing is the opposite of that. He seems very passionate, and his writing, although rough, is not tepid or coy. So, that I appreciated, and although Shade was not for me I can see it pleasing a reader of Christian fiction who is looking for more action.
However, I do want to say in Olson's defense that he clearly cares very much about the themes he addressed, not just the Christianity but also the treatment of the mentally ill and homeless. I picked this up directly after another unfinished book, an Iowa Writers' Workshop product that displayed what I'm afraid I find to the characteristic detachment of what I guess I'll call Writers Workshop Literature: both too detached, and conversely, not detached enough. How I mean this is that the authors often seem to be detached from any emotional investment in their story or characters, but instead to be concerned with how their prose reflects on them. It's as if while writing they're thinking more about whether this passage makes them look sophisticated or clever than about the story itself.
Olson's writing is the opposite of that. He seems very passionate, and his writing, although rough, is not tepid or coy. So, that I appreciated, and although Shade was not for me I can see it pleasing a reader of Christian fiction who is looking for more action.
September 30, 2009
I've dumped my first paragraph of comments in this review, b/c I think I was a bit overly negative-- this really is one of my favorites of John's books, and as long as you take it as the start of a series (and are OK with CBA (=evangelical christian) fiction that makes that worldview an integral part of the plot), then it is quite satisfying-- and as I've said before, I really like the direction John is going with this, even if he does things differently than I would. Sales have unfortunately been low, but John's been winning awards right and left, and the next book in the series (Powers) will apparently have a graphic novel version put out as well, so hopefully things will pick up. Everyone seems to think Powers is the best in the series so far, but I'm still excited about the one after that, which I've been waiting for for a long time. I still reserve the right to nit-pick and analyze these books, but I hope people will still take a chance on them-- John is a very underappreciated presence on the CBA market.
OK, I've got a few things to say about the book, so I'll try and divide them up a bit.
1) Don't read it if you don't like creepy psycho-supernatural stuff! It's not that it's the scariest thing out there, but if you like adventure stories instead, read his novel Fossil Hunter for a female-indiana jones type. My mom likes the latter, but just couldn't get into Shade, even by the end. And if John doesn't mind, I'll warn everyone right now that the series will only get weirder, at least by the third book. I'm expecting it to end up much more solidly in the fantasy genre, but who knows, maybe John's plans will change. In any case, I like the direction he's going, even if his style runs a bit different than I'm usually into.
2) Several reviewers have found Hailey, the female lead, to be too bland or wimpy next to Melchi, the male lead (a very eccentric lead)-- Melchi is really charismatic, and Hailey doesn't stand up quite as well next to him, as far as grabbing our attention. I admit that at times I was a bit frustrated with Hailey's character myself, and didn't always like her actions or reactions, but I think that was largely not her fault, but rather was the fault of her situation (and thus an acceptable piece of the story)-- she was in the position of the victim, and given that, John did a pretty good job of giving her some volition (John is known for his strong female leads, so I think it's clear enough that the problem is an inevitable one given her position as victim). Still, she is our primary viewpoint character (being the normal one), and it's hard not to desire some more strength out of her. It can feel a bit too much like we are just there to wonder whether it's real and marvel at how amazing and crazy/and-or heroic Melchi is.
3) Dracula-- read this too! Maybe first. I knew John liked the book, and obviously it is an influence, as Shade is "the vampire book with no vampires in it", but now that I've read about 2/3 of Dracula, I feel like Shade itself makes more sense. Certainly the heroic, manly and exceedingly chivalrous ethos which John loves is there, as well as the Christians gathered against unspeakable evil, the dilemma over what is reality and what is insanity (though resolved much earlier in Dracula), and even the female viewpoint leads who nevertheless are victimized by the erotically charged masculine Monster (the erotic being largely unarticulated but fairly obvious-- though actually a bit milder in John's book, which of course is written for the Evangelical Market).
4) Christianity-- this is a very obviously Christian, evangelical book, at least as you get closer to the end, and to be honest, I think it has to be taken as that-- I can't think of this as other than a CBA book. This is fine in a lot of places, but I was disappointed with the "conversion scene" near the end, which certainly fit the plot (according to the rules of the world of the story), and which did have a positive message (from my own Christian perspective), insisting that God's love is an unearned gift, rather than something to earn and constantly feel guilty about-- but it was way too formulaic, and I gathered from John that he knew it would be that way but just had to get it out (he's been working on some tight deadlines, and personally I think the only way to write a good book is to work at a more leisurely pace). I think evangelical fiction and evangelical culture as a whole (maybe excepting the emergent church, which I'm still learning about) is a slave to the conversion formula (ie, 4 spiritual laws, or however many it is, the Sinner's Prayer, etc), and I think that it's virtually impossible for American evangelical culture to honestly explore "salvation" in it's art anymore-- not to put down John or the other evangelical writers I know, it just seems like everything I've seen in the CBA has been focused on telling "Truth", ie, the proper formulaic understanding of who God is, how the relationship works, etc, rather than on working through our relationship to God, together with all the dirtiness and problems inherent in that situation (ie, what if God isn't actually there, the radical freedom of a God who can't be summarized in a formula, etc)-- the evangelical engagement with God in it's art seems to me to be more about containing God in what we know and militantly enforcing that formula, rather than allowing itself to be transformed by an engagement with a living God. Well, okay, I'm ranting now and am way off topic. But I can't help pointing out that this particular part of the book stood out like a sore thumb to me. But as has probably been made clear by now, I've got my own issues with this sort of thing, and may have been projecting my own issues onto the book a bit too much.
5) Details: Details are important in this book, but many won't be answered by the end. In fact, many may not be answered till the 3rd book, and some won't be answered at all, because John is trying to create a "thick" world, one in which you don't get all the answers and loose ends will always be there. I like this in a way, but we'll have to see how it works-- after all, stories are all about Closure, but then again, it's a bit "postmodern" of John to try this, and I think it could work quite well. Assuming he's still planning on doing this. We haven't talked about this aspect for a while.
6) The ending felt a bit abrupt, but then again, if you take the "point" of this story to be the resolution of whether we really are dealing with the supernatural or not, then this works very well as a prelude to the later parts of the story (since it also sets up other essential elements, like the fact that we have two sides working against each other, and we get a picture, albeit an imperfect glimpse, at the goal of the bad guys). I feel like I can't emphasize enough that this is the first of a series. There is a certain amount of resolution within the story itself, but the big picture just won't be even close to resolution until the 3rd book, as I understand John's direction at the moment.
I can't really go into more detail, as that would ruin the book, and considering that it's been over a month since I've read it and I didn't have room to bring it back to Iceland with me. If you are following Christian speculative fiction, or are interested in seeing what it is like, read the book! I'm looking forward to the rest, even if knowing about so much of the story in advance makes me a bit cheeky in the breadth and depth of my comments on it (sorry John!)
OK, I've got a few things to say about the book, so I'll try and divide them up a bit.
1) Don't read it if you don't like creepy psycho-supernatural stuff! It's not that it's the scariest thing out there, but if you like adventure stories instead, read his novel Fossil Hunter for a female-indiana jones type. My mom likes the latter, but just couldn't get into Shade, even by the end. And if John doesn't mind, I'll warn everyone right now that the series will only get weirder, at least by the third book. I'm expecting it to end up much more solidly in the fantasy genre, but who knows, maybe John's plans will change. In any case, I like the direction he's going, even if his style runs a bit different than I'm usually into.
2) Several reviewers have found Hailey, the female lead, to be too bland or wimpy next to Melchi, the male lead (a very eccentric lead)-- Melchi is really charismatic, and Hailey doesn't stand up quite as well next to him, as far as grabbing our attention. I admit that at times I was a bit frustrated with Hailey's character myself, and didn't always like her actions or reactions, but I think that was largely not her fault, but rather was the fault of her situation (and thus an acceptable piece of the story)-- she was in the position of the victim, and given that, John did a pretty good job of giving her some volition (John is known for his strong female leads, so I think it's clear enough that the problem is an inevitable one given her position as victim). Still, she is our primary viewpoint character (being the normal one), and it's hard not to desire some more strength out of her. It can feel a bit too much like we are just there to wonder whether it's real and marvel at how amazing and crazy/and-or heroic Melchi is.
3) Dracula-- read this too! Maybe first. I knew John liked the book, and obviously it is an influence, as Shade is "the vampire book with no vampires in it", but now that I've read about 2/3 of Dracula, I feel like Shade itself makes more sense. Certainly the heroic, manly and exceedingly chivalrous ethos which John loves is there, as well as the Christians gathered against unspeakable evil, the dilemma over what is reality and what is insanity (though resolved much earlier in Dracula), and even the female viewpoint leads who nevertheless are victimized by the erotically charged masculine Monster (the erotic being largely unarticulated but fairly obvious-- though actually a bit milder in John's book, which of course is written for the Evangelical Market).
4) Christianity-- this is a very obviously Christian, evangelical book, at least as you get closer to the end, and to be honest, I think it has to be taken as that-- I can't think of this as other than a CBA book. This is fine in a lot of places, but I was disappointed with the "conversion scene" near the end, which certainly fit the plot (according to the rules of the world of the story), and which did have a positive message (from my own Christian perspective), insisting that God's love is an unearned gift, rather than something to earn and constantly feel guilty about-- but it was way too formulaic, and I gathered from John that he knew it would be that way but just had to get it out (he's been working on some tight deadlines, and personally I think the only way to write a good book is to work at a more leisurely pace). I think evangelical fiction and evangelical culture as a whole (maybe excepting the emergent church, which I'm still learning about) is a slave to the conversion formula (ie, 4 spiritual laws, or however many it is, the Sinner's Prayer, etc), and I think that it's virtually impossible for American evangelical culture to honestly explore "salvation" in it's art anymore-- not to put down John or the other evangelical writers I know, it just seems like everything I've seen in the CBA has been focused on telling "Truth", ie, the proper formulaic understanding of who God is, how the relationship works, etc, rather than on working through our relationship to God, together with all the dirtiness and problems inherent in that situation (ie, what if God isn't actually there, the radical freedom of a God who can't be summarized in a formula, etc)-- the evangelical engagement with God in it's art seems to me to be more about containing God in what we know and militantly enforcing that formula, rather than allowing itself to be transformed by an engagement with a living God. Well, okay, I'm ranting now and am way off topic. But I can't help pointing out that this particular part of the book stood out like a sore thumb to me. But as has probably been made clear by now, I've got my own issues with this sort of thing, and may have been projecting my own issues onto the book a bit too much.
5) Details: Details are important in this book, but many won't be answered by the end. In fact, many may not be answered till the 3rd book, and some won't be answered at all, because John is trying to create a "thick" world, one in which you don't get all the answers and loose ends will always be there. I like this in a way, but we'll have to see how it works-- after all, stories are all about Closure, but then again, it's a bit "postmodern" of John to try this, and I think it could work quite well. Assuming he's still planning on doing this. We haven't talked about this aspect for a while.
6) The ending felt a bit abrupt, but then again, if you take the "point" of this story to be the resolution of whether we really are dealing with the supernatural or not, then this works very well as a prelude to the later parts of the story (since it also sets up other essential elements, like the fact that we have two sides working against each other, and we get a picture, albeit an imperfect glimpse, at the goal of the bad guys). I feel like I can't emphasize enough that this is the first of a series. There is a certain amount of resolution within the story itself, but the big picture just won't be even close to resolution until the 3rd book, as I understand John's direction at the moment.
I can't really go into more detail, as that would ruin the book, and considering that it's been over a month since I've read it and I didn't have room to bring it back to Iceland with me. If you are following Christian speculative fiction, or are interested in seeing what it is like, read the book! I'm looking forward to the rest, even if knowing about so much of the story in advance makes me a bit cheeky in the breadth and depth of my comments on it (sorry John!)
October 6, 2022
I did not realize when I picked this book up that it is christian-fiction. However, it is not overtly preachy like some of them can be. It actually took me about a third of the way into this book to realize it was indeed christian-fiction. So, not super distracting if it's not your usual thing.
This book was good. It wasn't great. I was confused about what was going on. Perhaps if I continued on with the series it would explain more background of "Mulos" and "Standing", etc.. However, while this story was interesting enough to pull me through this book - I am not interested enough to go pick up the next one. If I were to be handed it I would read it, but it's not something I will seek out.
What I DID really appreciate was how much it humanized the homeless. There was a definite underlying theme of bringing attention to them.
" 'His name is Antwon. He will keep watch for the Mulo tonight.'
'Is he a ..... homeless man?'
'He is Antwon, not the place he sleeps at night.' "
This book was good. It wasn't great. I was confused about what was going on. Perhaps if I continued on with the series it would explain more background of "Mulos" and "Standing", etc.. However, while this story was interesting enough to pull me through this book - I am not interested enough to go pick up the next one. If I were to be handed it I would read it, but it's not something I will seek out.
What I DID really appreciate was how much it humanized the homeless. There was a definite underlying theme of bringing attention to them.
" 'His name is Antwon. He will keep watch for the Mulo tonight.'
'Is he a ..... homeless man?'
'He is Antwon, not the place he sleeps at night.' "
January 12, 2009
Review by Jill Williamson
When a noise scares Hailey from the science department at her collage, she runs. A great fear presses down on her and suddenly she can see herself, as if she is looking through the eyes of her pursuer. She can feel his thoughts, his emotions. She flees the campus and runs into Golden Gate Park, but falls and hurts her ankle. Just as her pursuer is about to attack, a towering homeless man rescues her. As he carries her to the emergency room, she can sense his thoughts as well.
The hospital workers think she might be schizophrenic, that she hallucinated the whole ordeal. They prescribe heavy medication that leaves Hailey falling asleep at her desk. She can’t live like this. She knows she’s not crazy, and the only way to prove it, is to find her rescuer. But when she finally does, he seems as crazy as she feels, going on and on about ancient monsters who are hunting them. It makes no sense, but Hailey can’t stop thinking about this giant hero. She is drawn to him, but is that because he is right? because he is sick and needs help? or because he’s the monster and is using his powers on her?
Ooh! This was a creepy one, but I really liked it. John B. Olson has a great way of hooking you with his unique characters. I instantly liked both Hailey and Melchi (the homeless man). And the plot just kept twisting and turning, I couldn’t even guess how it was going to end or what the whole monster thing was all about. This is an adult book, but older teens who like thrillers will love it. Recommended (with caution for those who don’t like to be scared).
When a noise scares Hailey from the science department at her collage, she runs. A great fear presses down on her and suddenly she can see herself, as if she is looking through the eyes of her pursuer. She can feel his thoughts, his emotions. She flees the campus and runs into Golden Gate Park, but falls and hurts her ankle. Just as her pursuer is about to attack, a towering homeless man rescues her. As he carries her to the emergency room, she can sense his thoughts as well.
The hospital workers think she might be schizophrenic, that she hallucinated the whole ordeal. They prescribe heavy medication that leaves Hailey falling asleep at her desk. She can’t live like this. She knows she’s not crazy, and the only way to prove it, is to find her rescuer. But when she finally does, he seems as crazy as she feels, going on and on about ancient monsters who are hunting them. It makes no sense, but Hailey can’t stop thinking about this giant hero. She is drawn to him, but is that because he is right? because he is sick and needs help? or because he’s the monster and is using his powers on her?
Ooh! This was a creepy one, but I really liked it. John B. Olson has a great way of hooking you with his unique characters. I instantly liked both Hailey and Melchi (the homeless man). And the plot just kept twisting and turning, I couldn’t even guess how it was going to end or what the whole monster thing was all about. This is an adult book, but older teens who like thrillers will love it. Recommended (with caution for those who don’t like to be scared).
November 25, 2008
This book only got 3 stars because every review said "oh, it was so scary" and when I read it, I didn't think it was frightening at all. It's probably true that I have a higher scare tolerance than some, but there wasn't a single time when I was kind of creeped out. The two other things that I thought might be contributing to my non-frightened state was that vampires (if that's what the Mulo truly are) are firmly in my "do not believe" category, and I try not to waste time on being frightened by things that I believe aren't real. The other thing is that there was only about 10 pages where I wasn't sure whether the main character was really in any danger. The Hero in this book is a very convincing hero, to the point of not worrying about the protagonist. I wish that Olson would have cast more doubt on the Hero, or made him a little more imperfect.
Overall, the writing in this book was really good, and the plot moved along at a very good pace. I would have enjoyed a little more exploration of the secondary characters, as well as of the Hero, but it is what it is.
Overall, the writing in this book was really good, and the plot moved along at a very good pace. I would have enjoyed a little more exploration of the secondary characters, as well as of the Hero, but it is what it is.
did-not-finish
September 28, 2012A student is saved by a homeless man and starts to think she is crazy. Plot lines are thrown at us from every direction, to the point where you think *you* might actually be crazy. Just not enough here to make an enjoyable story for me.
March 8, 2020
Frustrating. Just frustrating that none of the characters could figure out what was going on or talk to each other. Frustrating that everybody just kept racing around, going from one bad situation to the next, oblivious. It took me forever to get through b/c I was..frustrated! It had a good ending, tho, still leaving a lot of questions and loose ends. Usually I love a book with this premise, but this book was, sadly, not one of those.
July 6, 2022
This book had potential, but it turned into a Christian fiction novel, which is just not my genre and I felt there was to much time spent chasing each other around and not enough time setting the scenes and explaining the world. Maybe there are companion novels that do that? I am not sure and not interested. Sorry John B. Olson, just not for me.
January 28, 2019
This was okay -- loved the writing style but felt like the author was unnecessarily vague with plot details.
November 22, 2009
Hailey Maniates was a tall and beautiful third year grad student majoring in Biochemistry. One night, after returning to her lab, she is pursued by someone or something. Terrified, she runs through Golden Gate Park where she is rescued by a very tall homeless man. She can't understand it, but she can read his mind and she can feel his emotions. He sprints her to the hospital, and leaves her to explain her story. Even though Hailey thinks this is due to the shock from the trauma, the doctors feel it is something more. Hailey is put in a mental institution and is medicated for her hallucinations. She knows she's not crazy, and must find the very tall homeless man to find out what happened and get her many questions answered. What really did pursue Hailey? Why did she think she saw herself being chased through the attackers eyes? How could she feel the thought and emotions of the homeless "giant"? What was happening to her? Was she really just the crazy person her doctors diagnosed her to be?
I had read the second book of this series, "Powers", first, and was a little concerned that I may have ruined this first book. Not at all!! From the beginning, "Shade" pulled me in. Masterfully written, it's full of mystery and intrigue and heart-stopping, spine-tingling terror. Olson wrote a fantastic page-turner that scared the pants off me! His characters have depth and memorable qualities that I won't easily forget, nor will I be comfortable being alone in the dark for a long time to come!!
I had read the second book of this series, "Powers", first, and was a little concerned that I may have ruined this first book. Not at all!! From the beginning, "Shade" pulled me in. Masterfully written, it's full of mystery and intrigue and heart-stopping, spine-tingling terror. Olson wrote a fantastic page-turner that scared the pants off me! His characters have depth and memorable qualities that I won't easily forget, nor will I be comfortable being alone in the dark for a long time to come!!
February 24, 2013
So I just picked this book up in the library randomly last month cause it looked interesting and the reviews on the back cover praised it so highly, so I didn't realize that it was was Christian fiction until I went home and added it on my goodreads, and I've never read any Christian fiction.
I'm an aetheist, so I was a bit wary about what I might encounter when I read the book because I was afraid it might get really preachy telling you how to live your life or just have really inappropriate stuff about gays or women, etc...
But luckily the book wasn't like that, it's totally an urban fantasy, starring a girl Hailey who's going to college, studying science, has a normal life until all this stuff starts happening to her which turns out to have religious roots.
Reviewers said that this would be a really scary book, but it really wasn't that scary. I haven't ever really read horror, but I've watched horror movies and it's really hard for me to take those, and this book didn't scare me.
The religious aspects of the book aren't the common ones that everybody knows so I liked that and though the religion is an important part of the story, it's not in your face all the time, it's nicely interspersed throughout the book with Hailey's everyday life.
So I liked Hailey's character, I liked the main male character though he got annoying at times, and I liked the mystery of trying to find out what was happening to Hailey, but overall I give it 2/5 stars, I just didn't like it overall as much is individual pieces. Maybe I just wanted more answers than there were in this book.
I'm an aetheist, so I was a bit wary about what I might encounter when I read the book because I was afraid it might get really preachy telling you how to live your life or just have really inappropriate stuff about gays or women, etc...
But luckily the book wasn't like that, it's totally an urban fantasy, starring a girl Hailey who's going to college, studying science, has a normal life until all this stuff starts happening to her which turns out to have religious roots.
Reviewers said that this would be a really scary book, but it really wasn't that scary. I haven't ever really read horror, but I've watched horror movies and it's really hard for me to take those, and this book didn't scare me.
The religious aspects of the book aren't the common ones that everybody knows so I liked that and though the religion is an important part of the story, it's not in your face all the time, it's nicely interspersed throughout the book with Hailey's everyday life.
So I liked Hailey's character, I liked the main male character though he got annoying at times, and I liked the mystery of trying to find out what was happening to Hailey, but overall I give it 2/5 stars, I just didn't like it overall as much is individual pieces. Maybe I just wanted more answers than there were in this book.
October 17, 2011
I stumbled upon this looking for something to do a book report on in a Christian school I was put in. I was drawn to the book by the quote, "Whom do you trust when you can't tell reality from fantasy?" It really hit home for me because I was in a situation where someone had messed with my head so much I was starting to question it. I really enjoyed "Shade". John Olson did a good job contrasting the Dracula story and putting a unique spin on it. This novel makes you think. The characters are well rounded and the concerns of Hailey's schizophrenia and the oddities of the homeless man and Melchi. Questions still plague Hailey as the doctors try to medicate her so called "hallucinations." Hailey becomes obsessed and terrified of Melchi. There is a great battle that must be prepared for against something that favors vampires. There is a supernatural world depicted here that scares some readers and excites others at the possibilities because it was described so realistically. We all have secret and not so secret fears. When it comes down to the moment of facing it, it is all about your perception and what you believe. Sometimes, being crazy isn't so bad because the truth is worse, and sometimes it's not so bad because through that journey you learn new things. I thought it was a medium paced read. It reminded me of Peretti's work and for the author and type of novel that it is I thought it was a decent read.
October 2, 2008
If Shade were a movie, it would be released in July and have the term blockbuster tied to it. This book has it all—action, suspense, romance, good and evil. And if a good story isn’t enough for you, Shade contains some hefty metaphorical material to chew on. John Olson uses mythological framework to explore the existence and impact of evil in our world, but if you’re not careful, you’ll start checking every dark corner for a real monster.
Hailey and Melchi are the kind of characters who become your fiction friends. You care about them, root for them, and chew your nails when they’re in trouble, which is often. When grad student Hailey’s life is disrupted by a terrifying, unseen presence, she must either uncover the secret of the stalking menace or relinquish her shaky claim on sanity. The only person who believes her far-fetched claims is homeless hero Melchi with his bewildering knowledge and hidden abilities. Together Hailey and Melchi battle an ancient evil and discover mysteries they never imagined.
Buy this book and then clear your schedule for tomorrow because you’re going to be up all night.
Hailey and Melchi are the kind of characters who become your fiction friends. You care about them, root for them, and chew your nails when they’re in trouble, which is often. When grad student Hailey’s life is disrupted by a terrifying, unseen presence, she must either uncover the secret of the stalking menace or relinquish her shaky claim on sanity. The only person who believes her far-fetched claims is homeless hero Melchi with his bewildering knowledge and hidden abilities. Together Hailey and Melchi battle an ancient evil and discover mysteries they never imagined.
Buy this book and then clear your schedule for tomorrow because you’re going to be up all night.
November 3, 2009
I love stories that expose a fantastic world coexisting with the one we live in, and that’s what I found in Shade. John Olson peels back the layers of our own society and gives us a chilling glimpse of a hidden world that is even more unsettling because it’s so believable.
Hailey, a graduate student, is accosted by a knife-wielding attacker, and then saved by an unlikely hero – a giant homeless man. The tale she tells at the hospital lands her in the mental ward, where she’s diagnosed as schizophrenic and given anti-psychotic medications. But Melchi, her homeless rescuer, knows that Hailey’s attack wasn’t random. He has spent his life tracking an evil entity whose influence is spreading across the city of San Francisco, leaving a horrifying trail of murder in its wake. The story is intricate and deep, a good-versus-evil tale with enough twists to make it unique and fascinating. The evil exists on so many levels in this well-written tale, some of them elements that will thrill lovers of dark fantasy, and others recognizable because they really exist in the world in which we live. But don’t worry – the good comes from the One who will always triumph in the end.
Hailey, a graduate student, is accosted by a knife-wielding attacker, and then saved by an unlikely hero – a giant homeless man. The tale she tells at the hospital lands her in the mental ward, where she’s diagnosed as schizophrenic and given anti-psychotic medications. But Melchi, her homeless rescuer, knows that Hailey’s attack wasn’t random. He has spent his life tracking an evil entity whose influence is spreading across the city of San Francisco, leaving a horrifying trail of murder in its wake. The story is intricate and deep, a good-versus-evil tale with enough twists to make it unique and fascinating. The evil exists on so many levels in this well-written tale, some of them elements that will thrill lovers of dark fantasy, and others recognizable because they really exist in the world in which we live. But don’t worry – the good comes from the One who will always triumph in the end.
November 3, 2012
Okay, so I randomly grabbed this book from my local library because it sounded sort of creepy and I haven't read a good scary book in awhile. This book was not at all what I expected (not scary) but let's put it this way: I started reading it last night around 9pm and just finished it (IT is now 8:55 am). My weak body demanded I slept about 4 hours. I don't give out 5 stars very often but OH MY GOODNESS!! I absolutely LOVE this book. I would write more but I have this terrible tendency to give away too much of the story. Let me just say all the reviews on the back of this book were actually true and this is DEFINITELY a keeper. Read it!! I dare you not to fall a little bit in love with the hero of the story. It's so rare for me to read a book that surprises me over and over again. You just aren't sure for the longest time what is real and what isn't. Hmmm, what else can I say but amazing, benevolent, and wickedly awesome!
July 23, 2012
I suppose if I went ahead and read the rest of the series I would like this book better but...It really did nothing for me and I really have no desire to put myself through trying to read any more of this series. The entire story the good guy chases the bad guy around and everytime the good guy finds or catches the bad guy he either runs away or gets beaten up, then runs away. He's supposed to be the only one that can rid us of this evil! He won't be able to accomplish this if he can't win a simple fist fight or even face the bad guy! My biggest complaint is about the main character. I just really can't stand weak women and absolutely hate it when the main character is weak. I'm talking weak mentally and physically. The "heroine in distress" thing does make for better reading but this character really takes the cake!
March 26, 2015
This book was very intriguing, but to be honest half the time I had absolutely no idea what was going on. Basically all of the action scenes just started happening, sometimes in the middle of a paragraph, and I found myself having to reread sections because I thought I must have missed a couple sentences. I hadn't.
But even though the events were very difficult to follow, I still enjoyed reading it. The characters were very well developed, and I found myself questioning reality just about as much as the characters were. The book also had a fantastic Christian foundation, which is very hard to find even in the Christian thriller genre.
All in all, I thought the overall story was very good, but I thought that the specific events could have used a bit more work. I look forward to reading the sequel!
But even though the events were very difficult to follow, I still enjoyed reading it. The characters were very well developed, and I found myself questioning reality just about as much as the characters were. The book also had a fantastic Christian foundation, which is very hard to find even in the Christian thriller genre.
All in all, I thought the overall story was very good, but I thought that the specific events could have used a bit more work. I look forward to reading the sequel!
October 16, 2008
there are very few christian fiction books that impress me and this one was okay. it is sort of "buffy the vampire slayer"ish. there are the demon/vampire like characters and the people of the stand who are sensitive to them. when the stand people get around the demon-like they get all blurry. while reading this i felt like i was looking through a steamed up window all the time. i just wanted to wipe it clean so i could see better. one critic said they couldn't put it down and another said it scared them to death. they obviously have not read too many scary books cause this wasn't at all. it did keep me reading though and i wanted to see how it was going to end. the christianity was there but subtle. but it did fit into the story well and not added on to appease the publishers.
July 22, 2009
This book kept me very interested. There was the suspense, "is this really happening?", "I'm on drugs, I'm not on drugs.", and "I'm crazy. No, you are.".
At first I didn't mind the "God" references. Even when a character mentioned they were Roman Catholic, and I admire you for your faith, yada yada, I didn't mind. It was only until the ending when it was pretty blatant and in your face that it was Jesus Christ, I've got the crazy-eye for Jesus, read the bible etc. Didn't really like that.
I did not for one second think this book was scary, spine-chilling, leave the lights on, don't walk alone novel. I don't know what book the other authors on the cover read, but it wasn't this book.
I still enjoyed the story.
At first I didn't mind the "God" references. Even when a character mentioned they were Roman Catholic, and I admire you for your faith, yada yada, I didn't mind. It was only until the ending when it was pretty blatant and in your face that it was Jesus Christ, I've got the crazy-eye for Jesus, read the bible etc. Didn't really like that.
I did not for one second think this book was scary, spine-chilling, leave the lights on, don't walk alone novel. I don't know what book the other authors on the cover read, but it wasn't this book.
I still enjoyed the story.
March 17, 2010
This is one of those books that is so .... ugggghhhh! I can't say if I like it or hate it. I almost hated it but now that I'm done I just might really like it. The hero is sweet and wonderful the heroin is something like that too. The villan is -wicked and the side characters are good. The book is kind of hard to follow sometimes but the points you miss (apparently) don't really matter for the story line. Also, it doesn't really tie some things together till the very end and then leaves you wondering "is that what it was leading up to all this time... must be more to it". But the ending is...
December 1, 2008
This is an amazingly eerie book that makes you think and keeps your heart pounding through the entire book. What is Hailey experiencing? Is it vampires, hallucinations, mental illness? Who is the homeless giant? "Whom do you trust when you can't tell reality from fantasy?" I loved Hailey and Melchi, but spent the whole book trying to figure out if they were right for each other and who the bad guys were. Intriguing book and highly recommended for readers that love fantasy / sci-fi books. **** (4 stars) for originality
December 31, 2009
Very well rounded and beautifully crafted characters! I can't wait to read his next book. Would recommend to anyone that wants a well put together story that is completly imaginative. At first I was confused by what was happening with the main character but it made me want to find out more so it drew me more and more into the plot to the point where I couldn't put the book down because I wanted to know what was going to happen next.
October 17, 2012
I greatly enjoyed the book. It was not scary but suspenseful. The reason it is missing a star is because there were a couple of gaps. The main one that is still eating me alive is Blaize. We never learn more about him. Who is he? How did he know? Where did he go? I am currently waiting for the sequel. Maybe I will get to know more about Blaize, the intriguing Gothic kid with crazy hair.
Happy Reading Everyone
Happy Reading Everyone
October 15, 2015
This book mad me think what if people diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia could see another world we couldn't. Great book !
I liked this book. It got you into the book. You were part of every scene and you could feel and connect with the characters. It is about religion but that sort of the part of the story. I liked the plot very much. It had you deciding if something was real or not. And who is real and who is not. Very interesting ! One of many books I will remember :)
I liked this book. It got you into the book. You were part of every scene and you could feel and connect with the characters. It is about religion but that sort of the part of the story. I liked the plot very much. It had you deciding if something was real or not. And who is real and who is not. Very interesting ! One of many books I will remember :)
December 11, 2008
The book was good. It was a little confusing at first. And, it wasn't exactly scary. Eerie, yes. Made you think, yes. But not a 5-star book. I thought Hailey's character was a little bit annoying, but with her not knowing if she was delusional, drugged or what was going on, I guess it fit. Melchi's character was great. Enjoyed reading it, but not a quick read at all.
January 15, 2010
This book was interesting enough to finish, but thought that the plot was a little scattered. I know this is Christian lit although the power of God seemed a little shaky even with all of the prayers to the Holy One. Further more the story line of the Standing & the Mulo seemed not well thought out.
May 7, 2011
I liked this book. I was a little miffed that it took SO long for the story line to start making sense. I wished it explained a little more and tied up a few loose ends but over all I liked it. I also liked the way Olson tied in the known reality of our world with this other reality that appeals to this generation.
July 20, 2015
I managed to read the whole thing in one night due to the fact that I had to speed-read and skip pages just to keep reading and not set the thing down. Not my typical read but I had high hopes for enjoying it. It was well written and the characters neatly defined and interesting... it just wasn't my thing.
June 22, 2010
So I'm a dummy. I mistakenly read "Powers" first when "Shade" is the first book. No wonder iwasso confused with the second book. I must admit though that thoughthis book explains the enemy a lotmore than the second, it still was not definitive. Good book though
April 23, 2011
Great characters and really good story but the overuse of synonyms for evil was so distracting it was borderline ridiculous. Bottom line: I was drowning in a sea of adjectives but consistently revived by the storyline.
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