Powers, by John B. Olson

I received an Advance Copy of "Powers" by John B. Olson and was intrigued. While the publisher is a Christian one, the book seemed to be something of an urban fantasy. Also, it was a sequel to an earlier novel, "Shade".

As I began to read, I found the words and phrases to be disjointed and poetic, almost as if I was watching something unfold before me which was blurred and somewhat incomprehensible. Clearly, this was meant by the author as a literary tool to keep you guessing and to put yourself into his hands for the "ride" and just see what happens.

Set in bayou bogs and forests with mysticism and ancient beliefs, urban centers with smoothly wealthy villains, and even including military/police conspiracy as well, it was somewhat jumbled. This too, seems to be a literary tool, making the setting contribute to the epic feel of the book.

The main character, Jazz, is a man who has power which he is only beginning to experience as blackouts and frightening situations which begin to happen. The "Mulo", the dark side, is already aware of him and has plans for him. He is befriended by several people near the beginning, one of whom seems to be along for the thrill ride of Jazz's current life, and others who claim to know what is going on with him. They claim to be alike, part of an ancient group of special people called the "Standing" which fights against this evil "Mulo".

Never knowing who to trust and how to interpret what is happening to him, Jazz is barely kept from death numerous times. It was this which began to weaken the book. Facing an impossible situation so many times and coming out alive began to get old.

Another main character, Mari (Mariutza), has much training from her grandfather, another of the "Standing", but no knowledge of its history or current situation. She is faced with trying to interpret how to put into action her training.

While I've enjoyed this genre before, I was somehow disappointed by "Powers". The murky setting and confusing plot was emotionally gripping, but didn't satisfy my mind. The Christian aspects didn't seem to be integral to the plot or the characters.

I decided to read the first book in the series to see if I could better understand this one. So, I read "Shade" and found the same types of setting and characters and the same impossible situations consistently resulting in our main characters remaining alive. However, the first book was somehow more satisfying to my mind, although the Christian parts were just as ill-fitting.

Bonfire !

What a fun night! Click on the photo to see it big. It was a huge bonfire.

We had a Reformation Day picnic and bonfire last night. Hay rides, Chili and lots of other fun.

A Photo Weekend

This Fall started out gorgeous and then degenerated into a soggy mess. The trees, which had promised to be gorgeous for some time, lost many of their leaves and we were left with trying to catch the last of them.
Making jokes proved good for treetime smiles.
Collecting leaves from the ground after the rain stopped was fun.
These cuties were dancing and jumping for Joy on October 31st.
The pink haired ones were carving pumpkins.

"Well, hey there, ma'am"

More carving with slimy guts and slippery seeds.

Some knitting and a birthday

What a joy kids are! Motherhood is never easy, but so worth it! Happy birthday, sonny! I hope this year is even better than the last.
These are some socks I made for Sara's baby, her first. She's a nice gal from church and so beautiful, too. I am so glad for her, and know she'll be a great mom.
It is so beautiful here in the Midwest, with the fall trees and the chilly weather. So Chilly, in fact, that I wanted to knit the February Lady sweater. So here's my progress.
The yarn is so lovely, and I enjoy the process of knitting each stitch with such yarn. (Malabrigo worsted in Stone).

Newspaper Route

Early summer brought a brief job for one of my kinder. She needed the $$$$ for her gymnastics team fees. Sometimes a little sis can be a fun companion on the first trip through the route.
Sometimes they have to be laughed at too!
She could use another job, cause we keep writing those checks! Get moving, girl!

New friends

One of my new friends is a wonderful author who Keegan introduced me to last Spring. I love it when people share great books with me.

While I have read several of her books (Ok more like 15 now), it is the books about the Old Testament kings which has impacted me the most. Have you ever read the stories about David and his descendants and all those kings? For me, they are hard to keep track of, and to orient the other people in them. Just who were they?

Lynn Austin takes a large chunk of that history and turns it into 5 novels. Much of the stories are completely ficitonal, with much true history woven in, and it becomes a fuller and more memorable set of stories to me.

Besides which, she writes well, and has a worldview which is solid and beautiful.