Book Review: Shade by John Olson.

I received a review copy of Shade by John B. Olson to read. This is not normally the type of book I read. I'm not a big horror fan. I'm not sure why. Some of the stuff I've read or watched is too real and *that* does scare me. Shade might have changed my mind on horror. At lease on horror that has a plot.

Granted, it is easy for me to get sucked into a book. I like to read and I like to finish them quickly. When I get into a book, I will read it whenever I can. If I can read a page or two while waiting in line, I will. If I can read a little sitting in the car, waiting for Elizabeth to run into the store, there goes another couple page. I just read away. If I don't get into a book, I can't read it. Some books, even classics that I've heard people say they love (Robinson Cursoe for instance) I can't read. I get a few pages in and my mind wanders to something more entertaining. That said, I finished the book in about 3 days. I'm not a very quick reader and the book is 410 pages.

The main characters were very compelling. They felt real. Each sentence was thought out so well that I could see the characters. Very good showing of the story. Some of the secondary characters I wanted to get to know a little better, but they were described as well as main characters in some other books.

The story was also intriguing. Hailey, a grad student, is attacked by something evil. Her hero, a giant homeless man, disappears after taking her to the hospital. Diagnosed as schizophrenic, and believing it herself, she is compelled to find her hero and find out what the evil was. The story is very complex. Some might say too complex. Much of the back story is a little confusing too. I like the complexity, but I did get a little confused from time to time. Even without fully understanding parts, I still was able to follow the story. It is just one of those great stories that you have to read a few times to understand all the nuances.

This story of good versus evil is well worth reading. It might even be worth reading twice. Tomorrow I will tell you how you can win your own copy of Shade that you can read over and over. On Wednesday I will tell you about some other sites that have more information about this book.