Fossil Hunter by John Olson

A lone shepherd has stumbled across a whale fossil in the Iraqi desert. Analysis indicates that it could be a newly-discovered species that could shed light on the evolutionary debate. Dr. Katie James has been asked to lead an expedition of grad students to recover the fossil before her rival, Nick Murad, can find it first. But when they arrive, Katie finds the unexpected-a human fossil. She is forced to collaborate with Nick to analyze the find before a faction of the Iraqi government can find it and destroy it. Soon they find themselves on a run for their very lives. Their careers and reputations are on the line-not to mention their hearts and souls.

John Olson refrains from his usual weirdness and bizarre writing style, mostly because this book has been written for a cause. This book attacks evolution at an interesting angle while supporting creationism. This is good, but it does not effect my rating either way. The plot is still mediocre and predictable. John Olson hasn't really learned anything about originality.

Katie James is an imperfect character and has a slight personality. Nick Murad is a standard perfect male lead, and the other characters are just cardboard cutouts. But then again, John's female leads are usually imperfect because they're so afraid of everything. Katie reminds me a lot of Darcy from Adrenaline. John still suffers in the character department.

The foundational idea behind the book is good enough, but the plot is muddled with cheesy suspense. With every page turn, Katie and Nick are either being chased around the desert or are about to die of dehydration or heat stroke. John does that annoying thing some authors do to create "suspense" by ending every chapter with a suspenseful statement. But at the beginning of the next chapter, it's either a misunderstanding or quickly resolved. I particularly care for any kind of overused drama or forced suspense, but this is the worst thing an author can do when trying to write suspense. These such episodes fill the book and make it unprofessional and shallow. If these such parts are censored from the book, there is next to nothing remaining, therefore suggesting that John Olson is not creative enough to write a truly interesting book, but can only create unnecessary drama.

The method in which the fossils are found is realistic enough. When compared to John's other nonsense, this book is very good. It is a very possible and realistic situation. But when compared with other books, this book is only average.

The romantic subplot is highly predictable and uncreative. If two people do not like each other at the beginning of the book, why do they suddenly have a change of heart at the end of the book and fall into each other's arms? This plot device is stock and overused. There's no explanation for why authors incessantly use it over and over again. There is also a cheesy and predictable showdown at end. People can hide behind the fact that this book is attacking evolution all day long, and I have no problem with that. The plot is just not interesting at all.

Perhaps there is hope for John after all.

2.5 stars

Powers by John Olson

Mariutza Glapion's grandfather has just died right before her eyes. The Badness killed him. But before he died, he revealed to her a horrible secret and told her to enter the city of New Orleans in search for the great Jaazaniah the Prophet, the hero of her grandfather's bedtime stories. So Mariutza leaves the swamps she has lived in her entire life and enter the mysterious New Orleans, a place filled with buildings, strange noises, strange people, and sin. When she finally meets her hero, he has no idea what she is talking about. She wants him to help her find her grandfather's alleged treasure box. Soon, he has no choice but to follow her on a run for their very lives from strange hooded people, the authorities and the Badness.

For all those die-hard John Olson fans, the illustrious sequel to Shade is here. Melchi, Hailey, and the Mulo have returned, by the way, with a whole new cast of characters. I said before that Shade did not need a sequel because I just couldn't take anymore nonsense. But believe it or not, several things were actually explained at the end of Powers that shed light on several things. But Powers is far from Elite. It's not even close.

For one thing, the characters are odd, as usual. Believe it or not, Jaazaniah actually has a personality and some imperfection. But Mariutza, Melchi, and Hailey are just plain weird characters. They aren't necessarily perfect, but they are bizarre. I guess this is realistic considering they haven't lived among normal people for a while.

The Badness and the Mulos are bit juvenile, especially since they have no good explanation whatsoever. The four main characters are the only people who believe they are real. No one else can see them, except maybe John Olson. It is very stereotypical of a horror novel to have black clouds chasing people around all the time.

The Standings have a very good explanation behind them that, believe it or not, are backed up by Scripture. It is a very interesting idea that is highly possible. John has discarded his whatnot about Lost Dimensional Gateways under a good explanation as well. At least he was able to part with some of his nonsense.

But the worst part of all, the thing that easily cuts the rating in half, is the very perfect end. A predictable romance works out, all four main characters are still alive at end despite many hospital visits, they find the treasure, and they escape arrest. This is extremely unrealistic, and I am tired of repeating these same things over and over again. Some authors just don't get it. I'm not even sure if John Olson is cut out to be an author, since he repeatedly makes typical mistakes and shows barely any growth from book to book.

If he is to write anymore books, it should not be another nonsensical horror novel.

2 stars

Adrenaline by John Olson

In a sea of mediocre biological and genetic thrillers, Adrenaline is just more water while books like Fatal Defect and Germ are waves.
Adrenaline is about a student with muscular dystrophy trying to experiment on himself in order to find a cure for his condition. The story starts a little choppy and even has couple of abstract scenes. Many of the characters are unnecessary and need to be eliminated or deepened. The female lead is not a person that really attracts the reader.
To me, the story and terms are a little nerdy. Olson needs to bring his story lines down to earth a little. The reader would be able to understand the characters better if they were more realistic. He also tries to force the story upon you and also forces several extra plots into the story. There are also several unexplained coincidences that help the end be perfect.
All in all, it's obvious that John Olson is not used to writing by himself. However, he has a lot of potential.
1 star

The Fifth Man by Randy Ingermanson and John Olson

Randy and John liked the interesting setting the created on Mars so much that they decided to write a sequel. I have to say, The Fifth Man is one of the better sequels I have ever read.
Life in paradise seems to be going awry when strange things start happening on the red planet. The crew isn't getting along, and this lack of cooperation is based on a theory Randy and John have studied, of course. Several strange things start happening, such as objects banging on the walls, dark shapes appearing at the windows, and a strange disease wreaking havoc on the four astronauts. On this planet, nothing is as it seems, not even the real fifth man.
The characters stay true to their personalities for a change, which is a plus for a sequel. The romantic subplot is understood though it could do a little better without it.
Once again, all the disasters and suspense is excused by the setting. The main thing that keeps this sequel afloat is the interesting end.
But this should definitely stop here before it turns into a series.
4 stars

Oxygen by Randy Ingermanson and John Olson

If you think a book about space and Mars would be predictable, think again.
Oxygen is a truly thrilling space thriller and Ingermanson's and Olson's best book. The story is about four astronauts who are sent to Mars a mission that is disastrous from the start. Everything starts out on the wrong foot and it's one thing after another. A mysterious bomb explodes and causes one of them to enter a coma. Then a strange form of bacteria is discovered on board. And so on and so forth.
The exciting part of it is its unpredictability. Having that many problems happen at one time isn't very realistic but in this setting it isn't a big deal.
The characters are well developed and interesting to watch and at times, they make the story slightly comedic. The worst part about the book is a slightly cheesy ending, but all in all, it’s really good and leaves room for a good sequel.
4.5 stars