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| "The Vagabond Healer is a thoughtful
novel about a young vagabond with a
unique
spiritual gift - the power to cure
sickness
through his touch. Yet when he taps
into
his power, he gains a momentary glimpse
of
the depths of his subject's soul, including
their deepest secrets and fears. When
he
meets Lisa Bennet, he discovers a reason
to stop running, yet her father Ernest
Bennett
has received Eddy's healing and is
aware
that Eddy knows of the darkness in
his past.
To protect his secrets, Ernest decides
to
eliminate Eddy, and anyone else who
may know.
At times comtemplative of divine mystery,
at times crushing in its exploration
of human
ruthlessness, The Vagabond Healer is
an unforgettable
read cover to cover." - Michael Dunford, the Midwest Book Review "One of the finest pieces of fiction I have ever read..."The Vagabond Healer" by James R. Olson is one of the most touching books I've ever read. Mr. Olson is an extremely talented author. The plot is heartwarming and kept me on the edge of my seat. Olson manages to convey emotion in a way that few authors can. I was drawn into the plot and brought to tears on several occasions. Sam and Mary Johnson are the kind of people we all want to be. Sam has a few rough edges and came across as being very human. Eddy is a very vulnerable character. He displays selfless love and yet has a fear of having those he loves being hurt. Eddy could willingly sacrifice his life for others. Ernest is the perfect antagonist for this story. He is ruthless and arrogant; he's the worst of humanity. The cover is beautifully done with the profile of a young man where the air around him appears to have a mystery. I truly enjoyed this book and read it at one sitting; I literally could not put it down. I highly recommend this book to those that enjoy Christian fiction. Well done Mr. Olson." - Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views. "Legally fiction, but the research Olson has done has made this one of the most alive and real "biographies" we have read in a long time. We follow Ulzana the Apache through all stages of his life from infancy to boyhood, through training as a warrior and on through 40 years of war against both the Mexicans and the White Eyes. Truly the death of the great Chiricahua Apache tribe, and if we gave triple stars, we'd give it on this one!" - New Mexico Book League. "ULZANA …is painstakingly researched. It is gripping. It has other virtues too, and no glaring defects. . .More importantly, however, most of the descriptive passages - mountains, sky, desert, crimson clouds, stars, fiery sun - are exceptionally successful. Olson shows early acquisition of a prose style both dignified and detached; also, at least in this instance, it is cadenced and somber, well suited to the subject matter - rapacity, expropriation and death . We somehow sense his sounding of the death knell . . . To repeat, this novel - by a white man - is griping." - Cyrus Colter, Panorama, Chicago Daily News. " The reader . . . will discover a rather warm tale of an Apache who must face the end of the Indian wars and the beginning of the reservation system. Olson has created a true character of fiction, one with three dimensions, caught up in a major conflict of his time." - Sioux Falls Argus-Leader. "In this first novel the author gives evidence of thorough research. He reveals the Apaches as vengeful fighters and cruel torturers, but only in retaliation against exploitation by greedy Indian agents and frontier drifters and treachery by the United States government. His excellent portrayal makes Ulzana seem to be a real person, fully deserving the sympathy of the reader." - Southwest Chronicle. "And the most refreshing thing about "Ulzana" in addition to excellent writing, is a truly humanistic point of view. A fine story superbly told." -Alex Thien, Milwaukee Sentinel "For this reader, and I suppose most of us, we only know that we like Ulzana and understand what drove him and his fellow Apaches to the things they did." -Alice Bullack, Book Review Editor, The New Mexican The Indian lives, both fictional and true, portrayed in these books are tragic ones, but only James R. Olson in "Ulzana" even approaches the skill necessary to portray the complex fate of being one of the first Americans." -Michael Paul Novak, The Kansas City Star. "Olson's often fast-moving, well-researched book does its best to avid didacticism and sentimentalization." -Kirkus Reviews "Olson, whose first novel this is, writes with attractive smoothness and his portrayal of Indian life is convincing." -Publishers Weekly "The portrayal of both milieu and the central character is excellent...the depiction of Indian life is accurate and sensitive and despite some technical flaws, this is a promising first effort." -Library Journal. "Indeed this novel may move the student to do more reading and thinking about the complicated and difficult relationship between the white man and the red man." -Minnesota Daily. "Ulzana is enjoyable reading, an exciting action story and a good historical dramatization of the "pacification" of the Chiricahuas." -David Simpson, Sunday Advocate, Baton Rouge, LA "This well-written book captures the true spirit of the American Indian during the period of time the white man was conquering and forever changing the red man's ways to those of a white man." -Roanoke Times "James R. Olson has succeeded in creating a warm, human life-story of an average Apache brave. In this, his first novel, the author makes a statement - circumstances change but human being remain the same." -Southwestern Art "Ulzana is an excellent, fast paced novel." -Whisper In The Wind Magazine, New Orleans "There is a stately simplicity to much of Olson's writing in which he captures the eloquence of the Indian and the beauty of the harsh land in which he lived." -Green Bay Press Gazette "In our judgment the book was carefully researched and written, and our reader felt it was superior to Elliott Arnold's best selling novel about the Chiricahuas, 'Blood Brother'." -The Reader's Digest |
| Accredited reviewers and members of the media may request a review copy of any James R. Olson book, or arrange an interview, by contacting Jim directly at 903-855-0944 or via email at jim@booksbyolson.com |
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