Customer Reviews

Abiding Darkness (The Black or White Chronicles #1)

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What happens when Good and Evil clash in the small town of Cat Lake, Mississippi?

It all starts in 1945 at Cat Lake Bridge. Missy Parker, her brother, Bobby, and their best friend, Junior Washington, are playing baseball when they are confronted by Hal Bainbridge and his wife, Estelle, who are just passing through the area. Hal and Estelle leave but the demon accompanying them stays behind. The demon is so enraged by Missy's defiance of Hal, that he vows to destroy every piece of Missy's life- and thus the war in Cat Lake begins.

Junior is a Christian and as such, he shares his faith regularly. Little does he realize it, but his faith is about to be tested- and in the process, Missy will gain her faith. Step back into the Mississippi country in 1945 to a town where Christianity unites those of all colors and the battle between demons and angels has just begun....

ABIDING DARKNESS: THE BLACK OR WHITE CHRONICLES BOOK ONE is a deeply moving story about the heart of Christianity. John Aubrey Anderson explains many of the basic tenets of the faith without being preachy or overbearing. His greatest strength, however, is the superb character development in which the reader sees realistic displays of Christianity in action. Missy's own journey with her faith is one many will relate to as she struggles to maintain her initial enthusiasm for Jesus. She becomes lax in her faith as time passes but renews her faith and experiences many of the same issues that Christians today deal with. The portrait of Missy is both stunning and awe-inspiring.

ABIDING DARKNESS: THE BLACK OR WHITE CHRONICLES BOOK ONE has numerous scenes that will touch the reader's heart. Perhaps, however, the scene at Cat Lake Bridge with Bobby, Missy, and Junior is the most memorable. The drama that unfolds is both poignant and heart-wrenching. This reviewer still cries every time that scene comes to mind.

Racial issues and their pertinence to Christianity are also very carefully and sensitively addressed by John Aubrey Anderson. Mississippi in 1945 was still a very segregated area but Christianity binds together those of different races. While Missy is white, her best friend, Junior, is African-American. ABIDING DARKNESS: THE BLACK OR WHITE CHRONICLES BOOK ONE demonstrates how Christianity is a matter of the heart and not a matter of skin color.

John Aubrey Anderson has amazed this reviewer with this awesome and touching story of the Christian faith. While somewhat reminiscent of Frank Peretti's PIERCING THE DARKNESS and THIS PRESENT DARKNESS, ABIDING DARKNESS: THE BLACK OR WHITE CHRONICLES BOOK ONE is by no means a carbon copy. Instead, Mr. Anderson has utilized a similar technique to Frank Peretti but placed his own folksy brand upon this incredible tale. ABIDING DARKNESS: THE BLACK OR WHITE CHRONICLES BOOK ONE has earned a cherished place on this reviewer's keeper shelf!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

What a remarkable book! To see realistic characters who are so devoted to the Lord and so quick to pray about their problems was very gratifying. The glimpses into the spirit world were believable. The snake attack and the attack of the deranged man were especially gripping. The various deep South dialects were probably hard work to write, but they came off well and added to the illusion of reality. I had never heard of this author prior to reading this book; he has won me over.

I found this book on a sale table and bought it a few years ago. This week, I picked it up and began reading it; I was hardly able to put it down! It is a different kind of Christian fiction. Angels and Demons speak and surround the well-written characters. Set in Mississippi cotton country, the dialog is "spot on," which is no surprise as the author is from that area.

Some will not like the "preachiness," but the author incorporated it into the storyline so well that I found it plausible.

There are several scenes that had me holding my breath. One of the best written is when the three children are playing in Cat Shore Lake. I had to stop and dry my eyes before I could finish reading.

When I received my copy of John Aubrey Anderson's debut novel, Abiding Darkness, in the mail I was really excited. Anyone who's an avid reader knows the history of excellent southern writers. It's a huge pair of shoes to have to walk in. I know I'm one of those southern writers still hoping to break into the market and have my own books on the self.

Anderson does not disappoint with this haunting tale of angels and demons at work in the lives of some common folks of Mississippi. These are folks you know. They've been your neighbor. Maybe they still are. This is the tale of one headstrong child named Missy Parker along with family, friends and foes.

It starts out innocently enough. Children at play. When suddenly some adults come on the scene and stir things up. Words and threats are exchanged. And then we're given a glimpse of the truth behind it all. Some unidentified individuals stand nearby watching. One announces to the other, 'It has begun'.

And then things ramp up. As the truth of what that innocent little event really meant unfolds we realize something bad is happening in Cat Lake. Something evil. And it wants Missy Parker. The remainder of the story chronicles her life as she grows into a young adult. She lives, stumbles and learns. She lives, loves and looses.

For me, one of the highlights of the story is Mose and Pip. A black couple, strong and wise, who are much like parents to Missy. They counsel and console. Teach and love. And at times reprimand.

Abiding darkness is a story with heart and soul. You'll laugh and cry. Get scared out of your mind and anger will bubble. All at the guiding hand of this new and talented author John Aubrey Anderson. He has some profound things to teach us along the way. It's well worth your time to look into this novel, enjoy and learn all in the same sitting.

A book like this is rare. Check out the sequel, Wedgewood Grey (The Black or White Chronicles #2), and the soon to be released third in the series, And If I Die (The Black or White Chronicles #3), also.

REVIEWER'S NOTE: This review corrects typos and has additional info not available in a previous review I did under my old profile. That review is called Suspense In A Southern Tradition.

One of the BEST books I have read in a long time. I have read some really good books but this book is FANTASTIC.

I have never read a novel with all the qualities that John Aubrey Anderson puts into "Abiding Darkness".

It is a tale that starts in the Mississippi Delta of '45, with three adventurous children that soon end up in a maelstorm of a battle at Cat Lake. Missy Parker is the 7 year old princess that rules the roost and doesn't back down. Her older brother Bobby and their best friend Mose Jr. (Junior) try their best to keep her from too much trouble.

The story begins by describing their idyllic world and the events that conspire to tear it apart. Thus begins a tale of heroism, hope, darkness and light. As Missy grows into her special destiny, forces beyond her understanding continue to influence her life, and the people around her.

JAA does a simply amazing job in creating the world of AD. After reading it, I felt like I had grown up in the Deep South, instead of the desert of Idaho. He gives the characters a life and voice of their own, and they are compelling to follow through the events of the book.

His storytelling is mastery. After the first 5 pages I was totally invested in the novel. By page 100 I was almost crying (in public) three times. I laughed out loud at other parts while reading it on a bus. He weaves in suspense and keeps your mind glued to the story, even when away from the book.

He also manages to weave in spiritual themes that inspire, and truly sometimes chill you. The message in the book doesn't come across forced, but is a natural outgrowth of the heart of the characters. That is not an easy feat to accomplish.

If you are looking for a wondrous story with powerful characters on the edge of danger, I can think of no other book that fits the bill. Mr. Anderson truly has earned my respect with the skill of his pen.

Abiding Darkness is one of the best debut novels I have read and John Aubrey Anderson should take a bow then please, quickly write some more!

Life seems idyllic in the township surrounding Cat Lake. World War II is concluding, summer has arrived and three young children are doing what kids do~playing baseball until they drop. Missy Parker, a precocious seven year old, her older brother Bobby are spending the day with their best mate, Junior, the great-great-grandson of an African slave. They are unaware their world is about to be shattered by a pact made in the spiritual realm, their lives will hang in the balance and they will make promises which impact eternity.

Thus beings an evocative tale set in the deep south of America which will remain with you long after you have read the final page. John Aubrey Anderson writes with a gifted pen, his words bring to the life this southern town and describes the lives of the white and black folk living and working at the Parker Cotton Gin with such clarity that I felt I was walking alongside Missy, kicking stones in the dirt. I could feel the sweat trickling down Mose Washington's face as he managed the Gin for Bobby Parker and my heart beat loudly as evil took on the face of French Bainbridge.


I was hooked the moment I read the line on the first page, "The summer of '45 lied." and Anderson does not disappoint in the remaining pages. He balances a wonderful story with glimpses of the spiritual powers at work, without making the characters pawns without purpose. He stays true to the realities of free will and the consequences resulting from the choices his characters make. The underlying message is clear without being overpowering. I certainly find myself pondering my response to this amazing book.
Despite this being one of the first books I have read in 2007, I feel confidant saying Abiding Darkness will be on my top ten list for the year.............although there is the sequel, Wedgewood Grey, releasing this month!!

Abiding Darkness by John Aubrey Anderson is the first book in the Black or White trilogy. In 1945 Mississippi, 7-year-old Missy Parker is in charge, and everyone knows it. Especially her best friend Junior Washington, an 11-year-old black boy. You wouldn't expect a little girl to be a target for the forces of darkness, but there are lots of unexpected things happening at Cat Lake when Missy's around. Anderson does a terrific job of writing dialogue, especially capturing dialect without making it difficult to read. Conversations just flow across the page. He also has a way with a turn of phrase that brings charm and color to the story and makes Cat Lake feel just like home. It's filled with characters you would want to know and spend time with. I'm glad that this is just the first book, because I look forward to spending more time with them. Anderson's descriptions of the demons that haunt Missy and her family are chilling as are the scenes in which they attack. While many Christian books on the market are afraid to show God directly acting in characters' lives, this book shows the Lord taking a direct hand in their lives and letting them know it.

I am not a person who enjoys reading, but I could not put this book down. I have read all three books in the series and loved that they follow this family through the years. I have given this book as gifts, and have recommended it to others many times.

Abiding Darkness, by John Aubrey Anderson, is a promising work of literary weight that's a wonderful period piece steeped in nostalgia and good old fashioned, Southern living. Told in a style reminiscent of Flannery O'Conner and other Southern writers, Abiding Darkness takes the 40's, 50's, and 60's and fleshes them out to real-life proportions, so much so you can smell the catfish roasting on the fire and hear the Temptations playing in the background. The characters are wonderful studies of simple, foundational living, and the narrative drawls in a uniquely Southern fashion, Anderson writing the character's dialogue as only a Southern writer could.

The story follows the life of Missy Parker, a white girl who's been deemed "special" by dark and holy powers alike. Through her young life and through adulthood, Missy is unwittingly the center of a demonic and holy tug of war, as unseen, dark forces wage war against her; first in an effort to sway her soul, and forever after in an effort to hurt her and the ones she loves. Twice these forces claim the lives of those close to her, as two people she cares for sacrifice themselves for her.

However, the dark forces that dog her every step are thwarted by the prayers of those close to her and Missy's own determined spiritual development. Also, beyond her ken and of those around her, an angelic host stands guard, making sure that God's special ones are not harmed by the Enemy's hand. The novel ends as a demonic and angelic forces clash once again, and the storyline leaves us expecting continued repercussions of the Cat Lake `War of `45'.

The characters - Missy Parker, Mose Washington and Mose Jr., Bobby Lee Parker, David and Pat Patterson - are rich portraits painted by a writer clearly skilled at character development, and the narrative moves through time in a very "Forest Gump" sort of way - snapshots of crucial events are vignettes of strength and endurance, and there is the sense this would make a wonderful movie or even television miniseries. The story moves at its own pace; at life's pace, and Anderson does something many other writers have tried and failed - he creates a panoramic view of life, faith, and a friendship that exceeds both societal and racial boundaries.

The only thing I had trouble with were the occasional "interruptions" of demonic forces as they plot Missy Parker's destruction, and the angelic hosts that guard them all. Though I understand the underlying motive and the story's central theme - how the forces of evil, the "abiding darkness", endures through time, and God's provision of protection against that darkness - these portions just didn't seem to mesh well with the rest of the story, for me, at least. In many ways, I felt the story would have been just as powerful - perhaps even better - if these moments were either meshed in with the story in a more subtle fashion, or left out all together. I believe the author's theme - that unseen, supernatural forces clash around us daily - would have still come through the story itself, even without these little asides.

However, this in itself is not enough to detract from the overall quality of the novel, which has literary aspirations and for the most part doesn't fall short of them. Abiding Darkness is a promising, solid first entry into Anderson's trilogy, The Black & White Chronicles, and readers will eagerly welcome the second novel in the series, Wedgewood Grey, as a continuation of this rich tapestry of the Southern literary tradition. With this novel, Anderson has proven himself adept at setting the mood, establishing a convincing milieu, and creating a story that resonates with depth and meaning.