Customer Reviews

Wedgewood Grey (The Black or White Chronicles #2) (Bk. 2)

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First, let me say this and get it out of the way. John Aubrey Anderson has in a matter of a few months become one of my favorite authors. His books are among those that will always remain in my possession. I couldn't possibly think of parting with them. They're too important for what they teach and how they entertain. Entertaining while teaching valuable truths is one of those things I want to learn to do in my own writing. With the help of novels like Wedgewood Grey and it's predecessor, Abiding Darkness, I feel it is a doable task.

Wedgewood Grey is book two in the Black Or White Chronicles. And it's the ongoing saga of the Washington family and the Parker family. This emphasis this time out is on Mose Washington, whose family went through so much and yet this man stood strong in his faith in book one, Abiding Darkness.

Fifteen years prior to this books story, Mose lost his young son to the evil that has taken root at Cat Lake. That was only the beginning. Now as you open the pages of Wedgewood Grey you'll find Mose in another predicament at the infamous lake. One that will cause him to run, while taking on the responsibility of raising a boy whose lost his mother despite Mose's best efforts to the stop the evil from taking her.

The one thing I found surprising about this second installment was the near absence of Missy Parker, who upon reading Abiding Darkness, one would conclude is the focal point of the series. She's there and she plays a most valuable part, but it's very late in the story. On the contrary the story really centers itself around Mose and an FBI agent named Jeff Wagner. Wagner is a man who, try as he might, can seem to draw no other conclusion concerning resent events than that it's the work of demons and the God they oppose. A shoe he finds, as an unbeliever in such ideas, very hard to fit.

With this novel, Anderson's second, I see growth as a writer and storyteller. His words are full of wisdom and charm, wit and grace. He is indeed among the best of today, and maybe even yesteryear's, southern fiction writers. If you enjoy stories of the old south or of the good ole days as many call them, you'll love this story. If spiritual warfare is your thing, you'll love this book. If you just love an engaging story that will take you to a place you've never gone, but would love to be, you'll love this story.

I can't wait for the next installment coming later this year. It's called And If I Die. I'm full of questions about what more will happen with Mose and what's to become of Missy.

I hope you'll join me in finding out.

"Wedgewood Grey" plays out like a crime scene drama with facts layered upon each other while details of the situation's depth is fleshed out. Set in the south at a time when white men considered men of different skin to carry little value, and women of different skin to be worthless.

This story will likely be too gruesome for the Big Honken Chicken club, and may be a bit too scary. However, the tension and the potential of the spiritual warfare isn't so intense that you'll never sleep without a nightlight again.

"Wedgewood Grey" reminded me of early Peretti though the spiritual warfare aspect takes a backseat to Anderson's human characters. "Grey" carries a strong Christian message, with at least one character becoming born again after an encounter with a demon-possessed man.

John Aubrey Anderson crafts descriptive sentences, multiple characters, interwoven storylines and scatters the blend with wry humor.

I'm not a fan of omniscient story telling. I feel you lose the intimacy with the characters or gain too much intimacy with secondary characters who are just passing through. However, Anderson tells quite the story and manages to tie up the loose dangling threads he feeds into the mix. This impresses me, writing is not for the weak-kneed, and his cast of characters and storylines must require file upon file to keep them straight and tied together.

Compulsion to see what would happen next kept me reading, though some of the story lines didn't hold my interest as well as others and I skimmed a few times.

If you are a big fan early Peretti or you like omniscient narrated fiction with a strong Christian thread, I believe you'd enjoy "Wedgewood Grey."

John Aubrey Anderson is a new author who writes with a wisdom and talent that belies his "new" status. His first book in the Black and White Chronicles, Abiding Darkness, set a high standard for the subsequent books.

Let me say right away that you won't do the story justice if you don't read Abiding first. The story there is spoiled if you skip to Wedgewood Grey. He does a good job of bringing in the elements needed from AD into WG, but it isn't the same as savoring it directly.

WG continues the story of the Parkers and Washingtons, a white and black family respectively, from Mississippi. The wise and "mild-mannered until pushed" Mose Washington is drawn into a confrontation with some white youth over the attack of a black woman, and staying true to AD, the confrontation is much deeper than the direct event. Soon there is trouble with a deplorable politician, a backwoods sheriff, and a green FBI agent.

Anderson continues to excel with memorable characters. From the southern belle Caroline "Ceedie" Davis to the fresh faced agent Jeff Wagner, he gets in the heads of his characters and brings them to life on the page. The world created here is one you are not prepared to leave when finishing the book.

He also does a masterful job with the tension and suspense. There isn't quite as much action as AD, but he skillfully works the struggle - playing it out without going overboard.

One minor disappointment is that the key character from AD, Missy Parker, is not as prominent in this book. Maybe I just fell in love with her too much, but I'd be surprised if her story was over just yet...

Anderson is not afraid of going into spiritual ideas, but it is handled with care and flows with the story. If you want to read a well-crafted, suspenseful novel, then don't let anything hold you back from the Black and White Chronicles. My only complaint? Now I have to wait until August 2007 for the next book in the series, And If I Die. Dadgummit!

"If you forget everything else that happened here tonight, you need to remember this...this isn't a crossroads, it's a threshold."

Missy Parker is married and has moved away from Cat Lake but despite the passing of fifteen years, the evil that lurked in the murky waters still exists biding its time for her return...

Mose Washington shares his days with his former employer and now close friend, Mr Bobby Parker, ignoring speculation about their unusual relationship from folk who don't know any better. His evenings are spent wandering around the woods watching the deer and thanking the good Lord for the time he had with his late wife, Pip.

When an old foe disturbs Mose's prayers, he once again steps in to protect the innocent from evil incarnate, saving the life of a young boy, Bill and becoming a fugitive from justice.

Rookie FBI Agent Jeff Wagner is assigned the case to locate an old black man, a young boy and one good looking Redbone hound after the discovery of a scene reminiscent of a battleground with bodies found in such a state as to disturb the most seasoned police officer. When the locals calmly describe demons and evil spirits to justify the gruesome events, Wagner, in the midst of the deep South, tries to find a better explanation...and fails.

John Aubrey Anderson not only equals his first book, he improves on it! Wedgewood Grey is another intellectual thrill ride, with the same evocative language and wonderful character depth as Abiding Darkness. Mose is again a pivotal character with Missy and Pat making a late appearance in the book but the focus on new character, Jeff Wagner, is brilliantly done. He is genuine and appealing and his journey of discovery is not to be missed.

John Aubrey Anderson imparts wisdom through his elegant prose placing the reader at the heart of every scene, easily connecting their emotions to those of the characters. Jeff Wagner's character brings delightful humour to the story which eases the emotional turmoil at just the right moments. I was totally absorbed by this story and can't wait for the next instalment in the Black or White Chronicles, And If I Die, releasing Summer, 2007. I am delighted to say it won't be the last!

After reading the first in this series, I could not wait to get Wedgewood Gray--It was well worth the wait. It is one of the best books I have read in a long time.

The spiritual war of Cat Lake, Mississippi continues as forces of good and evil clash in an epic struggle for the souls of this close-knit community, as demons incite those of weak and intemperate nature, while guardian angels strengthen the resolve of those who love the Lord and are committed to His righteousness. Anderson's second novel interweaves the actions of humans and ministrations of angels and demons more subtly than Abiding Darkness, resulting in a more engaging, enjoyable narrative.

Mose Washington's life has always been touched by the supernatural. Ever since the sacrifice of his son, Mose Jr., to save the life of Missy Parker, Mose has been acquainted with the sentiment, "I must decrease, so that He must increase". Though trials have buffeted his life: the loss of his beloved son, a long stint on a prison plantation for a crime he didn't commit, the death of his wife, lost time and heartaches, Mose has always trusted that God's Will knows best. When he feels God's urging to investigate a confrontation on a dark road in the middle of the night, he obeys without question, making sure his shotgun is loaded and at the ready.

When the dust clears and the gunplay ends, Mose finds himself on the run with a thirteen year old black boy - now an orphan, his mother dead at the hands of drunk college boys looking for fun at the expense of a black woman's life - sought for questioning in the death of Oliver Bainbridge, only surviving son of United States Senator and vicious bigot, Halbert D. Bainbridge. With the FBI on their trail, Mose and the boy disappear into the Delta, looking to make new lives for themselves as they lean on God for support and care-taking.

FBI Special Agent Jeff Wagner isn't like the rest of his federal agent brethren - he's a mold-breaker who thinks on his own, rather than blindly following "all the rules". This independent, open-minded perspective is Agent Wagner's only chance of surviving the spiritual maelstrom that swirls around Cat Lake, as forces beyond his ken seek not only to destroy the lives of all those involved, but perhaps corrupt and ruin his own soul as well, while he labors to understand what really happened on a dark road in the middle of the night, and the part Mose Washington played in this horrible event.

Wedgewood Grey is a much more engaging story than its predecessor, Abiding Darkness, simply because the narrative stays in one time period, unlike Darkness, which spanned several generations and watched its principal characters grow up As a result, Wedgewood Grey sports a more involved, eye-catching plotline that's easier for the reader to "lock in to" and follow. This novel is more a work of mystery or suspense, and this makes it a much more enjoyable read, especially for those whose attention might be prone to wandering during the character-study that was Abiding Darkness.

The instances of spiritual involvement and manipulation are handled better in this novel; executed with a finer touch than in Darkness, which makes the story much easier to read without numerous interruptions by asides from the perspective of demons or angels. Ironically enough, though Wedgewood is supposed to be chiefly about Mose Washington and his flight from the law, Agent Jeff Wagner weighs in as the strongest character for most of the novel, and out of the two works, his character development stands as the best.

All of this is not to say that Abiding Darkness wasn't a fine novel; rather that Wedgewood Grey moves along at a quicker, more action-oriented pace and is a much more focused narrative, rather than a panorama of several different life-lines and familial intersections. With this much development from the first novel to the second, the third installment in the Black or White series, And If I Die, should be a novel to watch for.

I'm not a particularly religious person, but I am a believer and I did know that this trilogy fell under the Christian Literature category. I loved Abiding Darkness, especially the charming Southern characters, and enjoyed Wedgewood Grey...to a point. Wedgewood Grey moves much more slowly than Abiding Darkness. I'm afraid that it became so ham-fisted toward the midpoint, driving the Christian message home, that the story stalled and I lost interest. The story just plain stopped moving along and the action/excitement that drew me in the first place all but disappeared. I had already downloaded the third installment "And If I Die" before I finished reading Wedgewood in anticipation of a continued thrilling tale. I may pick that one up to see where it goes. As for Wedgewood Grey, sadly, I've moved on.

Before I begin, let me say that I really enjoyed the first two in the series and I'm looking to get the 3rd one now. The books were very good reading. However, they were both anti-climatic in that the most compelling parts were at the beginning while the remainder of the books gave detail upon detail about the characters' lives post-demon encounters. These details were still interesting but sometime a lot less so although I was anxious to see how they would tie together to describe how God sometimes works to protect and guide us into the truth and transform us making us useful to the Kingdom work. The books, particularly the first one sounded too preachy and too perfect with so many characters being firmly settled in their Christian convictions and laying out the doctrine of salvation it sounded so that the reader would know it from A-Z. I felt the books could've sounded more realistic and compelling if they showed God working more than taught it verbally thereby leaving somemore to the imagination. The books also have some dry areas where the writer sets the stage a lot for various characters leaving the reader completely uncertain (unless you love guessing endings)as to who's the subject and its relevance but trusting by now that it'll eventually tie-in together good. Neverthelss, both were enjoyable reads and I found myself feeling like I was in a community of Believers and being challeged as a Believer myself to pray more and rely on God more. That was a plus for the books b/c I sometimes feel out-of-touch with my evangelistic calling having become caught up with life's challenges and hardships. It makes me want to be a more transparent and prayerful Christian aware of spiritual warfare and the very real presence of the enemy. I am very grateful for Anderson's works. I enjoyed them more than I did Peretti's books I read many years ago. Partly, I'm sure because the main characters are largely black and that's my background and greatest area of interest (I love historical books about African Americans as well as Christian historical fiction). I was tempted to give the books a five but will say my four rating means they were quite engaging and great fun but reserve my five ratings for those few flawless books I come across. Also, I read one reviewer's review that said they were looking forward to Missy's return as a central figure. I couldn't disagree more (to each his own of course). I just didn't like Missy's character much. She was much too irritating to me b/c she was bossy and mouthy to a fault and everyone practically worshipped her. That is never a good thing and in real life, when we get like that God ALWAYS breaks us and His breaking comes via humbling experiences exposing our pride and I never saw that happen to Missy so I never could enjoy her character (are Ceedie's).

I love this book. There was humor mixed with suspense. The characters are great. Every book I have read of John Anderson made me feel like I was there. What is interesting is this really happens. It is nice to read a book that does not need Hollywood to make it exciting. Great author, Great Book!!

Years earlier, the small Mississippi community of Cat Lake suffered from spiritual warfare, but now time has passed, and many of its previous residents have either moved away or passed on--but the method is unlike any other community. The previous war between spiritual forces will always be remembered.

Mose Washington is just recently out of prison and now he's living in a barn on the back of his property. He spends his days with his friend, Bobby Lee Parker. When Mose wakes up late one night with cars coming down the gravel road, he knows trouble is up, but that doesn't keep him for grabbing his gun and going to investigate.

White men are attacking an innocent black woman. Mose steps up to defend the woman and white men die. Mose's attempt at rescue brings disaster. Now Mose is a fugitive. And now the forces of good and evil gear up for round two of the spiritual battle at Cake Lake.

WEDGEWOOD GREY is the second book in The Black or White Chronicles and I would suggest reading book 1 first as this one plays on events that happened previously. However, if you can't get your hands on Abiding Darkness then there is enough backstory included in WEDGEWOOD GREY where you will get some idea what has happened previously.

I can't really say that WEDGEWOOD GREY is expertly written as he breaks a lot of writing rules--including author intrusion, point of view shifts, etc. But the story is griping and will grab your attention from the beginning and hang on tight. If you love spiritual warfare stories you will love WEDGEWOOD GREY. Discussion questions are included at the rear of the book. $19.99 (hardcover). 372 pages.