If you like your thrillers mixed with visions of Angelic beings and calls for humans to get involved in spiritual warfare than this is the book for you. You should read Watchers, the first book in the series first, as this book continues the relationship between Abby and Dylan, the main characters. Abby finds out through her spiritual gifts that her spiritual mentor is dying. Meanwhile Dylan accepts a government top secret assignment that has him travelling to a place that may very well be a demonic stronghold. The two eventually get reunited and discover that they are being called to combat the forces of evil in a whole new way--and that if they don't succeed their homeland will be in dire danger.
This stood up well as a thriller where I had to keep turning the pages to find out how the heroes were going to save the day. A couple of times they were saved a little too convientially, but that's about average for a typical thriller. The supernatural and spiritual stuff mixed in added an extra layer of complexity and enjoyment. It's a good choice for a face paced break from the ordinary. ( )

NCLA Review -This book challenges our trust of God and his plans. Abby must find a summons told to her in the last words of an old friend. With the help of another friend, she sets out to find this summons and stop an attack against the United States before it is too late. Along the way they make a new friend that helps them along the rest of their journey, telling them history about the various areas they search. Abby can sense and see all that has happened in the historical places they go. Hope is starting to wear thin and when it is almost gone, it is renewed once again. Abby won’t let anyone down. Rating: 3 —SM 400p, Bethany 2008, 978-0-7642-0274-2, $19.99 [813.6] ( )

Abby Sherman and Dylan Hatfield, former compatriots in the war against evil, are not speaking to each other. In his yearning for the action he previously enjoyed as a covert assassin and special ops agent he considers returning to a form of active deployment, a move Abby strongly disagrees with. After their argument Dylan accepts an assignment for a dangerous, top-secret mission – exploring an Afghani tunnel that Bin Laden disappeared from in 2001 without a trace. What he finds there, the evil and darkness is enough to shatter the heart and soul of a man who dares face it without God’s covering.

Meanwhile, Abby is off to Jerusalem where she receives a warning and a charge. The forces of darkness are rallying again, this time planning an attack against America of catastrophic proportions. The only way to prevent the foretold death and destruction is for Abby to find the summons, the call to war, and awaken the Warriors. Once she and Dylan are reunited following his failed mission they are swept into a desperate, unbelievable quest to find a way to stop an attack they know little of.

The Warriors is the second in an informal series of novels by Mark Andrew Olsen. While marketed as novels that can be read individually, I’d recommend that readers first peruse The Watchers, the first novel. A stronger basis for understanding the world of spiritual warfare that Abby and Dylan operate within will reward the effort.

Violent physical attacks continue to replace spiritual defenses. The romantic tension between Abby and Dylan fails to rouse any believable feelings, excepting one moment that borders on genuine in the closing scenes. Without needlessly repeating myself, I will simply say that my concerns with the first novel are still present in the second. For further details please see my review of The Watchers. While Abby’s father – Robert Sherman – was not a main character in the first novel (in fact I didn’t mention him in my review), he has disappeared without a trace from the series. There are no mentions of him whatsoever, but it would have been interesting to see his newfound faith develop further.

Despite my ongoing concerns with some of the content, The Warriors proved to be even more compelling than it’s predecessor. Olsen beautifully describes the lush scenery of various European locations as Abby and Dylan pursue their feverish goal. Olsen’s integration of the history of persecuted European Christians such as the Waldensian people was a welcome and unexpected surprise. Their history was woven together with the geography during their ongoing search.

I was relieved to see Abby set to the side, relinquishing the stage and role of main character to Dylan. In this series Dylan has always been the stronger character, and in The Warriors he truly has a chance to shine. The final scenes are stirring; if I were to make a book trailer for this title I’d include some clips from them along with “What if His People Prayed” from Casting Crowns playing for soundtrack. There are truly some awe-inspiring moments to contrast the depictions of evil as the battle continues to rage. Oddly, each description of a demonic presence is foul and grotesque. In scripture we see Satan and his minions masquerading as angels of light in order to deceive. It would be wonderful if Olsen would integrate this as an interesting twist in upcoming novels.

Similar to The Watchers, readers are not treated to a lengthy, expository conclusion. After tying up a few loose ends it is made eminently clear that Olsen plans to pen additional installations for this series. While many readers are enthusiastic about these novels I won’t be investigating future efforts in this series. It’s not Olsen that I have issues with; I have enjoyed other books bearing his name. Rather, it’s my own stubborn insistence that Christian fiction should be somewhat aligned with scripture on issues the Bible speaks to clearly. Mark, it’s not you, it’s me.

Reviewed at http://quiverfullfamily.com ( )