》Audiobook Review《

It felt like all my complaints about the first book in the series were addressed in this second one. It actually felt like there was a plot, it wasn't ONLY about the author's opinions on a controversial topic, all the unnecessary extra chapters following a dead character in heaven weren't included, Ollie ACTUALLY did some detective work instead of allowing a journalist to do the investigating...things like that. I do think the audio book is missing some chapters. Like I had zero clue Clarence had diabetes and children of his own until almost the end of the book.

Overall, this book was a good step in the right direction as far as writing a book instead of an opinion essay goes. The only thing I won't ever get over is a the fact that Randy Alcorn is a white man writing a lead character that is a black man who brings up the topic of and his struggles with racism. Randy can never truly understand life from the perspective of a black person. Also, I don't care if the book was published in 1996, the use of the "N" word is not okay.

One of my all-time favorite books. If you're looking for the one fictional novel you should read this month, or this year even, it should be this one.

I think I've had more conversations inspired by Dominion than by any other book. It covers a myriad of different topics with honesty and clarity, and can give you valuable insights on a number of race and faith related issues.

The writing is always well-paced and pulls you through the plot, and the murder investigation never seems plasticine or fake. The characters feel like real people once you finish it - I last read it at least six months ago, and my heart still shakes for Clarence, Jake, Geneva, Ollie, Ty, GC and more! You don't want to miss a cast like this.

Most of all, Dominion will draw you to deeply question your faith and ultimately decide if the effort it takes to follow Christ is worth it. It asks this question without being cheesy or silly, and will help you understand what following Jesus "in real life" looks like.

Overall, a fantastic read that offers both deeply insightful observations on the Christian faith, race, the inner city, gangs, drugs, church, angels, politics and more, and a heart-racing murder investigation that will keep you going through the very last page. Highly recommended!

Listened to the abridged audio book so at least I would know what happened before book club. I know I missed alot and would like to go back and finish reading the unabridged book at some point. I would love to see more of the heaven scenes which I heard there were more of in the book.

Maybe sliiiightly preachy at times, but overall I really enjoyed it, especially the detective parts.

This second book in the Ollie Chandler series took me by surprise. I tried reading it a few years ago, but had a hard time getting into it. This time around, I persevered and it was well worth it. Alcorn’s main character is a black man named Clarence who works for a major newspaper in Portland Oregon. When his sister and niece are killed in inner North Portland, Clarence, who already experiences racism as a black man, meets up with Ollie Chandler to try and solve who and why they were killed.

Filled with historical context of racism of the black race, this story delves into gang warfare, a poignant and realistic view of heaven and hell, and one man’s path to finding what it means to have true redemption.

This review isn't going to be the easiest to write if I really delve into why I liked the book and the parts I didn't like, because someone out there is bound to call me a rascist. That's not the case.

The truth is, I thought this book was awesome. As a Christian mystery novel, it obviously came across as spiritual, but in a way that didn't overpower a reader. Even a non-Christian could read the book and get into the main story. Alcorn puts alot of philosophy in his book as well, and the picture he paints of Heaven was probably one of the best I've ever read...while the one he paints of Hell actually scared me.

The story centers around Clarence Abernathy, a columnist for an Oregon newspaper and man with a huge chip on his shoulder about being treated differently for being black. When his sister and his niece are killed in a gang related shooting, Clarence takes it upon himself to solve the crime with the help of Ollie, a policeman who Clarence considers a "redneck" and his good friend Jake (apparently the main character in this novel's predecessor, which I haven't read). While the main storyline threads through the story, several smaller stories branch out from it. Many happenings that could have been told in one or two paragraphs end up spread out onto two or three pages. I would find this obnoxious in many novels, but Alcorn does a good job of holding the reader's interest and finding a way to tie it all in to the spiritual nature of the story.

I had to give this book five stars, not only because it was a good story, but because it made me think. It also made me irritated. There were moments in the book when I actually felt like I should feel guilty for being white. Race is a key theme in this book, so much so that the main character's chip about being black made me want to just scream. In those moments, I wondered if the author had an alternate agenda in his writing.

But by the end of the book, I believed that this wasn't the case. The main character, chip or not, actually comes to terms with his own racism and the fact that while he believes others are judging him, he is judging them as well. The main theme comes to the fact that racism is everywhere, even in people who don't believe they have an issue with other colors. It shows how hard it is to be color blind with so many stereotypes. I also truly appreciated the fact that the story explored other beliefs in the context of a spiritual conflict between the main character and his brother. While I came to the conclusion that I'm sure I'm missing out on alot of things since I don't have firsthand experience of being a different color, I also liked the thought that race should have no bearing on how you try to live and the personal success you aim to achieve (re: I'm very much anti-affirmative action).

Overall, this book was excellent. It made me laugh, cry, and above all, think and question my own thoughts, beliefs, and pre-conceived notions about the world and society as a whole.

Really good. Race/gang stuff with Christianity.

The intersectionality of institutionalized racism, family preservation, gang life, heaven, wrestling with faith, and solving a mystery. That's what you'll see when you read this book. Randy Alcorn does a wonderful job of displaying real and raw struggles of the Christian faith while also discussing the ever complex topic of racism. This book was deeply challenging as you learn with the characters what it looks like for God to have Dominion over all. When we recognize that all is God's, that everything is His dominion, that is when we can truly be transformed my God; being used by God.
In a time where the vast majority of people are quick to have their feelings hurt & thus straying from uncomfortable topics, Mr. Alcorn addresses these topics head-on, bearing Truth, pointing to Jesus.

8/10
Well since I read Deadline about 20 years ago, it seemed fitting that I read the rest of the trilogy. While it took me forever to get through that one (mostly because I didn’t read many books back then & that was also a huge book), I did not expect Dominion to take this long.

Please bear in mind, that I do not dislike the story! Even as unlikable & grumpy as Clarence can be at times (I remember him being a lot more fun in Deadline, granted he went through less as a side character), I was still rooting for him because I like challenging protagonists who have a chance to turn around.

My 2 biggest problems with Dominion were:
A. These chapters are super long for me & sometimes completely bogged down with…
B. Info dumping. These two things killed the pacing for me, because at times it read like a textbook or an autobiography/memoir. Neither of those were what I expected for 600+ page novel.

The story starts out fast & furious & then immediately drops to a crawling every day life pace for a good 2/3 of the book. I was just begging for each section break to take us to a Heaven POV again like Deadline did, & eventually he delivered! Most of those were easily my favorite parts of the book. That & Little Finn. Hehe

Things sure did pick up by the end & wrapped up nicely. Now despite the loads of information packed in with this book, I learned a ton, & still laughed & cried. I still loved the characters & got very invested. I merely took off a star because for a little while the murder mystery got lost in all the information.

I still look forward to reading Deception. They just won’t be back to back. However, I’m not waiting another 20 years! Haha

A very good read. I would encourage you to read if you have the chance to. I do not regret reading it.
I thank God for blessing me with it.

Wow, this book was exhausting. 600 pages, mostly about how much misery black people have and still do endure. The 200-300 pages of actual storyline were pretty good though. I'm curious to know how any black readers of it felt about the book since it was written by a white author but from a black man's point of view.

3⭐️

A lot less about Heaven & Hell and angels than the first one, and a lot more focus on racial prejudice.

It was a curious choice for a white author to write from the perspectives of mostly black characters.

6 n words