I Am God, I Am Jesus, I Am Allah; the Truth Will Set You Free
Allah Takes Up Flesh: Volume II
This inventive sequel is centered on the lives of the men and religious entities who are credited with trying to save or destroy humanity.
Jeff Olson’s faith-based, semi autobiographical second novel I Am God, I Am Jesus, I Am Allah; The Truth Will Set You Free continues to emphasize the fight of good versus evil.
Covering much ground in a short amount of space, Olson traverses his origin story in a chronological manner, detailing his birth, upbringing, military service, marriage and subsequent divorce, world travels, and a schizophrenia diagnosis. Along with the autobiographical information, Olson shares the strange and supernatural experiences he survived at Satan’s hand throughout his tumultuous life, which was rife with trials and persecutions.
Interspersed between these memoir sections of the book are chapters devoted to Allah and his continued journey to save humanity from destruction. As in the first book of the series, Allah is seen guiding God, thwarting Satan’s plots, and making sacrifices for the sake of humanity. His life experiences are also outlined, including Angel School, his courtship of Oceanna, and sword-fighting competitions in Angel Military School; many of these mirror Olson’s own life experiences. Even with the book’s corresponding yet separate chapters, Olson and Allah are connected as characters; the book mixes first and third person narrations throughout.
Unsubstantiated claims arise in the text; these incorporate familiar religious names. Here, Paul is reborn as Nostradamus; heaven stores a vault of diseases, which includes COVID-19; Mother Earth, otherwise known as Oceanna, is Allah’s wife, and is credited with destroying Pompeii because she was distraught over the crucifixion of her son; and on January 24, 2020, God is said to have killed Satan. All of these occurrences hold interest from a fictional standpoint; however, the book’s emphasis on its memoir and prophecy portions confuses the book’s overall message, and such claims bring the text’s general purpose into question.
The book exists as a clear continuation of that which came before it. It makes clear references to the previous volume, enabling the appropriate narrative connections. Still, the narrative struggles to establish its own dialogues and exposition in an accessible manner. Its formatting is limited, making it difficult to ascertain when characters are speaking versus when direct storytelling is occurring. Missing quotation marks and punctuation yield confusing run-on sentences. Though the chapter divisions are better defined, and the chapters themselves are brief and digestible, their inconsistencies in terms of spelling and grammar make the book seem like a chaotic, uninviting stream of consciousness work.
Emphasizing the importance of Allah’s love when it comes to overcoming Satan’s evil, the spiritual text I Am God, I Am Jesus, I Am Allah; The Truth Will Set You Free is an inventive sequel centered on the lives of the men and religious entities who are credited with trying to save or destroy humanity.
Reviewed by
Alex Dailey
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
