Athol Dickson

Athol Dickson
Born1955 (1955)
Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
OccupationArchitect · Novelist · Writer
Years activec. 1996–present
Notable workWhom Shall I Fear? (1996); Every Hidden Thing (1998); They Shall See God (2002); River Rising (2006); The Opposite of Art (2011)
SpouseSue Dickson
AwardsChristy Award (2006, 2008, 2010); Audie Award (River Rising audio, 2008)

Athol Dickson (born 1955) is an American author and architect known for his Christian-themed novels and nonfiction works. His writing often includes themes of faith, spirituality, and moral complexities. Dickson won the Christy Award for best Christian fiction in 2006, 2008, and 2010.

Early life

Athol Dickson was born in 1955 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to a traveling salesman father and a homemaker mother. He grew up in Dallas, Texas. His paternal grandfather was a sharecropper and his maternal grandfather was an Oklahoma state judge.[1][2]

Career

Dickson worked as a salesman, boxer, carpenter, and bartender before becoming an architect and writer. As an architect, he designed numerous restaurants across the United States.[1]

Writing career

Dickson's debut novel, Whom Shall I Fear?, published in 1996, was a southern gothic murder mystery with spiritual undertones. Along with nine novels, Dickson has also written one non-fiction book that describes his five-year participation (as an evangelical Christian) in a synagogue Torah study group. In the book, Dickson describes how participation in the group changed his views of Judaism and his Christian faith.[1][3]

Literary themes and style

Dickson's novels address religious belief, interfaith relationships, racism, and abortion.[1]

Notable novels

  • River Rising: The novel follows Hale Poser, an African American man raised in an orphanage, who investigates events in a Southern community. It was the 2006 winner of the Christy Award for best mystery-suspense novel. A Publishers Weekly review compared the novel to Octavia Butler's Kindred.[4]
  • The Opposite of Art: An allegorical mystery about Sheridan Ridler, an artist who experiences a spiritual awakening after an encounter he refers to as "the Glory."[5]
  • Lost Mission: This novel alternates between a seventeenth-century Spanish missionary and characters in modern Southern California. It won the 2010 Christy Award for suspense.[6]

Reception

Dickson's novels have been described as "engrossing" and "entertaining."[1] Publishers Weekly called River Rising "well-paced and powerfully imagined".[4] Kirkus Reviews wrote that The Opposite of Art was "a novel of metaphysical and aesthetic mystery," and that "Dickson raises, but doesn’t answer, fascinating questions about personal transformation, religion and aesthetics."[5] However, Jonathan Rickard in the New York Journal of Books criticized Dickson for his writing style and occasional factual errors.[7]

Personal life

Dickson is married to Sue Dickson, a former software executive, and lives in Florida.[1][8]

Books

Novels

  • Whom Shall I Fear?. Zondervan. 1996. ISBN 978-0-310-20760-3.[9][10]
  • Every Hidden Thing. Zondervan. 1998. ISBN 978-0-310-22002-2.[11]
  • Kate and Ruth. Zondervan. 1999. ISBN 978-0-310-22005-3.
  • They Shall See God. Tyndale. 2002. ISBN 978-0-8423-5292-5.[12]
  • River Rising. Minneapolis: Bethany House. 2005. ISBN 978-0-7642-0162-2.[4]
  • The Cure. Bethany House Publishers. 2007. ISBN 978-0-7642-0163-9.[8]
  • Winter Haven. Bethany House Publishers. 2008. ISBN 978-0-764-20164-6.[13]
  • Lost Mission. Howard Books. 2009. ISBN 978-1-416-58347-9.[6]
  • The Opposite of Art. Nashville: Howard Books. 2011. ISBN 978-1-4165-8348-6. OCLC 687669559.[5][14]

Other

  • The Gospel According to Moses: What My Jewish Friends Taught Me about Jesus. Brazos. 2003. ISBN 978-1-58743-048-0.[15][16]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ruby, Mary, ed. (2013). "Dickson, Athol 1955–". Contemporary Authors, New Revision Series. Vol. 244. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Gale. pp. 119–121.
  2. ↑ Eble, Diane (2002). Behind the Stories: Christian Novelists Reveal the Heart in the Art of Their Writing. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House. p. 173. ISBN 9780764224638. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  3. ↑ Nanos, Mark (January 2004). "The Gospel According to Moses: What My Jewish Friends Taught Me About Jesus". Religious Studies Review. Vol. 30, no. 1. p. 34.
  4. 1 2 3 "River Rising". Publishers Weekly. 252 (41): 40. October 2005. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 "The Opposite of Art". Kirkus Reviews. 79 (14): 1187–1188. July 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  6. 1 2 "Review: 'Lost Mission' by award-winning author Athol Dickson". San Francisco Examiner. 30 July 2012.
  7. ↑ Rickard, Jonathan. "The Opposite of Art: A Novel". New York Journal of Books. Archived from the original on 2025-04-25. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  8. 1 2 Hilliard, Juli Cragg (May 2007). "Athol Dickson". Publishers Weekly. 254 (21): S12.
  9. ↑ "Mixed Medium: Sunday October 27, 1996". New York Times. 27 October 1996. ProQuest 2237491160. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  10. ↑ Cochrum, Alan (December 14, 1996). "Chapter & Verse". Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
  11. ↑ Hudak, Melissa (1998). "Every Hidden Thing". Library Journal. Vol. 123, no. 10. p. 94. ProQuest 196760108. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  12. ↑ Zaleski, Jeff (2002). "They Shall See God". Publishers Weekly. Vol. 249, no. 17. p. 42. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  13. ↑ Lucia, Kevin (6 May 2008). "Book Blurbs; Supernatural Mysteries Will Leave Readers Breathless". Press & Sun-Bulletin. ProQuest 440989543. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  14. ↑ "The Opposite of Art by Athol Dickson". Publishers Weekly. 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  15. ↑ "The Gospel According to Moses: What My Jewish Friends Taught Me about Jesus. (Books in Brief)". Publishers Weekly. Vol. 250, no. 12. 2003-03-24. p. S16. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  16. ↑ Crosby, Cindy (May 2003). "A Christian Studies Torah". Christianity Today. Vol. 47, no. 5. p. 70. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
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