Book Review: Saint by Ted Dekker

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CAUTION: CONTAINS SPOILERS
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How do I write about Saint -- what do I say -- without slipping a spoiler in by mistake? I've only just begun reading the book, and already the first big surprise strikes on page 41 with the mention of Project Showdown. Remember the last book released by Ted Dekker: Showdown? If you read the book, or at the very least my review of it, you'll remember that Showdown was linked to Dekker's epic trilogy, The Circle. It comes as a shock when that first becomes apparent in Showdown, just as it is shocking to discover on page 41 of Saint that it, too, is linked to The Circle through the mention of Project Showdown, which just happens to refer to Dekker's book, Showdown. There's the first spoiler for you. I'll try to keep them to a minimum.

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Dekker weaves such a fast-paced story that you'll likely forget all about Project Showdown, as you tear through page after page until, on page 166, the link pops up again: "Project Showdown was breathing still."

I don't normally write my so-called reviews while in the midst of reading the book, but this isn't the first time I've done just that. When the author finds a way to really get me, I just can't wait until the end to start sharing the experience. But I'll have to wait a little longer, because the book is calling to me, and I can't deny it.

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The intrigue continues in chapter twenty-six as the main character -- Carl, who has just learned that he is someone else entirely (trust me, you need to read the book -- all five books -- to follow this one), returns to his hometown of Paradise, Colorado, the setting of Dekker's book Showdown. There really is no way to explain the parallels between these books without making it sound confusing. You just have to start at the beginning and start reading: Black, Red, and White, Showdown, and Saint. I promise, you won't be confused. You'll be mystified.

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Long before chapter thirty-eight, if you've read most of Ted Dekker's other works, you'll be fully aware that Saint is intricately linked to Showdown, which is just as tightly woven with Black, Red, and White -- the Circle trilogy. Dekker seamlessly ties the five tomes together into one seemingly never-ending story. But on pages 303 and 304, everything changes. Not only do we hear more about Marsuvees Black from Showdown, we learn something that I had not before even considered: Barsidious White -- the wicked villain from House, Dekker's joint venture with Frank Peretti, is also a product of the Books of History from the Circle trilogy. And having learned such a thing, I realize that it was so obvious I should have figured it out long ago.

Wow.

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I wanted to lay out a storyline here that takes you through the world of The Circle. I failed. I simply can't do justice to Ted Dekker's intricately woven world of The Circle. It's a world that -- though it has never been publicized as such -- spans six novels: Black, Red, White, Showdown, House (co-authored by Frank Peretti), and Saint. Read them all!

Joe
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