Book Review: Immanuel's Veins by Ted Dekker

Ted Dekker's latest, Immanuel's Veins, is a love story like no other; a frighteningly passionate tale of good versus evil and a sacrificial love so rarely known.

Long time Dekker fans will find themselves in a tale at the same time both strangely new and familiar, with characters they're sure to recognize and others they wouldn't want to see in their worst nightmares. Newcomers to Dekker will find a story of passion and romance, suspense and intrigue, and outright terror as they delve into something very unlike what they might expect from today's Christian fiction genre.

If Dekker has a signature to his style, it's written in invisible ink. Though his characters frequently travel from one novel to the next seemingly unrelated story, the predictability ends there. Immanuel's Veins has found itself banned by publishers in some countries and will certainly leave some readers in shock as Dekker puts his unique spin on a tale of passion and victory like nothing seen in over two-thousand years.

If you haven't read Dekker, now is the time. This is the book. This is the story that you should hear.

Send me your comments. Joe

AJA Press

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review: The Bride Collector by Ted Dekker {REPOST}

THIS IS A REPOST -- with today's release of The Bride Collector by Ted Dekker, I am reposting my blog tour kickoff review. I highly recommend this book!

Ted Dekker's newest novel, The Bride Collector, due in stores on April 13, 2010, is at once both haunting and moving.

FBI Special Agent Brad Raines is on the trail of a delusional psychopathic killer who believes he is delivering to God His perfect bride. This killer dubbed the Bride Collector, after performing his ritualistic act of horror, leaves each victim with a bridal veil. As Raines and his partner Nikki Holden, a young forensic psychologist with whom Raines shares a mutual attraction, follow The Bride Collector's trail of sacrifice, they are baffled by the complete lack of any actionable evidence at the crime scenes.

Only when The Bride Collector decides to make a game of his offerings to God by enlisting Raines as his opponent does the FBI start to zero in on their suspected target. At the same time, the Bride Collector is zeroing in on his next target -- one of the FBI's very own, Nikki Holden. As Raines and Holden enlist the help of the societal outcasts at the Center for Wellness and Intelligence, a private psychiatric center that houses some extremely gifted psychotics and schizophrenics, author Dekker blows the story wide open with some very unexpected and very disturbing revelations.

The Bride Collector is both very typical of Dekker's suspense writing while at the same time very unlike much of his earlier work. Dekker, known by his fans to bury his spiritual message deep within the context of his work, weaves a tale overtly spiritual with a message that all of society needs to hear: every one of us is loved.

All too often today we are busy trying to be better than everyone else. We judge ourselves and each other by some unknown, unseen, unofficial guideline that determines where we belong in society. In doing so, some very special people become societal outcasts while others are elevated to levels of extreme fame and stardom. What we fail to realize is that in God's eyes, we are all equally loved. We are all equally special. We are all famous to God. From the top of the charts to the bottom of the barrel, we are all children of God and recipients of His infinite love. We are all God's favorites.

In The Bride Collector, Dekker expertly delivers this message in a way that comes across loud and clear while never being preachy or condescending. While I have read and reviewed nearly all of Ted Dekker's writing, The Bride Collector stands out from the pack as one of the best -- a critical read! The beginning will entice you. The middle will shock you. The ending will move you.

Check out the next review in The Bride Collector blog tour here.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: (from TedDekker.com)

Ted Dekker (born October 24, 1962) is a New York Times best-selling author of more than twenty novels. He is best known for stories which could be broadly described as suspense thrillers with major twists and unforgettable characters, though he has also made a name for himself among fantasy fans.

Early in his career he wrote a number of spiritual thrillers and his novels were lumped in with ‘Christian Fiction’ a surprisingly large category. His later novels are a mix of mainstream novels such as Adam, Thr3e, Skin, Obsessed and BoneMan’s Daughters, and Fantasy thrillers that metaphorically explore faith. Best known among these is his Circle Series: Green, Black, Red, White and The Paradise Books: Showdown, Saint, and Sinner.

Download Ted Dekker's complete bio.

IN HIS OWN WORDS:

Ted Dekker discusses The Bride Collector.


Direct video link.

Send me your comments. Joe

AJA Press

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”


Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review: Burn by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy

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Book Review: Burn by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy

Erin Healy's second attempt at co-authoring a work of fiction with leading Christian author Ted Dekker is an undeniable success! In Burn, their follow up to the best-selling novel Kiss, Dekker and Healy weave a tale of suspense and intrigue that will keep you turning the pages long after you know you should be sleeping, or working, or whatever else it is that you steal time from to dig into this compellng tale.

Dekker's signature good versus evil story telling style is unmistakeable, but perfectly complemented by the softer side of the struggle that one assumes must be the work of Healy.

When a young half-Gypsy woman finds herself tempted by evil, dissapointed by her father, and betrayed by her sweetheart all at the same time, her life is thrown into utter turmoil. The tragedy that ensues leaves her with no family, no friends, no home, and little hope for the future.

When fifteen years later she finds that she didn't lose all that she thought she had, her life is turned upside down again. She finds herself in a struggle with that same evil again, and in an inner struggle between her own good and evil natures. When the two sides of her personality become manifest, is she losing her mind? Or is it Divine? And, when once again she faces the ultimate test of her heart, will she fail again? Or will she make it right by doing what is right.

Dekker is a master of his craft, and proves it once again in Burn. Healy seems to have been an attentive student. Together, they have done it again, with a fast-paced page turner that opens the heart and mind to new possibilities.

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Book Review: The Bride Collector by Ted Dekker

Ted Dekker's newest novel, The Bride Collector, due in stores on April 13, 2010, is at once both haunting and moving.

FBI Special Agent Brad Raines is on the trail of a delusional psychopathic killer who believes he is delivering to God His perfect bride. This killer dubbed the Bride Collector, after performing his ritualistic act of horror, leaves each victim with a bridal veil. As Raines and his partner Nikki Holden, a young forensic psychologist with whom Raines shares a mutual attraction, follow The Bride Collector's trail of sacrifice, they are baffled by the complete lack of any actionable evidence at the crime scenes.

Only when The Bride Collector decides to make a game of his offerings to God by enlisting Raines as his opponent does the FBI start to zero in on their suspected target. At the same time, the Bride Collector is zeroing in on his next target -- one of the FBI's very own, Nikki Holden. As Raines and Holden enlist the help of the societal outcasts at the Center for Wellness and Intelligence, a private psychiatric center that houses some extremely gifted psychotics and schizophrenics, author Dekker blows the story wide open with some very unexpected and very disturbing revelations.

The Bride Collector is both very typical of Dekker's suspense writing while at the same time very unlike much of his earlier work. Dekker, known by his fans to bury his spiritual message deep within the context of his work, weaves a tale overtly spiritual with a message that all of society needs to hear: every one of us is loved.

All too often today we are busy trying to be better than everyone else. We judge ourselves and each other by some unknown, unseen, unofficial guideline that determines where we belong in society. In doing so, some very special people become societal outcasts while others are elevated to levels of extreme fame and stardom. What we fail to realize is that in God's eyes, we are all equally loved. We are all equally special. We are all famous to God. From the top of the charts to the bottom of the barrel, we are all children of God and recipients of His infinite love. We are all God's favorites.

In The Bride Collector, Dekker expertly delivers this message in a way that comes across loud and clear while never being preachy or condescending. While I have read and reviewed nearly all of Ted Dekker's writing, The Bride Collector stands out from the pack as one of the best -- a critical read! The beginning will entice you. The middle will shock you. The ending will move you.

Check out the next review in The Bride Collector blog tour here.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: (from TedDekker.com)

Ted Dekker (born October 24, 1962) is a New York Times best-selling author of more than twenty novels. He is best known for stories which could be broadly described as suspense thrillers with major twists and unforgettable characters, though he has also made a name for himself among fantasy fans.

Early in his career he wrote a number of spiritual thrillers and his novels were lumped in with ‘Christian Fiction’ a surprisingly large category. His later novels are a mix of mainstream novels such as Adam, Thr3e, Skin, Obsessed and BoneMan’s Daughters, and Fantasy thrillers that metaphorically explore faith. Best known among these is his Circle Series: Green, Black, Red, White and The Paradise Books: Showdown, Saint, and Sinner.

Download Ted Dekker's complete bio.

IN HIS OWN WORDS:

Ted Dekker discusses The Bride Collector.


Direct video link.

Send me your comments. Joe

AJA Press

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”


Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Bride Collector - Early Thoughts

Trying to figure out Ted Dekker's latest villain in "The Bride Collector." He has woven an intricate web of suspense this time, though that comes as no real surprise.

The book is due out April 13, and the folks at Hachette Book Group have been kind enough to furnish me an Advance Reading Copy. I'll be kicking off the pre-pub blog tour with a review and more on February 12 at http://www.averagejoeamerican.us.

You won't want to miss this one.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Book Review: Green by Ted Dekker

In his latest, highly anticipated work, Green (The Circle, Book 0: The Beginning and the End), Ted Dekker brings his Circle full circle. What began as a trilogy has quickly evolved into over a dozen volumes in this epic saga of the Circle.

* * SPOILER ALERT * *

Imagine waiting your whole life for the return of a Savior -- the Creator of the world, Himself. Watching, waiting, and fighting for your very life against a horde of unbelievers. Watching as many of the faithful begin to doubt, eventually turning against all that you have believed for so long. Imagine, even, that your very son is one of those doubters who has turned, deceived by the evil into believing that there is a better way.

And then your Messiah comes to take the faithful home with him. All that you have waited for all of your life has finally come to fruition, and you have finally made it to the Promised Land -- only to discover that your son is not there.

What would you do? Would you -- could you possibly -- be happy in a paradise that your own son was not a part of? Or would you beg your Savior for a second chance to save your son, knowing that the Creator of the universe can do anything that He wants? If there was a way to come back and save those who missed out on Salvation, would you take it?

* * * END OF SPOLIERS * * *

It's very difficult to describe just what Green is about without giving some part of the story away. What Ted Dekker began several years ago in Black truly comes full circle. Dekker explains that Green can be the beginning or the end to this epic journey, I suggest this volume be saved for last. You may find yourself wondering how this book can both begin and end this saga, but the shocker ending will make it all excitingly clear.

Dekker has outdone himself with Green


Direct video link.

More by Ted Dekker.

Your comments?

Joe

Maddy's Cancer Battle

AJA Press

Book Review: Lunatic and Elyon by Ted Dekker and Kaci Hill

Ted Dekker continues his epic saga of The Circle with the Chronicles of History Lost Books numbers five and six, co-authored by Kaci Hill. This saga is not one for the casual reader, as it requires an extensive time commitment to read through the books tied to the Circle.

While the story is best enjoyed by reading each installment (and not necessarily in the order of their publishing date), every previous book about the Circle can be enjoyed by itself without ever picking up another episode. Such is not the case with Lunatic and Elyon. These latest two installments must be read as one, in my opinion, and should probably have been published as one -- though they would then have been much longer and thicker than the first four episodes of The Lost Books.

No review of these books can be considered complete without at least a brief glimpse of their predecessors. Dekker's famous Circle story began with Black, Red, and White, originally marketed with the tag line "Three books, two worlds, one story." Followed by five books that dip their toes into the world of the Circle, and the six (so far) Lost Books, the length of this story rivals that of War and Peace or even The Bible. And it isn't over yet, as Green (The Circle, Book 0: The Beginning and the End) is due out September 1.

So what is this all about? While reading through the final pages of Elyon, which I found to be very compelling (the final pages, I mean, not the entire book), it struck me that the story of the Circle is the story of the Church. From the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the promise of salvation that comes with it -- all that Dekker has left out so far is the Second Coming.

While I am a huge fan of Dekker's and of his Circle saga, I found both Lunatic and Elyon to be a bit tedious to read. The story doesn't flow as smoothly as it does in each of the prior installments in the story. I don't know if that's a result of Kaci Hill's involvement in the books, as it's impossible to determine just how much involvement she had in the books. None of that is to say that I didn't enjoy these latest two episodes, but rather that I found them not to progress the story in a manner similar to the others. In fact, at times I wondered just where the authors were taking me.

If you've invested the time in each of the prior books, then you will likely find it necessary to continue with Lunatic and Elyon, and you won't be disappointed with them. But if you haven't read any of Dekker's books yet, don't start here. Start anywhere else you choose -- within the Circle saga or without -- but don't start with Lunatic or Elyon. They are not among Dekker's best works.

Your comments?

Joe

AJA Press | #TCOT
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Book Review: Martyr's Song by Ted Dekker

What would you die for?

That's the question suddenly thrust upon a small band of women and children in Bosnia at the close of World War II. When a group of bitter soldiers stumble upon their peaceful village, they suddenly face an insidious evil ... and the ultimate test.

It is then, in the midst of chaos and pain, that the Martyr's Song is first heard. It is then that the window into heaven first opens. It is then that love and beauty are shown in breathtaking reality.

One of Ted Dekker's shortest works at just 111 pages, The Martyr's Song is the ultimate story of love.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13 [NIV]

Through this very eloquent story, Dekker tells not only a story of ultimate love, but one of ultimate beauty, delivering two very critical, timely messages for our time.

Young Marci is ridiculed by fellow students at her school for being ugly. When elderly Eve spies young Marci, she knows that she has to help. She knows that she has to share her story with Marci, to help Marci see her own beauty. Through Eve, we learn the story of thirteen year old Nadia, Father Michael, and how their deep love for Christ leads them both to make what for many would be an impossible decision.

At just 111 pages, Martyr's Song should be read by all. We see the brutality of war, the depth of true love, and the beauty of salvation all packed into those few short pages. Kudos to Dekker for penning this touching tale!

Your comments?

Joe

AJA Press | #TCOT
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Book Review: Boneman's Daughters by Ted Dekker

With Ted Dekker's latest release, Boneman's Daughters, we find the best-selling fiction author entering the mainstream. His first book released by a major publishing house that is not Thomas Nelson Boneman's Daughters promises to appeal to Dekker's current fan base as well as those who are typically attracted to the horror, suspense, and mystery genres.

Boneman's Daughters was one of Dekker's best written books outside of The Circle trilogy.

SPOLIER ALERT: Really, if you don't want to know critical details about the story, skip over all of the following RED text.

Ryan Evans, a Naval Intelligence Officer on assignment in Fallujah, Iraq, is one of the best in the business. Devoted to his country, dedicated to his duty, he has been away from home for two years, leaving his wife and sixteen year old daughter behind, as he answers his country's call to duty. When Evans and his convoy are attacked, killing most of the U.S. Army unit Evans is attached to, Evans finds himself fallen into enemy hands. But worse than just the enemy, this enemy is one who wants to teach America a lesson about "collateral" damage, and does so by torturing Evans in a most horrible way.

Boneman, a serial killer in Texas, is thought to have been rotting in a Texas prison for two years. Until it is discovered that the DNA evidence that clinched the conviction might have been planted -- likely duplicated from a sample taken from the suspect himself and planted onto one of the victims. When a judge releases the convicted man from prison, Boneman suddenly strikes again.

Evans, having been forced to sit and watch as his captors killed innocent children in the method made famous by the renowned Boneman -- the breaking of bones throughout the body without breaking the skin, allowing the victim to suffer to death from the pain -- has been sent back to Austin, Texas, for a time of recovery and observation. When he returns and expects to be reunited with his estranged wife and daughter, he instead finds his wife in the arms of a new man -- the District Attorney who convicted the man recently released for the Boneman murders -- the very man believed to have planted the false DNA evidence. More shocking to Evans is when his daughter rejects him as well.

But when Evans' daughter disappers from her bedroom in the middle of the night, and his wife wakes up with a broken finger, it quickly becomes evident that Boneman is back in Austin, and back in business. The timing of Evans' return to Austin coinciding with the return of Boneman, his experience when held captive in the desert of Iraq, and Boneman's latest victim, makes Evan the prime suspect as the case quickly unfolds.

Dekker does an incredible job with Boneman's Daughters, weaving a tale of intrigue, suspense, and terror that will tickle that little nerve inside you that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand on end. I don't know if I'm just a very intentive and intuitive reader, or if Dekker is a little too obvious about the antagonist he calls Boneman, but on page 230 of this 401 page book, I made a note to myself of whom I suspected to be the real Boneman, and later discovered that my suspicion was correct. I won't spoil the whole book for you by revealing the culprit here. Let's just say, it probably isn't who you might think it would be.

I did find one cause for concern with Dekker's first entry into the mainstream fiction market: the use (on four different occasions) of language that would be wholly inappropriate if this book -- like Dekker's other books -- had been published by Thomas Nelson (see a screen capture example below). Dekker, widely recognized as one of the best (if not the best) Christian fiction authors of the day, disappoints with the use of words that could easily have been replaced with less offensive, more appropriate language for the genre that he typically caters to. While some will likely say that the language to which I refer (on pages 212, 318, 341, and 378, if you must know) was not so out of line as to be considered offensive, it can not in any way be called appropriate to the niche that this author fills.

That being said, I still enjoyed Boneman's Daughters considerably, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good fiction suspense drama.




Your comments?

Joe

AJA Press | #TCOT
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Boneman's Daughters

Just finished Ted Dekker's "Boneman's Daughters." Review coming soon.

Coming Soon: Boneman's Daughters by Ted Dekker

Ted Dekker's first novel to be released by a mainstream publisher (as opposed to the normal Thomas Nelson) will be released in less than three weeks. Bonemans' Daughters promises to be one of Dekker's best yet.

Editorial Description:

A Texas serial killer called BoneMan is on the loose, choosing young girls as his prey, His signature: myriad broken bones that torture and kill - but never puncture.

Military intelligence officer Ryan Evans is married to his work; so much so that his wife and daughter have written him out of their lives. Sent to Fallujah and captured by insurgents, he is asked to kill children not unlike his own. The method: a meticulous, excruciating death by broken bones that his captor has forced him to learn.

Returning home after the ordeal, a new crisis awaits. A serial killer is on the loose, and his method of killing is the same. Ryan becomes a prime suspect, which isn't even the worst of his problems: Ryan's daughter is BoneMan's latest desire.

In a story that is devaststing in its skill and suspense, - Ted Dekker brings to bear his ability to terrify and compel in BONEMAN'S DAUGHTERS.

Dekker discusses the novel at Amazon.com.



Find more videos like this on The Circle/A Ted Dekker Community

Direct video link.

Your comments?

Joe

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Book Review: Kiss by Ted Dekker & Erin Healy

I received my pre-ordered copy of Ted Dekker & Erin Healy's Kiss from Amazon about ten days before the official release date. I finished reading the book yesterday. MINOR SPOLIERS FOLLOW.

Kiss is Dekker's first attempt at collaborating on a book with a female author, and the feminine touch is definitely visible in the book. Shauna McAllister, daughter of pharmaceutical magnate/Senator/Presidential candidate Landon McAllister, woke up in a hospital bed missing six months of her memory, in a room surrounded by a boyfriend she didn't remember, her beloved adopted "uncle" and her abusive, hateful stepmother. Injured in a tragic car accident that severely disabled her dear brother, Shauna finds herself struggling to piece together her memory and the details of the accident when she stumbles upon a new and unexplained ability.

Shauna finds herself able to tap the memories of other people with a simple kiss or a touch. She quickly learns that her ability not only allows her to see into the past through the memories of others, but to strip those others of the memory she steals. As she soon finds herself fighting for her life and the cause of truth, Shauna struggles to control this new-found talent and to use it to her benefit as she tries to regain six lost months of her life.

Dekker and Healy have crafted an extraordinary tale of suspense, intrigue, romance, and political scandal in Kiss. If you've been a Dekker fan for long, this latest is a must-have in your Dekker library. Reminiscent of Dekker's Thr3e and Obsessed, Kiss leaves the world of the Circle behind and explores the unexplained that surrounds us. This is truly one of Dekker's best works to date.

Your comments?

Joe

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Friday's Video Roundup

Zombies

Direct video link.

Fred Thompson on the Election

Direct video link.

Ted Dekker's House Hits The Big Screen November 7

Direct video link.

Comic Relief: Democrats On An Escalator

Direct video link.

Mark My Words

Direct video link.

Colorado Amendment 47

Direct video link.

Archie Bunker on Democrats

Direct video link.

Smearing Joe the Plumber

Direct video link.

Rush Limbaugh: It's Not Over

Direct video link.

Comic Relief: Obama Out of Touch With The Working Class

Direct video link.

Politics, According to Opie and Richie
This has got to be one of the stupidest things I have ever seen.

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

Direct video link.

The Aaron Pelsue Band: We Are Hungry
To end on a positive note, with some great inspirational music.

Direct video link.

Your comments?

Joe

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Coming Soon: House, the Movie

Two of the best Christian authors return to the big screen in November, with House, by Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti. This one is one that must be seen!


Direct video link.

Your comments?

Joe

podsafe music network | ioda promonet | magnatune | airplay direct
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Book Review: Sinner by Ted Dekker

Imagine an America, much like today's America. An America where not only can a child refuse to say the Pledge of Allegiance in school because of the phrase One Nation Under God, but where that child can also force the Pledge completely out of school because it forces someone else's religious belief upon him.

An America where it's more of a crime to protest outside of an abortion clinic than it is to stop the birth of a baby just before the head is delivered only to administer murder under the label of "partial birth abortion."

An American where religious tolerance is more important than religious freedom -- where it is considered a hate crime to speak of one's religion as the only way to God and to speak of one's Savior as "The Way, The Truth and The Life," while civil libertarians are more concerned with protecting the rights of religious fundamentalists who attacked our nation on 9/11 because their god supposedly demands it.

In Sinner, Ted Dekker has done just that: painted an all too real picture of America in the very near future, where religious tolerance becomes the law of the land, and loving God becomes a hate crime.

Sinner Trailer


Direct video link.

Continuing the epic saga of The Books of History Chronicles that began with the trilogy Black, Red, and White, Dekker spins his greatest tale yet, as we revisit the town of Paradise, Colorado, where evil once reigned in the person of Marsuvees Black, a western-style gunslinger whose mere existence was the product of a child's imagination, a pen, and one of the lost Books of History.

Sinner comes as much from today's headlines as from the mind of one of the best-selling Christian authors of all time. The Chavez administration, that of the first Hispanic-American ever elected to the White House. Muslim-Americans outnumbering whites. School systems where it is forbidden for students to discuss things like racial differences or religious beliefs. This is an America that could be just around the corner.

Ted Dekker Explains Sinner


Direct video link.

Imagine an America where a very liberal legislature, supported by a president of historic ethnicity, makes it a federal offense to believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, who came to earth and died for our sins so that we might spend eternity with Him. Imagine an America where house churches become the norm and must go underground because it is a crime to preach a sermon that teaches salvation through Jesus Christ.

In our world today, as we struggle in a war against religious extremists who think the only way to Heaven is to martyr themselves trying to kill the infidels, where more people seem to be concerned with treating those extremists fairly than with protecting our freedom, our borders, our very lives, it is not unimaginable that such a world as Ted Dekker depicts in Sinner could become our world today.

Ted Dekker Talks About His Research for Sinner


Direct video link.

At this time of national politics, with two Presidential candidates duking it out in their battle for the White House, it is prudent to remember that the very world we know could be turned upside down in very short measure. If you read only one book this year -- and you should read it right away -- make that book Ted Dekker's Sinner. It is above and beyond all others the absolute best Ted Dekker book I have ever read (and I've read them all), and the best book I have read this year. You owe it to yourself to read this book, and to do so with an open mind and an open heart.

It could happen. It could happen in America. Unless we stand together against the biggest threat yet -- tolerance.

Your comments?

Joe

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Book Review: Chaos by Ted Dekker

Ted Dekker wraps up his Lost Books of History series -- and continues his epic saga of The Circle -- with Chaos.

CAUTION: POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

As the chosen four -- Johnis, Billos, Silvie, and Darsal, and the Horde child they rescued, Karas -- defy the rules of the Roush and not only open the Books of History but touch the pages of the books with their blood, they find themselves no longer on Other Earth, but instead in the dry desert of a strange place called Las Vegas. Separated on their journey from Other Earth by a few mere moments, they find themselves arriving in the Earth of the Histories as much as ten years apart.

The first to arrive in the Histories, Karas and Darsal, both find themselves lost and alone in a world totally unlike Other Earth. With ten long years to struggle in the cruel world of the Histories, both Karas and Darsal follow their own paths to success, individually, all the while keeping watch for their compatriots while trying to make themselves easier to be found by the others.

We learn early on of a suspected threat to the chosen, as we witness what eventually turns out to be the Shataiki Alucard (interestingly enough, read "Dracula" in reverse) in a lair somewhere in the Histories, plotting the downfall of the chosen with as yet unknown Miranda Card.

Dekker takes us on a wild ride with Johnis and Silvie as they have their first experience with the Histories technology behind the wheel of a cherry Chevy, only to be rescued later by the very successful, now twenty-year-old Kara Longford, a.k.a. Karas.

I won't spoil the whole story for you. I won't tell you the name of the traitor that the chosen come face to face with in the closing chapters of the book. I won't tell you the fate of each of the four. I won't tell you how the Histories are affected by the invasion of the Shataiki in the form of Alucard.

What I will tell you is that this volume in The Circle epic is full of plot twists, turns, and surprises. It is nothing as I expected it would be when I first picked up Book One of the Lost Books of History. As I read it -- and I read it quite quickly -- I couldn't help but feel that Dekker was trying to quickly tie up several loose ends in the story. Like maybe the story had been heading off into other directions, and the author corralled the characters and got them back in line with where he wanted to take the story.

There's nothing wrong with that, really, but it just shouldn't feel like that's what happens when you're reading a novel. I'm an avid Ted Dekker fan, and an avid reader of Christian fiction. I'm also very drawn in to The Circle epic and would probably read another hundred offerings in the saga, if Dekker penned them out. But I must say, of the several books in this series, Chaos ranks very low on my list from best to worst.

Luckily for Dekker fans, September 2008 promises yet another offering in the saga, in the form of the long-awaited Sinner.

I promised in my review of Renegade to give you my own recommended order of reading for The Circle saga. Though the author and publisher invite you to "Enter Anywhere," and what follows is not the order in which they were published, I have read most of the books several times and, while I'm by no means an expert, I feel that they can be best followed and enjoyed by reading them in the following order.

Black
Red
Chosen
Infidel
Showdown
Renegade
White
House
Skin
Saint
Chaos
Sinner (Coming September 2008)

Just my two cents worth. I hope to work my way through the series in this order between now and the release of Sinner in September.

Joe