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Ted Dekker The Circle Trilogy (Black/Red/White) Chosen Infidel Renegade Chaos Showdown Saint Sinner Heaven's Wager When Heaven Weeps Thunder of Heaven Martyr's Song Blink Blink of an Eye Thr3e Obsessed Skin Adam Blessed Child/Man Called Blessed House House (the movie) Slumber of Christianity Torches of Joy (John Dekker) The Promise The Drummer Boy Cliff Notes for Ted Dekker Books I'm not sure I can say enough about Ted Dekker. He has forever raised my expectations for Christian fiction. He's demonstrated to the world that Christian fiction can be every bit as good as secular fiction. Not only that, he's proven that a Christian author can write secular fiction that appeals to a wide audience, but is still full of Christian truths. Not an easy task, but one that he's done quite well. I have yet to find another author that has truly spoken to me, through his writings, the way Ted has. His books are honest and I think that's what makes them so very good. He's learned to speak truth in a powerful, loving way and people are listening. While I know some are not pleased with his more darker, harder books like Showdown and Skin, I find them some of the best books for non-believers. I love his approach to writing and his view of the world. Read his books and they'll change your perspective. Listen to what he's saying and you'll discover a whole new aspect to Christianity. Wonderful author who truly deservers the praise and popularity he receives. Website Black/Red/White (The Circle Trilogy)--Though you can buy each book separately, the link is for the three in one version. These were published as three separate books, but are a continuation of the same story. Do not start Black without having access to Red and White. The endings of Black and Red are cliff hangers. These are my favorite Ted Dekker books--in my top ten list of all times. They are awesome. The complex duel reality aspect I haven’t quite figured out yet. What is a dream and what is reality? Or maybe both are reality? My simple mind has yet to totally grasps it. It was fun reading these books. I couldn’t figure out which reality I wanted to read more about. Both were intriguing. The Circle Trilogy is an allegory. Once you figure out the story being told, you’ll be amazed. They are writing master pieces. Interestingly enough, several of Dekker’s subsequent books tie in somewhere into the Circle Trilogy. There’s so much I want to say about these, but I do not want to spoil the plot. Read the books! Update (June 2007): I recently reread The Circle Trilogy and was once again blown away by the different themes and ideas presented in these books. I believe Dekker has a great insight and understanding of the church and the culture as it stands. He brings up some very important points about how to relate to those outside the church and how do we bring them to us. I finished rereading in April, but I'm still asking myself, how does the church become relevant to the general public? Where do we change to bring others to us? How much is compromise and how much is simply reaching out to others? Certainly something to contemplate. One other idea that stuck out when I reread these, was seeing Jesus as someone alive and energetic. Someone full of life, someone we want to be around, not the serious, boring miracle worker so often given to us in the church. Jesus is fun, exciting, loving, kind, generous, and certainly anything but dull. However, I think often times these qualities are overlooked as we seek to find the suffering servant. Update (November 2007): The Graphic Novel version of The Circle Trilogy came out first of November. I bought them for my 9 year old and was very pleased with them. If you've read the information under Asperger's Syndrome on our website, you'll know that Duncan doesn't understand analogies very well. He takes things very literally. With these graphic novels, he was really making the connections of various Biblical themes, stories, and ideas. The graphics were wonderful and for the most part fit what I had imagined. I'm thrilled these were made. The four young adult series books are next, followed by Showdown. Chosen—Things aren’t going so well for Thomas and the Forest Guard. Their dwindling numbers have caused Thomas to lower the recruiting age from 18 to 16. Four young recruits, selected as leaders, are sent on one last training mission, but along the way, they find an even greater mission—find the books of history and save the world. Verdict is still out on this one. It was good, but less than what I was expecting. From reading the pre-release information, I expected a book that was pretty much a normal novel, just shorter. I’ll always leave open the possibility I missed some things along the way, but this didn’t read like a typical Dekker novel. Normally his books have a certain feel and a unique style. If I didn’t know this was written by Dekker, I would have assumed it was by some else. Instead of having a movie like feel, with scenes you can almost see and lots of twists and turns, it seemed to be very simplistic and redundant. While there were Christian truths presented, this didn’t have the same parable style like most of his other books. I have read very few young adult books, so it’s possible this is an outstanding young adult book and is simply different because it is a young adult book. However, it just didn’t grab me like most of his other works. Since it is another portion of the books of history, it’s very much worth reading with lots of little fun tid-bits and links for those who have followed the Circle Trilogy and Project Showdown. Infidel—The adventure continues for the four new Forest Guard recruits. This time, the danger is greater and the decisions made could mean life or death for many of the Forest people. For Johnis, the struggle between his heart and his mind is even greater. What would cause him to abandon all rational thinking and go where he feels lead? Will Silvie follow him? What will they find and will they leave alive? Infidel is classic Dekker. It’s fast paced with deep meaning and symbolism. All I felt was missing in Chosen is abundant in Infidel. The story grabbed me and I rode right along with Johnis in his journey. At one point, I felt so bad for Johnis I didn’t even want to continue reading because I knew what would happen. The movie style is back and the twists abundant. The story continues and more of the Books of History mystery unfolds. The ending is spectacular and leaves me with a very long wait until May. Excellent book. Well written, thought out, and developed. I absolutely loved it! Renegade—Hmm…let me see if I can even do a somewhat descent summary. When Billos, touched the cover of one the books of history with blood, a black hole opened and he entered a different reality. Once in that reality, he comes face to face with the Dell and Marsuvees Black. Black offers Billos the deal of a life time, find and bring the books that crossed to Black and Black will give him incredible power. Drawn by loyalty, Darsal makes a deal with Alucard and binds her life to the books and enters the new reality to rescue Billos. What they discover together will change their lives forever. Oh my. Where do I start? I know I’m not the brightest bunny in the forest, and I haven’t spent hours going through different possible scenarios of what could be going on in the histories, but this book started out very confusing. For about 1/3 of the book I can honestly say I had no idea what was going on or where the story would lead. The changing locations were difficult to grasp and the intents of the characters hard to decipher. It was easy to know their goal, but difficult to see how they were going to accomplish it. Renegade was also somewhat slow getting started. With each of the YA books, I’ve found that they seemed to start by going around in circles with a lot of arguing among the recruits and them frustrating Thomas. However, once all the initial scuffles are over, the stories are riveting and pretty much mind blowing. If you want answers in Renegade to the whole book of histories saga, keep reading. There aren’t many answers here, just more questions. Typical to Ted’s style, he incorporate some great tie ins with other books and some awesome spiritual truths. This book to me is one of his best since White. It’s lush with imagery and symbolism. One of the scenes towards the end is reminiscent of a scene in Black. I remember my breath being taken away when I read it in Black, it's just as awsome in Renegade. Truth is the most powerful weapon we possess as Christians and Ted wields that weapon quite effectively. Renegade is once again, another powerful reflection of the reality of us and the reality of God. Belief in God versus believing God. Do we really believe Him, do we really trust Him? Power from the world is an illusion. The only true source is from God alone. And of course, one of my favorites, the love, the choosing and the pursuit of God for each person. So many rich themes. I can not encourage people enough to try this series of books. It’s awesome beyond imagination. Chaos—Faced with certain death in Alucarde's lair, the only escape is to open a book and touch it with blood. So one by one, they each touch a book and with the exception of one are transported to outside Las Vegas, Nevada. Oddly, though, when they cross over, there is a definitive time change. They left within moments of each other, but arrived years apart. Once in the histories, they’re faced with many challenges, one of which is locating each other. However, Alucarde crossed over as well and he’s diligently trying to unite the books as well. Will the chosen ones be able to unite the books before the Dark One can? Chaos starts out a bit chaotic. It’s quite funny to watch Johnis and Silvie attempt to adjust to ‘modern’ society. It reminded me quite a bit of the humorous side Ted showed in Obsessed and was very effective in setting up the story before the serious part hit. It also kept the first part of the book from being slow and full of redundant arguing. In my opinion, the best start of all the YA books. In Chaos, many questions are answered, but there are still more lingering. While we finally learn the answers to questions like, what happens when the seven books are united? What are the worms? Who is the Dark One? At the end, we know more, but we still don’t know all. The heart of Chaos is in the revelation of the Dark One, which I'll leave for you to discover. As usual, Ted hits us with a dose of pure truth. The chaos inside of each person. God’s choosing of us and his overwhelming love for us. The heart of the Great Romance. Powerful truth that hopefully sets into the heart of every reader. While not as strong as Renegade, it’s still another great book!
Showdown--This
one’s good. It’s very, very good. An absolutely fun book to read, but that
doesn’t mean it’s light and cheery. It’s one of the darker books I’ve read.
Showdown takes the reader into Paradise, Colorado and lets them watch the
destructive nature of one’s unchecked, secret sins. The underlying messages are
many and very well presented. The plot ties into the Circle Trilogy and sets up
the background for House, Saint, and sounds like other books to come. It’s an
exciting book, which after a short time I decided to quit trying to figure out.
It was fun just to read and not worry about what was going to happen next.
Definitely a high, thrill, suspense drama almost anyone can enjoy. Be aware, it is not
your typical Christian fiction. It’s much better. Saint--Saint continues project Showdown and also ties back to the Circle Trilogy. It is a stand alone book, but if you want to have a chance at figuring out THE major plot twist, knowledge of Showdown is necessary. After House turned out to be a bit of a dud, I was looking forward to this one. I was not disappointed. The book is fast moving and full of action from the beginning. It’s a mystery and thriller combined. The underlying theme, once you see it, is really spectacular, and I want spoil that for you. The main character, Carl is incredibly well written. A poorly written Carl would have completely blown the book. I liked Carl immediately. I felt sorry for him and wanted to help him discover who he really was. Like Carl, Englishman, was a very well written villain. He was totally evil and made my skin crawl whenever a scene included him. I’ve heard several people complain that the ending was weak, and maybe it was a bit, but the rest of the story makes up for the ending. Saint was the first book in a long time that I wanted to read again immediately after finishing it. Update (June 2007): I knew when I read Saint the first time, I missed a lot of the spiritual aspects. The plot was so good and so rich, it was easy to forget that Dekker was teaching a spiritual truth. Rereading it this time, I found many nice new ideas to think about. I would love to share them with you, but it would really spoil the book to do so. Let me just say that captured in Saint is the answer to many questions about belief and the stripping away of a person's faith. Many of Dekker's books talk about love and God's love, but this one hits on believing ourselves to be lovable. The teaching in this book is not blaringly obvious, but it is there and it's well worth searching for. If you didn't find it the first time, consider looking for it again.
Sinner—It has been scary to watch political correctness turn into tolerance.
There have been some advantages to watching what we say and how we say
it, but by in large, I miss the days when we could be honest.
For many years I’ve felt our freedom of expression shrinking.
While it will always be acceptable for some to speak out, little by
little it’s not alright for others.
In the past where hate has destroyed, we’re now facing a time when tolerance
will destroy. Want a glimpse of our
country where tolerance rules? Read
Sinner. The third book in the Paradise series is by far Ted
Dekker’s most outspoken book.
Obviously he sees the writing on the wall clear as day and would like for people
to stand up against it. The time is
coming when saying Jesus is the only way to salvation will be considered a hate
crime. Sinner explores the path of
tolerance and the very real ramifications it holds for Christians If you’ve read Showdown and Saint, you’re very familiar
with project Showdown and the effects it had on three young children—Billy,
Darcy, and Johnny. All three were
given special abilities through the books of history to change the world.
Saint is Johnny’s story.
Sinner is Billy and Darcy’s. Imagine
what could be accomplished with Billy’s ability to read people’s thoughts,
Darcy’s persuasive speech, and Johnny’s truth.
They could literally change the world and that’s exactly what they do.
The question is, is America better or worse?
More peaceful or just suppressed?
Tolerance is obviously an issue very close to Dekker’s
heart. He’s written a couple of
blogs and a children’s book (The Drummer Boy) on the issue.
While I’ve always considered him outspoken on his website, I’ve never
considered any of his books particularly bold or political (Blink is a possible
exception). If anything, he’s leaned
towards wooing people with subtlety and gentleness and at times, I have wanted
him to push further. The gloves have
come off in Sinner. It is the
culmination of a journey that's taken the reader to some pretty dark places.
I can imagine Dekker will get some very unkind emails and correspondences about
this particular book. Some will
probably accuse him of inciting fear.
Others of promoting division.
However, the wise Christian will listen and let this fictional story sink in and
understand the very real implications. There are many angles Ted could have taken with Sinner, but
he takes the path that will directly affect all true followers of Christ.
Rather than focusing on the practices of Christians, Dekker skips to the
heart of Christianity and look at what would happen if we lost our freedom to
teach Jesus as the only means to salvation. Virtually
eliminating all forms of evangelism and ripping out the heart of Christ’
teaching. **SPOILER** While tolerance is the focus of Sinner, probably more than any other of his other books, Ted directly and clearly states the gospel of Christ. It’s stated, restated, and quoted directly from John chapter 1. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God….The Word became flesh and dwelt among us…In Him was light and the light was the light of man. You want goose bumps, read Chapter 39 of Sinner. **SPOILER** Ted didn’t let us off the hook with just understanding Jesus’ message, he pushes us further to accept our own sinfulness. The darkness we’re born into and that which we create and live in. The darkness we don’t really want to leave and that which we want to flee. **SPOILER** Dekker added another layer to this story that is one of its most powerful elements. Sometimes the darkness is hiding in the light. Jesus had his betrayer and so do Johnny, Billy, and Darcy. **SPOILER** Not a lot of loose ends seemed to be tied up. I felt like our time in Paradise might have ended, but I'm not sure that's all of Billy, Darcy, and Johnny. We might get to read about them again. I’ve re-read most of Dekker’s books and usually find I missed quite a bit the first time around. Considering I read ¾ of Sinner taking Hydrocodn every 4 hours, I feel pretty sure I missed some nice tidbits. While I won’t say Sinner is my favorite Ted Dekker novel, I do believe it’s his most powerful. Much like in the later chapters of John, Jesus stopped the parables and spoke plainly, Dekker does the same. This is not a book that requires a lot of looking beneath the surface. It’s laid out there for the reader and you’d pretty much have to be deaf and blind not to get the point. Heaven’s Wager--This was Dekker’s first published book and as such, was a little rough around the edges. The underlying theme is one of my favorites, but it’s pretty pushy on the Christianity aspect. It certainly wouldn’t be the first Dekker book I recommend for a non-Christian. It’s a great story focused on God’s pursuing love. Not more than a month before I read Heaven’s Wager, I came to an incredible, earth shattering conclusion. Are you ready for this….it’s pretty big--God pursues every one, not just me. I know, it’s pretty common knowledge, but one night, it just hit me like a brick. Heaven’s Wager brings that pursuit to the fore front in a great story centered around a grieving, vengeful man and his quest to have it all. It’s part one of the Martyr’s Song series, but stands completely on its own. When Heaven Weeps--When Heaven Weeps is part two of the Martyr’s song series, and honestly wasn’t one of my favorite books. I have heard many people on Ted Dekker’s forums hail it as one of his best books and totally and completely touching. However, I found it sorta boring. The lead character became very annoying to me and towards the end, I was thinking enough already. It’s blatantly Christian and it pushes the limits of believability. It’s worth reading because it ties up some loose ends from Heaven’s Wager, but the message was so hit you over the head, I really wanted to tune it out. If you choose to skip it and go on to Thunder of Heaven, you really won’t miss much. Thunder of Heaven--This was the final original book in the Martyr’s Song Series and this is where the Dekker style is really seen. The book is very well written and reads like a movie. It’s fast paced and keeps you off balanced. The interaction between the two main characters is truly amazing and even romantic at times. Even though it’s part of the Marty’s Song Series, to me it pretty much stands alone and very loosely ties into the other two books. The message it presents is clear, but the presentation is not overt. This is really were Dekker seems to make the transition from writing the way people want him to, to writing the style he's comfortable with. The terrorist aspect is believable and leaves you thinking about what could happen if… The Martyr’s Song--I would probably have liked this book better if I had not just finished the previous three books in the Martyr’s Song series. In order to reduce the risk of finding out what a book is about, I never read the blurbs about them. So, you can imagine my surprise when I paid 14.99 for a 140 page book and find out about 100 pages is what I just finished reading. The story itself is really incredible. The idea of heaven opening for a glimpse and the struggle between staying alive or entering heaven is really something to mentally consider. However, I think it's better to read this one first. It’s truly little more than the opening few chapters of When Heaven Weeps (several of those chapters are in Heaven’s Wager). If you read When Heaven Weeps, you’ve pretty much read The Martyr’s Song. Blink--Blink does not appear to still be sold on Amazon on CBD. I have not confirmed, but I believe it is no longer in print and has been replaced with Blink of an Eye. This was the first book I read by Ted Dekker and started by Dekker addiction. I read it after finishing several books that were low on suspense and a little high on romance. So, the fast paced, unpredictable nature of this book was welcomed. There were several aspects I enjoyed. First, the main character, Seth Borders reminds me of my son, Duncan. Seth’s highly intelligent with a photographic memory. Duncan’s not that smart yet, but a mother’s pride can let me see him becoming like that. I loved Seth instantly and was able to pull for him all the way. Secondly, I appreciated the tactful way Dekker handled the issue of women and Islam. While he accurately points out some of the darker sides of Islam, it is not in a Christian versus Islam manner. It’s direct and vivid, but not attacking. Lastly, the idea of seeing multiple potential futures and knowing where each leads is completely fascinating. I’ve heard people say the first question they want to ask God when they get to heaven is why this happened, or how God created the earth, or what was God’s reason for this or that event. My first questions will be, what were the choices I should have made and what would have been the outcome of those choices? Blink is a good thinking book and good for opening discussions. A movie based on the book is coming in 2008. Blink of an Eye—There is going to be a little bit of a spoiler here, so be warned. If you’re trying to decide which to read, Blink or Blink of an Eye, depends on what you want--harsh and in your face (Blink) or laid back and more loving (Blink of an Eye). If you’ve read Blink and want to know if Blink of an Eye is worth reading, probably. The purpose of this book was to make Blink a little less offensive to Muslims and more of a love story in preparation for the movie that will be coming out soon. It is more of a love story, and it is much more loving towards Muslims. Dekker compartmentalized some of the radical Islam to an extremist group rather than leaving the reader to assume it’s the norm. He also toned down the ‘attack’ against the Islamic faith. These changes are very good and I think makes this version more appealing to a broad group of people. However, a change in a major scene, if not read correctly, makes the ending falls apart and can lead to the opinion this book is theologically unsound. When I initially, read the scene in the Mojave Dessert where Seth reenacts Elijah and the prophet of Baal, I missed a very important phrase. By missing this phrase, it lead me to the belief Dekker was way to vague on which God answered prayer. Anyway, I misread that portion and have therefore changed my original opinion of this book. So, if you liked the hard hitting attack against Islam that was in Blink, you're not going to like Blink of an Eye. If you finished Blink feeling sorry for Muslims then you're probably going to like Blink of an Eye much better. Which is better? I really don't know. I think both have their strengths and weaknesses. I feel like Blink of an Eye could be read by anyone and they'd be open to the message because of the approach. However, some Christians will see it as a sell out and watered down. Thr3e--Wow! What can I say about this one? It’s incredible. The book completely blew me away. This is probably the premier book I would suggest for non Christians. There are no supernatural elements. Everything is explained within the realm of what we see and know. Like so many of Dekker’s books, it read like a movie. From the first word to the end, the book is moving, faster and faster. The twists and turns are jaw dropping. At the heart of the story is the struggle between good and evil. Throw in an adult forced to revisit a troubled childhood, a serial bomber, multiple explosions, near escapes, and the story has pretty much everything you could ever want in a suspense thriller. The end is a complete surprise. I thought I had it figured out and found out I was wrong. The book was made into a movie January of 2007. Read the book before watching the movie. The movie was good, but low budget. So, watch it with a forgiving heart towards the special effects. Obsessed--Obsessed shows a different side of Ted Dekker. It’s a suspense novel with a great sense of humor, which I think is necessary given the serious side is pretty hard to handle. Based on the Biblical parable of the pearl of great price, Obsessed, highlights the extent of what people (good or bad) will go to in order to obtain an object. The abundance in Obsessed enhances the point being made and really makes for a very good story. The humorous antics of Stephen’s quest for his prize runs parallel to Roth’s destructive methods to achieve his goal. The story of the Nazi concentration camp is heart breaking and is only made easier by the fact it’s woven in and out of the humorous parts of Obsessed. It still reads like a movie, but it is different from Dekker's other books. Skin--Skin wasn’t my favorite Ted Dekker book, but it certainly earned a lot of my respect for the author. When I first heard Skin was going to be a general market book, my first thoughts were, “Say it’s not so.” My fear was he might water down the message for the sake of appealing to a wider market. That could not be further from reality. The truth of who we are and how we present who we are is crystal clear. The notion of another truth other than what we see is beautifully presented. Our perception of the world and others. I can’t even begin to list all the different truths of Christianity that were presented in this book. It was certainly not watered down. If anything it was heavy handed. Now that’s not to say it preaches at the reader, because it doesn’t. What it does do is tell an exciting, somewhat dark, action packed story with truth woven through out. At times I wished I had a highlighter to mark things that just screamed, “What a great way to present _______ idea.” My only complaint was the writing style. It felt awkward at times and didn’t have that same movie like quality some of his other books have. About 2/3 through it started flowing better, but never like Saint or Thunder of Heaven. Like Showdown, it’s pretty dark and at times depicts some graphic violence. It’s really not for the young or squeamish. I have read complaints about the ending being a bit of a let down. It’s not as tidy as I like, and unfortunately, something that can be figured out. It’s still enjoyable to read though. If Dekker can incorporate the writing style of Saint with the truths of Skin, he could really reach a very large market of varying demographics. Adam (Special Edition)—Every new moon for 16 months, serial killer Eve, has claimed another victim. His method appears to be a yet discovered strain of meningitis. He’s calculated, clever, and highly elusive. During this time, FBI behavioral psychologist and stanch atheist, Daniel Clark, has been aggressively pursuing Eve. However, aside from a psychological profile, he has no real leads. When Daniel sees the killer while trying to rescue Eve’s sixteenth victim, they should have the information they need to catch him. The only problem is, Daniel dies and once resuscitated, he can’t remember what Eve looks like. I was impressed. Very impressed. Themes that have been ignored for so long were brought to the surface in the way only Ted can. Evil doesn’t like the light and it hides, but it’s always there. Satan is real, the demons are real, and they are actively and aggressively pursuing God’s creation. As Christians, we have power over this evil, if we choose to use it. I am amazed at how beautifully these themes are brought to light. I’ve read many books on spiritual warfare. Some were good and others just typical Christian fiction. This is one of the best. I might put the Screwtape letters above it, but most likely on the same level. With Adam, Ted did what he does best. He takes the metaphors of Christianity and turns them into physical stories. He takes a theme that needs exploring and turns it into a thriller. While I don’t usually consider Ted’s characters especially deep, I do think Alex and Eve were two of his best. One reasons I liked Adam so much is because it took a slightly different approach to spiritual warfare. Most of the books I read on this subject have guardian angels intervening or a definitive supernatural force doing the fighting for us. What many fail to realize is with Jesus' power, we can fight those battles ourselves. Jesus gave us the power and authority to defeat Satan in our lives. We pray to Him and He does the rest. It might be through angels, that the defeat is accomplished, but we are not powerless and we do not have to have a guardian angel to step up to the plate for us. The demons believe in Jesus and they fear Him. They understand His power over them and they understand if we choose to use that power, we hold the same authority over them as well. Sadly, we usually do not choose to use this power and as a result are subject to their authority. *SPOILER** As with most of Ted’s books I feel sure there will be a number of people who find it too violent or too something. Personally, I wish more authors would follow his lead and create books that are realistic and push the Christian comfort zone. Evil is real, violence is real, and it would like to destroy Christians. What’s wrong with putting that little fact on display? The only way to defeat evil it to admit it exists and go after it. If a book is violent and makes you a little uncomfortable, that’s probably not a bad thing. Blessed Child/A Man Called Blessed by Ted Dekker & Bill Bright--A Man Called Blessed is a sequel to Blessed Child. Probably because they were co-authored, they are somewhat different from Dekker’s other works. However, his distinctive story telling style is definitely apparent. Through a fast paced story, Blessed Child explores the concept of child like faith, the effects of doubt, and leads to questions about the ethics of profiting from faith healing. A Man Called Blessed looks at the long term effects the world can have on faith, the consequences of doubt on ones faith, and what would happen if the Ark of the Covenant was actually found. Both books are inspirational and challenges the reader to just believe. While everyone can enjoy them, I think they are perfect books for new or undiscipled Christians. I would love to lead a book discussion on them. They’re definitely conversation starters. House by Ted Dekker & Frank Peretti--I was extremely disappointed with House. I didn’t get it. It completely and totally went over my head. I’ve since read what the book was suppose to be about, and I wonder if I read the same one everyone else did. I do intend to read it again, since I now know what message the book was suppose to be trying to convey. Maybe I’ll like it better and come back and modify this review. From my understanding, it was suppose to be a horror type book, but I must have missed the horror aspect. It didn’t scare me nor did I find it particularly suspenseful. The premises sounded promising and it was written by two of my favorite authors. However, I hated the characters. I really didn’t care if they lived or died. They were obnoxious, annoying, whiny little brats, and maybe that was the point. Susan was the only character who had any redeeming qualities. She was actually a nice bright ray in this otherwise disappointing book, and again, maybe that was the point. It tied into Showdown, and thus the Circle Trilogy, but I missed that part too. Like I said, I wonder if I read the same book. House (the movie)--The movie finally came out. Since it received an R rating, it took a lot longer for it to be released than anticipated. Will and I went to see it and came away with somewhat differing opinions, but in many ways not too different. It exceeded my expectations (which were very low) and met his (which were also very low). I'll start with my thoughts. It didn't seem as low budget as Thr3e or a lot of Christian movies. There were only a couple of times when I cringed at the special effects or shook my head at the acting. I haven't read the book since it came out, but it seemed to stay pretty close to the plot with some definite changes to the ending. At least there were no stupid additions like a seminary student not knowing Romans 6:23. However, the movie still suffered because of the book it was based on. It just wasn't a good book. The plot was weak and the characters annoying. They were somewhat better in the movie, but I still didn't care about them. The ending was somewhat better, but it still seemed lacking and at times just a tad cheesy. It's almost like there really wasn't enough story to make a complete plot or enough to make an appropriate length movie so it just kinda went around in circles for the first one plus hour. More on that when I talk about my husband's opinion though. Probably the biggest problem with this movie is it was caught between two markets. It was too secular to be a Christian movie and too Christian to be a secular movie. It very much felt like some dialogue and scenes were there to convey the Christian message, but the bogus R rating is an obvious turn off to many Christians. The R rating was a joke. There was absolutely nothing in this movie that warranted an R. I have seen far worse PG-13 movies than this one. The Christianness of the movie came in spurts and with the exception of a few scenes was pretty much nonexistent. When the spurts were present they were pretty direct and spelled out. I do wish Susan had a bigger part. She really was the best part of the book and was relegated to a very minor role in the movie. Overall it wasn't bad. It wasn't great either. I thought it was better than Thr3e because the scenes flowed more smoothly and the effects were less cheesy. It's not going to be on my list of top 10 movies, but at least I didn't leave shaking my head feeling like I wasted 2 hours of my life. Now for Will's thoughts. He hasn't read House or any other Ted Dekker novel. He's not a fan, just a husband of a fan. He was aware I didn't like the book and I had told him my complaints about it, but he had no knowledge of the plot. He wasn't expecting much going in so since it met his expectation, that's not saying much. As he put it, he was expecting it to be bad and it was. His main complaint was the story development. He didn't feel like the story was paced very well or the back story revealed in a way in which the viewer could understand what was going on. He felt as though the majority of the movie spun it's wheels and didn't move anywhere. About the only thing that happened was the characters ran around the house screaming. I don't disagree with him either. It did take a long time getting started. It wasn't as bad for me because I knew where the story was going and the history of the characters. Because of that I wasn't left out in the cold wondering why Jack and Stephanie had such animosity towards each other. Will said until they started revealing the character's past and what as going on, he was bored. So bored he was wondering how upset I would be if he pulled out his Blackberry and started playing Texas Hold 'em. Another aspect he pointed out was the filming of the opening scenes were blurry and amateurish, which I also agree with. The main scene he noticed this on was the opening scene of the car driving down the road. Otherwise, the effects were not terrible, but they certainly weren't enough to be a reason to watch the movie. One scene we both thought was terrible was the little E. T. at the ending. That was just laughably awful. Overall he didn't like it. Compared to Thr3e he liked Thr3e better because he found the story more interesting. It's not the worst he's ever seen, but he'll never watch it again. The Promise--Reuben, a mute orphan, was given a very special promise by God through his adoptive mother (Naomi) before she died. A king was coming and the king would give Reuben a voice. He would know the king because he would need Naomi's shawl. Day after day, Reuben longingly looked for the king who would need the shawl. Would the king come, would he give Reuben his voice? Would God keep his promise? It took me a long time to buy The Promise. I know this sounds really dumb now, but I was reluctant to spend 13.00 on a children's book. I don't know where my head was, that's what most children's books costs. I think it was more my mind set that I was buying the book for me and not my kids. Which was true. However, I would strongly recommend it for all ages. It's a short book and doesn't take long to read, but wow does it ever have a powerful message. Just like with Ted's novels, The Promise has a beautiful message. God keeps his promises and he usually knocks us off our feet when he fulfills them. I love the delicate way Ted describes and writes Reuben. His love for people is very clear in his descriptions and his presentation. The message on his heart is obviously one he wants children to grasps. The story is wonderfully written and very much on the level that all children can enjoy. The illustrations are gorgeous and really add to the story. This is a 'Christmas' story, but can be enjoyed and appreciated at all times of the year. Great book! The Drummer Boy--In the future, Christmas becomes completely about gifts. Singing Christmas carols is no longer allowed. Jesus is forgotten and all that's left is gifts and celebrations. But what happens when young Daniel learns the truth of Christmas? Will he obey his parents and town officials and remain quite, or will he play his drum and let the world once again know the reason for Christmas? If you've read Ted's blog Guilty of Hate, you know the basic theme of the book. The time is coming when Christianity will not be accepted and we will not longer be able to practice our faith as we once have. When that time comes, what will we do and what will the world be like. Using a children's story, Ted has done a wonderful job of presenting this story to the children who might be the generation that faces this exact situation. It's gently written for children, but his point is very clear and should be listened to by adults. Just as with the promise, it centers around Christmas and is therefore considered a Christmas story. However, it is appropriate for any time of year. I highly recommend it. It's a great book with a very good point. The Slumber of Christianity--The Slumber of Christianity is not a fast paced, action packed thriller. It’s a non-fiction book dedicated to opening the eyes of Christians to heaven. Dekker makes some very excellent points in this book. He challenges us to look at this world in light of what is to come. To see this life as a foretaste, not the ultimate goal. Dekker encourages us to use our imaginations as a means of helping us anticipate heaven and to use our skills and talents to help others become excited about heaven as well. It’s written for Christians in hopes of helping us to start living this life like there is more to come. To help us get beyond the feeling of yearning for more by knowing there is more to come. It’s a very easy read and flows logically from one point to the next. It doesn’t feel like you’re reading an intellectually challenging, non-fiction book. A word about cliff notes: A lot of people find this site looking for cliff notes to Ted Dekker's books. I checked and there are no cliff notes, nor are there any plans for cliff notes to be published. If the purpose for the cliff notes is to avoid reading the whole book, I would strongly discourage looking for a shortcut. His books are incredible works of fiction and extremely quick and easy to read. Much is lost by just reading a quick summary. Torches of Joy by John Dekker—Sometimes reality is so much better than fiction. I’m not sure a fiction author could have imagined a better story line. Torches of Joy is an incredibly inspiring and uplifting book focused on the work of missionaries John and Helen Dekker among the Dani people. I’m always amazed at how God can take ordinary people and use them for extraordinary purposes. While a significant portion of the book is focused on the Dekker’s lives and work, it is somewhat overshadowed by the power of God and his work among the Dani people. Miracles are prevalent and God’s blessings on their work obvious. Most amazing, for me though, was the wisdom John and Helen showed in working with the Dani people. I can not imagine the overwhelming feelings they had at times to change the people rather than let God do the work for them. At the same time, the courage of the Dani people is highlighted and many of their sacrifices not forgotten.
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