Ted Dekker

If you're the kind of person who enjoys the thrill of rollercoaster action, mindboggling mind games and fantastical plot twists, disdaining all regard to reason, you might find a bosom buddy in Ted Dekker. Thr3e is like Fight Club on steroids with a besprinkling of the Sixth Sense, with a curiously oddball spiritual message jammed into the mishmash like a pube in a toilet bowl. The plot might be a bit melodramatic and the dialogue a bit childish and prissy, but behind all the pyromaniacal show more hullabaloo, the moral significance rings true. What I found most interesting was the way Dekker changed the formula to introduce a mentally ill character with the magical power of animating his individual personalities in the flesh, with a sort of play on magical realism. An impressive read overall. Kevin reminds me of my own craziness sometimes with his talks with himself, but at least I'm not blowing up buses and libraries. show less

I have been a big fan of Dekker since I read the Circle Trilogy years ago. The 49th Mystic and Rise of the Mystics is old school Dekker at it's best. After all, he really just duplicated his success with Thomas Hunter with a twist. Everything isn't perfect in this new series, but I will get to that in a bit.

First, lets look at what is good:
- The book reads easy as all of Dekkers, despite repeating themes multiple times. Sometimes this is helpful, sometimes a little repetitive.
- The show more Seals, or "Truths" Rachelle is searching for are well thought through and keep the reader thinking, even if they have a mature faith.
- There are enough "surprises" that the story stays interesting. Where as there is some predictability, the plot stays engaging to the end.
- The Christian faith is evident, but adds to the story vs takes away from it.
- I have never read any other book that correctly captures the challenge of surrendering and changing the way we think and process as Dekker has done here. This is the struggle of every Christian and the desire of all people. What does it mean to change, but to do it it the strength of the Spirit, not our own? This is really the journey Rachelle is on and Dekker has captured it in vivid detail.

Now for a few things that could have been better:
- I love Dekker's fantasy world of Other Earth. He has created a whole alternate reality around it. However, he isn't true to the laws he put in place for it. In some ways, I felt betrayed, that he cheated by changing the rules to fit the story he wanted to tell. I am not convinced this was even needed, but it is what it is.
- One of the problems of telling stories in an alternate reality, a story world, is the need for congruence. This would have worked perfectly if Dekker had not tried to force a "circle" with the book Green (it should never have been written). Since he did, though, the Rise of the Mystics makes a great story, but breaks the timeline in Other Earth. Both Green and the Rise of the Mystics can't be true. Now, if you take the Mystic books as an alternate ending to Black, Red and White then it is much easier on our linear minds stuck in polarity.

Those are really the only two negatives I have. Dekker does a great job, as usual, creating enjoyable character and drawing the reader through an engaging story. I would highly recommend these to anyone looking for a good book and desiring to wrestling through their faith as well. Dekker pushes into the realm of Universalism, which I strongly disagree with, but he doesn't state it directly. He keeps enough room for the reader to find their own way.

These would be great books to read and discuss in a group. Regardless, they are an enjoyable read! show less

(4.5 / 5)

Equal parts thriller and philosophical, this book starts with a discussion about the nature of man and by the end of the first chapter, has the main character nearly blown up. Kevin is tormented by a man who demands he confess his sin or his attacks will only get worse. Aided by a caring FBI agent whose brother was killed in a similar fashion only a few months previous and Kevin's best friend since childhood, he struggles to understand what the madman wants from him. All of this show more leads up to an unexpected confrontation that I did not see coming.

The book is billed as a thriller, but I think where it tends to trip some people up is that it's also very philosophical. Unlike Peretti, whom many people compare Dekker to, I don't know that I'd classify Ted Dekker as a Christian author exactly. The books of his that I have read contain religion or spirituality, but not exactly Christianity. There is a fairly strong moral message in this book, though, and it can slow down the action. It doesn't bother me much, but it might others.

I first read this book in the early 2000s. I've considered it one of my favorite books ever since then, but unlike my long-time favorite book, I have never re-read this one before now. It has the type of ending that led me to think that it wouldn't really be worth re-reading. Now that it's 15ish years later and I find myself enjoying books again, I decided it was time. I did enjoy it this time through, but not quite as much as the first time, because of the knowledge I had. However, knowing the Big Twist, I was able to see the build-up to it, spot the signs and hints. I appreciated the way that Dekker spun the story.

I did still enjoy the book, particularly the characterization of the main character, Kevin, and his childhood. That was one big thing I didn't quite remember from when I first read it--the book hinted at him having a more difficult childhood than what was even shown up front, but I couldn't remember what it was. I enjoyed unraveling the story again, even though I knew what it was leading up to. I also very much enjoyed Kevin's relationship with his professor, and the role the professor played in the latter part of the book.

One gripe that I have is in the symbolism regarding the Big Twist. To use an example, when watching Sixth Sense for the first time, you may not even know that the color red is always involved in the Big Twist (not spoiling, though by now, if you don't know the twist in that movie, where have you been living?) throughout the movie unless you are told about it by someone else. It's there, but it's subtle. In this book, the number 3 is a huge part of the bad guy's psyche, and it's not even remotely subtle. The bad guy himself says how much he likes the number 3 more than once. I think I would have liked to see it as a more subtle element. show less

The Girl Behind the Red Rope, written by not one, but two Dekkers, is the thrilling, chilling I hoped to find when I picked it up—and so much more.

Grace lives in a cultish community, protected by the boundary of the red rope. Yet, when what she has long believed as reality comes into question, it is time for her to search out the truth. With plenty of twists, plus the supernatural elements I would expect of a Dekker, the story proceeds with poignancy about fear, security, and the freedom show more of God.

I enjoyed the disturbing and entertaining The Girl Behind the Red Rope. I easily recommend it to interested readers and look forward to more of what this father-daughter duo has to offer.

I received a complimentary copy of this book and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own. show less