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It never ceases to amaze me how Dekker can use very simple themes, in this case a school of children, and build an amazing story that is hard to put down. In a sense, normal drama that you see in books does not exist. Instead the battles are supernatural, spiritual and often emotional. As usual, Dekker (like Peretti) excels in reminding us that there is a world far beyond what we experience on an everyday basis and that there are battles occuring everyday-for our souls. His characters in this story are believable and unique, yet they are also everyday people and struggle as we do to choose the right path and not the one that always leads to death. The story is well-built, leaves no stone unturned and (as usual) no strings untied (forgive the cliche). Allegories are strong and you will relate closely to most of the characters who take part in this quick-moving, hard-to-put-down story of destruction, the power of the written word, and ultimate life. cannonbeachjewelsRead full review
I am an avid reader of all types of suspense. Ted Dekker is one of my favorite authors. He writes what some call "christian fiction" but I believe his stories are for anyone that enjoys suspense, not just christians. I also think that his stories convey a message of hope for everyone, not just christians. I have read BLACK, RED and WHITE (The Circle Trilogy), OBSESSED, and THR3E; I wish that the movie version of THR3E came to my town so I could have seen it but it didn't play anywhere near me (I will get the DVD as soon as it comes out). I absolutely loved every one of Dekker's books and had high hopes for SHOWDOWN. I was a little disappointed in this one. Don't get me wrong; Dekker deliver's his patented suspense with twists and turns and a see-sawing storyline that bounces between 2 places, keeping you guessing. It just didn't have that same bite that I had grown accustomed to. If you are a Dekker fan, you will enjoy the read, no doubt about it. But be prepared for a little bit of a different story and ending; just not quite as taut as his previous offerings. The conflict is a bit predictable and the suspense is a bit watered down. The book is surprisingly descriptive in it's attempt at the horror genre and I could quite easily picture the violence as it was described; none of the violence was gratuitous, but the book was violent in parts. The characters were a little less compelling and the story a little less creative. Without giving anything away, he builds from The Circle Trilogy which is very cool and very creative, but ultimately, a little contrived. The 2 main characters are believable and somewhat relatable (they are both about 13 years old which is 20 years ago for me). I have read reviews that compare one of the character's as Christ-like, but I disagree. I don't see this book as an allegory for Christ. Rather, I see it as parable of love, sacrifice and redemption that can be achieved because of Christ's death on the cross. Suffice it to say that there could certainly be lots of discussion on the symbolism in this book. Unlike Dekker's previous offerings which had me guessing until the last chapter, this book was a little easier to figure out and therefore a little less thrilling. I pretty much had everything figured out by the time I was 2/3 of the way through the book. Overall, I would give this book a lenient 4 out of 5, but it is probably better rated as a 3.5 out of 5. It was good not great, interesting not enthralling, creative but not original. If you read it, you will enjoy it. If you don't, you're not missing out on Dekker's best work.Read full review
I have enjoyed reading Ted Dekker's books and love his ability to take you right into another place, time, or person's life. His books are worth your time to read. He gives you a ride like no other through his pages all the while giving you a message. That good does have victory over evil. Through his plots and character's you finish his books knowing that there is hope. Ted Dekker's books are a must read for all those who love to be touched and changed by a book and still have just great fun reading it too. Enjoy Reading, Kim Guilds
I love all Ted Dekker novels, but did struggle a bit with this one. His stories are often an analogy to something Biblical, but this one did not quite achieve that in my opinion; his Christ-like character was not quite Christ-like enough - hard to explain without giving away the book. As a novel it is great, teaching Christian principles and showing the battle of good and evil was great as well. He used a highly inventive idea for the story and the scary parts were just scary enough! Very enjoyable!
I wonder who actually writes these reviews... any real people or people who work for ebay or book companies... This charecter BLACK was good but the story was rediculous and slow... it wasn't worth 5.00. The readers imagination added more to this story than was actually written on the pages and the religious asspect was shoved down your throat... huge waste of time. But ADAM by Dekker was the best book (thriller) I've ever read. HOUSE was ok but predictible near the ending. ADAM is one you need to read NEED TO READ... But this SHOWDOWN was a LET DOWN... sometimes I think writers write to fill the remainder of a contract because the stories are so predicable and stupid. It's a YAWN!
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