Blink

Rating:
Summary: Once you start this one, you will NOT put it down....
Review: For more reasons than one, this is by far one of my favorite books.

The story begins with a look inside the mind of a student who is one of the greatest intellects in the world. Agencies all over the globe are waiting for his graduation from Berkely, yet Seth is unsettled. He struggles because he is different, and eventually realizes just how set apart he is when he begins to see futures.

Miriam is trapped. Like many women in the middle east, she is to be bartered and sold as a object in exchange for power. But before the weddding takes place, Miriam is desperately determined to escape her prison.

When the two worlds collide, it is up to Seth and Miriam to do more than just stay alive, but also save Saudi Arabia from what it could become.

From the first page, Blink is constant roller coaster which refuses to end until you hit the last page. While I deeply enjoyed the ride, I was struck by the realism of both the muslim religion and culture. Dekker clearly portrays some of the shocking differences between Christianity and Islam, and you will finish the book in a state of awe.

Well done Dekker.

Rating:
Summary: Smart, funny and absolutely brilliant!
Review: Four and 9/10s stars because only one book, The Grapes of Wrath, gets five stars.

I finally decided to give Dekker a whirl after seeing dozens of rave reviews from critics and readers all over the place. I picked up a copy of BLINK, his latest book and, ignoring my last minute Christmas shopping, I sat down for an evening of reading. It turned out to be a weekend. I could not put this book down.

Some disconnected PW reviewer who probably hated the Matrix may not like Dekker's assertive writing style, but I now see why the rest of the world is getting excited about this new writer. BLINK is absolutely brilliant! It's the way he weaves theme through a riveting plot that impressed me most. In short, Seth is a genius on the run with a Muslim, Miriam. The FBI, the CIA and Saudi hit men are on their tail in one of the largest manhunts in California's history. The plot keeps you guessing to the last page -- anyone who says they figured out how Seth and Miriam would get out of thier impossible predicatment before the end is either lying or, like Seth, can see into the future! Along the way we laugh our heads off at some points and cry at others. Gunfights, car chases, high stakes gambling, and a hilarious romance that I found very refreshing.

Like I said, I love Dekker's writing style. It's aggressive and refreshing, and I think readers today want that. His descriptions are anything but cliche. For example, "She was nothing more than a helpless maggot here in his presence," is a brilliant if heart wrenching snapshot of an abused woman's deepest feelings.

There's plenty to think about in BLINK: Islam and Christianity; God's knowledge of the future; our ability to change the future. But these issues don't ever become burdensome or distracting from the plot. In fact, they become the plot.

Bottom line, this was a smashing read. I see what all the talk is about. The critics are right, Dekker is destined to become known as one of the great popular writers of our time. Enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Christians MUST be critical of texts!
Review: Frank Peretti, (in my opinion) the best Christian author of out time, wrote in one of his books, "if you stand for nothing, you'll fall for anything", and though this is a rough paraphrase and has more to do with our spiritual lives, I believe that it is quite applicable to this review. You need to be critical of what you read!

As I read this book, I was continually amazed by the ridiculous prose chosen, the (absolute) predictability of all facets of the plot, strange diction, and horribly confusing syntax. At that point I decided that it was necessary to read a few reviews of this text. I was amazed at the rest of the responses out there.

Let me preface this review by saying that I am a born again Christian. I also realize that this is a Christian text, and that Dekker himself is a Christian.

As I read this book, there were countless times where I was forced to read, and reread certain lines because they made no sense. I understand that there are cultural differences between Saudis and Americans, but how tiresome to see the dissimilarities between Seth and the Princess blamed on Americanism. I grew to expect to see some form of the word "America" every line or so. Americans drive too fast, Americans have their freedom, Americans have more money per capita, Americans can access guns...WE KNOW- WE LIVE HERE.

As prefaced, I am a Christian and realize that the author is as well. After I read a few chapters of this book, I intrigued by contemplating the reviews it received. When I looked and saw the average rating was 4 1/2 or so stars, I almost died! What were these readers thinking?! Maybe they hadn't read anything else so there was nothing else to compare this book to, but that wouldn't even stand. Even if you hadn't read a single book other than Blink, you should still be able to see the many flaws with plot, characters, etc. I would like to go on and mention that throughout my many years in academia, one point has been very clear: Many non-believers think that Christians are not analytical and do not have the capability to criticize themselves or their own. I have spent many years defending that. However, I consent to loosing that battle after having read these reviews. I admit to being subjective in saying that the book was boring, predictable and poorly written. On the flip side, it is more than feasible to objectively say that it was a nightmare. The syntax, the diction, the confusion, the repetition, the style the predictability-these are all errors in writing, just like miscalculations are errors in math. I find it unbelievable that a publisher found Blink worthy, and even more unbelievable that its community of readers found it enjoyable, stimulating, addicting, and whatever other positive adjectives one could imagine. I should take into consideration the fact that there probably are people that did just enjoy this book, but it is amazing that those people did not make up the minority. I admonish you, the Christians out there to be critical of what you read! To say this was a good book (not even great, but good) would be to demean my intelligence. As aforementioned- if you stand for nothing you'll fall for anything!


Rating:
Summary: A super-charged intellectual thriller - loved it.
Review: Great book. Begins with a bold premise, which creeps through the black-and-white type and grips you by the spine. In an age where entertainment is cheap, free, or part of the new reality-TV fad, Blink stands out as thriller that moves the bar up a notch.
While Dekker hasn't been with the industry long, he approaches it with the strength and dexterity of an experienced writer, penning inventive prose into a dusty market.
Christian fiction at last begins to look like something relevant.
For those who give this a poor review: try writing something worthy of the same attentions you've given this novel.
Blink will suck you in, belt you to the passengers' seat, and drop you off, dizzy and exhilarated. Pick it up today, and add Dekker to your read and re-read library.

Rating:
Summary: Don't look now!
Review: Hey, don't look now, but Ted Dekker did it again when he wrote "Blink" and he did it very well. First of all, I'd like to thank Publishers Weekly for that overly constipated review of Mr. Dekker's work. They give Christians a bad name, and instead of acting like Christians, they really act like the Pharisees, so they should be quite proud of themselves! Let's give them a big hand, because we watch out for you all the time, and you really aren't that good at writing reviews anyway! And as for the readers on this site who didn't have any nerve to put their name, please get some guts and then write a real review. Now, on with MY review.

I think most readers (except for the ones mentioned above of course, ha ha) can imagine being such a person as Seth Border, and then running into someone like Miriam. This was not only an awesome read, but it really drove the point home! I couldn't read this book without giving God all the glory in the end! It is all about 2 people learning about each other and so much, much more. If you want a book that will not only give you an honest adventure, some unexpected twists, and an end that will make you say, "Now I NEVER really imagined something like THAT happening, but it makes sense!" If you want to say something like that, get this book. Because that's what I was saying after reading it. Why? Because that's how God works. You aren't supposed to expect everything that is coming. That's how this book is, and it was worth every cent! YEAH!!!

Rating:
Summary: Awesom
Review: I am a Christian Romance novel FANATIC, I bought this book on a whim of oh... this might be good. THIS IS A FANTASTIC BOOK, the characterization, the style of writing, the plot twists, everything was great. I cant wait to read another one of his books. I would recommend it to anyone!

Rating:
Summary: Engaging Read
Review: I don't have as much time to read fiction these days; I used to devour it, but nonfiction has occupied my spare time for the last two years. Additionally, I'm usually skeptical when approaching a book from the Christian fiction market, having encountered a few duds penned by authors with more good intentions than talent or skill in storytelling. Ted Dekker has been a pleasant surprise.

"Blink" caught me in the first lines, alluding to the modern-day kingdom as "a fairy tale gone awry," and held my easily-distracted attention through to the end. Through the character Miriam's eyes, we are shown a glimpse of women's daily life in Saudi Arabia and the human rights abuses women routinely suffer in that part of the world. Though Miriam is a princess, surrounded by luxury, her world is still shown to be a gilded cage, seen through the eyeslit of an abaaya. Miriam may be the daughter of nobility, but I wouldn't want to live in the world of fear that Dekker depicts.

"Blink" raises some valid points regarding issues such as interpretations of the Quran, closed-minded attitudes on university campuses, and the struggle between ethical demands over human rights and political realities. The characters also argue, at points, over the nature of the future and individual human free will versus the existence of an intervening, omniscient God. Yet this never felt intrusive to me; on the contrary, it was crucial to the story. While many fiction novels in the Christian market unfortunately succumb to stilted dialogues, straw-man arguments, and two-dimensional characters whose only purpose seems to be to present said arguments, I never got that impression in "Blink."

My only criticism was that I found it easy to confuse many of the antagonists in the story; part of this I may ascribe to my unfamiliarity with Arabic names, but their personalities were not distinct enough for me to grasp any significant differences between them, and thus, difficult for me to keep straight when one or more was mentioned. This proves especially problematic when the story's political situation is discussed in the context of Saudi Arabia's real-life structure.

Publisher's Weekly's rather negative review notwithstanding (I don't recall "stumbling" over any "clumsy prose," though I must admit that seeing the phrases they quoted standing alone, plucked from their context, do sound unusual), I would recommend "Blink" to my friends, a group that I know are at least as discerning as I am.

Rating:
Summary: You won't be able to put it down!
Review: I just discovered Ted Dekker in the last year or so, but every book of his I read is amazing! Blink is no less than I expected from him and it is a definite page turner. After reading only the first chapter, I did not want to put it down. He draws you into the story and the characters' lives immediately and keeps you biting your nails through each page. I read the entire book in a day because I had to know how it ended. It is also very enlightening about the conditions in Saudi Arabia and some aspects of Islam, of great interest to many people right now considering the current world situation.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for quality entertainment, or a better understanding of Muslims, or a reassurance that God is in the details of life! My mom is reading it now and she is thoroughly enjoying it as well. Order this book -- you won't be sorry!

Rating:
Summary: In the blink of an eye...
Review: I thought that this book was excellent! Tedd Dekker did a GREAT job of capturing his readers' attention by creating believable characters that were easy to relate to, by creating an interesting fast-paced plot, and by describing his locations and characters vividly.

Mariam is a twenty-year old Saudi Arabina princess. She is almost twenty-one, and will soon be given in marriage. Seth is in his mid-twenties, and is a brilliant man with an I.Q. higher than Albert Enstein's. An odd turn of events is about to bring this two individuals together.

After Miriam's close friend, Sita, is cruelly drowned, and Miriam finds out that she is going to be forced to marry a man that she does not know or love, Mariam flees Saudi Arabia to come to the United States.

After she reaches the United States, Seth Borders saves Miriam during a dangerous situation. Soon, Miriam learns that Seth has just recieved a God-given gift: he can see all of the possible outcomes for the future.

Soon, Miriam and Seth are constantly on the move, trying to protect Miriam from the people who want to take her back to Saudi Arabia so she can marry a man named Omar. Will Seth and Miriam make it out of this horrible situation alive? Read this book and find out!

I LOVED this book! If you want to read an AWSOME page-turner, or want to read about how God helps people in difficult situations, than this is the book for you! I give this book five stars!!

Rating:
Summary: I wish I hadn't read it
Review: I will preface my comments by saying that I'm a sensitive person who doesn't deal well with violence in books and movies. I purposely avoid it because it upsets me deeply and I don't see the value of entertainment that upsets me. That said, I truly wish I had never read this book. I ended up buying a copy because I was intrigued by the plot outline on the back of the book. After reading it (yes, I finished it) I was inclined to throw it away because even the sight of the cover brought unpleasantness to mind. There is one particular scene in the book that was so horrible that I still get the creeps when I think about it. The writing was good, and the plot fascinating, but I'd skip it entirely if I had it to do over again.