Rating: 
Summary: Biting My Fingernails.
Review: "Thunder of Heaven" was a fantastic story that had me biting my fingernails with suspense. If you've never read a Ted Dekker book,you're missing some of the th most intense Christian fiction of our time. His books are filled with many layers of suspense, romance, mystery, high adventure, etc., and his writing style is engaging-- it's got a good verbal quality about it. The plot is summarized in other reviews so I'm just going to comment on the underlying message. Ultimately "Thunder of Heaven" is a book about the love of God in the face of evil. What would drive a man to be a terrorist? More importantly, what would drive that same man to his knees in repentance? I highly recommend this book. Enjoy.
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Summary: Hang Onto Your Hat . . .
Review: . . . Because you're in for a wild ride. Ted Dekker is emerging as the most formidable and versitile (Christian) novelist of his generation, and Thunder of Heaven goes a long way toward solidifying his reputation. I put the word "Christian" in parenthesis because he's like no other Christian novelist I know writing for a religious publisher. With this, his fourth book, he's got his moves down to the point that he's in a class with the very top thriller novelists writing today. Everything comes together for Dekker in Thunder--the high concept, the action sequences, the male/female interrelational elements, the denoument. It's amazing to me that this story was conceived and written way before 9/11, what with its brilliant take on terrorism. What is even more incredible is the way he resolves the central conflict at the heart of this story. No matter who you are, I believe you'll come away from Thunder deeply moved. And what's more, you'll have been greatly entertained all along the way. Highest recommendation.
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Summary: Yeah, it's hot out here . . .
Review: . . . but not as hot as this book! Whew!! I nearly singed my fingers turning the pages on this one!!! Seriously, this is one scorching book. From the opening scene in the Venezuelan jungle to the incredible wrap-up, it's practically non-stop, heart-pounding action. Plus, there're more plot twists than an Islamic justification for suicide bombings (not to give anything away . . .). This has got to be the hottest summer read (yeah, I know it's only spring for most of you, but it's always summer out here) I've run into in a long time. Pick it up--but you better be wearing gloves.
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Summary: I'm Still New at This . . .
Review: . . . So please bear with me. This is my second Dekker book, and if I was surprised by Heaven's Wager, this one blew my socks off. This is a rocket ride. And the love theme is really done well. Right from the get-go, things start happening, and it doesn't let up until the shocking finish. Tanya and Shannon are great characters, I really came to care about them. All in all, a terrific read. Don't miss it!
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Summary: Edge of your seat reading!
Review: An excellent continuance in the series. I had to force myself to slow down and take in all the details that are packed into the pages. Dekker is a masterful writer.
Rating:
Summary: Edge of your seat reading!
Review: An excellent continuance in the series. I had to force myself to slow down and take in all the details that are packed into the pages. Dekker is a masterful writer.
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Summary: The first "Christian" novel I ever read
Review: And what a shock!! I'd been avoiding these books like the plague because I'd heard they were all amateurish, even (esp.?) Left Behind. And have you ever been in a Christian bookstore? What a trip! More like a tricked out Hallmark store. Anyway, I bit the bullet because I overheard two colleagues going on and on about a book and I just had to find out what the big deal was. You know how when someone gives a huge buildup to something, then you go check it out and it turns out to be dreck? Well, I was pretty skeptical going in. You know what? They were right--more right than I can begin to tell you. I've read my fair share of Grisham, Clancy, Coben, Lehane, Connelly, Morrell, Cussler, and lots of others, but never, NEVER have I read anything like this. For one thing, it's really refreshing to get all the action and adventure you could ever want and not have to worry about the main character hopping into bed with whatever female comes within half a mile of him. Not that I care a whole lot about that stuff, it just gets a little tiresome always having to deal with some rank male fantasy. For another thing, this Dekker guy strikes me as a truly original voice. He's got this edginess that I didn't expect from a "Christian" novel. Since I'm kind of a monomaniac, I know what I'll be doing for the next couple weeks--checking out everything this guy's ever written. So should you.
Rating: 
Summary: Ludlum meets Peretti: God is the chessmaster of history.
Review: Book 1 of the "Martyr's Song" series reminded me of John Grisham, book 2 of Francine Rivers, but book 3 reminded me of Robert Ludlum. With fast-paced action you'd expect from a Robert Ludlum thriller, it's a suspenseful page-turner about a terrorist threat to America because of a nuclear bomb and about a CIA operative Casius who acts outside orders. The story begins with two lovers, Tanya Vandervan and Shannon Richterson on a plantation in Venezuela. They are separated and both of their parents killed when the plantation is brutally attacked by drug-runners wanting to claim the territory as their own. Believing each other to be dead, Tanya tries to overcome her past by becoming Sherry Blake, a medical student, whereas Shannon falls under the influence of the dark powers behind the witch-doctor Sula and becomes Casius, a hired assassin for the CIA. Eight years later, their paths cross again in Venezuela, this time with global history at stake due to the terrorist threat.
The theology underlies the plot to a lesser degree than the other two novels in the series. For the most part this is a typical Robert Ludlum style read, minus the moral garbage, but with a killer on the loose, taking down villains, and a count-down for a nuclear explosion. But the theology is there, because Dekker wants us to see God's hand acting behind the events that ensue. Several times, Dekker portrays the unfolding events as moves in a chessmatch where God Himself is playing against the forces of evil. "God's playing his pieces in this chess match ... They've been moving and countermoving for decades up there on this one." The chess match imagery returns throughout the novel. "We know who the players are. They are God and they are the forces of darkness. The white side and the black side." Dekker wants us to realize that God is in control behind the decisions of mankind: "he moves the match."
Shannon has embraced the side of evil and wants nothing else than to take revenge. But his actions could place the future of the United States in jeopardy. Evil can only be stopped and Shannon changed by Tanya's love for him. Here Dekker shows how all the events are worked together by God. Shannon asks: "You can't expect me to believe you were drawn to the jungle to save mankind from some diabolical plot to detonate a nuclear weapon on US soil. You don't find that just a bit fantastic?" Dekker wants us to realize that "nothing is without a purpose", and that God is governing all things in "God's chess match," and this is why Shannon and Tanya have been brought together in love. Tanya's love plays a role in God's large plan: "And if I hadn't loved you, the bomb would have gone off. If my parents hadn't come to the jungle, or if we hadn't fallen in love, or if Abdullah had chosen a different location, the bomb would have gone off. It was all God's leading, his turning evil to good." It's divine chess: "The Creator is the ultimate chess master, isn't he? Why he allows evil to wreak havoc, we can hardly understand. But in the end, it always plays into his hands." Ultimately Dekker wants us to marvel at the chessmaster: "God is quite brilliant, don't you think?"
To properly understand the role that love plays in this cosmic chess game, one needs to read Vol. 2 of the series, because there Dekker more fully works out his understanding of true love as requiring a willingness to die to the self and one's own desires, in a Christlike sacrifice.
In the end, the theological underpinning isn't entirely successful:
1. Dekker emphasizes again and again that Tanya was made to love Shannon, but only until the final climax does it become somewhat clear how her final act of loving really does make a difference. This is the hinge on which the whole chess match depends, yet there was still some cloud over *why* and *how* Tanya's love for Shannon changed the outcome. I found the main premise a little too hard to swallow. It's true that God uses our moves and decisions as part of his chess match, but usually these are ordinary thought-out decisions of daily life, not irrational and unexplained passions resulting from visions. Moreover, the chain of reasoning is weak. While Dekker states that "our parents - they died for this day", yet if the parents hadn't died, the terrorists wouldn't have controlled the plantation, Shannon would not have been filled with revenge, and the bomb scenario would not have arisen in the first place.
2. Dekker suggests that God speaks directly to people today in visions, although it could be conceded that this is merely a literary device that serves the plot.
3. There are a few aspects of the plot that are somewhat too implausible, such as Tanya's return to Venezuela at the insistence of her adoptive grandma, and the failure of the two main characters to recognize one another. The identification of Shannon with Casius is easy to figure out, but I suspect Dekker isn't trying to hide this from us, because he has a much greater surprise regarding character identity in store for us at the conclusion.
These weaknesses aside, on the whole this is a well-written and thought-provoking novel. Overall this novel has less theological weaknesses than the first two, but the theology is more in the background here with the plot taking center stage. Fans of Robert Ludlum style suspense thrillers will love the fast-paced story-line. And although it's not quite as deep as his other novels, and the story-line could have been tightened somewhat, the theology is in itself sound. For a fast paced read with the thrills of Ludlum and the theological depth of Peretti, read of "The Thunder of Heaven" and be reminded that God is the chessmaster behind history, working all things for good. -GODLY GADFLY
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: Dekker is one of the best Christian novelists I have ever read. The action is exciting and the spiritual insights thought-provoking. Truly harrowing and inspiring. Please read this! Someone who reviwed "Blessed Child" by Dekker said the Bible doesn't record Christians dying to save non-Christians. That is simply untrue - it happens in life and in this book! (As well as "When Heaven Weeps"). Thank you, Ted Dekker.
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Summary: Truly Amazing Story.
Review: I am a guy, and ordinarily I do not like stories with romantic themes, but this book was just Amazing!! Imagine a young man and a young woman who are brought together in the beautiful, rich, forests of the Amazon river. The flowers bloom in brilliant colors. The birds cry their beautiful and sweet songs. Then terrorists kill their families, but they survive and each assumes the other is dead. Paradise Lost!! The writer has to get the couple back together somehow, but how?? How, I ask, how? Well, I guess you'll have to let the writer tell you that himself, and as with all Ted Dekker books, the writing is splendid, and the story will suck you in like a Maytag vacuum cleaner. Ted's books blend romance, adventure, and Christian spirituality in an Amazing way. I recommend that you read the entire Martyr's Song Trilogy. The other two books are "Heaven's Wager" and "When Heaven Weeps." They're available here on Amazon, and I think you get some kind of discount if you buy more than one at a time. Happy reading.
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