"The sound of boots crunching into gravel carried across the blacktop while the man who wore them was still a shimmering black figure approaching the sign that read Welcome to Paradise, Colorado. Population 450. The opening sentence of the first chapter is incredibly vivid and concise. It's all too easy to lose yourself in Ted Dekker's fictional town, and the multiple senses further cement your locale. And two pages prior, courtesy of a telling and intriguing prologue, I was officially introduced to Marsuvees Black, whose very presence inevitably sent shivers along my spine. Black got into my head. He was about the embark upon a journey of a lifetime. A wild trip, if you will. The prologue blew me away, rendering me speechless and addicted. As I delved deeper, however, I found myself strangely underwhelmed. The precision and clarity of such works like Adam and the Circle series simply aren't here. Call it lazy writing or what you will, Showdown is really lacking a lot. Regarding the unclear (or vague) writing, much of it required me to go back and actually re-read innumerous passages in order to fully grasp them. Admittedly, there were a few occasions where I lost focus, and going back helped clarify what was going on, but sadly those were few and far between. As Paradise gradually unraveled, key characters like Johnny Drake and Samuel Abraham were forced to find ways of coping with their predicament, and by doing so you'd think the full scope of their characters would come to light. Sadly, that never happened. Though there is minimal growth, most of them were rather flat. Throughout the novel, Dekker played with a fascinating concept: ignorance as spiritual blindness. With the exemption of a select few, the town's population are completely oblivious to what should be painfully obvious. The rapidity with which Marsuvees works, and especially the extent they're willing to go, are prime examples of this. But typical of Dekker, he takes things much further, peppering the work with profound statements that consistently astounded me. "Everything each of us does affects the others. None of lives in a vacuum. We're simply children on a quest to gain the highest forms of wisdom without being compromised in the process. But when one is compromised, the others are compromised. You see that, don't you?" My absolute favorite aspect of the book was the importance of writing, and the fact that words are indeed powerful. I've always been drawn to stories centered around writing (and, by extension, the craft itself,) but what the author achieved here, and the methods used to pull it off, do not parallel anything I've ever read.. except for the Circle series, which shares similar concepts and is clearly connected. This is a story only Dekker could have written, IMO. Neither do I believe these elements were merely incorporated for the sake of making it more interesting. I believe it was his intent to explore the power of the written word as a primary theme. As if to help support this, John 1:1-2 was inserted into the text:"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God. He was with God in the beginning." Ahh.. the immense power of words. Its utter capacity is truly indescribable.“Live to discover, as long as discovery leads to a love that comes from the Creator... writing was the mirror to life.” At the heart of the novel is mankind's struggle of Good v. Evil. It's an interesting take on Original Sin, as seen in Genesis 3. Albeit incredibly cliche, the devil's in the details, as the saying goes. 'Battles are being fought all around us,' after all.“The battle over flesh and blood cannot compare to the battle for the heart.” -White Coupled with flat characters and vague depictions, I found many contrivances throughout, and Samuel's (view spoiler)[death and resurrection (hide spoiler)]
If you are one of the people who believe that Christian fiction is boring, then let me start this review by saying that I used to be in the same boat. To me, Christian fiction was supposed to be a life lesson with meager attempts at action or suspense, usually giving it the same feeling as one of those old Bibleman movies. That all changed, though, when I read Showdown by Ted Dekker. Let’s just get this out of the way: Ted Dekker is my favorite author, and will most likely continue to be my favorite author for a long, long time.Showdown is the first book in the Paradise trilogy. It begins with a man named Marsuvees Black (yes, I’m serious) walking into a tiny Colorado mountain town named Paradise. He is one of those guys you can spot from about a mile away, since he wears a trench coat and wide brimmed hat. Think of a slightly more modern version of Hugh Jackman’s version of Van Helsing, and turn his coat, hat, and hair black. Mr. Black makes a wonderful first impression by murdering a local, and then proclaims himself a preacher. Not only is he a preacher, but he’s the new Jonah, come to warn Paradise of their imminent doom via Godly wrath so that they may change their wicked ways and save their lives. Throwing in a few miracles for good measure, Black soon has the entire town under his spell. There is a secret he hides, though, that can, and just may, change the world. The question is whether he is what he says he is, or if he has come to destroy Paradise and everyone within it.Meanwhile, deep within the Rocky Mountains, just a few miles away from Paradise, a monastery lays hidden. This is the home of Project Showdown, an experiment to see if children raised separated from the corruptions of the world would develop Godly faith stronger than the average human being. One of these children has entered the subterranean levels of the monastery (also known as the dungeons) and has found a source of power greater than he could have imagined. What ties him and Marsuvees Black together? You’ll have to read Showdown and find out!First and foremost, Showdown may have the coolest villain I have ever read, Christian book or not. Marsuvees Black is cold and manipulative, but does it so well that the townspeople (and sometimes you) think that Black is warm and friendly, like a preacher should be. Still, you always have this little nagging doubt in the back of your mind that something isn’t right…Dekker’s writing is amazing. He describes everything so fluidly and in great detail that you will get gooseflesh as you watch Black march into Paradise. I heard Western showdown music (no pun intended) play in my head as his coat fluttered in the wind, his hat shading his face mysteriously. The image only got clearer when Dekker has one character compare the way he walks to Zorro’s confident, cocky gait.The story itself is amazing. It will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the whole thing, and when you finally find out who (or what) Marsuvees Black is, your jaw will literally drop, just like mine did. You will shiver as you see Black perform his unnatural feats, hold your breath as you step into the dungeons, and, at one point, cry your eyes out. No story is perfect, but this is the closest I’ve seen one get yet.If you haven’t guessed it yet, I recommend you run out to your nearest Barnes and Noble, Christian bookstore, or wherever you buy your books from, and pick this book up immediately. Even if you’re not a Christian, this story will not fail to entertain you.
What do You think about Showdown (2006)?
Ted Dekker is weird. I feel like he's some sort of weird Missing Link between the swamp of crappy Christian speculative and the mostly nonexistent really good Christian speculative. I just have a lot of weird conflicting feelings about this. It was good! But it was bad! It was clever! But it was kind of dumb! The Jesus imagery was touching! But it was also heavy handed and kind of uncalled for! It's so confusing? I'm disappointed and also intrigued. Worse, I don't know how much of my intrigue is related to my enduring love for the Lost Books. So I don't know. This was kind of a fail and kind of a win. But I still want to read Saint and Sinner, out of more than just a desire for closure, which I think merits three stars.
—Collin
The premise and setting of the story was good and I was excited to see how it would end. However, toward the end of the book I noticed that he was writing himself into a corner, and then he did the cliche that a lot of christian writers like to fall into. When the book took this turn, the characters became unconvincing as too much God-like reactions and behaviors were forced upon them, and the symbolism was force fed. I recommend a lot of Dekker's work, he is a thrilling author, but this one bugs me. This book is part of a series that does not need to be read in order. This one he wrote first, but he suggests to his readers to start with one of the other two first. Since I haven't yet read the other two, but I will, I can't say if his recommendation is a good one or not.
—Keturah Barchers
For my English final I chose to read this novel. This was the first novel I ever read by Ted and when I started reading it, I was completely confused. However, my friend who I borrowed the book from told me to keep reading and that I would soon start to love it. I am very glad I listened to him. It took me less than a week to read the book and I can honestly say it is one of the best books I have ever read. The way Ted composed the story, the flipping back and forth between the Monastery and Paradise, kept me on the edge of my seat. Just as something big started to happen in Paradise, Ted took me up to the Monastery and vice versa, which is one reason I could not put the book down. I just had to know what happened next. I also loved the way Ted transformed the monumental battle between good and evil into a struggle between and innocent child and an evil adult. I thought the symbolism was genius. tThis book kept me up many nights because I absolutely could not put it down, which is how all of Ted’s books are. Just when you think you have figured something out, he throws a new piece of information at you which turns your point of view 180 degrees around. The book keeps you constantly guessing and asking that never ending question of “what next?” tI would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves mysteries, action, adventures, or simply a good read. It will always keep you wondering what trouble the characters will get into next and what situations will be thrown your way. If you like action-packed, suspenseful, heart-pounding, keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat thriller movies, then you will absolutely love any one of Ted Dekker’s book.
—Courtney
