Immanuel's Vein by Ted Dekker, and a giveaway

This week, the



Christian Fiction Blog Alliance



is introducing



Immanuel's VeinsThomas Nelson (September 7, 2010)



byTed Dekker



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ted Dekker is a New York Times best-selling author of more than twenty novels. He is best known for stories which could be broadly described as suspense thrillers with major twists and unforgettable characters, though he has also made a name for himself among fantasy fans.

Early in his career he wrote a number of spiritual thrillers and his novels were lumped in with ‘Christian Fiction’ a surprisingly large category. His later novels are a mix of mainstream novels such as Adam, Thr3e, Skin, Obsessed and BoneMan’s Daughters, and fantasy thrillers that metaphorically explore faith. Best known among these is his Circle Series: Green, Black, Red, White and The Paradise Books: Showdown, Saint, and Sinner.

Dekker was born to missionaries who lived among the headhunter tribes of Indonesia. Because his parents’ work often included extended periods of time away from their children, Dekker describes his early life in a culture to which he was a stranger as both fascinating and lonely. It is this unique upbringing that forced him to rely on his own imagination to create a world in which he belonged.

After leaving Indonesia, Dekker graduated from a multi-cultural high school and took up permanent residence in the United States to study philosophy and religion. Upon earning his Bachelor’s Degree, he entered the corporate world and proceeded to climb the proverbial ladder. But his personal drive left him restless and, after many successful years, he traded corporate life for wide range of entrepreneurial pursuits that included buying and selling businesses, healthcare services, and marketing.

In the early nineties while visiting a friend who had just written a book, Dekker decided to pursue a long held desire to be a novelist. Over the course of two years he wrote two full length novels before starting from scratch and rewriting both. Now fully enamored by the the process and the stories, he realized that storytelling was in his blood and a new obsession to explore truth through story gripped him anew.

He sold his business, moved his family to the mountains of Western Colorado and began writing full-time on his third novel. Two years and three novels later his first novel, Heaven’s Wager, was published.

Now, Dekker’s novels had sold over 3.4 million copies worldwide. Two of his novels, Thr3e and House, have been made into movies with more in production. Dekker resides in Austin, Texas with his wife Lee Ann and two of their daughters.

ABOUT THE BOOK


This story is for everyone--but not everyone is for this story.

It is a dangerous tale of times past. A torrid love story full of deep seduction. A story of terrible longing and bold sacrifice.

Then as now, evil begins its courtship cloaked in light. And the heart embraces what it should flee. Forgetting it once had a truer lover.

With a kiss, evil will ravage body, soul, and mind. Yet there remains hope, because the heart knows no bounds.

Love will prove greater than lust. Sacrifice will overcome seduction. And blood will flow.

Because the battle for the heart is always violently opposed. For those desperate to drink deep from this fountain of life, enter.

But remember, not everyone is for this story.

If you'd like to read the first chapter of Immanuel's Veins, go HERE.

Watch the book trailer:




My review:


One never knows what they are in for when they read a Ted Dekker book, and the description of this one is deliberately vague, so I had no idea what the book was about. I liked it. It was rather bizarre at times, but a lot of Dekker's books are.

It is the story of Toma, a soldier who is in love with a woman he is guarding, and who he is not allowed to love, and what lengths he will go through to prove his love and win her. Not much more can be said without giving away the story, but I walked away with the idea that this is a picture of Christ and His love for us, and that only His blood can redeem us and make us truly alive.

In some of the reviews for this book, people say the book had them laughing and sobbing. I did neither. I was pulled into the story and really enjoyed it and was moved by it. It is so different from Dekker's other books, yet a great story, and one I would recommend.

The giveaway:

Courtesy of Thomas Nelson, I have a tshirt to give away to one winner. To enter, comment on what your favorite Ted Dekker book has been that you have read. If you have never read any of his books, comment and say you haven't. I will pick a winner using random.org 10 days from today, September 23. The winner will need to provide me with their desired size, which Nelson will mail out to them.

Picture of tshirt below. I don't know if there are different colors, or if they are all the color of mine.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson for the review copy of the book, and for the tshirt for the giveaway.