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A BOOK REVIEW //
Now I realize that I have just recently done a music review post, and I’m not trying to get all… REVIEWishy, but this book was just too good not to share.
Ted Dekker has been a favorite author of mine for some time now. His series Black, Red, White – also known as The Circle Trilogy, will forever remain on the top shelf of my mind when I recall the greatest books I’ve ever read. I’ve read several other novels by Dekker, most of which I enjoyed tremendously.
He’s a fiction writer, but the majority of his works are spiritual analogies that mirror the Kingdom of God in some way. I love them because they cause you to question how things really work without forcing “Christianese” answers or language down your throat.
Every now and then, I have this realization that all I’ve been reading lately are books designed to teach me, challenge me, guide me, etc.. That’s all well and good, but sometimes I just want something that can entertain me – a story that I can lose myself in. The funny thing about it is that those entertainment books usually end up teaching me, challenging me, and guiding me more than the boring books ever could. Case in point:
Immanuel’s Veins //
I picked this book up while I had some time to kill last week. I’d just dropped my wife’s car off at the mechanic’s shop to have some new tires put on, and I walked across the street to our local Sam’s Club. As soon as I saw Ted Dekker’s newest book on the shelf I devised an ingenious plan to locate the most comfortable recliner I could find in Mr. Walton’s bargain club. So there it was, my oasis in aisle 12 – me copping a squat in the cushiest chair the world has ever known with a 68¢, 44 ounce Coca-Cola resting on an end table that didn’t belong to me. Before the first chapter had ended, I made the decision it was okay to lick my finger when turning the pages because this book wasn’t ever going back on that shelf.
I read for an hour straight, undeterred by the shoppers searching for 24-packs of energy saver light bulbs or gallon jugs of mayonnaise. The mechanic called me to let me know my wife’s car had fresh rubber on her feet and I’d wished it had taken them longer. Fifty pages into Immanuel’s Veins and I finally became it’s rightful owner…the perfect chair and end table would have to wait.
A few days later, Allison and the kids left town to visit friends and family in Nashville, TN. I’d not had the opportunity to read much and although the book was good, it hadn’t hooked me just yet. Too much work was ahead of me to spend a few days in NashVegas with my bride and offspring, but I was comforted by the fact that her sister and nephews would be there to keep them all laughing. For a couple of strange nights, the house would be quiet and all to myself. The perfect opportunity to devour a book if it was worthy of consumption.
A few chapters later, Ted Dekker’s claws sunk into me and wouldn’t let go. It had been a while since I read a work of fiction, and I wasn’t sure if I’d ever read anything quite like this. It’s…a love story. Wait, wait…not like some cheezwhiz romance novel. A true love story. Plus, it gots vampires – or at least something like them. You’ll need to read it to understand.
Set in 1772, the main character Toma along with his right hand man Alex are sent by Catherine the Great to protect the Cantemir family in Moldavia. When they arrive, they discover the beautiful twins Lucine and Natasha who are in their charge. Everything is going great until some creepster Russians show up on the scene to tempt the twins into a life of debauchery, seduction, and overabundance. I appreciated this story due to the very real portrayal of how they – and we too – can become easily enticed, ensnared, and eventually taken captive as slaves to something that isn’t really what we wanted at all when we first set out.
Immanuel’s Veins is ultimately much more than a love story. It’s a massive warning that puts skin on what it can look like to be seduced by evil under the guise of incredible beauty. It’s a story of two suitors – good vs. evil – light vs. darkness – and imagery of Christ’s extravagant love for humanity seeps through every chapter. Watch the video below to see what others have said about the book:
I crushed this book in a matter of three days. On Saturday night, I sat down around 10pm to read a few chapters before bed and by the time I noticed my eyes blurring and drying out I’d realized it was nearly 2am. It’s fun to lose yourself in the story. I guess what I’m trying to say with this ridiculously long and drawn out post is…buy it. Regrets are unlikely.
———————————— Or on your Kindle ————————————>
I LOVED this book! I bought it on my lunch break and only read 1-2 chapters….that night when I got home I read straight through the rest of the book, finally finishing it at around 3 in the morning!
I agree with your last statement…BUY IT, it will not disappoint
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I feel kind of bad posting this: 1. Because I love Ted Dekker (read almost all of his books) and 2. Because this book has been getting rave reviews from everyone and their mom.
I think my wife and I are the only ones I know that aren’t huge fans of this book. I love Ted’s writing! And he does well with it, but I just really had a hard time getting into this. It was way to sensual for me (a married man with a good “s”-life, and I say that as respectfully as I possibly can). I felt like this book was way to graphic, especially for anyone not married or at least over the age of 21. Granted, it is still within bounds, but for a Christian novel by an author I respect greatly, I just felt dirty reading parts of this book.
I understand the Connections Ted makes between Sensuality in this book and sin here in our world and how love overcomes all… I just felt it could’ve been better. But I don’t disrespect anyone that Likes this book. It just wasn’t for me. I liked the love story portrayed in “White” best.
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Lisa says:
October 21st, 2010 at 1:22 pm
@Michael Elizondo, I agree, Michael. I’m a Dekker fan too, but this made me uncomfortable. Glad I’m not the only one!
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I am a fan of Ted Dekker as well, the “Circle” trilogy is the best. I stopped reading his newer stuff because it seems so overly violent and focused on torture more than anything else. I still love Red, White and Black and Heaven’s wager and wouldn’t hesitate recommending them. I might give him a second try with this book.
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I am a big Dekker fan because of his “color series” (what I’ve always thought of it!) that you mentioned. I read them when they first came out and LOVED them.
I’ll definitely have to check my library for this one.
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Ok, I’ll try Black again. It didn’t hook me the first time, but I didn’t get that far into it either.
On another note, we missed you this weekend. We’ll have to do it again soon. Although you may have to sleep in your car. Our house was busting at the seams!
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How odd that I ran across this review. I just started reading the “Circle” series this week. (I didn’t even know it was called that.) Someone I worked with loaned me Adam and after I finished it, recommended that I move on to the series. I am amazed at how well written the books are and how the “message” is something you could ponder for hours after putting the book down. I think Mr. Dekker would be an interesting fellow to spend some time with.
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I’m a BIG Dekker fan and will definitely try this book. My 16 year old and I both loved Black, Red, and White, but we were both really disappointed with Green. Will definitely try this one too!
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Ryan, if you recall from your “guilty pleasures” post, a few of us LOVE cheezwhiz romance novels. *wink*
That said, I’d love to pick up a book with some meat on it. I’m putting this on my Christmas list. Thanks!
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This is the book I plan I reading next week on vacation!! I can’t wait! I had read through most of his books and not once have they not made me change/question the way I think.
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Yay!!! I bought this book about a month ago and still haven’t had time to read it. I think I need to get cracking on it.
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I agree, Michael. I’m a Dekker fan too, but this made me uncomfortable. Glad I’m not the only one!
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Lisa says:
October 21st, 2010 at 1:23 pm
@Lisa, Sorry, didn’t mean to post this twice.
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I too am a huge Dekker fan – I actually own them all!! Immanuels Veins was great even though it is very different than his other books. I have to agree that the Circle Trilogy is my favourite so far – have you read “Green” the beginning and the end of the trilogy? One word: Genius!!!
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definitely going on my Christmas list… love Ted Dekker! thanks for sharing!
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Being a fellow Circle Trilogy super fan, I am now bouncing around with excitement to get this book in my hands! I’m like you, I find that the fiction I read that’s based off of God’s word and love, usually teaches me more, and opens me up to understanding more than the actual teaching things. Circle really did that for me…it really drove home that no matter how stupid I act, God still loves me and just wants me to spend time with him.
Thanks for the recommendation. And for making me feel less strange…I thought i was the only one who gt more outa the fiction!
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I haven’t read a lot of Ted Dekker before and I would have to say that Immanuel’s Veins was the best book that I didn’t like.
The writing is really quite superb: descriptive language, active plot, interesting characters all worked together. It was just all the lust, blood, and even more blood that just smothered me.
I wrote a review of this book on my own blog here:
http://www.tracysbooknook.com
-Tracy
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[...] Even better than the last Ted Dekker book I said was good – I devoured this book on the plane ride to California – Eyes sore and blurry, but I just [...]