Showdown: The Books of History Chronicles, Paradise Series, Book 1

I love a good, scary, thrilling page-turner. It doesn't have to have literary level prose with stunning new metaphors and five-fathom deep characterization. It just has to creep me out and keep me guessing and flipping pages like a madwoman.Dekker had me doing the latter and feeling the former two things. I liked that a lot.This is a Christian horror novel (in case someone reading this had no clue). It's a Christian publisher, a Christian author, and the book has Christian characters. There's some God-talk. You should know.You should also not be put off by that if, as I stated, you like a good vs evil story with imaginative and very creepy elements.The others have provided story synopses here, so you don't need mine, but just in case you're gonna gripe if I don't give it to you, here goes:Story opens with a bad guy walking into a Colorado town called Paradise. He's definitely not seeming like a good guy, especially given what he does to the first townsman he meets. (Gory.) It's Marsuvees Black and he's come to show Paradise what real hope and grace mean. Only his vision of hope and grace is a really scary one, and it will make you wonder if it's not Lucifer himself come calling to turn Paradise into Hell.But Paradise, Colorado has a secret community nearby made up of especially smart students (orphans) and the monks who are conducting an experiment (educational in part, but theological and redemptive at core) with these same students.And soon, it becomes obvious that the fate of Paradise, possibly the world itself, will rest on the struggle between good and evil within the souls and minds and hearts of these students in the secret community. And Paradise will be doomed or be saved depending on what choices the monks and students...and one lone boy from Paradise choose to do.I'd have to rate this book as at minimum PG 13 and more likely R (for the disturbing violence that a Christian book-buying audience may not always be comfy with.) However, I figure the world is a bloody, violent, evil-riddled place, and anyone who can read a newspaper or TIME magazine without puking--not to mention King or Koontz--should do just fine.Ted Dekker's writing here is lean and moves along without excessive description. Koontz and King are, I believe, better wordsmiths, but Dekker is at least as good at keeping things moving and the questions rising and the creeps crawling. His invention of a truly gross "dungeony" place where the kids learn about their own inclinations--and not good ones--is Lovecraftian a bit, Bentley Little-ish a bit. Generally: gross. But that's fine. Horror has the freedom as a genre to turn your guts about as well as make your hairs rise.I deleted a star because the ending chapters lacked clarity. I didn't find the path to the resolution utterly well-developed. I even went "huh" at one part, not really sure what went on, and had to reread. There's a lovely Scriptural parallel in some things that go on, but I think a bit more time was needed in the actual showdown part of SHOWDOWN.Ultimately: a really cool Christian horror read. Go, Ted!Mir

Ted Dekker has a big three when it comes to his books; a host of good to great books, and handful of bad ones, but only three books which should always be remembered. Those big three are  Thr3e  (what a surprise),  Black/Red/White (The Circle Trilogy 1-3)  and this novel right here, Showdown. In anticipation for Dekkers next Novel,  Sinner: The Books of History Chronicles , I decided to re-read this book so that I can familiarize myself with its main characters and themes so that I may better understand Sinner. The allegory of Dekkers earlier years shines through with this brilliant novel.Johnny lives in a small Colorado town called Paradise, nestled in a little valley in the Rocky Mountains. Life is dull and mundane for the most part until a mysterious stranger walks into town garbed in black and bringing a message of hope and grace. His name is Black, Marsuvees Black, and he is no ordinary travailing preacher. Johnny knows that he's dangerous, but can't convince anyone in town. Meanwhile in a monastery far above the town thirty children are being raised in isolation as part of a project funded by Harvard called "Project Showdown" which is designed to raise children outside the influences of society in order to raise "noble savages" who may one day change the world for love. Unfortunately one of the students has decided to disobey the rules of the monastery by going into the forbidden dungeons.Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but trust me, it's great. The story takes one huge twist after another until reality itself is called into question, and everything you know about love and hope will change. If I were to be picky I guess I could call into question some of Dekkers philosophical views about love and free will and liberty, but the very fact that I can nit pick at these ideas is what makes this book so enthralling. This is a must read book for any Dekker fan, and for all those who simply wish to have a good read.PS; it might be best to read the Circle Trilogy first as it will defiantly make the book more enjoyable, and easier to understand.Re-read value; High.

Showdown is an intense, riveting story that brings a Stephen King's Needful Things type sensibility to bear on the topics of faith, love, free will and sacrifice in a very compelling way. Largely set in the appropriately named Paradise (Colorado), this town and it's 400+ inhabitants quickly spirals into absolute madness - and what a trip it is getting there - as they give in to their urges and abandon all reason for the lies being fed to them by Black. While the ending was perhaps a bit too similar to Christ's passion in that it was less a nod to the story rather than an almost exact retelling of it, the point Ted is trying to make is well made.The story in this book also continues to build the world created in the Circle trilogy and as you move into Saint, Sinner and Green as well as the Lost Book's series, it really becomes an integral piece in Dekker's overall mythos. While the book was perhaps a bit too "on the nose" a few places and there weren't quite as many twists as I'm accustomed to in a Dekker book, Black is easily one of Dekker's best characters to this point in his career and the Paradise side of the story is just wonderfully mad, if a bit constrained in places by being primarily a work of Christian Fiction.While I wouldn't quite put Showdown on par with the Circle series as a whole, it's really quite compelling and very enjoyable overall, and it's especially important if you want to read Green and fill in more of the story started by the Circle trilogy. Highly recommended to all, however, this book has some pretty graphic violence and suggestive content that probably wouldn't go over with children younger than 12.

very good.

Part of the best book series I have ever read. Full of intrigue, mystery, thrilling plot lines and mind-blowing twists. Make sure you read all of the books in the Set. There is a trilogy of book series: The Books of History, The Paradise Novels, and the Circle Trilogy. You haven't encountered the whole experience until you've read all of these books.

Ich habe dieses Buch schon einmal gelesen und wollte es jetzt nochmals tun! Es ist Wahnsinns spannend so dass ich bis SEHR spät in der Nacht lesen musste!!! Einiges habe ich damals nicht gleich deuten können denn es gibt Parallelen zu wie Gott seinen Sohn Jesus zur Errettung des Menschen auf Erden schickt. Ich kann das Buch sehr empfehlen - auch für Menschen die nur ein gutes Buch lesen möchten ohne tief sinnende Gedanken sich machen zu müssen