Product Description

Welcome to Paradise.

Epic battles of good and evil are happening all around us.

Today that battle comes to town with the sound of lone footsteps clacking down the blacktop on a hot, lazy summer afternoon. The black-cloaked man arrives in the sleepy town of Paradise and manages to become the talk of the town within the hour. Bearing the power to grant any unfulfilled dream, he is irresistible.

Seems like bliss . . . but is it?
Or is hell about to break loose in Paradise?

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #69728 in Books
• Published on: 2006-01-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 384 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Dekker's readers will recognize many of his mainstays: mysterious forces causing havoc, characters who may or may not be what they seem and open, faith-based questions about the very nature of reality. In this page-turner, the residents of Paradise, Colo. (a one-saloon town in the mountains), encounter Marsuvees Black, a purported preacher who claims God sent him to bring "grace and hope" to their town. Meanwhile, at a nearby nondenominational Christian monastery, monks fret over a rebellion among the gifted children in their care. Dekker (Thr3e; Blink) impressively paces the novel, maximizing suspense and intrigue by solving the novel's myriad mysteries at the exact point readers will likely be guessing at them. For example, it will dawn on readers by the middle of the story that a certain type of connection must exist between the monastery and the town. Dekker rewards that discovery by explaining the connection, but still leaves enough questions open to keep readers sleuthing to the end. While there are gory scenes and small problems with the story (especially the implausible, unethical circumstances under which the students at the monastery have been procured and studied), Dekker delivers his signature exploration of good and evil in the context of a genuine thriller that could further enlarge his already sizable audience. (Feb. 10)
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About the Author
Ted Dekker is known for novels that combine adrenaline-laced stories with unexpected plot twists, unforgettable characters, and incredible confrontations between good and evil. Ted lives in Austin with his wife LeeAnn and their four children.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Prologue

"HOW MANY children?" Marsuvees Black asked, examining his fingernails.

Strange behavior for a man interviewing for such a lofty position.

"Thirty-seven," David said. "And they may be only thirteen or fourteen years old, but I wouldn't call them children. They are students, yes, but most of them already have the intelligence of a postgraduate. Believe me, you've never met anyone like them."

Black settled back in the tall leather chair and pressed his thumbs and fingers together to form a triangle. He sighed. The monk from the Nevada desert was a strange one, to be sure. But David Abraham, director of the monastery's project, had to admit that genius was often accompanied by eccentric behavior.

"Thirty-seven special children who could one day change humanity's understanding of the world," Black said. "I think I could pull myself from my desert solitude for such a noble task. Wouldn't you agree? God knows I've been in solitude for three years now."

"You'll have to take that up with God," David said. "With or without you, our project will one day change the world. I can guarantee you that."

"Then why do you need me? You're aware of my"--he hesitated--"that I'm not exactly your typical monk."

"Naturally. I would say you're hardly a monk at all. You've spent a few years atoning for rather gratuitous sins, and for that I think you possess a unique appreciation for our struggle with evil."

"What makes you think I've beaten my demons?"

"Have you?"

"Do we ever?"

"Yes, we do," David said.

"If any man has truly beaten his demons, I have. But the struggle isn't over. There are new battles every day. I don't know why you need a conflicted man like me."

David thought a moment. "I don't need you. But God might. I think he does."

Black raised an eyebrow. "No one knows, you say? No one at all?"

"Only the few who must."

"And the project is sponsored by Harvard University?"

"That is correct."

David had spent months narrowing his search for the right teacher to fill the vacant post. Marsuvees Black brought certain risks, but the job was his if he chose to take the vow of secrecy and sequester himself in the Colorado mountains with them for the next four years.

The monk stared at his fingernail again. Scratched at it. A soft smile crossed his face.

"I'll let you know," he said.

---

Customer Reviews

Born of Black....
Into the small town of Paradise, Colorado comes a stranger clothed in black. Calling himself Marsuvees Black, the man claims to be there to bring hope and love. But strange things are happening while Marsuvees in there. People are seeing things, acting different: as if everyone's attitude in the formerly quiet town has shifted toward anger, hatred, and paranoia.. Johnny Drake, a boy in the town, knows that something is terribly wrong, but doesn't know how to stop it.

At a hidden monastery near Paradise, a secret school for children is disrupted as a young student named Billy explores the forbidden tunnels underneath. He has found a dangerous secret there, and through Billy, a number of the other students have also been lured down into the tunnels. While Billy doesn't truly understand what he discovered, he will change the lives of a whole town and begin an almost unimaginable series of events.. It will be a showdown between good and evil- as only Ted Dekker can write it.

One thing when reading a book by Ted Dekker is that you can never expect exactly what you'll read. He has a habit of making the unthinkable seem plausible, along with giving a totally new perspective As usual, I devoured this newest book in one evening, barely able to sleep after I'd finished. The book was great! Finally understanding the connection between Billy, the Blank Books, and what happened to Thomas Hunter in the Black Forest (from The Circle Trilogy) was an added bonus. Showdown is a must-read for everyone who has loved Ted Dekker's books.

The Truth is ugly sometimes...
And thats why so many christians choose not to look at it.

This book was a push to get through. But I knew I had to get through it, because I knew the charactoristics of Dekker would fall in line.

I liked this book, because it was a smack in the face with the reality of sin. Too many authors are afraid to offend their readers by presenting raw truth... Dekker defied this fear, and more of us should follow suit.

This book had me squirming at many points, but the end is completely worth it. Please just hold on till you get there.
It is the power of sacrifice that covers a multitude of sins.

Hands Down the Best Dekker Novel Yet
I was lucky enough to get my hands on an advanced readers copy of this novel and I must say... What a treat! This blows away any single book I've read in many a year. The plot is frightening in parts, very atmospheric through out, and kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. But like all of Dekker's novels, Showdown is oh so redemptive.

The story is about small town that is ravaged by evil in the most suprising ways, but not nearly as suprising as the source behind that evil and the price it ultimately extracts from the town. I can't say more without ruining the twists the follow.

This is definately a notch up for Dekker -- a big, mind blowing story that could very well be a water shed for the genre. Guarenteed to make you pace the carpet and lose sleep.