I actively dislike it when I’ve signed up to review a novel by a certain date and it doesn’t arrive in time for me to read it. However, I find I have a few things to say about Immanuel’s Veins anyway, so it’s all good.
Let’s start with the blurb from author Ted Dekker‘s website:
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.
Um, does this tell you what the book is about? Not really. But it does give strong images, and warns you that if you’re uncomfortable with the images, this book isn’t for you. In fact, Holland has banned this novel as it is “too sensual.” Banning books somewhere always makes some people want to read them! So here you go: a banned book. Have at it!
Here’s an interview with Dekker from Fiction Addict, as they “discuss whether or not this is a vampire story, his move to a new publisher, and his love for his amazing fans.” 47 minutes long!
(Or open iTunes, then search for Fiction Addict under podcasts. You’ll find many interviews with other authors about their novels, too.)
Now I’ll be really honest. I’ve read Dekker’s Circle Trilogy and enjoyed it. But mostly, I’m a champion of the novelists’ whose work isn’t widely recognized, and Dekker is well-known and well-followed. He doesn’t need me to pump up his sales! I’m also not a huge suspense reader (yes, I can see some of you rolling your eyes at that one, but I still perceive that to be truth!) and so I have not truly followed Dekker’s career. However, last April Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee announced a collaboration for one book, Forbidden, the first in a trilogy. And I’m a big fan of Tosca Lee, so it seemed time to check out Dekker’s current novels again. Which is why I requested Immanuel’s Veins.
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.
This novel is being sent to me free of charge through Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for the purpose of writing a review on this date. Opinions are freely my own at all times. And…the book I’m to review for the week after isn’t here yet, either, and I arrive home on Monday with review due by Wednesday. Sigh.
