Heaven's Wager (The Martyr's Song Series, Book 1)

Usually a good book takes me 2 days to read, however this book was a good book and it took me over 2 weeks to read. Not because I didn't have time or it was too long but because it drew questions into my mind and confusion, so every few chapters I had to stop and think. I just finished it and have another waiting but my mind is still on this one so it will have to wait. Heaven's wager has brought up things about my faith that I haven't questioned for a long time. This isn't a bad thing it's actually a good thing. Thanks for a great book that blew my mind and now I have to find someone who will listen to me explain the book so I can talk about it.

This book is amazing. It brings you into a whole new dimension of the spiritual side of life and the power of prayer. This is a must read, but beware, you will want to delve right into all the Ted Dekker books you can find.

My friends have been talking about this book for nearly a year. "You've GOT to read it," they'd say. "I don't read fiction," I'd come back with. And I don't. I read a lot of business and motivational books, but I generally avoid novels. Still, they kept pestering me until I finally gave in and picked up a copy. From my library. No way I'm shelling out 15 bucks for a book I'll probably never finish. Boy, was I in for a shock!! That scene in Helen's house where she sees Heaven open up--WOW! I've never read anything like it. Let me tell you, I was hooked. I'm not a very fast reader, but I finished it in two days. Was up till 3 in the morning reading. What a roller coaster ride!The only thing I didn't like was I thought the romance was just a little weak. But hey, what do I know?? I'm just a business guy. Anyhow, I plan to get my hands on anything this guy writes.

Several of my friends have read Ted Dekker's novels and strongly recommended I pick up a copy of one of his books. Any book. So I picked up Heaven's Wager. Starts a tad slow, but boy does it shine once you get into it. The patience required to work through the first 100 pages is worth the wait. What strikes me most is the spiritual message the begins rushing off the page in the latter half. I had noticed that one review broke ranks from a dozen other reviews here and questioned the books theology (although they failed to mention what bothered them.) What? Not unless you question the stories of the bible or noted works of fiction like Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, which is another author I would highly recommend. What we have here is a modern day Job story with some facinating twists thrown in. Very compelling. I also found the character of Kent among the most interesting I've read in Christian Fiction. Not at all stereotypical. In fact, Dekker's characterizations are one of his strengths in my opinion. He's not afraid to break from the typical characters found in these sorts of books. More like a John Grisham or a Dean Koonts, actually. I have since read Blessed Child, another of his books. I hear they are making a movie of it. Wow, Can't wait for that! Good Stuff! I just bought a copy of When Heaven Weeps, another Dekker novel. Someone told me it's like Redeeming Love (My favorite all time novel) on steroids. We'll see.

I first discovered Ted Dekker's writing through a compilation of reviews in CBA Marketplace. Well known leaders like Jack Hayford and James Kennedy and Max Lucado and Tim Lahaye, were commenting on another of his novels, Blessed Child. "More sound theology than most theological textbooks" said one. "Towering truth... a cutting edge call..." said another, and still another, "Superbly written..." How could a novel, a work of fiction, garner such praise from such respected leaders, I wondered. So I read it. And then I bought every book written by this author. His theology is not only right down the middle, it comes to life in ways I've never experienced. Whenever you take theology out of an ancient book and place it in a contemporary story, amazing things happen. Some who perhaps don't think it through, find it too real and bothering -- they might prefer to keep thier religion seperated from thier real lives. But most,like myself, find it refreshing and challenging. This book speaks volumes about the passion of God for every person he created. It is a stunning portrayal of God's love. It is thoroughly captivating. Highly recommended.

Well written, descriptive, good plot development, good character development, GREAT STORY! If you have ever: - had a great idea for the perfect crime - had a jerk for a boss - struggled with balancing work and family - had a hard time understanding where God fits in ... then you will find yourself in the pages of this book.Kent comes across as a real person with real challenges, real emotions and real responses - not like the Barbie doll plastic that so many characters in this genre have. This book is head and shoulders above any other contemporary Christian Fiction I have read.