| Showdown (Paradise Series, Book 1) (The Books of History Chronicles) | 
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (based on 74 reviews)
Sales Rank: 34569
Category: Book
Author: Ted Dekker
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Studio: Thomas Nelson
Manufacturer: Thomas Nelson
Label: Thomas Nelson
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 496
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.6
ISBN: 1595542302
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9781595542304
ASIN: 1595542302
Publication Date: April 10, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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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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| Customer Reviews: Read 69 more reviews...
Birthday present for grandson January 7, 2009
Our grandson loves reading books like this - a little supernatural and fast moving. This series fits that description. We were happy to get the book delivered to him for his birthday so he could get started. Thanks for quick service. The product description was right on.
 There's More Than Good Story in Showdown January 3, 2009
Showdown. You'll come to know it better as Project Showdown, as Ted Dekker kicks off this series with a premise big enough to reach into the Circle Trilogy and a host of his other works.
Showdown shines in that the story is great AND the allegory is even better. By the time you're finished with Showdown, you'll be thinking of sin in a new, heart-tearing way. Or at least be opened to seeing sin altogether differently.
Sin is ugly, and Ted writes that truth unlike any other author.
Ted also explores the persuasiveness of words in Showdown, especially the words laced with both the good and the bad in them. It's the same idea of rat poison: 99-percent good, 1-percent bad.
But the rat still dies.
In Showdown, the small town of Paradise has plenty of opportunities to eat the poison, big portion or small.
And the town's only hope? Children.
In other words, buckle up. Showdown is a ride worth jumping on.
Great Mystery/Thriller, A Must Read December 25, 2008
Out of no where, Marsuvees Black strolls into Paradise. He says he is bringing grace and hope. Be he is not what he seems. He has a nasty sludge that he is using on himself and the people of Paradise. But he starts encouraging evil behaviors. A young boy, Johnny sees him as the evil he is when he first came to town and tries to get people to listen to him.
A short distance away, the in the hills by the town is a hidden school for young children. This is project Showdown. They idea is that the children will be raised with no outside influence to see how they behave faced with evil choices.
I like how the story goes. Just enough is given out at a time that keeps the reader interested and reading. But there is always more to the story than what is given. I cannot wait to read the rest of the books in this series and others of Ted Dekker. This is a must read for those that like thriller/mysteries with Christian reference.
 A Good "Prequel" July 26, 2008
What I appreciated mostly about this book is the answers to questions raised in some of the other books. The story does grab you and keeps you engaged, but I kept feeling sorry for the characters who didn't understand what was being done to them. It does have some very interesting twists and it definitely keeps you guessing, but I felt there needed to be some sort of explanation or resolution given to the citizens of Paradise part of the story at the conclusion. The monastary side of the story was very good and gave insights to things in other Ted Dekker books. So if you are a Ted Dekker fan, this is a must read as it fits in with several of his other books.
Absolutly Brilliant. May 30, 2008
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.
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