Blink [Paperback]

Ted Dekker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 8, 2003

The future changes in the BLINK of an eye...or does it?

Seth Borders isn't your average graduate student. For starters, he has one of the world's highest IQs. Now he's suddenly struck by an incredible power--the ability to see multiple potential futures.

Still reeling from this inexplicable gift, Seth stumbles upon a beautiful woman named Miriam. Unknown to Seth, Miriam is a Saudi Arabian princess who has fled her veiled existence to escape a forced marriage of unimaginable consequences. Cultures collide as they're thrown together and forced to run from an unstoppable force determined to kidnap or kill Miriam.

Seth's mysterious ability helps them avoid capture once, then twice. But with no sleep, a fugitive princess by his side, hit men a heartbeat away, and a massive manhunt steadily closing in, evasion becomes impossible.

An intoxicating tale set amidst the shifting sands of the Middle East and the back roads of America, Blink engages issues as ancient as the earth itself...and as current as today's headlines.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Clumsy prose, a plot that flagrantly capitalizes on the current interest in Islam, and some predictable twists and turns mar this latest novel from a bestselling author in the evangelical Christian market. Dekker, who has enjoyed great commercial success with thrillers like Heaven's Wager and Blessed Child, details the horrors suffered by women in some Islamic countries. The story chronicles a desperate flight to the United States by Saudi Arabian princess Miriam al-Asamm, who seeks to escape an unwanted arranged marriage to the evil Omar bin Khalid. Omar must marry Miriam in order to gain allies in his plan to overthrow the government and return Saudi Arabia to fundamentalist Islam. Meanwhile, in the United States, genius Seth Border is bored at Berkeley and pondering the existence of God. When he is thrown together with Miriam at a party, Seth uses a mysterious gift he's been given to see "possible futures" and helps Miriam escape from Khalid's henchmen. Although there are some promising plot threads, the story quickly disintegrates into one long predictable chase scene. The reader must stumble over strange sentences ("He was like a fragrant aroma that had swept into her life and resuscitated dying tissue") and even stranger ones ("She was nothing more than a helpless maggot here in his presence"). There's plenty of violence, mostly directed at women and often of an inferred sexual nature. In a time when evangelical Christian fiction is coming of age, this book is a disappointment.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"... the hottest new fiction writer on the market. Dekker is awesome. I will own everything he writes." -- Tom Newman, Film Producer and Founder of Impact Productions

"...knock-your-socks-off storytelling." -- Robert Liparulo, New Man magazine

"A fiction writer with a rare knack for a compelling story, an expansive reservoir of clever ideas, and unique wit." -- Frank Peretti, Best-selling author of This Present Darkness and The Oath

"Cloaked in the mystery of Saudi Arabia, Dekker weaves a tale that is compulsively readable. You will be astonished." -- Jean Sasson, New York Times Best-selling Author of Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia

"Dekker is an emerging powerhouse among fiction writers. Blink is a thrilling tale that...is near impossible to put down." -- Larry J. Leech II, Christian Retailing,

"Ted Dekker is the most exciting writer I've read in a very long time. Wonderful reading...powerful insights. Bravo!" -- Ted Baehr, President, MOVIEGUIDE® Magazine

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson; First Edition edition (January 8, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 084994371X
• ISBN-13: 978-0849943713
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (111 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #747,996 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Smart, funny and absolutely brilliant!, December 22, 2002

By 

Patricia Silverman (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blink (Paperback)

Four and 9/10s stars because only one book, The Grapes of Wrath, gets five stars.

I finally decided to give Dekker a whirl after seeing dozens of rave reviews from critics and readers all over the place. I picked up a copy of BLINK, his latest book and, ignoring my last minute Christmas shopping, I sat down for an evening of reading. It turned out to be a weekend. I could not put this book down.

Some disconnected PW reviewer who probably hated the Matrix may not like Dekker's assertive writing style, but I now see why the rest of the world is getting excited about this new writer. BLINK is absolutely brilliant! It's the way he weaves theme through a riveting plot that impressed me most. In short, Seth is a genius on the run with a Muslim, Miriam. The FBI, the CIA and Saudi hit men are on their tail in one of the largest manhunts in California's history. The plot keeps you guessing to the last page -- anyone who says they figured out how Seth and Miriam would get out of thier impossible predicatment before the end is either lying or, like Seth, can see into the future! Along the way we laugh our heads off at some points and cry at others. Gunfights, car chases, high stakes gambling, and a hilarious romance that I found very refreshing.

Like I said, I love Dekker's writing style. It's aggressive and refreshing, and I think readers today want that. His descriptions are anything but cliche. For example, "She was nothing more than a helpless maggot here in his presence," is a brilliant if heart wrenching snapshot of an abused woman's deepest feelings.

There's plenty to think about in BLINK: Islam and Christianity; God's knowledge of the future; our ability to change the future. But these issues don't ever become burdensome or distracting from the plot. In fact, they become the plot.

Bottom line, this was a smashing read. I see what all the talk is about. The critics are right, Dekker is destined to become known as one of the great popular writers of our time. Enjoy.

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Zoom, zoom! A fast paced unforgettable story., October 30, 2003

By 

Michael Erisman (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blink (Paperback)

What a great story! Ted Dekker is a talented writer, who in this case is able to take two seemingly unrelated storylines and bring them together with a thrilling and supernatural blend of suspense and action. The writing is so compelling that it was nearly impossible to put the book down. Put this one in the "blurry eyed, so tired, can't go to sleep now, must stay up and finish" category!

The only drawback was that the first three quarters are so good, that the ending was a bit far-fetched in comparison. The spiritual aspects unfold with a healthy dose of skepticism and a surprise bit of "divine intervention".

The basic plot follows two storylines, one of a brilliant, 190+ IQ level genius and scoundrel named Seth who is spending his time tormenting his professors at Berkeley and solving complex mathematical equations including one which supposedly proves the existence of God. The other is about a princess in Saudi Arabia who flees the country to avoid an arranged marriage on which hinges a potential political coup in the Saudi government. Now, if a writer can bring these two stories together in a plausible way that is saying something!

Along the way Seth picks up a remarkable ability to see the future, not just one possible future but many. While two different factions from Saudi, and everyone from the local police to the NSA, are in America trying to capture or kill the Princess, Seth is helping her escape. The rest you have to experience.

With great writing, and spiritual and theological threads woven throughout, the result is a book that is simply a blast to read! Suspend your disbelief and enjoy. Highly recommended.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars * * * * *One of Dekkers Best * * * * *, January 16, 2006

By 

Steve Taylor (Only visiting this planet) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Blink (Paperback)

Great book. Serious page turner. Lots of fast-paced fun with a constant threat of danger. Ignore the negative comments. Ted Dekker is a Christian and writes from a Biblical world view. If you don't like that then go read Carl Sagan. If you're curious and open minded get this book. Not "preachy" but does get some good points across. Reveals truths about Islam, whether you care to believe it or not. There is no dogma in the book like others have said. My guess is negative reviewers don't even know what dogma is. Get this book. In fact get all of Dekker's books.