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Ezekiel's Shadow
 
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Ezekiel's Shadow [Paperback]

David Ryan Long (Author)
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)

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Book Description

January 2001
Some Things He Wishes He'd Never Written and Now He Can't Escape Them

For the first time in memory, bestselling author Ian Merchant can't find even a single word to write. Recently rocked by a powerful spiritual encounter, he is torn by turmoil within and without. Everyone around him, including his wife, Rebecca, agrees that he's changed, but has he indeed become a "new creature"? How is he to build a life of faith when the sins of his past line the bookshelves of America?

As Ian struggles with his faith and his craft, frightening events begin to occur. Someone is shadowing his daily life—an ominous figure who seems to have emerged from the pages of one of Ian's own novels. As the danger mounts, Ian must stand for what he knows in his heart is true and confront the haunting remnant of a life he thought he'd buried.


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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Long's first novel offers a promising plot. Protagonist Ian Merchant, a bestselling horror writer, has writer's block, and his own life seems a horror story: he's being threatened by an unknown stalker. Seeking relief from his creative dry spell, Merchant goes to the Utah desert, where he has a life-changing experience, becomes a Christian, and is memorably baptized in a river. Returning from the trip to his home in Connecticut, he must wrestle with what it means to be made new in Christ, knowing that his identity and livelihood are wrapped up in his horror novels. Not only is he plagued with guilt about his life before he became a Christian, but he must also continue to survive the stalker. Asked by his editor to keep a journal of the mysterious stalking experiences, Merchant comes to realize that all roads led to his conversionDeven his writingDand that he is a new creation after all. While the premise is intriguing, the narrative shows several typical flaws of a first novel. Apart from Merchant, most of the characters are flat, more like caricatures than real people, and the dialogue is inconsistent. Often the plot is fuzzy, as though pertinent information has been inadvertently omitted. The stalker, for example, inexplicably saves the life of Merchant's wife; another important character goes missing midway through the novel, and readers never discover what happened to him. While Long's talent for building suspense bodes well for his future as a Christian novelist, more careful crafting would showcase it. (Feb.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"An entertaining, thought-provoking look at the positive and negative views of, and about, Christians from a talented debut novelist." -- Library Journal, Feb. 2001

"Ezekiel's Shadow" was named Best Novel by Debut Author -- Christy Awards 2002

Product Details

  • Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (January 2001)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0764224433
  • ISBN-13: 978-0764224430
  • Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,828,599 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

12 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Keep an Eye Out..., March 18, 2001
By 
Eric Wilson "novelist" (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   
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This review is from: Ezekiel's Shadow (Paperback)
If you're looking for Christian fiction that delivers a message without preaching, you'll love "Ezekiel's Shadow."

David Ryan Long subtly builds the suspense, while bringing us deeper into the tortured world of horror novelist, Ian Merchant. Merchant, though, has had a change of heart: he wants to follow God. This presents a problem as he begins working on his newest novel, with a deadline hanging over his head. And that's not all that's hanging over his head! Merchant begins receiving disturbing messages that indicate his past is coming back to haunt him. He ends up keeping an eye out vigilantly for this mysterious intruder.

David Ryan Long draws us into his character's world, and we relate to his struggle for something deeper in his walk with God. Despite Merchant's decision to turn to a new life, it doesn't all come easy for him--and that makes it seem real. Though Merchant's marriage might come across exceptionally peaceful to many readers, and his lack of courage to face his stalker head-on might seem a bit pansy-ish (at least it did to me, once or twice), I related to him and related to the steps he took to find answers. The ending seemed a bit rushed to me and didn't totally pay out on the suspense that seemed to be building, but the pieces all fit satisfactorily.

I will rush to store when Long's next book comes out. This is one author I'll be keeping an eye out for.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Good for the most part, March 24, 2003
This review is from: Ezekiel's Shadow (Paperback)
This book starts out STRONG! Very few books catch you from the prologue, but this one does. Unfortunately, it starts to slow down in the middle and the ending is unsatisfying. Basically, it seems like Mr. Long just got tired of writing the book and decided to end it. The payoff you're waiting for (and I won't go into it here because I don't want to spoil the ending for you) never occurs. It all just suddently wraps itself up neat and tidy - game over. While this could be excused for a short story, a huge novel like this deserves more. I have to admit that the character development of Ian and his wife are realistic, and I loved the way things turned out for them at the end. The picnic director/planner was another great character, but he was only in a few pages. If you're looking for a great suspense novel, there are certainly many suspenseful pages in here - but don't look for a satisfactory payoff on all of it. If you're looking for a good story about a man's wrestling with his faith in view of his old life, you've found it here. I mean, think about it: if Stephen King became a Christian, what would he do about his writing? Definitely worth a read for that aspect of it alone.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Christian Mystery, January 4, 2003
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This review is from: Ezekiel's Shadow (Paperback)
Ezekiel's Shadow is a good book written by a new writer. Several characters in the novel are really compelling. Ian Merchant's character could have a bit more pesonality, otherwise I would have given the book 5 stars. The desert diaries were particularly engrossing and the train conductor, although a minor character was fleshed out beautifully.
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