Customer Reviews

A Man Called Blessed

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've read all Dekker's work, and "A Man Called Blessed" is one of the best. Whereas I felt "Blessed Child," the prequel, dragged a bit, this book takes off and rarely slows down.

The story starts with two assassins on a collision course, with Caleb in the crosshairs. One assassin is a Muslim intent on stopping the second, a female Israeli intent on uncovering the lost Ark of the Covenant. As hinted at in "Blessed Child," Caleb has information regarding the ark's whereabouts. Soon, the Muslim and the Israeli descend upon his abode in a rebuilt Ethiopian monastery, and the tension mounts.

In the prequel, Caleb was a child so heavenly it was hard to relate to him. For me, it was hard to even believe he was human. In this book, Dekker lets us see a grown Caleb now struggling wiht his doubts. This is a Caleb we can touch and relate to. It's also a Caleb very desirable to a certain Jewish assassin woman.

Suspense, romance, faith, and extremism all play their parts in this well-spun novel. The only complaint on my part: the fast paced scenes led to a mediocre crescendo. The overall message of this book is a powerful one, though, and demands that we look beyond icons and relics (such as the recent "Jesus Box") and discover the Truth behind the religious facades.

Here's a quick peek at the future...

I've had a chance to read some of Dekker's up-and-coming work. Watch out! Everything up to this point has just been a teaser. Don't miss his early stuff, but race to the store for his newest novels, "Blink" and "3". You'll be blown away!

I loved Blessed Child. The sequel is even better. This is the fifth Dekker novel I've read, and I must say, he's changed my standard for fiction. Although this story is cleary written from a perspective of faith, the plot and character development are better than most stuff I read from the airport book stores. Passionate and moving. And for the record, my copy didn't have the mistakes that the Publisher Weekly review mentioned above. They must have read a different book or at least an unedited copy. I was suprised they would make mention of it. I highly recommend this book. If you are interested in a riviting story that turns your world on end, read it.

It was such an awesome book. I loved it ! Hopefully they would write a series on it too. I want to find out what happends next. I'm just disappointed when I got to finish it. I just couldn't put the book down. I highly recommend this book ! Read and enjoy !

I can see why Ted Dekker can be considered the next big thing in Christian fiction! He has a captivating way of writing, with a carefully thought-out plot. Some books have too much fluff and move too slowly. Ted Dekker's talented story moves at an easy, although exciting pace. He used enough military and political jargon to give it depth and reality. There was a good amount of "spiritual talk" but he (and Bill Bright) says it with a new twist, showing God's presence in our hearts instead of in an artifact, such as the Ark of the Convenant.

What can draw a beautiful assassin and a peaceful man of God together? What one thing can first make a person confused and sorrowful, and next, bring relief and joy? How can a newly discovered relic such as the Ark of the Covenant NOT bring a major war? Read this novel to find out!

While the ending moves too fast for my taste, I did like how there was closure with the Ark. I kept wondering how it could possibly end. But I thought the ending was true to the story and the characters.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes to read Christian fiction. And I would expand that audience to those interested in archaeology. It's a modern story with a historical twist.

I thoughly enjoyed this work as well as Blessed Child. These guys are great story tellers. You start reading a little slower at the end because you don't want to put it down. I've enjoyed several of Ted Dekkers books and he weaves a story like a master. This one has a great love story in it, too. A great read.

This was a very good book. I only gave it a 4 because most of the time I give a 5 only to a book I can't get out of the chair before I finish it, the same day I start it. I did enjoy very much reading about the miraculous events in this book. I couldn't wait to get back to it to find out what was going to happen when they found the Ark of the Covenant, assuming they were going to find it.

A superior story told with interesting history and spiritual quality. It is an excellent sequel to Dekker's "Blessed Child".
Ted Dekker never fails to surprise me. In my opinion, he writes the best and most absorbing christian fiction of our time.

A child-prophet grows into a young man who believes in God. He no longer depends on or delights Him, though. To use the cliche, Caleb has lost his first love. Throw into this coming of age spiritual quest a Raiders of the Lost Ark set of characters and you have a roller coaster of a tale. Jewish zealots want to find the Ark of the Covenant so as to force Israel to destroy the Dome of the Rock and rebuild the Temple. Muslim militants will stop at nothing to destroy the Ark and protect their holy mosque. These opposing forces, and some secondary interests are drawn to Caleb, who unknowingly holds the key to the Ark's location. If all this is not enough to keep the pages turning, Dekker throws in a taut, well-nuanced love subplot.

The writing is superior to Blessed Child, as other reviewers have pointed out. Additionally, Dekker has explained how the presence of God can feel in a unique and powerful way. As important as sound understanding and belief can be, the author encourages us to seek true relationship with God. Words like delight, savor, and total love come to mind. We come to understand that walking with God in the kingdom is the treasure worth abandoning all else for.

Bottom-line: This is top-notch spiritual writing, that challenges readers to an intelligent, yet deeply emotional relationship with God. Buy, read, discuss, share!

Caleb is back! Yet he's lost his child like faith to a point. There were times in this book where I look back at my own life and feel like Caleb. But all in all this was an awesome read and I was once again enlightened by Ted Dekker. I found myself tearing through this book, just like any other Dekker work! Ted Dekker never ceases to amaze me. Good stuff!

It seems like Dekker and Bright hit you with a big league curve in certain places, and just when you thought you couldn't be taken any further out of your comfort zone, BOOM! And I love it! Have fun with this one. I think it is fair to say that if you haven't at least tried Dekker's work, you are truly missing out on a treat. That is how good he is!

One beautiful Jew, one militant Muslim, and one desperate Christian- three zealots who will travel into the Middle East into a bitter war or bring true peace. At the beginning of this book I truly thought this was going to be a religious book that all it would talk about is how you should believe, and how that's the only way. Once I started to read this book I really enjoyed it because this book informs you instead of telling you. This book shows sides from Rebecca Solomon (the Jew), to Caleb (the desperate Christian). The authors do an awesome job of the story flowing because at the end of many chapters I couldn't stop reading, it just left you hanging. This books characters are trying to find the Ark of the Covenant, so it informs you about it. A Man Called Blessed uses many details to describe scenery, characters, and places. This story is an interesting and inspiring story that really encourages us all to rediscover simple childlike faith. Because of this books fast-pace of inspiring events, the book will move your mind to wonder. Rebecca Solomon is a tough girl who is always ready for a fight. She is the daughter of David Ben Solomon, the only daughter who was raised by her dad. This story takes place when there is fighting in the Middle East. Rebecca leads a team of Israeli commands deep into the Ethiopian desert to hunt for the man who may know the way to bring true peace. How? Because he may know the final resting place of the Ark. Islamic leaders fear that the Ark's discovery will tear them apart, so they dispatched Ismael, their most accomplished assassin to pursue the same man. This man in both of their sights is no ordinary man. Caleb is his name, and he too is on a quest of his own. Caleb, as a kid, was a blessed child. He could heal people and change people just with his words. Ismael and Rebecca start to play a game of deadly cat and mouse. There are many deaths in the process of discovering the Ark, but yet both Rebecca and Ismael continue to pursue this peace they soon think they will find. After many miles of travel in the desert, there plan begins to unfold. Caleb and Rebecca begin to be friends, so instead of Rebecca pestering Caleb they begin to work together to find the ark, and to destroy Ismael. At first I didn't think this book because of all the religious context I thought it would have. Once I started to read it, I loved it. This book is more than religious beliefs. Instead of telling you about everything, it informs you and gives you the background of the information it portrays. The story line in this book was awesome because it showed and how people and grow and change due to their surroundings. The length of the book was a downfall at 356 pages, but out of all those pages there is only a couple that aren't good. I also loved at the end it turned into a romance book. This book could fit anybody. If you like fast moving, action, and still a good story then this book is for you. If you are also looking for a faith stirring book to get mind wondering, READ THIS BOOK.