Blink of an Eye by Ted Dekker was definitely a different read than some of the other books I have read by Dekker - The Bride Collector and Boneman's Daughters, for example - but this novel did not disappoint me.

The two main characters - Seth, a genius, and Miriam, a Saudi Arabian princess - are set on a course that is and isn't believable that something like this could actually happen. Are there geniuses out there who can do what Seth does - see numerous options into the future and analyze them as quickly as he does - possibly. So, this is what, to me, gives the story a hint of fantasy. Are there beautiful Saudi princesses out there, who are used as political pawns - more believable than Seth's unusual powers - to me.

Yet, having said that, these two unlikely individuals are thrown together by fate and together they weave a tale of love and political intrigue that is fascinating to read. There were moments, though, when I got lost in Seth's analyzing of situations, but not long enough to make me want to set the book down. When every corner of escape is blocked and when you think there is no hope, Seth pulls through. How does he do it? Is it just his genius mind, or is there another element at work - his love (although unrealized) for the beautiful princess?

A very different read from Ted Dekker, yet one you will not be disappointed in.

Put a Saudi princess and a certified genius together and a story unfolds.

Seth Border, Berkeley student, blinks and sees the future. In that future, a princess needs saving.

My Thoughts:

It’s rare I read a book twice since there are so many books I’d like to read. However, “Blink of an Eye,” I reread.

Seth Border has become my favorite character of all times. His quick wit, smart alec, personality drew me right into the story.

The first scene shows Seth debating with a University professor. “I’ve learned never to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed person, sir.” And so on goes Seth. Funny.

Phrases like, convention of penguins (At a University awards ceremony.) And she borrowed legs from a horse made for a humorous story. But the humor didn’t take away from the tension.

Seth and Miriam were on the run. Placed in impossible situations, and yet, Seth because of his genius thinking skills escaped.

In the future, I’ll probably visit this book again. It’s that good.

If I had a suggestion to Ted, I’d love to see Seth Borders run for President. Wouldn’t a Presidential debate make a good scene?

Este libro me voló el bocho. La historia es espectacular por dónde la mires; es súper atrapante, contemporánea, simplemente increíble.
Tiene un toque de fantasía pero está tan bien incluida en la vida del personaje que hace súper ligera la lectura.
El final me decepcionó un poquito porque quería que terminen juntos, pero igual quedé conforme.

Ehhh, it was okay. It was rife with annoying stereotypes -- I alternated between being more annoyed with the generic Muslim stereotypes and the "beautiful princess being rescued out of her evil country by a courageous white man who she can't help but become enamored with because, well, he's just so delightfully 'different'". Okay, I guess that sentence proves I was more annoyed by the latter... The psychological underpinnings that drew me to pick up the book, in the end, did not figure prominently enough to redeem the story for me. Oh! I almost forgot my main bone to pick: the lone intriguing character Dekker succeeded in creating, he completely sacrificed, at the end, to his lame, unnuanced "stereotype rules." Some of the pacing was decent and there were some fulfilling payoffs which earned it the 2nd star.

One of the best books i've ever read from a Christian author. The development of the story and characters was artistically woven from the beginning to the end. Love always wins <3

Ted Dekker is a masterful storyteller, and this book is no exception. I've read this one several times before, but this time I especially noticed how the question of the sovereignty of God was woven into the plot. Does prayer really change the future? Is God really involved in our day-to-day lives? Exploring these questions in the context of a fictional story is fascinating and unique.

I liked this because it is so current and real.
No matter what our beliefs, Love is blind and an emotion.
Desire for one another is totally natural regardless of life situations and circumstances.
Compare this book to "The Afghan" & and another book about the rescue of a young woman in Kuwait, I believe.
I also would recommend the "Kite Runner."

In a vacuum this book is a 4 star for me. If I went deeper into the works of Ted Dekker, or didn't at this moment need a mindless thriller to keep me occupied, the rating would have gone down.

I did not get caught up in the author's supposed religious politics, I simply allowed a good love story with believable characters and believable politics and enough suspense to keep me turning pages to take me away.

I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend this to you, but if any of the conditions I mentioned above are inflicting you right now, go ahead and give it a shot. You'll probably enjoy it too.

I won't waste electrons by repeating the plot of the book--there's a sketch above--but I will give my uncensored opinion. This book is an indictment on Anglo bibliophiles. In other words, we're a bunch of tarnal fools, and Ted Dekker knows it.

Here's the method: Take an attention-getting subject like islamic extremism--never mind where you buy it, whether it's the genuine article, or whether you even know what it is. Take some cool surfing stuff from California. Add in some royalty to spice up the first and some genius to justify the second (that is just to show up on the ingredients list, because it really won't affect the taste of the final product at all). Add three tablespoons of your broadest and blandest Christianity, --don't mix it in too well, so it will leave startling pockets in the batter--oh, and DON'T put it on the ingredients list, unless serving at CBD--and half a teaspoon of tolerance for world religions. Grease your eyes. Bake at 150° F for two minutes.

Voila, and congratulations on your bestseller. Enjoy after 8 ounces of absinthe. Serves Rambo lovers.

ETA: Oh man. The ending of this book turned this overall mediocre, yet still page-turning story into a true stinker. What I wrote earlier is still relevant for the first 3 quarters of the book, but by the end, the story takes a turn into the preposterous.

What went wrong?

I hate to do it, but it is the final, climactic scene where Seth, our resident "genius" turned savior-of-princesses, gives up on trying to see the future and puts faith in God to swoop in and save the day.

Quite literally a Deus-ex-machina. To make things worse, the execution involved ham-fisted, unsubtle conversions of two nonChristians, an incredibly amateurish intimidation scene that SOMEHOW works, and an easy future-assisted take-down against a supposedly seasoned killer.

I could almost see people sing "Kum Ba Yah" when the Moment of Truth came.

*BLeeahurgh.*

So goes another contemporary Christian novel into the pile of poo. You're better off rereading anything by C.S. Lewis.


-------Original On-going Review----------------

So the story is about a young American genius who somehow gains the ability to see the future and becomes mixed up with an Arabic princess who is fleeing for her life/virtue/freedom. It is a fast, somewhat exciting read, but it fails to be truly heart-pounding due to under-realized, black & white characterizations.

On the side of Good:

1) Our protagonist, Seth, is a young American genius who excels in math and science. He happens to be ruggedly handsome and muscular. (Okay, no problems there. I know plenty of people who fit that description.) His IQ is 190, above Albert Einstein's. (Also ok! That is the conceit of the story) Not only is Seth brilliant, he's remarkably well-adjusted! In fact, he's so well-adjusted that he has no emotional scars from being regularly beaten by his drunk father for most years of his childhood! Now my flags go up.
If you look at the history of geniuses in all fields, you'll find that a disturbingly large number of them ended up neurotic, self-destructive, psychotic, and depressive even as they churned out great works. Drugs, visions, isolation, cutting off your ear and mailing it to your girlfriend, etc. At minimum, if you're going to be smarter than Einstein, then at least be as eccentric. Being so brilliant in a certain area often means being stunted in other areas, such as, oh, social skills. At halfway through the book, Seth displays no OCD traits whatsoever; at most, he shows a little teenage rebellion against authority.

Then a bigger problem comes up. Let's say I could accept the idea that Seth is an all-rounded genius with no debilitating flaws. He goes on the run with a Saudi princess and is basically living minute-by-minute trying to elude 3 groups of pursuers using his newfound precognition. He relies completely on his precognition even though he's only had it for half a day. He is pure reaction, and does not even try to think ahead. He advertises to his pursuers that he has precognition, so everyone now knows his abilities and can therefore work out his limits! Are these the actions of a genius? Sure, it's not like he's naturally a criminal and knows how to disappear, but for someone portrayed the way he is, you'd think he'd be able to adapt.

The princess also is described as being intelligent, one of the first reasons why her bodyguard fell in love with her. But again, I don't see much intelligence; she also just reacts blindly to situations, or rather, she sticks to Seth and becomes the romantic interest/non-entity.

The NSA agent that's chasing them-- also not smart enough! His verbal sparring with the Saudis is intellectually unstimulating.

Seth's verbal sparring is unwitty.

The Saudis are hur-hur Evil, with a capital E.

The author tries too hard to tie God and Christianity into precognition. I had no problems with theology being discussed between the characters, but it stretches disbelief that not only Seth but the NSA agent would reference the same Biblical elements as proof that precognition existed. Within a couple chapters of each other. If Seth had telepathy instead, would the author find a Bible passage to support that too?

Bleh. Well, it could be worse. At least the pacing is pretty good, so I can keep reading even as I continue to grouse.

According to the notes at the end, this book was supposed to be adapted into a film...yet, I first read this well over a decade ago, and I have heard nothing about a celluloid version. Maybe it was shelved after both House and Thr3e tanked at the box office.

Regardless, this was a fun madcap adventure with plenty of intensity and romance. It's a far cry from the author's infamous Circle Trilogy, but, it's still entertaining for what it is.

Another good book by Ted Dekker. All though not his best book, but still the plot and characters make it a book that can stand on its own. The two main characters are certainly very different than each other, one a princess and the other a genius American college student. Both end up falling love, some thing you could see coming from the very beginning. I believe both characters, especially Seth, needed more depth. Seth's genius mind really did seem that noticeable through most of the book. The other surrounding characters fell more on the cliche side of most Dekker novels. But the idea of someone seeing many different futures at once is a very good concept and should have been used in more creative ways. Dekker does a good job at exploring the world of the Middle East and expanding on the struggle woman face in that society. But being a Christian book, many Christians would have a problem with Seth and Miriam getting married when the characters didn't share a Christian faith, or were not like minded when it came to religion. But maybe this really wasn't the focus of the book, and author did give a witness to Jesus several times, a reader could assume both characters became saved later on. If your looking for a fast read and pager turner this is a good book.