Let's just get right to it, shall we?
Hacker
Author: Ted Dekker
Publisher: Worthy Publishing
Release Date: June 10, 2014
Ted Dekker is an incredibly rare "Christian" author. I've only read one of his books before this one at the recommendation of a friend. (Thr3e) I flew through that book and it was so exciting and fast paced and exciting. What makes his writing so unique though is how he can talk about deep and intense theological/philosophical issues while in the middle of a thriller novel. He also does it in a way which doesn't feel preachy or as though he's shoving his faith down your throat. He also is best seller outside of the Christian novel market, which I find awesome. Therefore, I was incredibly excited to get an eARC of his latest book, Hacker.
Basic Summary Without Spoilers
Teenage Nyah is a genius hacker who has already graduated college and now, somewhat illegally, works for computer companies. After a tragic accident, her mother is now brain dead, and desperate to save her, Nyah hacks into the security system of a major company with the hopes they'll hire her so she can pay for the medical bills. Nyah ends up way over her head - and inside of it - as her friend Austin shows her how to hack into the most complicated computer of all. The human mind.
The Cover
The cover is perfect for the novel. It's an image of Nyah getting her brain hacked into. It's simple, beautiful, and gives the reader a hint of the crazy technology that's about to happen.
The Premise
So interesting! It's definitely not something I would have thought of. It was a bit difficult to follow some of the genius/technology/medical talk, but I could catch on just enough so I wasn't completely lost to the plot. He tried to keep all of that to a minimum. I also liked the small glimpse into the hacker world.
The Characters
Since the book covers only a few days and it jumps right into the action from page one, sometimes it's hard to catch onto characterization because there's so much action. Nyah obviously is incredibly intelligent, but also incredibly caring. She deeply loves her mother and will do anything to save her. She's also a bit cynical.
Austin is more intense than Nyah. He's focused on whatever it is he's working on and will do anything to succeed and fond answers. Both characters are crazy impulsive. They jump into the hacking of their brains without a second thought and I'm over her freaking out "stop putting holes in your head! That can't be a wise life choice!"
The other characters I enjoyed as well, but you don't get to know them very well. The villain I also felt could have had a bit more depth.
The Faith Stuff
I loved what Dekker had to say. He goes into suffering, why terrible things happen, his theories of what heaven might be like, what surrender is, and it was all great. Such fantastic places to get conversation going and to think about. However, I felt as though those conversations weren't woven in as seamlessly as they had been in Thr3e. With just a bit of refinement I think it could have been done better.
My Overall Thoughts
It was an interesting premise, read fast, and I liked what Dekker had to say. I also really liked Nyah and Austin as characters. It is the third in a series, which I wasn't aware of. However, you didn't have to read the novels in a particular order, so I didn't miss any of the plot. Which was a relief. I do wish I had known the background of the Outlaw character. I found out this could be found in the book, Outlaw. Go figure. It made things slightly confusing since Nyah and Austin knew who he was and I was all "wait... We know this guy?" But he was only in the story a bit, so I was able to move on. My only other complaint would be that it wrapped up too quickly. I liked the ending, but he got there too soon.
I gave this book three stars in Goodreads.
It will be released on Tuesday!
The Premise
So interesting! It's definitely not something I would have thought of. It was a bit difficult to follow some of the genius/technology/medical talk, but I could catch on just enough so I wasn't completely lost to the plot. He tried to keep all of that to a minimum. I also liked the small glimpse into the hacker world.
The Characters
Since the book covers only a few days and it jumps right into the action from page one, sometimes it's hard to catch onto characterization because there's so much action. Nyah obviously is incredibly intelligent, but also incredibly caring. She deeply loves her mother and will do anything to save her. She's also a bit cynical.
Austin is more intense than Nyah. He's focused on whatever it is he's working on and will do anything to succeed and fond answers. Both characters are crazy impulsive. They jump into the hacking of their brains without a second thought and I'm over her freaking out "stop putting holes in your head! That can't be a wise life choice!"
The other characters I enjoyed as well, but you don't get to know them very well. The villain I also felt could have had a bit more depth.
The Faith Stuff
I loved what Dekker had to say. He goes into suffering, why terrible things happen, his theories of what heaven might be like, what surrender is, and it was all great. Such fantastic places to get conversation going and to think about. However, I felt as though those conversations weren't woven in as seamlessly as they had been in Thr3e. With just a bit of refinement I think it could have been done better.
My Overall Thoughts
It was an interesting premise, read fast, and I liked what Dekker had to say. I also really liked Nyah and Austin as characters. It is the third in a series, which I wasn't aware of. However, you didn't have to read the novels in a particular order, so I didn't miss any of the plot. Which was a relief. I do wish I had known the background of the Outlaw character. I found out this could be found in the book, Outlaw. Go figure. It made things slightly confusing since Nyah and Austin knew who he was and I was all "wait... We know this guy?" But he was only in the story a bit, so I was able to move on. My only other complaint would be that it wrapped up too quickly. I liked the ending, but he got there too soon.
I gave this book three stars in Goodreads.
It will be released on Tuesday!
Sounds entertaining! I am a little sad that the ending came too quickly!
ReplyDeleteMissie @ A Flurry of Ponderings
ooh this sounds like a pretty cool book. i'm always looking for new reads outside of the genres i typically read. thanks for the review!
ReplyDelete