Dive deep into a wild and dark Christian fantasy series by Ted Dekker. Showdown is book 1 in the Paradise Trilogy, and my favorite of the three. It is intense, vivid, and creative. The thematic truths are subtile yet poignant. The villain, Marsuvees Black, is terrifyingly evil.
While technically fantasy, this story leans hard into the thriller genre and dabbles in horror. While clean in terms of language and sexual content, it is not a light book in any way.
Rubric Highlights:
Main story:
12/12 points
Side story:
3/4 points
Protagonists:
10/10 points
Antagonists:
8/8 points
World building;
5/5 points
Other points:
-1 for series as a whole
+2 for making me cry
+5 for great ending
Showdown by Ted Dekker