Hacker

I struggled with the rating of this book. I probably would give it 3.5, but rounding brings it up to a 4. This is one of the first times I've been a bit bored with a Dekker book. Dekker is usually not overly wordy, but there were times I wanted to skip past the description to get too the story.

What I liked:
Dekker illustrates that we can be completely known by God and still lived by Him. Dekker continues to remind readers that there is a really beyond what we physically see here. A part of that reality is who we are on the inside and that our outside appearances are not what is important. Death is not an enemy to be feared. That communication with God can happen on a spiritual, nonverbal level.

Where I got hung up:
Immortality of the soul. I know I'm in the minority of Christianity in this perspective, but I have a real problem with the immortality of the soul. This isn't the place to debate theology, but in a nutshell, this depicts a God who chooses to torment people forever. I won't serve an eternal tormentor. I didn't really connect with the heroes. Perhaps it's because I no longer burn with the angst and passion of my late teens and early twenties.

Maybe reading this book again being prepared for the immortal soul aspect will change some of my reaction to this story. In the end, there is much more that I subscribe to and believe than not. He was wise not to get too technical on the hacking details of the story. A little slower than some off his others, but still a fun read.