Water Walker (The Outlaw Chronicles) Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
My name is Alice Ringwald, but the man who kidnapped me says thats a lie. Thirteen-year old orphan Alice Ringwald has on memory beyond six months ago. The only life she knows is the new one she's creating one day at a time with the loving couple that recently adopted her and gave her new hope. That hope, however is shattered one night when she is abducted by a strange man. In a frantic FBI manhunt, he vanishes. So begins Water Walker, a modern day parable that examines the staggering power of forgiveness, and reminds us that it's possible to live free of the hurt that keeps our souls in chains.
Series: The Outlaw Chronicles (Book 2)
Hardcover: 505 pages
Publisher: Thorndike Press; Lrg edition (September 10, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1410469387
ISBN-13: 978-1410469380
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1 x 8.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (429 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #587,524 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #17 in Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction > Religious > Christian > Mysteries & Thrillers #1681 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Religious Fiction > Christian #2687 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Suspense
Age Range: 12 - 17 years
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Ted Dekker is a prolific author who has written many books with Christian themes in the fantasy/horror/suspense genre. With Dekker's last few books, "Eyes Wide Open" and "Outlaw", it appears that there is a revised focus. His direction seems to be changing as he reflects upon his years growing up as a missionary child overseas.If you haven't read any other Dekker book, you can easily read this one first. But, you may want to read other titles (before or after) to gain further insights. It seems that there is more to know about Outlaw (the character) and his appearance here. I'm assuming that reading Outlaw (the book) would give more depth. I haven't read it so I'm not entirely sure but I believe this based on what I know from many of Dekker's other books. One thing that occurs in his writing is the cross-reference of key characters & story lines which appears to be the case in Water Walker in more ways than one. Despite the bit of interweaving in Water Walker, which adds intrigue for his whole story-telling repertoire, this story does stand on its own.In Water Walker we meet Alice (or is she Eden?), who is a young teenager kidnapped from her foster home only months after losing the memories of her past. She is naive, trusting and seeking.A manhunt begins the search for the young girl, but she is taken to a remote area and faces further abuse and manipulation at the hand of her mother. Unfortunately, her mother is deluded and believes in legalistic religious measures that cause more pain. Her mother's world is warped and she has succumbed to the deceptive beliefs and commands of a dangerous man.Throughout the young girl's journey, the reader connects with young Eden's thoughts and how she deals with her situation. We watch her mature and we see her childish innocence. Eventually she meets Outlaw. Through this encounter she engages in the struggle to choose love and forgiveness over bitterness, anger and retribution.I love the pace, story lines and tight engagement that Dekker offers in all of his books. There are poignant meanings and spiritual insights to be gleaned as the reader relates to Eden and in a sense, interacts with Outlaw through the story. Sometimes the way he conveys his message makes me wonder about the depth of it, but after re-reading a few sections of Eden's encounter with Outlaw, I see more meaning than originally caught my attention.This story immediately reached my heart because I had just come out of a season of fostering & caring for 14 children in addition to three of our five over a period of 15 months. This included several teens. My heart flows deep with compassion for children in foster care and particularly the older ones.In addition, this particular story hits me at a time when I am more aware of the effect that offenses (real and perceived) have in my life. They affect my heart, they affect the way I deal with painful situations and they affect the way I see myself and others. For me, this story reminds me to lay all my offenses at the feet of Christ. In addition, I am challenged again to renew my mind be replacing my thoughts with truths from God's Word.Eden is reminded of teachings she once learned about as well, teachings about Jesus. She is She is challenged to view herself as a temporal being with a far superior future reality. She is challenged to renew her mind in a way that frees her from the captivity of offense. Through this, she is empowered to overcome her challenging circumstances. She is also empowered to experience, and to give, deep, unnatural love.Due to my own recent experiences, I struggled emotionally over the very real message of forgiveness and of trusting beyond our circumstances while feeling a righteous anger well up for the evil abuse and exploitation inflicted upon countless children and teens every day. In some ways I felt that the message to take no offense in any situation clouded a truth that is essential to the full picture of the gospel, justice. Justice must always be served. Wrongs must have retribution. However, God is the ultimate giver of justice and in doing so, he offers mercy upon mercy which is what we see in this story. Justice is also served in some ways but I will refrain from detail to preserve the story for readers.In summary, I am thankful for Dekker's newest book as well as a great number of his previous titles (particularly the Circle series). His writing style, his techniques of interweaving story lines that ultimately create an interwoven world, and his desire to send messages of love and transformation through forgiveness are qualities I admire.I hope that this book will spark the interest of many readers to open the pages of the Bible for a more full and meaningful picture of Jesus Christ. May many come to understand the real world implications and impact of forgiveness in their own lives. May they be prompted to seek the reforming work of the Holy Spirit as they put their trust in Jesus to take their own walk on water.-------------------------------This title was received for review purposes via NetGalley. This review is an honest reflection without any expectation for a positive response. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Alice doesn't know who she is. Her memory begins six months previous and she isn't sure what her life was like before then. She seems to be very mature in some ways, but very childlike in her understanding of the world. That world is turned upside down when her "father" abducts her and takes her to her birth mother. Now she is Eden and the lamb that will cleanse the sins of her family.Time passes and Eden has come to accept her fate. She can't leave the swamp where she is basically a prisoner, and she has no freedom. Fear of the swamps, dogs, lake and alligators prevent her from pushing back. That all changes when she turns 18 and learns she has money coming to her. A trip to town helps to change her perspective. Add to that encounters with Outlaw, and Eden begins to learn more about herself. Will she find the freedom she craves?As with most Dekker books, this one has connections to other books. In this case, obviously there are connections to the other Outlaw books, most specifically Eyes Wide Open. There was also a connection to the Paradise series, which consists of Showdown, Saint and Sinner. It isn't necessary to read these in order, but I recommend you read them. I loved these books and found myself craving the encounters with Stephen/Outlaw, because the words he spoke were truths that are overlooked by many these days, including myself. Recommended.*I received a copy of this title from Worthy Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Thirteen-year-old Alice Ringwald has no memory of her life before six months ago. All she knows is that she was raised in an orphanage, and she has no idea who her real mother and father are. But she's making a great life with the foster family that has taken her in. They care for her and she feels safe with them. Nothing can prepare her for the day a man who claims to be her real father shows up and kidnaps her to live with him and her real mother. For five years, Alice, or Eden as her mother Kathryn calls her, is raised in a cultic ritualistic upbringing, and in dreams she begins to discover her past and a power within that can change everything. Will she embrace that power or let the waters of her hatred overcome her?Ted Dekker is at the top of my list of favorite storytellers and has been ever since I read his original Circle Trilogy. His latest book is called Water Walker, the second book in The Outlaw Chronicles, and for long-time Dekker fans, these books are the answer to the question, "Whatever happened to the kids in Project Showdown after the project was shut down?" As one of those long-time fans, I've always loved the way Dekker ties his stories together. Dekker has created his own quasi-transmedia universe with his stories, and it opens up so many possibilities as he continues to create stories.Water Walker is about Alice, a girl we meet briefly in the previous book Eyes Wide Open. Alice is ripped from a fairly comfortable existence to be brought into a world where God doesn't make sense. A villainous character named Zeke rules Alice's mother and father. They do his bidding, and it is truly abusive to Alice. Alice, or Eden as she's called throughout much of the book, grows to hate the life she lives and desperately wants to escape it. But she meets Outlaw in her dreams, and he helps her to remember the power she discovered as a part of Project Showdown.Dekker is a thrilling writer who also knows how to take the teachings of Jesus and craft a compelling and challenging story from them. We'd easily understand why Alice becomes full of hatred. The last thing we would expect is for her to forgive them. Of course, it's the last thing we would expect Jesus to do to those who are beating him, spitting in his face, and viciously nailing him to a cross. Water Walker is about forgiveness and love. It's about Jesus and it's about us. It's about faith in the one who can give us the strength to do the unimaginable.From a storytelling standpoint, I loved the first-person narrative. It really gets you into the thoughts and emotions of Alice's character. Dekker also does a great job of causing us to feel empathy for some truly flawed characters. Water Walker is a great thriller story, and it works well as an episodic story. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.Review copy provided by Worthy Publishing
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