Eyes Wide Open: The Full Story Books 1-4 (The Outlaw Chronicles) Hardcover – Large Print, July 2, 2014

It is a good read and for most people I would recommend it. However as someone who has dealt with psychotic staff who have done horrible things to family members in more than one psychiatric ward/hospital I would warn anyone who has had bad experiences with therapists and psychiatric hospitalizations to consider skipping the book. Yes, you read that right--psychotic psychiatric hospital staff who have played their psycho games and threatened the very patients they were supposed to be helping. This includes the heads of the sections. What was in the books touched almost too close to reality in many ways.

Whew! The story just wouldn't let go!!! So many twists and turns...just when you think that Christy and Austin are finally be free from the Psych ward, they're caught again. True to Ted Dekker style, his references to how we see ourselves and how Jesus sees us and forgives us if only we would just trust in Him, was absolutely awesome! I also enjoy seeing the reference to Project Showdown and have been grateful with all the Ted Dekker books I've read in the past, I am always glad I read the Paradise trilogy first, as many of his have mentioned the characters and the monastery and some of the things that happened.

As a big fan of Ted's I knew I was in for a good book and he came through as usual. I originally picked up the first volume then found out it was not a pilot as described but part one of a four part novel. Since I enjoyed it so much I had to go directly to this version that has all four "books" in one. The writing was good and the story-telling was excellent. Ted made a simple plot very gripping and thought provoking. What starts as a simple tale turns into something I did not expect (typical of a Dekker book). Unbelievers will not be offended most of the book and Christian's will be challenged and encouraged. The scene in the school is typical secular humanism which makes for a sad yet informative scene. The overall storyline was surreal but as Ted would do, became grounded in reality towards the end. The Eyes Wide Open series is a bit of a scam by the publishing company. As I said the first book is not really a pilot but the first book in a four book series. All four books together are the length of an average novel. They offer the first book for free knowing 99% of us will have to get the rest. Talk about baiting the reader. Not sure I agree with the ethics of this one. Hope Ted had nothing to do with this decision. I did have some theological problems with the book although the overall point of the novel was good. Scripture did not have to be twisted to get this point across but apparently Ted deemed in necessary. Here are three quotes from the book. Location 4377 "His voice came like honey to her tongue. "You are perfect even as your Father is perfect. Made whole and blameless a long time ago." Location 4380 "Beautiful. As you are, without a single change to the real you. Atoned. Made right. No condemnation possible, no further correction needed." Location 4438 "Be perfect, don't try to become perfect. You already are, you just don't know it yet. Be still and know." - Now I can not explain these statements in their context without giving away some of the plot so I won't. However if you are Biblically knowledgeable you can see right off that these statements are not correct. Please keep this in mind when reading the book.1 Star = Pathetic2 Stars = Fair3 Stars = Good4 Stars = Excellent5 Stars = Life changingFor those who give me a negative vote on my review please comment and let me know why. I'd like to improve my reviews so they can be helpful to those who read them. Please understand I choose not to give a synopsis of the book because it's already given at the top of the home page. I find in doing so too many reviewers give away too much of the plot. Thank you.

QUICK HIT - Originally released in four serialized installments, Eyes Wide Open will soon be available as a complete novel in ebook and print form.Christy Snow has lost her identity. She has no recollection of life before age thirteen and is orphaned. She wears a locket around her neck with a stock photograph of strangers on the inside. It represents hope. It represents a hope she will find her parents and discover who she really is. Really, this locket is her identity. And she's lost it.Austin Hartt thinks he's found his identity. Just like Christy, he has no recollection of life before age thirteen and is orphaned. But rather than a locket, Austin has turned to the world of academia to find identity and self-worth. Both will soon have their worlds shaken.There's not much to say about this novel that hasn't already been covered in my reviews of the four serial installments: Identity, Mirrors, Unseen, and Seer, so instead I'll focus on some aspects of the novel as a whole and the novel's release structure.I, for one, enjoyed the fact the novel came in a serialized form. Though Ted's branded it as a new form of storytelling, really it is only a resurgence of the same kind of serial storytelling that was popular. Dickens' Pickwick Papers firmly established the style as popular in the 1830s and other classic authors such as Doyle, Melville, Tolstoy, and Dostoyevsky wrote works that were published serially. This type of storytelling waned as technology grew, but with the prevalence of the Internet, individuals are once again reading in more bite-sized chunks.Dekker isn't the first established author to take advantage of technology to promote a serialized story. Stephen King attempted the same (perhaps prematurely) back in 2000 to mixed success. His novel, Plant, netted him almost a half million dollars, but was abandoned after six chapters and remains unfinished. In the decade since, ebook technology has made the serial story more viable than ever for established authors. It will be interesting to see the final results of Dekker's experiment.There has also been some confusion about the format of the books, which I can explain here: The Outlaw Chronicles will be a series of full-length novels, the first of which is Eyes Wide Open. Eyes Wide Open initially released in four serial episodes--Identity, Mirrors, Unseen, and Seer. Further novels in the series will follow the same episodic format, giving the reader the choice to buy each episode as an ebook individually or wait until the entire novel is published and buy the complete set in either print or ebook forms.In all, Eyes Wide Open is a great experiment and hopefully the beginning of something new. Ted's plans are always big and I can't wait to see where this one takes him.

It's so true that God will bring something to reach and touch us in a tangible way when we need Him most. This book was one of those times. In great Dekker style I was hooked from the first page and able to empathise more and more with the turn of each page. Not only is this novel excellent on a suspense level but also a bit of an eyes wide open moment too - pun intended. It's helped me focus again on what really matters. Definitely a recommended read.

This held such promise...and then the last chapters swept though to a conclusion like a project running out of funding. I keep wondering if I finished the book...and then realising - no, that was the ending...

Gripping

I found this book very moving and a wonderful reminder of how important it is to know exactly who we are.

A gripping, can't put it down experience with a deeper truth that will leave you inspired and profoundly moved. If you loved The Shack you should definitely read this. If you've never read The Shack, read this anyway.