Immanuel’s Veins by Ted Dekker

Immanuel’s Veins is the upcoming fantasy novel by Ted Dekker for a release date of September 7.  I recently was among those lucky enough to receive an Advance Reader Copy of the book from the publisher, and from the moment I opened the package I could rarely put it down!  I hope to give you a small glimpse at this new tale from the pen of Dekker, and I really hope that you enjoy it!  Immanuel’s Veins is truly an amazing tale of love and of grand adventure, but what is it about this book that held me and couldn’t let go?  I couldn’t stop reading about all the action, the intrigue, the blood….  yes the blood, Immanuel’s Veins is ALL about the blood.

Immanuel’s Veins, IV for short, is an epic story woven into the fabric of fantasy.  We find the character of Toma Nicolescu shortly after he has recieved his orders from the queen of Russia to protect the Cantemir family, especially the sisters Lucine and Natasha, with the aid of his friend Alec Cardei.  Toma and Alec are highly accomplished men who have seen many a battle and have a way with a sword and a pistol that few could dream to match, though Toma is certainly the better warrior.  The two sisters in his charge are known for their beauty across the land, and Alec, the lover, finds himself entranced by them.  However it all begins to get a little crazy when the neighbors crash the party, a group from a little place known as Transylvania. No good ever came from a place called Transylvania, especially when connected to blood.

What is all of this about blood you say?  Well Ted had a great idea that he decided to write this novel around.  There is a hymn written many years ago about a fountain, but not just any fountain.  This fountain flows with the blood of Immanuel. Blood, drawn straight from Immanuel’s Veins. One part of this song goes like this, I’ll let you read out of it what you will:

There is a fountain fulled with blood,

Drawn from Immanuel’s veins;

And any plunged beneath that flood,

Will be purged of all that is bane.

I really enjoyed this story and especially liked the way it was told.  It was unlike any modern vampire novel and chose to take a different approach to the history of it all.  Yes, I said vampire novel.  It also draws the reader along so quickly and the love story is so beautiful it is really Dekker’s Song of Solomon.  Now you certainly cannot discount the action, as all the swordplay would have a movie maker excited if they aren’t already.  I have heard a few things about more Ted Dekker movies in the future and this would be a perfect one!

I would definitely recommend reading Immanuel’s Veins yourself and I would love to hear what you think of it when you do!  Just post a comment here.  IV will be Ted Dekker’s last book with Thomas Nelson and soon he will be writing all of his books for Hachette.  This should be quite exciting for his career as a bestselling author!  Also, if you haven’t seen the book trailer for Immanuel’s Veins, then you need to see it!  It is right here of course:

Ted Dekker is the author of twenty-two novels, with more than 3 milllion copies of his books sold to date, 1 million of them sold in 2007 alone.

Known for adrenaline-laced stories packed with mind-bending plot twists, unforgettable characters and confrontations between good and evil, Dekker has earned his status as a New York Times bestselling author.

I was sent an Advanced Reader Copy of Immanuel’s Veins to read from the publisher Thomas Nelson.  I was not asked to write a review and I was not required to write a positive one, but rather I intend to give a solid personal opinion on this and other books I review in a similar fashion.  I hope you enjoy reading my reviews and any comments are more than welcome thanks!