Early Dekker (2000-2005)

Ted Dekker’s writing career has spanned over two decades and seen the publication of over seventy books. Looking at his career (so far) as a whole, it divides roughly into four different stages: Early Dekker (2000-2005), The Books of History Chronicles (2004-2009), NYT Bestselling Author (2010-2013), and Ted the Mystic (2014-Present). This section covers

You’ll see some exceptions to this. There are a few books published in 2006-2007 that fit “Early Dekker” for various reasons and have been included here. Also included are all the cover designs

The Martyr’s Song (2000-2005)

Later rebranded The Heaven Trilogy, The Martyr’s Song is a series consisting of three books and a novella. It’s a rather loose trilogy, bound together only by its theme of God’s providential involvement in human lives and the character of Helen. The first two books draw inspiration from Scripture, imaginatively reworking the narratives of Job (Heaven’s Wager) and Hosea (When Heaven Weeps). The third book is a more generic thriller called Thunder of Heaven. In 2005, Thomas Nelson published a new edition of the series alongside The Martyr’s Song, a novella that expands some scenes contained in When Heaven Weeps. Recording artist Todd Agnew released a single that accompanied the novella on CD and was later released in 2007 on the album Better Questions. In 2010, the trilogy was released in an omnibus edition without the novella. The first editions of the trilogy were released by WestBow Press, then the fiction imprint of Thomas Nelson (now their self-publishing division). Later editions, the novella, and the omnibus were released under the Thomas Nelson imprint.

Heaven’s Wager by Ted Dekker (Thomas Nelson, May 2000)
When Heaven Weeps by Ted Dekker (Thomas Nelson, May 2001)
Thunder of Heaven by Ted Dekker (Thomas Nelson, February 2002)
The Martyr’s Song by Ted Dekker (Thomas Nelson, August 2005)

The Caleb Books (2001-2002)

Following the meteoric success of the Left Behind novels, Campus Crusade for Christ founder Bill Bright sought to follow his friend Tim LaHaye into the world of fiction. Publisher Thomas Nelson suggested an upcoming author named Ted Dekker as a coauthor and a two-book deal was struck. The Caleb Books tell the story of a young boy with pure and childlike faith (Blessed Child) who later loses that faith and seeks to regain it (A Man Called Blessed). While garnering nowhere near the popularity of the Left Behind series, The Caleb Books proved to be an important milestone in Dekker’s career, making him a well-known name in Christian publishing. Originally published in 2001-2002, they were reprinted with new covers in 2006 and 2013 and an e-book omnibus was released in 2014.

Blessed Child by Ted Dekker and Bill Bright (Thomas Nelson, April 2001)
A Man Called Blessed by Ted Dekker and Bill Bright (Thomas Nelson, September 2002)

Standalone Thrillers (2002-2007)

Ted Dekker’s early standalone thrillers are marked by their intense theological themes. It starts with Blink, an exploration of God’s knowledge of the future (or potential futures) and the Divine’s ability to intervene in human affairs. Thematically, this very much connects with The Martyr’s Song books. Dekker revisited this novel in 2007 after selling the movie rights, updating the story to reflect the screenplay and improving some other elements. Unfortunately, the move was never made. Next up was Thr3e, an excellent psychological thriller focusing on humankind’s struggle with sin. Thr3e would win Ted Dekker his first Christy Award and set the stage for his breakout series The Circle Trilogy. The last of his early thrillers is Obsessed, a reimagining of Jesus’s parables of the treasure in a field. All three of these thrillers would later be purchased by Center Street, a division of Hachette Publishing, and published in mass market paperback format between 2010-2015.

Blink by Ted Dekker (Thomas Nelson, January 2002)
Blink of an Eye by Ted Dekker (Thomas Nelson, October 2007; Center Street, July 2011)
Thr3e by Ted Dekker (Thomas Nelson, June 2003; Center Street, November 2010)
Obsessed by Ted Dekker (Thomas Nelson, February 2005; Center Street, June 2015)

Dekker Christmas Tales (2005-2006)

This two book Christmas gift book series saw Ted Dekker take another unique turn in his early writing career. The Promise and The Drummer Boy are two small illustrated Christmas stories, meant to be purchased as stocking stuffers. The Promise takes readers back to the time of Jesus’s birth and imaginatively tells the story of Reuben, a boy born mute, who gets his voice when he meets the newborn King. The Drummer Boy is wildly different. Set in a near-future dystopia, the story follows a young boy who discovers the truth of Jesus is a world that has outlawed Christmas.

The Promise by Ted Dekker (Thomas Nelson, September 2005)
The Drummer Boy by Ted Dekker (Thomas Nelson, December 2006)

Non-Fiction

The earliest non-fiction work from Ted Dekker, The Slumber of Christianity is part-memoir, part-exploration of faith. Dekker gives readers some insights as to why he explores the stories he does and calls readers back to a fully-awakened faith that takes seriously the idea of following Jesus and creating the Kingdom of God on earth.