BEST BOOK IN THE SERIES!!!!!!!! I cannot even begin to tell you how absolutely fantastic this book is! Nyah is a great character and so well developed that I felt as if I could actually see and hear her in every sentence. I was also so excited to see a character from book 1, Eyes Wide Open, come back into play as one of the main characters here.

Throughout the series, Dekker only hinted about what had changed each character, but in Hacker, towards the very end, he explains in such a fantastic way Who was behind it all, in a way that will hit you between the eyes! And I have to say, Dekker wrote what has to be the best depiction of Heaven that I have ever read! He wrote it in a way that still left it mysterious but yet used the descriptions of the Bible to paint a picture that could never be painted! It was just wow!

This book, however, does need to stay at a teen level. There is some pretty detailed action (one being a car accident), and plenty of gun wounds. Also, lots of scenes that cause some serious heart-pounding moments……

But aside from the above, I recommend this book to everyone of my friends as a “YOU NEED TO READ THIS NEXT!!!!!!” However, read the series in order, trust me, read them in order!!!!!!

"I received this book from the author/publisher for the purpose of this review. All comments and opinions are my own."

You can also read this review, as well as many, many more on my blog: http://acceleratethejesusmovement.wordpress.com ( )

At age 17, Nyah Parks is a brilliant teenager who uses her intelligence and skills to hack into the firewalls of large corporations and earn an income by making them more secure. In an act of desperation linked to a car accident that occurred two years earlier, Nyah hacks into a multi-million-dollar corporation, initiating a cataclysmic chain of events that disrupts everyone in its wake and raises intriguing questions about life and consciousness.

Once again Ted Dekker delivers with a unique and thoroughly thought-provoking novel. Book three in the “Outlaw Chronicles,” “Hacker” pushes deeper and provides a more stunning and startling experience than its predecessors. Dekker adeptly leads readers on a journey of adrenaline and heart that will invoke tears of both sorrow and joy. “Hacker” is a mixture of “The Fault in Our Stars” and the scientific extrapolations of James Rollins, and despite its rather small size, Dekker packs every page with action and intensity. Be prepared to read some pages multiple times to grasp the scientific concepts that are explored, especially early on in the story, but rest assured that the time investment will pay incredible interests! ( )

You’ve probably heard of brain hacks, well this book takes the term literally. Dekker provides an endearing mix of the old and the new, with a young smart protagonist, and an overreacting villain, and tech that you may need a book to figure out.

Free review copy. ( )

Nyah Parks is a teenager that is brilliant and has an amazing skill with hacking computers. Her mom has suffered a brain injury from a car accident, the same accident that killed her brother and father. She is desperate to find some help for her mom before she loses her too. She asks her friend for help hacking into one of the largest companies in town but everything goes wrong. While Nyah is on the run she flees to her friend Austin. Austin reveals he is suffering from a health problem and has been experimenting on himself to find a cure. His potential cure could be exactly what Nyah’s mom needs if they can figure it out before time runs out for Nyah, Austin, and Nyah’s mom.

I had trouble getting into this book after the initial few chapters. I found myself a little confused by Austin’s experiments and the explanation of those experiments. By the half-way point of the book, I was hooked and could not put it down. I realized that understanding the experiments was not critical to enjoying the book. I was amazed by how Dekker ended the book and the experiences of the characters throughout the story.

I think this is a great story but I found that there were pieces that could have been taken out and the book would have been just as good. Throughout the middle of the book I was curious how the beginning played a part it the story. It felt like there was an intense beginning and then it was set aside for the main part of the story. It eventually came back to include the resolution to the beginning of the book but it felt like an added part that could have been cut from the book.

Overall, I would recommend this book to Dekker fans. I think readers need to be exposed to other Dekker books to understand his writing style before reading this one. I feel that most Dekker fans will not be disappointed in this book and that they will see Dekker back to his old writing style. That is the style that attracted me to his books years ago. I’m glad I read this book. I will keep some of the word pictures in my mind for years to come and my picture of Heaven has been altered to include some of his descriptions. It was a memorable book and I look forward to reading it again soon.

Advance Reader Copy received via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.
Read May 25th – June 17th ( )

Ted Dekker is an author that will take you on a thrill ride and make you think along the way. In his newest book, Hacker (part of The Outlaw Chronicles) explores the concept of reality. Is there a reality that exists apart from the physical world? Can we reach it?

Nyah Parks is a prodigy. At seventeen she has finished both college and graduate school and makes her living hacking into corporations and then building systems to keep their data safe. But Nyah’s family was torn apart by an car accident that left her father and brother dead and her mother severely injured. Needing $250,000 to enroll her mother in an experimental program, Nyah attempts the biggest hack of her life. But things go terribly wrong. On the run from ruthless corporate enforcers and the FBI, Nyah turns to her brilliant friend, Austin, for help. His self-experimentation may just be the cure for Nyah’s mom.

Hacker starts out like an adrenaline-pumping thriller but quickly takes a mind-bending turn that is classic Dekker. Austin is determined to hack into his own brain to access the reality he believes exists just beyond the physical world. He believes without observation nothing exists. Nyah’s fixation on her mother’s injury is shadowed by her belief in the randomness of life. Both are searching and when joined together in their hacking experiments come to see the source of reality and its definite plan, pattern and purpose.

Hacker is a tech-heavy science fiction novel. There are lots of concepts I didn’t really get; but that was okay. I was able to enjoy the ride without having to know just how everything was supposed to work. But I did get the spiritual concepts that Dekker expressed. His subtle introduction of God and His word is very effective for this very science-focused novel. The characters are very interesting and despite their genius IQs, are very relatable. I think Hacker will appeal primarily to the YA and New Adult demographic. At the end of the book, both main characters learn just what it means to surrender. And the action never really slows. I can really see Hacker being made into a movie.

A good bet for the young adults in your life and a good choice for a book discussion group, I recommend Hacker.

Recommended.

Great For Book Clubs.

(Thanks to Worthy Publishing and First Look for my review copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) ( )