Ted Dekker is a New York Times best-selling author of more than twenty novels. He is best known for stories which could be broadly described as "suspense thrillers with major twists and unforgettable characters," though he has also made a name for himself among fantasy fans.
Dekker was born in the jungles of Indonesia, amongst cannibals who killed the parents of several of his friends when he was a child. Undeterred his parents befriended the people and made their home with them. It was a dark place full of witchcraft and death. Violence and bloodshed were common—perhaps this explains some of the violence in Ted's novels.
Separated from his parents at age 6 to attend a coastal school for a few months at a time, Dekker describes his early life in a culture to which he was ultimately a stranger as both fascinating and at times lonely. It is this unique upbringing that forced him to rely on his own imagination to create a world in which he belonged.
Now, nine years from the publication of his first novel, his novels have sold roughly 5 million copies worldwide. Two of his novels, Thr3e and House, have been made into movies with more in production. Dekker resides in Austin with his wife Lee Ann and their children.
Ted Dekker's Fictional Works:
Tropes featured in his work:
- Abusive Parents: Kevin, from Thr3e, and plausibly all of the main protagonists in Skin ( minus Pinkus.)
- Adam and/or Eve: Guess.
- Back from the Dead: Thomas Hunter in The Circle Series (twice), Daniel Clark in Adam.
- Canon Welding: The Circle Series, The Paradise Novels, The Lost Books, and House, Skin, and Immanuel's Veins all apparently take place in the same universe, so this is to be expected.
- The surnames of Serial Killers in these books tend to be colors: Marsuvees Black of The Paradise Novels, Sterling Red of Skin, Barsidius White of House...
- Saint Thomas the Beast Hunter, from ImmanuelsVeins is mentioned briefly on two occasions in Green.
- Colt is wearing a Forest Guard t-shirt that he found at Goodwill at one point.
- Roush (fuzzy white bats with emerald eyes) show up a few times.
- Shataiki, evil black bats who's descendants are featured in Immanuel's Veins.
- Demonic Possession : In Adam, the serial killer, Alex Trane is possessed.
- Faking the Dead: Colt of Skin does this briefly , as does Sterling Red at one point.
- The Game Never Stopped: In "Skin". TWICE!
- Mind Screw
- The Multiverse: The Circle Series has the Black Forest and the modern-day world.
- Namesto Run Away From Really Fast: Marsuvees Black. Unman.
- Parental Abandonment: in Skin.
- Parental Neglect: Colt of Skin.
- The Plague / The Virus: In The Circle Series, the Raison Strain.
- The Reveal
- Scars Are Forever: Nicole in Skin.
- Serial Killer: In Adam, Thr3e, Bonemans Daughters, The Bride Collector, and Skin.
- Split Personality : Again, Kevin Parson in Thr3e, who the book reveals in the climax is both Slater and Samantha.
- TomatoInThe Mirror: In Thr3e, Kevin Parson.
- True Beauty Is On The Inside: The theme in Skin ("We are all ugly inside") and The Bride Collector.
- Twist Ending: In almost every book.