The Calling by Rachelle Dekker

★★★★★

Remko Brant had never been so sure of anything as escaping the Authority City with Carrington Hale. But bravado comes easy when you have nothing to lose. Now a husband, father, and the tactical leader of the Seers, Remko has never had so much at risk.

As he and his team execute increasingly dangerous rescue missions inside the city, they face growing peril from a new enemy. Recently appointed Authority President Damien Gold claims to be guiding a city shaken by rebellion into a peaceful, harmonious future. But appearances can be deceiving. In order to achieve his dangerous ambitions, Gold knows he must do more than catch the rebels―he must destroy the hope their message represents… from the inside out.

With dissension in his own camp―and the CityWatch soldiers closing in―Remko feels control slipping through his fingers. To protect those he loves, he must conquer his fears and defeat Gold… before one of them becomes his undoing.

In her anticipated second novel The Calling, Rachelle Dekker returns her readers to the world of the Authority a year and a half after the end of The Choosing and tells another riveting dystopian story filled with suspense, drama, and action. Fans definitely should not miss this Seer novel.

Amidst the many familiar characters and addition of a few new ones, Remko Brant is this story’s focus. He now bears much responsibility to lead and protect, yet struggles to believe the truth of the Seers. Remko faces challenge after challenge, danger and deception lurking at every turn, with the tension between fear, faith, and freedom at the heart of his story. As I followed Remko and his fellow characters through the pages of The Calling, I found it nearly impossible to put down and just had to keep reading all the way to the very end. I loved it every bit as much as The Choosing, and I’m sure other readers will as well. I highly recommend The Calling and cannot wait to discover what the next Seer novel has in store.

Thanks to Tyndale BlogNetwork, I received a copy of The Calling and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.

Q&A with the Author

The oldest daughter of New York Times bestselling author Ted Dekker, Rachelle Dekker was inspired early on to discover truth through storytelling. The Choosing is her critically acclaimed debut novel. She graduated with a degree in communications and spent several years in marketing and corporate recruiting before making the transition to write full-time. She lives in Nashville with her husband, Daniel, and their diva cat, Blair. Visit her online at her website.

1. This book is written from Remko’s perspective. Did you face any challenges writing from a male point-of-view? 

There was definitely a looming pressure as I started to write the book. As a woman writer, I wanted to make sure Remko felt masculine and authentic, so I was constantly aware of how he sounded, and how he reacted. Once I got into a flow with his character though, it started to feel more familiar I didn’t have to think about it as much. 

2. Remko struggles with his anger often throughout the book. Is this expression of anger connected to his fears? If so, how? 

Anger is just a natural reaction to the circumstances Remko faces. Sometimes being afraid can stir up anger because it makes us feel weak or out of control. This is definitely true for Remko in The Calling. 

3. In the book you talk a lot about surrendering to fear. What does this look like and how does this help us to not be afraid? 

I think sometimes the natural reaction to fear is to hide from it, or try and push it away. It’s the idea that if we can’t see it then it must not be there, but we all know that unless dealt with the unseen things often come back to bite us. The only way to face fear is to walk through it; surrendering to Father God and letting Him reminder us of our true identity. Only then do we really see that the light within us is always greater than the fear we face.