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Play Dead
Would you play the ultimate game of life? The discovery of two teenagers ritualistically murdered in a secluded Austin park outrages a nation already on the brink of tearing itself apart. The victims are the latest in an epidemic of deaths linked to a mysterious virtual game known only as PLAY DEAD. The evidence points to Jamie Hamilton, a brilliant young man on the autism spectrum. But Angie Channing, a world-renown true crime writer, isn’t convinced he’s a killer. Her obsession with the truth drives her into the world of Play Dead. But what she uncovers is a truth far too dangerous to be exposed. A truth those in power protect at all costs. How far will she go to bring the truth to light? HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO?
371 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2021
389 people are currently reading
1942 people want to read
About the author
Ted Dekker
192 books9,958 followersTed Dekker is known for novels that combine adrenaline-laced stories with unexpected plot twists, unforgettable characters, and incredible confrontations between good and evil. Ted lives in Austin with his wife LeeAnn and their four children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 222 reviews
May 20, 2021
A Bible metaphor disguised as a science fiction book disguised as a murder mystery thriller.
April 26, 2021
A thoughtful mind-trip of a thriller, Play Dead is the Dekker novel you’ve been craving. It’s been two years since Ted Dekker’s last non-children’s book and nine years since his last real solo thriller. It’s not that Dekker’s been silent—his career simply shifted to a new phase as he worked on a number of passion projects to resounding success. But there’d been a story stirring within him. One he’d been working on for a long time. One that finally clawed its way out. And the result is Play Dead.
The story takes places in a believable near-future maybe thirty years from now where virtual reality tech has made the virtual world almost indistinguishable to the real world. If entertainment has always been used as escapism, that’s almost literal now as VR opens the doors to new worlds, new experiences—even new realities. Which only begs the question: What is reality?
Dekker’s obsession with alternate realities is no secret. Go back to his oldest works, which always promised to give readers a peek “behind the veil” into the supernatural. Or consider the Other Earth of The Books of History Chronicles. Or even the virtual reality world of Skin. Dekker’s entire career has been about using fiction—a type of virtual reality—to talk about what’s really real in our own world and cause us to question if our notions of reality and how we experience it are correct. What if, Dekker asks, there’s more than just this?
At the center of the book is Angie Channing, a world-renowned journalist and author known for her work in virtual reality. When two Austin teens end up dead and a third—Jamie Hamilton—is accused of the murder, Angie thinks there might be much more to the story. It leads her on a journey in both this reality and the virtual one that uncovers a massive secret that could drastically impact both worlds.
Also at stake is the grander societal issue of such immersive VR. Society has blamed video games for all sort of evil since the invention of video games, but with technological advancements allowing deadheading—VR giving a complete sensory disconnect from reality—a political and social battle is brewing that pinpoints deadheads as the reason for society’s problems. Combine with that a secretive billionaire who sees virtual reality as a chance to solve the problems of this reality and you have a rich world with complex characters who all have their own motivations for their actions and beliefs.
Can virtual reality affect actual reality? Is our perception of reality actually real? Play Dead is a wild techno-thriller with Dekker’s signature philosophical twist. I make it sound like this is heady, intellectual tome where characters soliloquize in Sorkinesque dialogue, but the truth is that Dekker couches all of these things in an engaging, action-packed adventure. I just can’t say much about the story without giving too much away. Better to experience it first-hand.
Fiction allows readers to explore truth in a way they might not otherwise experience. It’s virtual reality that taps into our beliefs and experiences in this reality. Play Dead is a sort of meta-narrative about fiction in that way. Dekker asks us to consider the effects of virtual realities—of fiction—in our lives, then asks us if anything about that fiction changes anything about our current reality…or even points us toward a different reality.
Play Dead is weighty—if you choose to read it that way. You can stay on the surface and enjoy it as a psychological thriller and that’ll be just fine. Or, you can strap in and dive deep into Dekker’s virtual reality world, engaging with intense and important questions about the nature of reality, the nature of life, and, perhaps, even the afterlife.
The story takes places in a believable near-future maybe thirty years from now where virtual reality tech has made the virtual world almost indistinguishable to the real world. If entertainment has always been used as escapism, that’s almost literal now as VR opens the doors to new worlds, new experiences—even new realities. Which only begs the question: What is reality?
Dekker’s obsession with alternate realities is no secret. Go back to his oldest works, which always promised to give readers a peek “behind the veil” into the supernatural. Or consider the Other Earth of The Books of History Chronicles. Or even the virtual reality world of Skin. Dekker’s entire career has been about using fiction—a type of virtual reality—to talk about what’s really real in our own world and cause us to question if our notions of reality and how we experience it are correct. What if, Dekker asks, there’s more than just this?
At the center of the book is Angie Channing, a world-renowned journalist and author known for her work in virtual reality. When two Austin teens end up dead and a third—Jamie Hamilton—is accused of the murder, Angie thinks there might be much more to the story. It leads her on a journey in both this reality and the virtual one that uncovers a massive secret that could drastically impact both worlds.
Also at stake is the grander societal issue of such immersive VR. Society has blamed video games for all sort of evil since the invention of video games, but with technological advancements allowing deadheading—VR giving a complete sensory disconnect from reality—a political and social battle is brewing that pinpoints deadheads as the reason for society’s problems. Combine with that a secretive billionaire who sees virtual reality as a chance to solve the problems of this reality and you have a rich world with complex characters who all have their own motivations for their actions and beliefs.
Can virtual reality affect actual reality? Is our perception of reality actually real? Play Dead is a wild techno-thriller with Dekker’s signature philosophical twist. I make it sound like this is heady, intellectual tome where characters soliloquize in Sorkinesque dialogue, but the truth is that Dekker couches all of these things in an engaging, action-packed adventure. I just can’t say much about the story without giving too much away. Better to experience it first-hand.
Fiction allows readers to explore truth in a way they might not otherwise experience. It’s virtual reality that taps into our beliefs and experiences in this reality. Play Dead is a sort of meta-narrative about fiction in that way. Dekker asks us to consider the effects of virtual realities—of fiction—in our lives, then asks us if anything about that fiction changes anything about our current reality…or even points us toward a different reality.
Play Dead is weighty—if you choose to read it that way. You can stay on the surface and enjoy it as a psychological thriller and that’ll be just fine. Or, you can strap in and dive deep into Dekker’s virtual reality world, engaging with intense and important questions about the nature of reality, the nature of life, and, perhaps, even the afterlife.
May 12, 2021
Play Dead is classic Ted Dekker! Fans of his work will love his newest thriller and get lost in the pages as so often happens with a Dekker novel.
Play Dead takes place in the near future where technology and virtual reality have taken over the world, making it difficult to tell what is real and what is virtual. Angie Channing is an author known for her work dealing with Virtual Reality programs and the dangers they can pose to everyone. What no one knows, is Angie is a closet “Dead Head,” and has been deep diving into the world of Virtual Reality for a very long time. After two Austin teens are brutally murdered, Angie gets a letter from one of them two days later saying they have information that is very sensitive and she knows she has to get involved in the case. Her husband is a lawyer and together they set out to prove the innocence of Jamie, the young man arrested for the murders. So much more is at stake than just the murders and Angie will have to dive deeper into the world of VR than ever before to get to the bottom of he real problem and help save them all.
When Ted Dekker is involved, you fall into one of two categories: you love his writing or you don’t. There really is no in between. I have been a Dekker fan for over a decade. His writing is really like no one else. There should be a genre just for him, it’s not suspense, it’s not romance or thriller, its Dekker! It has been a long time since we have had a true Dekker suspense novel and this one is classic Dekker. What that means is you are getting a top-notch thriller with a deep message about Virtual Reality, what awaits us in this life and the afterlife, and maybe even a little more. It is not a story you can skip through and casually read, this is a book that needs to be read slowly and absorbed deeply. A lot of what happens within Play Dead reminds me of the Circle series. To me, most of Ted Dekker books are the same in certain ways, which is a good thing and a bad thing. It makes some of the writing predictable, same story, different characters, but readers also get a new way of looking at things. I always love a new Dekker novel because it is a perfect escape from reality, just like what he is talking about in the pages of Play Dead with the virtual reality and how it affects people in so many ways. We use these escapes in books and VR to give us pleasure and satisfaction we otherwise are missing. So, if you are looking for a great story with a deep meaning you can ponder on long after the story is finished then Dive Deep with Play Dead and enjoy the thrill!
Play Dead takes place in the near future where technology and virtual reality have taken over the world, making it difficult to tell what is real and what is virtual. Angie Channing is an author known for her work dealing with Virtual Reality programs and the dangers they can pose to everyone. What no one knows, is Angie is a closet “Dead Head,” and has been deep diving into the world of Virtual Reality for a very long time. After two Austin teens are brutally murdered, Angie gets a letter from one of them two days later saying they have information that is very sensitive and she knows she has to get involved in the case. Her husband is a lawyer and together they set out to prove the innocence of Jamie, the young man arrested for the murders. So much more is at stake than just the murders and Angie will have to dive deeper into the world of VR than ever before to get to the bottom of he real problem and help save them all.
When Ted Dekker is involved, you fall into one of two categories: you love his writing or you don’t. There really is no in between. I have been a Dekker fan for over a decade. His writing is really like no one else. There should be a genre just for him, it’s not suspense, it’s not romance or thriller, its Dekker! It has been a long time since we have had a true Dekker suspense novel and this one is classic Dekker. What that means is you are getting a top-notch thriller with a deep message about Virtual Reality, what awaits us in this life and the afterlife, and maybe even a little more. It is not a story you can skip through and casually read, this is a book that needs to be read slowly and absorbed deeply. A lot of what happens within Play Dead reminds me of the Circle series. To me, most of Ted Dekker books are the same in certain ways, which is a good thing and a bad thing. It makes some of the writing predictable, same story, different characters, but readers also get a new way of looking at things. I always love a new Dekker novel because it is a perfect escape from reality, just like what he is talking about in the pages of Play Dead with the virtual reality and how it affects people in so many ways. We use these escapes in books and VR to give us pleasure and satisfaction we otherwise are missing. So, if you are looking for a great story with a deep meaning you can ponder on long after the story is finished then Dive Deep with Play Dead and enjoy the thrill!
August 18, 2023
I have to admit that when I first started reading this, I wondered where he was going with it. But, by the final page, I felt Dekker had completely landed it. Someone described it as a "Bible metaphor disguised as a science fiction book disguised as a murder mystery thriller."
Bible metaphor seems a little weak to me--it is more what lies at the heart of the ministry of Jesus--dying to self, love, and compassion.
Bible metaphor seems a little weak to me--it is more what lies at the heart of the ministry of Jesus--dying to self, love, and compassion.
June 12, 2025
3.5 stars rounded up.
This one was interesting for sure. I did feel like it toed the line of being able to pass as Christian fiction. If you read it while trying to filter it through the lens of Christian theology, you won’t like it. If you can read it without trying to fit every scene into a box of passing or not passing as a Christian book, you may enjoy it.
I am not a fan of virtual reality or anything related to electronics, so I wasn’t sure if I’d enjoy this one. Although the entire book surrounds VR and different realities, it was done in a way that even I could follow what was happening and understand the scenes as well as the underlying messages Dekker was communicating.
I had a hard time enjoying Angie’s character, which was problematic for me since she was the main character. I didn’t care for her interactions with Randy at all and was turned off from her character quite a bit due to those interactions. Some of the book near the end felt weird and hard to understand, but I’ve come to accept Dekkers mind works differently than most, so I’m sure those things make sense in some way although I don’t see it.
While some of it was done it a way that pushed the boundaries of this book being CF (like the parts about incarnation), I did love the message that earth is not our real world, as well as our being here to represent Jesus.
This one was interesting for sure. I did feel like it toed the line of being able to pass as Christian fiction. If you read it while trying to filter it through the lens of Christian theology, you won’t like it. If you can read it without trying to fit every scene into a box of passing or not passing as a Christian book, you may enjoy it.
I am not a fan of virtual reality or anything related to electronics, so I wasn’t sure if I’d enjoy this one. Although the entire book surrounds VR and different realities, it was done in a way that even I could follow what was happening and understand the scenes as well as the underlying messages Dekker was communicating.
I had a hard time enjoying Angie’s character, which was problematic for me since she was the main character. I didn’t care for her interactions with Randy at all and was turned off from her character quite a bit due to those interactions. Some of the book near the end felt weird and hard to understand, but I’ve come to accept Dekkers mind works differently than most, so I’m sure those things make sense in some way although I don’t see it.
While some of it was done it a way that pushed the boundaries of this book being CF (like the parts about incarnation), I did love the message that earth is not our real world, as well as our being here to represent Jesus.
May 25, 2021
Ted Dekker is my favorite Christian author, but Play Dead did not live up to my expectations for him. The beginning started out promising, other than all the product placement, but halfway through I lost interest. Not enough mystery, the"rules" of the story changed as it progressed, and I guessed enough of the ending that I wasn't on the edge of my seat. I am happy to be finished.
December 31, 2023
I enjoyed this book as I always enjoy Ted's stories. It probably connects better to gamers or virtual reality fans. But I still found it interesting in a mystery sort of way. The spiritual element was a bit convoluted. Not much else to say about that. I found myself as confused about reality as the characters were at times. So that is good writing. I also think it's a definite possible look into the future of tech. Anything else might be a spoiler so this is a short analysis. Gamers and techies should enjoy this book.
June 14, 2021
Gobbledygook
I loved Ted Deckers earlier books, but I ended up skimming through the second half. The characters were annoying and the plot was a tangled mess.
I loved Ted Deckers earlier books, but I ended up skimming through the second half. The characters were annoying and the plot was a tangled mess.
January 28, 2022
This was heady! Quite a bit going on. Ted Dekker is amazing as always, but WOW! Now my brain hurts!
January 12, 2022
“In a way, everything’s an illusion, because we can’t see it for what it really is.”
I’ve been a bit critical of Ted Dekker’s most recent books. I was pleased that this one is more reminiscent of his earlier works.
This is The Matrix and Ready Player One meets The Truman Show meets a spiritual allegory.
What is reality?
I would say this book has three facets:
The first is the suspense/thriller storyline of two murdered teenagers in a world where VR is much more advanced and dangerous. A writer tasked with exposing the dangers of VR works with an ‘old-school’ cop to find the killer and discover what dangerous information the teenagers had discovered. Their investigation puts a target on their backs from the big and influential players in the game with a lot at stake and the means to eliminate them.
The second is a critique of VR technology in general. Dekker uses the writer character, Angie Channing’s, beliefs to cause us, as readers, to think critically about this now-developing technology. It reminded me of the book I read called The Future of Feeling: Building Empathy in a Tech-Obsessed World which focuses a lot on VR and other technology. While I felt the author in that book presented pretty biased information, if you are interested in research regarding the sociology of technology, you may find parts of it worth reading. Similarly, Dekker explores the implications of VR and how it could influence our perceptions and beliefs and how that would impact the world. More on that later.
The third is the spiritual allegory that would make a really interesting book club discussion. I went back and forth on what I thought he was trying to imply. But overall I interpreted it as the depiction of how we are dead in our sins and believe lies about who we are and our purpose in the world, but when our eyes are opened to the truth our perception changes and we are enlightened to our true identity in Christ and recognize the idols we were holding onto— a false reality. A rebirth.
So I would classify this as suspense/thriller, science fiction, and Christian fiction all wrapped into one.
Some of my critiques of his most recent books (like The 49th Mystic or The Girl Behind the Red Rope) were due to my dislike of the abstract allegorical writing and mystical ‘teachings’ the characters used that detracted from the main plotline. I think in Play Dead Dekker did a much better job of staying on task. While some of it became a bit cerebral, it was less of a spiritual/mysticism and more of a scientific/spiritual consideration of how perception and reality work together to form our beliefs. It was more science-fictiony than preachy so I appreciated that shift in his writing.
Dekker is definitely in touch with today’s culture and I found some of the comments his characters make in the book quite interesting and worth pondering:
“You can’t regulate morality.”
“Society couldn’t seem to help but categorize people. Worse yet, politicians never failed to pit one group against another. Ultimately, categorizing people was the deepest of humanity’s evils.”
“Politics. Was there no end to the thirst for power and control masquerading as society’s salvation?”
“Stem cells become what they are ‘taught’ to become based on external information fed to them. On a fundamental level, we are all what we’ve been taught to believe.”
“Our bodies, our relationships, our lives. We’re terrified of losing those things because we think they make us who we are. Fear of loss keeps it all in place. Dying means letting go of all of it, our entire life in the world, to know ourselves beyond the images and relationships apparent in this world.”
“A butterfly on the wings of love in the world of caterpillars crawling through fear.”
“Fear was False Evidence Appearing Real”
Like mentioned earlier, I think there are a lot of aspects about this book that would make for fun discussion so in that way, I would highly recommend this book as a book club read!
Do I agree with all the ‘beliefs’ he is suggesting? I don’t think so, but there is some abstractness to his allegory that makes a full interpretation probably impossible.
He says that reality is static and if we change our beliefs we can change reality. He gave the example of a mouse in a VR system that made the mouse believe he had longer legs and then because of that changed perception in his mind he began to grow longer legs. Is this example real?? I have no idea, but (at a short glance) there is research that shows changing perceptions in our brain can change our DNA in certain ways.
So in some ways our beliefs can change certain realities (small r), but I think Reality (big r) is the same whether we perceive it differently or not. There are certain objective truths that do not change. God is unchanging even if our perception changes. It doesn’t change who God is, it changes how we view Him. This can become a bit of a trippy line of thought.
He also says, “All suffering was fashioned from the same fabric: fear and shame rooted in illusion and lies, beginning with the lie that there was something wrong with them.” This relationship between fear and love is a common Dekker theme. ‘Sin’ isn’t a common term in books so I understand how using ‘fear’ as a substitute is better received— if that’s what he’s actually doing. I guess I could agree with the idea that all suffering is a result of sin— directly and indirectly (in the sense of The Fall).
But the phrase ‘the lie that there was something wrong with them’ gives me pause. Biblically speaking, there is something wrong with us— we are inherently sinful. Sinners, dead in our sin and needing a Savior. God created humanity and it was good, but sin has corrupted us. So in that sense, yes, there is something wrong with us. Is that our identity? No. So the lie is believing that we are stuck in our ‘wrongness’ as irredeemable. The ‘wrong’ we experience has been died for, forgiven, and redeemed if we trust in Him who died for us.
Some ponderings on this whole perception vs reality thing. I was getting vibes in this book that much of life is meaningless once you are enlightened to Reality. That you are ‘free’ from things. I agree with freedom, but just because we realize that our best is yet to come when Jesus returns with the new Heaven and Earth, it doesn’t mean we can treat this Reality as inconsequential.
With the concept of VR, there is debate about the body because of the perceptions of the mind. Is our soul and mind our “true selves” and the body simply a casing or mode of transportation? I think the Bible is clear that our bodies are important and they matter. What we do with our bodies matters. (See What God Has to Say about Our Bodies for an interesting crossover and companion book to a mind/body/identity discussion).
Whatever perceptions we change about our identity, we can’t view escape from the body as a goal. We should not view the body as a constraint. It diminishes the creation of God in the first. The Bible tells us God created us on purpose with a purpose so any concept that is changing our perception to mean our minds are of utmost and sole value, we have rejected God’s created design.
VR comes with opportunities to change our identity or appearance and I would argue that that is also a dangerous road that could be seen as rejecting God’s design for his purposed creation. Physical boundaries and limitations are good for us.
If you reread the quote I put at the top of this review, we could consider its implications. An illusion is a false belief. Because we may not perceive everything in its fullness, does it make the belief false? Or just incomplete? If everything is false because we can’t know it perfectly, how can we ever know truth? Why would God create us to never perceive truth? It can’t be.
There is truth and we can perceive it.
But to Dekker’s creative and intellectual mind, these discussions are fun and interesting and still relevant to faith. There are lies and actual illusions holding us back from our true identities and if the veil is removed from our eyes, the world and reality we are in will be seen with clarity and truth and a new perception about our lives and our purpose.
I love this book for its suspense (a Dekker trademark), it’s critique of VR (I’m a curmudgeon who recognizes that the world never learns from books and movies that lay out the clear and present danger of technology and we just wait 10-20 more years and proceed with said dangerous tech because it’s more accepted and humanity only cares about ‘progress’), and its discussion potential of perception, reality, truth, and identity.
Grab this book, read it with your friends, and talk yourselves in mind-bending circles!
Bonus points if you can explain infinite fractal geometry to me like I’m 5.
Book review blog: www.shelfreflection.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/shelfreflection
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/shelfreflectionblog
I’ve been a bit critical of Ted Dekker’s most recent books. I was pleased that this one is more reminiscent of his earlier works.
This is The Matrix and Ready Player One meets The Truman Show meets a spiritual allegory.
What is reality?
I would say this book has three facets:
The first is the suspense/thriller storyline of two murdered teenagers in a world where VR is much more advanced and dangerous. A writer tasked with exposing the dangers of VR works with an ‘old-school’ cop to find the killer and discover what dangerous information the teenagers had discovered. Their investigation puts a target on their backs from the big and influential players in the game with a lot at stake and the means to eliminate them.
The second is a critique of VR technology in general. Dekker uses the writer character, Angie Channing’s, beliefs to cause us, as readers, to think critically about this now-developing technology. It reminded me of the book I read called The Future of Feeling: Building Empathy in a Tech-Obsessed World which focuses a lot on VR and other technology. While I felt the author in that book presented pretty biased information, if you are interested in research regarding the sociology of technology, you may find parts of it worth reading. Similarly, Dekker explores the implications of VR and how it could influence our perceptions and beliefs and how that would impact the world. More on that later.
The third is the spiritual allegory that would make a really interesting book club discussion. I went back and forth on what I thought he was trying to imply. But overall I interpreted it as the depiction of how we are dead in our sins and believe lies about who we are and our purpose in the world, but when our eyes are opened to the truth our perception changes and we are enlightened to our true identity in Christ and recognize the idols we were holding onto— a false reality. A rebirth.
So I would classify this as suspense/thriller, science fiction, and Christian fiction all wrapped into one.
Some of my critiques of his most recent books (like The 49th Mystic or The Girl Behind the Red Rope) were due to my dislike of the abstract allegorical writing and mystical ‘teachings’ the characters used that detracted from the main plotline. I think in Play Dead Dekker did a much better job of staying on task. While some of it became a bit cerebral, it was less of a spiritual/mysticism and more of a scientific/spiritual consideration of how perception and reality work together to form our beliefs. It was more science-fictiony than preachy so I appreciated that shift in his writing.
Dekker is definitely in touch with today’s culture and I found some of the comments his characters make in the book quite interesting and worth pondering:
“You can’t regulate morality.”
“Society couldn’t seem to help but categorize people. Worse yet, politicians never failed to pit one group against another. Ultimately, categorizing people was the deepest of humanity’s evils.”
“Politics. Was there no end to the thirst for power and control masquerading as society’s salvation?”
“Stem cells become what they are ‘taught’ to become based on external information fed to them. On a fundamental level, we are all what we’ve been taught to believe.”
“Our bodies, our relationships, our lives. We’re terrified of losing those things because we think they make us who we are. Fear of loss keeps it all in place. Dying means letting go of all of it, our entire life in the world, to know ourselves beyond the images and relationships apparent in this world.”
“A butterfly on the wings of love in the world of caterpillars crawling through fear.”
“Fear was False Evidence Appearing Real”
Like mentioned earlier, I think there are a lot of aspects about this book that would make for fun discussion so in that way, I would highly recommend this book as a book club read!
Do I agree with all the ‘beliefs’ he is suggesting? I don’t think so, but there is some abstractness to his allegory that makes a full interpretation probably impossible.
He says that reality is static and if we change our beliefs we can change reality. He gave the example of a mouse in a VR system that made the mouse believe he had longer legs and then because of that changed perception in his mind he began to grow longer legs. Is this example real?? I have no idea, but (at a short glance) there is research that shows changing perceptions in our brain can change our DNA in certain ways.
So in some ways our beliefs can change certain realities (small r), but I think Reality (big r) is the same whether we perceive it differently or not. There are certain objective truths that do not change. God is unchanging even if our perception changes. It doesn’t change who God is, it changes how we view Him. This can become a bit of a trippy line of thought.
He also says, “All suffering was fashioned from the same fabric: fear and shame rooted in illusion and lies, beginning with the lie that there was something wrong with them.” This relationship between fear and love is a common Dekker theme. ‘Sin’ isn’t a common term in books so I understand how using ‘fear’ as a substitute is better received— if that’s what he’s actually doing. I guess I could agree with the idea that all suffering is a result of sin— directly and indirectly (in the sense of The Fall).
But the phrase ‘the lie that there was something wrong with them’ gives me pause. Biblically speaking, there is something wrong with us— we are inherently sinful. Sinners, dead in our sin and needing a Savior. God created humanity and it was good, but sin has corrupted us. So in that sense, yes, there is something wrong with us. Is that our identity? No. So the lie is believing that we are stuck in our ‘wrongness’ as irredeemable. The ‘wrong’ we experience has been died for, forgiven, and redeemed if we trust in Him who died for us.
Some ponderings on this whole perception vs reality thing. I was getting vibes in this book that much of life is meaningless once you are enlightened to Reality. That you are ‘free’ from things. I agree with freedom, but just because we realize that our best is yet to come when Jesus returns with the new Heaven and Earth, it doesn’t mean we can treat this Reality as inconsequential.
With the concept of VR, there is debate about the body because of the perceptions of the mind. Is our soul and mind our “true selves” and the body simply a casing or mode of transportation? I think the Bible is clear that our bodies are important and they matter. What we do with our bodies matters. (See What God Has to Say about Our Bodies for an interesting crossover and companion book to a mind/body/identity discussion).
Whatever perceptions we change about our identity, we can’t view escape from the body as a goal. We should not view the body as a constraint. It diminishes the creation of God in the first. The Bible tells us God created us on purpose with a purpose so any concept that is changing our perception to mean our minds are of utmost and sole value, we have rejected God’s created design.
VR comes with opportunities to change our identity or appearance and I would argue that that is also a dangerous road that could be seen as rejecting God’s design for his purposed creation. Physical boundaries and limitations are good for us.
If you reread the quote I put at the top of this review, we could consider its implications. An illusion is a false belief. Because we may not perceive everything in its fullness, does it make the belief false? Or just incomplete? If everything is false because we can’t know it perfectly, how can we ever know truth? Why would God create us to never perceive truth? It can’t be.
There is truth and we can perceive it.
But to Dekker’s creative and intellectual mind, these discussions are fun and interesting and still relevant to faith. There are lies and actual illusions holding us back from our true identities and if the veil is removed from our eyes, the world and reality we are in will be seen with clarity and truth and a new perception about our lives and our purpose.
I love this book for its suspense (a Dekker trademark), it’s critique of VR (I’m a curmudgeon who recognizes that the world never learns from books and movies that lay out the clear and present danger of technology and we just wait 10-20 more years and proceed with said dangerous tech because it’s more accepted and humanity only cares about ‘progress’), and its discussion potential of perception, reality, truth, and identity.
Grab this book, read it with your friends, and talk yourselves in mind-bending circles!
Bonus points if you can explain infinite fractal geometry to me like I’m 5.
Book review blog: www.shelfreflection.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/shelfreflection
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/shelfreflectionblog
May 27, 2021
Another amazing Dekker book!
Seriously, I loved this book. It took me a bit to really get into it, but once I did I was hooked and I loved the message! Dekker always writes a double story - where there is one world and then another. This one was not what I expected, not sure what I expected, but I loved it. It was a fantastic reminder to not live in fear, in fact to live above it.
Seriously, I loved this book. It took me a bit to really get into it, but once I did I was hooked and I loved the message! Dekker always writes a double story - where there is one world and then another. This one was not what I expected, not sure what I expected, but I loved it. It was a fantastic reminder to not live in fear, in fact to live above it.
May 20, 2021
This book was a departure from some of Ted Dekker’s other books. I found this book very hard to read and follow. It is definitely one you must give full attention to while reading or listening.
July 23, 2021
Disappointing. Seems to have potential but goes off into strange philosophical pseudo-Christian rhetoric that doesn't really explain itself. The story seriously lacks resolution...
April 5, 2024
The concept of this book is very interesting. From the start it felt like a Blake Crouch book, with vibes of Ready Player One and The Matrix. I was so excited about it. And for the first 40% or so l was really enjoying it, but at that point it fell pretty flat.
The whole middle section was way too long. There were lots of what l'd describe as technological fever dreams and it got so repetitive it felt kind of excruciating to read. And then the main plotline took a backseat for a bit to give us a cat and mouse side plot that was honestly very dull. The characters had very little personality, so it was hard to feel invested in them, and I was struggling to keep reading. I wanted to quit on it so many times, but the main plotline was interesting enough that I wanted to see how it turned out.
The ending was decent. There was some meaningful allegory, but even that was done in kind of an info dump.
Ultimately I'm very frustrated with this book. It had massive potential, but the execution just wasn't there. I don't want to deter anyone from reading it, as the concept is very thought-provoking and incredibly interesting, and the allegory in it is powerful and important, but I have to be honest about how much of a grind it was to read this story.
The whole middle section was way too long. There were lots of what l'd describe as technological fever dreams and it got so repetitive it felt kind of excruciating to read. And then the main plotline took a backseat for a bit to give us a cat and mouse side plot that was honestly very dull. The characters had very little personality, so it was hard to feel invested in them, and I was struggling to keep reading. I wanted to quit on it so many times, but the main plotline was interesting enough that I wanted to see how it turned out.
The ending was decent. There was some meaningful allegory, but even that was done in kind of an info dump.
Ultimately I'm very frustrated with this book. It had massive potential, but the execution just wasn't there. I don't want to deter anyone from reading it, as the concept is very thought-provoking and incredibly interesting, and the allegory in it is powerful and important, but I have to be honest about how much of a grind it was to read this story.
June 18, 2024
Love, love, LOVE this book!! It's by far my favorite book by Ted Dekker. I can't get enough. It's definitely a book that people would want to read more than once!! Ugh!!!! READ IT!!! IT'S SO GOOD! 😍😍
January 21, 2025
What it means to be being reborn into the world as a Christian in an undercover story.
I was hooked instantly. Then, when I thought the story was just getting boring BOOM! Something new and exciting would happen, hooking me back in. It was written amazingly, and it’s awesome how Dekker is able to take something like being a new Christian to a murder-mystery thrill. It only makes sense if you read the book; it’s unbelievable!
During the middle of the book, though, I almost felt like giving up reading it, but I’m SO glad I didn’t, because it led to such an amazing story that everyone should read!
Click below to read more!
https://www.theinkandquillsociety.com...
Reviewed by Hannah Grace
I was hooked instantly. Then, when I thought the story was just getting boring BOOM! Something new and exciting would happen, hooking me back in. It was written amazingly, and it’s awesome how Dekker is able to take something like being a new Christian to a murder-mystery thrill. It only makes sense if you read the book; it’s unbelievable!
During the middle of the book, though, I almost felt like giving up reading it, but I’m SO glad I didn’t, because it led to such an amazing story that everyone should read!
Click below to read more!
https://www.theinkandquillsociety.com...
Reviewed by Hannah Grace
May 2, 2021
I started this book excited but nervous about Ted Dekker’s return to thriller novels. I prefer his fantasy and more theological fiction over what I label as his “dark phase” of graphic and disturbing thrillers. 8 hours later I closed the book. “Play Dead” is incredible!
Ted Dekker made some very risky plot choices, in fact about 3/4ths of the way through the plot made a turn I worried had ruined the entire thing. You’ll have to judge yourself if those choices were worthwhile, but I for one loved “Play Dead”. It is the perfect combination between dark thriller Ted Dekker and theologian Ted Dekker, blended together with his trademark vivid worlds, complex characters, and crazy concepts.
I also have to appreciate how he gave new meaning to his tag line: “dive deep”
Ted Dekker made some very risky plot choices, in fact about 3/4ths of the way through the plot made a turn I worried had ruined the entire thing. You’ll have to judge yourself if those choices were worthwhile, but I for one loved “Play Dead”. It is the perfect combination between dark thriller Ted Dekker and theologian Ted Dekker, blended together with his trademark vivid worlds, complex characters, and crazy concepts.
I also have to appreciate how he gave new meaning to his tag line: “dive deep”
July 11, 2021
I did not like this book. It was too weird and new agey for me.
September 4, 2021
Average
Disappointed in this book. I always enjoy Dekker books but this one did not resonate with me. It was hard to follow what was happening at times.
Disappointed in this book. I always enjoy Dekker books but this one did not resonate with me. It was hard to follow what was happening at times.
July 20, 2024
Don’t start! I wish I hadn’t but I took for ever to finish and stalled my summer reading. Why can’t I just not finish a book?
February 18, 2024
This was the first Ted Dekker book I’ve read and I was nervous and skeptical about it. I am not into thrillers. But this book had so many allegories and spiritual themes and it kept me on my toes until the last page. I was pleasantly surprised and can’t wait for a book club discussion, as there is so much depth to this book!
May 31, 2021
It’s no secret that I LOVE Ted Dekker’s writing. So I was THRILLED when the preorder option came out and I jumped on it. And then I had to wait about a month (or more) to read it...totally worth the wait! Fantastic storytelling with truths of identity woven seamlessly into the characters, their dialogue, the plot. A fun, sci-fi thriller that had the same vibe as Blink (at least to me). The VR concept was immersive and I kept questioning what was real. So good, I hardly put it down!
August 1, 2021
Ted Dekker is a genre bending Christian writer seeking to share deep insights in faith without every mentioning Jesus. Yet, it is difficult to miss when a character is talking in ways that sound a lot like a parable of the Kingdom of God. His writing isn’t for everyone, but Play Dead is peak Dekker a a twist and turn thriller that makes you think.
June 20, 2025
I had a hard time sticking with this one. it's an interesting story, but it didn't hold my attention like his previous books.
March 2, 2022
This book will break your mind in the best way possible
November 29, 2021
What a wild ride!
Truly remarkable and fascinating book that pushed the boundaries of the virtual world . playing virtually in a game yet thinking its the real world.
Hard to put down the books I didn't realize till the last 2 chap the perfect Analogy
As a Christ -follower we are dead in our sin until we submit to Jesus and then we come to real life.
Well done excellent read!
Truly remarkable and fascinating book that pushed the boundaries of the virtual world . playing virtually in a game yet thinking its the real world.
Hard to put down the books I didn't realize till the last 2 chap the perfect Analogy
As a Christ -follower we are dead in our sin until we submit to Jesus and then we come to real life.
Well done excellent read!
February 8, 2025
Revisiting a Dekker novel was such a treat!! Like chatting with an old friend or visiting the home you grew up in, very nostalgic. Fascinating story with interesting twists!
February 24, 2022
Whew! No words!!
Full review to come!
Full review to come!
February 8, 2025
It was intriguing. Messed with my mind a bit. Good plot. Just not my favorite genre.
April 24, 2021
Holy. Crap.
This was such an interesting book that captivated me right from the start. Every time I thought I knew what was going on, I turned the page and then got knocked back two steps. Then came the last few chapters, a hard left turn from anything I ever could have dreamed of. And it was soooooooo amazing. I have no idea how Mr. Dekker comes up with these things, but I've read most of his books, and I have never once been disappointed. I've already recommended this one to multiple people, and I will continue to do so as much as possible. Outstanding story!
This was such an interesting book that captivated me right from the start. Every time I thought I knew what was going on, I turned the page and then got knocked back two steps. Then came the last few chapters, a hard left turn from anything I ever could have dreamed of. And it was soooooooo amazing. I have no idea how Mr. Dekker comes up with these things, but I've read most of his books, and I have never once been disappointed. I've already recommended this one to multiple people, and I will continue to do so as much as possible. Outstanding story!
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