Reader's Group Guide
Ezekiel's Shadow by David Ryan Long

ISBN 0-7642-2443-3 w Bethany House w 394 pages w suspense /thriller

EZE 37:1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones that were very dry.  EZE 37:5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. . . Then you will know that I am the LORD.' " EZE 37:11 Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, `Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' [12] Therefore prophesy and say to them: `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them;  [13] Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD. [14] I will put my Spirit in you and you will live. . .' " (NIV)

1. Discuss the title of the book, Ezekiel's Shadow , in terms of it's theme and the above scripture (see page 376).

2. Ian says in the story that before his conversion he was only able to see the horror and grief in life, and that his novel, Hunter, was his worst expression of that. It was his friend Howard who told him that horror wasn't anything but the fear of death, and the unknown, but that Jesus' death and resurrection had overcome both. Though there is still pain, and suffering, and death in the world, there doesn't need to be any more terror (p. 313). Discuss this, and whether or not you agree, and then discuss what this means in terms of the horror and suffering that was connected to Katherine Jacoby's life (p. 255 & 288). How did her story parallel both Ian's and Howard's (p.246-255)?

3. Discuss Kevin's reaction to the story of Howard's death (p. 313-314). His definition of horror is when  bad things happen to good people ( especially people who devoted their lives to service to God), as opposed to pure evil for evil's sake, which is how Ian had formerly seen it. Was Kevin's reaction typical of what many people believe?

4. One of the quotes Ian's stalker uses is from the original draft of his novel Hunter, which reads, "The more you change the more likely you are to lose yourself" (p. 255-258). Why is this message so haunting to Ian? Can you recall incidents in the story when this was particularly true for Ian, as well as times when he feared this could never be true for him? Discuss the changes in Ian's life and in his personality since his conversion experience. Also, discuss this in terms of Ian and Rebecca's marriage. What do you think it might have been like before?

5. What do you think people's reaction would be if someone like Stephen King decided to become a Christian? Would we believe that someone who could write stories as twisted and demonically evil  as some of his are really change, or would we say something like the woman in the church that Ian and Rebecca visited said about Ian? What reaction do you think the rest of the world would have?

6. Discuss the significance of the scene where Ian faces his editor, Louis Kael (p. 320-323). Why does Louis really want to be "forgiven," and what did you think of Ian's response? Do you think that this was easy for Ian to do based on their former relationship and the trust that was broken? Would you have responded in the same way? 

7. Ezekiel's Shadow contains quite a few minor characters. Discuss the importance of the Oakley's to this story, as well as the importance of the men in the writer's group, and the role that Trout (Jedidiah) plays in this story.

8. Has this story in any way made you want to take a fresh look at how horror is portrayed in secular books and movies, especially if you are a fan of that particular genre? Explain your response. When would a horror story cross the line and become something you think a Christian shouldn't read? Has our society become desensitized to real horror? What might some real life horrors be? (Howard's death and the Nazi concentration camps were two types mentioned in this story.)

9. Did you find the ending to this story to be somewhat anticlimactic, or less than credible? Why or why not?

© 2001 Connie Wineland