|
Round and Round We Go *****
Ted Dekker's latest fantasy thriller, Green, is
referred to as "The Beginning and the End." It's been over 5 years since
fans first answered the call to "Dive Deep" into an alternate reality
where the spiritual has been made clear and evil is as plain as the scabs
on your skin.
Fans of Dekker's work are surely familiar with the question "How does this
tie in to the rest of his books?" Over the past 5 years, more novels than
not have been intertwined into this bigger story called the "Books of
History Chronicles". The Circle Series, Lost Books, and Paradise Novels
tell the story of humanity through the lens of extraordinary books that
have the power to create history. In essence, "The Word is made Flesh".
With The Books of History Chronicles now including upwards of 15 novels,
the larger story has surpassed epic status. Thousands of Ted's avid
readers have been swept into his writing through one of these books. This
makes Green his most anticipated novel to date.
Green finds the Circle in a desperate place, 10 years since their Savior
has last been seen. Many within Elyon's band of rebels have begun to doubt
their core beliefs and practices. How do you love and follow a God that
seems distant? Is He truly in control when your world seems in chaos?
Dekker poses these age old questions in a fresh light by examining them
through the eyes of the Circle.
Amidst such deep theological questions, there is still fun to be had. A
fast-placed plot full of betrayal, reality-hopping, battles, and
hand-to-hand combat serve as the backdrop for the bigger themes of the
story. Dekker knows how to balance thought-provoking concepts with
non-stop action. After over 2 dozen novels, Ted has it down to an art, and
it shows in this latest adventure.
Green reads as a fitting end, or perhaps a beginning, to Ted's signature
series. This is must-read fiction for all fans of Dekker. The Circle has
proven to be one of the most moving, yet relevant, allegories of all time,
and Green lives up to the series in which it belongs. Green reads as both
the finale, yet also the prequel to the 2004 masterpieces, Black, Red, and
White.
Expertly tying in loose story threads from the Paradise Novels and Lost
Books, Dekker weaves a truly satisfying conclusion to the series that has
spawned a thousand conversations and ignited countless fans to fall deep
in love with their Creator.
-A. Asdell
(from amazon.com) |
|
Good not Great ***
I first became a fan of Dekker's after I read
"Three". Since then, I have read most of everything that he has written.
My favorite, by far, are the original circle trilogy novels. As a pastor,
I have recommended them to many new converts, as I believe they express
the heart of God; not to mention, they are extremely well written.
However, regarding this new novel, I came away disappointed. First, I have
not read the "Lost" series. Dekker refers to these books significantly and
in fact, some of the characters of these books play a significant role in
Green. So, many times I felt lost not completely understanding prior
character development.
Second, I have read "Showdown", "Saint", and "Sinner", and did not care
for them at all. If you have not read these books, you will be lost, since
they play a highly significant role in the novel.
Third, Dekker has developed a fascination with vampires in this book,
which I believe takes away from the original story. It appears to me that
Dekker is trying to "cash-in" on popular culture's current fascination
with these types of stories.
Fourth, the main character of "Thomas" disappears in the book --meaning
Thomas finds himself in a "predicament" and Dekker does not mention him
for several chapters. This happens as well, with "Monique" and "Kara".
Dekker reintroduces them in this book, but they play a very minor role as
opposed to the earlier trilogy.
On a positive note, overall this is a well-written book, and the plot
moves along well. I would have liked a better resolution, but I understand
why he did what he did, so that the "circle" story would continue.
If you liked the original trilogy you will like this book, but if your are
like me, the original books are much better. To give Dekker the benefit of
the doubt, maybe I expected too much from this book due to the greatness
previous three.
-Larry E. Sterling
(from amazon.com) |
|