Book Review - Green by Ted Dekker

In Green, the group known as the "Circle", led by Thomas Hunter, is fracturing. It has been 10 years since they have really seen God (called Elyon in this story). In that world, which is actually a couple thousand years in the future, the unseen is now seen. Good and Evil are incarnated and tangible. The followers of the evil lord Teelah, Elyon’s enemy, are clearly visible by the scabbing disease that ravages their body, and the followers of Elyon have had the disease washed away by Elyon’s waters. But, they have not experienced their Savior in over 10 years. It was wearing on the Circle, many of whom were used to experiencing Elyon on a regular basis, and they are starting to doubt their faith. Even Thomas’ own son, Samuel, has turned his back on his father, and the peaceful teachings of Elyon to love their enemy, the Horde, in an effort to save as many of them as possible before Elyon’s final return. Samuel has instead conspired with dark forces to wage what he believes would be a final war to crush the “enemies” of Elyon.

Thomas tries desperately to save the Circle, to help them rescue their faith, and at the same time rescue his first-born from a self-destructive path that is taking Samuel dangerously close to becoming the enemy he so badly wants to destroy. In this desperate time, Thomas finds a way back to the other reality (our reality) that he had visited before…in his dreams…to find something, anything, to help his people again.

Green is Dekker’s latest addition to what was once referred to as the "Circle Trilogy" (once…but not now, obviously. You see, this is the 4th book in the series and a trilogy is only…well, you get it). The Circle “Series” is a part of the larger epic “Books of History Chronicles” which is now upwards of 15 books broken up into 3 different series including the aforementioned Circle Series and then also the “Lost Books” and the “Paradise Novels”.

Having only recently read the original Trilogy (which includes Black, Red, and White), I was really looking forward to Green, and at the same time not so much. The books seemed to fit so well as a trilogy and although it found it intriguing to have some of the mysteries of the original story revealed and loose ends tied up, I also like the imagination that is prompted when you are left to fill in the blanks for yourself.

Green is referred to as book "Zero"…the beginning and the end. Dekker describes it himself that you can read Green as the first book, or the last book. However, having read the other three books already, it seemed to me that some of the story would be lost on a reader that had not read the others. There isn’t quite as much story development at the beginning to explain a lot of the background of the story and the characters, and given that the story was developed over 3 novels I’m not sure it really could be…or should be. There was a lot of unknown in Black (the original "first" book), granted, but the fact that it was unknown was intrinsic to the story. Nobody knew exactly what was going on in the beginning, not even all characters, and that was the fun part. In this book a reader new to the story might feel more like the “unknown” is in fact known to everyone else and they are just left out.

That said, given that I have read the other three books, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Once again, Dekker does a fantastic job of painting the picture of the emotions of the characters and posing thought provoking questions about faith and the sometimes blurred lines between good and evil…love and hate…right and wrong. Action junkies fear not, there is no shortage of the usual suspense, action and epic battles. The evil in this one was more real and more gruesome than ever. In fact, my one complaint about the book itself is that the evil and gore are a little over-the-top and disturbing. Evil is inherently disturbing, to be sure, but Dekker’s gift of making these images come to life make the creepy that much creepier. As usual he is very descriptive of the emotion that the characters feel and with the “evil” taking so much joy and almost sexual pleasure in their “evil”, I sometimes felt the need to "look away". It was almost exaggerated and I would probably prefer it be scaled back just a bit. But, it is not Dekker’s way to sugar-coat, and I suppose it might be ultimately more disappointing to have him soften things and depart from what makes him the story teller that he is.

All in all, I thought it was a very compelling book, just maybe not for the faint of heart (or those with a weak stomach). It has the gripping drama, the suspense, and great story telling typical with Dekker novels.

A great “ending” to the story, or possibly the beginning, where the past is the future, and the future the past.

Dive in…dive deep.

Ever-expanding Horizions

Being of an engineering mind, I am a creature of habit. So, I don't branch that far out in anything really. When I find something I like, I tend to stick to it. You know the type..."Change is not good...no matter what anyone else says." But, I've begun to branch out and read more than just Computer Magazines and Technical Journals...to expand my Geekness.

I have always enjoyed the mystery/crime drama movies based off the novels of Grisham and Patterson and the like, but have never read the actual books. I'm a busy guy, and watching the movie just seemed easier and faster. Kind of like a Cliff's Notes version of the Cliff's Notes, if you will.

As I've gotten older I've come to really enjoy the time-outs in life, though, from time to time. I don't have that feeling of being afraid I'm going to miss something as much as I used to. Maybe in a way, I'm resigned to the fact that I probably already missed it...i dunno. I decided that maybe taking time to relax and read a good book wasn't so bad after all and that maybe I'd give it a shot.

Only, I don't have any books. My library consists of computer magazines, home improvement magazines and how-to books, and a few self-help books my mom gave me over the years (most of which, I'll admit, I haven't opened let alone read...sorry Mom). I borrowed a book from my Mom to get started. No, not another self-help book, but a completely fictional crime drama that is set in a real life small town in North Carolina close to where my parents live (and happens to be where the Author, John Hart, lives as well). The book was called King of Lies and it was fantastic. I couldn't put it down. Reading those crime stories was so much more engrossing than watching the Hollywood versions of them.

So I read more. Not just crime dramas anymore, either (although, I do tend to lean that way). I used to read a ton when I was young. I learned to read rather young and I love learning in general, so I would read whatever I could. Absorb as much information as possible. I kind of feel like that again. Like a whole new world has been re-opened, as it were.

So, to make a long story, well...longer, I've signed up to be a reviewer of newly released books from different publishers. And, I am going to expand this blog to include those reviews as they come. Kind of an exciting new thing for me...and it gets me a way to build my library for free!

I know you're waiting with bated breath...so here comes the first one...

...no sleeping!!