Black

I didn't realize that this was a Christian book before I started reading. But it becomes so unnecessarily obvious that most of the time that Tom spends in "Elyon's world" had me rolling my eyes. Dekker drags the story along throughout the middle. The villagers obsession with the "Great Romance" is just silly. In the end, I feel like I just didn't "buy" it. None of the feelings of any of the characters felt genuine, maybe because we never really get to know who they are. I finished this book, but I don't plan on finishing the series.

The first book in "The Circle" trilogy... clearly a trilogy in the "Lord of the Rings" sense: that each book does not conclude... it is really one very long novel, in three distinct parts. Thomas Hunter (Thomas as in Doubting Thomas, Hunter as in one who seeks) lives a reckless and somewhat meaningless life, but after being shot by a thug, finds that each night he dreams of another world. A fantasy world where good and evil are both pure. A world as real as his own. When he falls asleep in that world, he wakes up in his original life. Both are equally real. Dekker's story in our world, of a madman getting hold of a virus which can kill everyone on earth, is the better half of the story. His development of the alternate world is a little show more weaker, but still quite intersting. I am eager to move on to the next book, "Red", and see what happens next. show less

This review is being written four years after the fact (in 2010.) My father recommended this series, otherwise I would never have picked it up. I enjoyed it at the time, though a lot of stuff bugged me; namely, that the "real world" plot was pretty unbelievable, and the "alternate world" plot got fairly heavy-handed with Christian allegory.

That said, four years later, a lot of the imagery from this series has stuck with me. If I thought it a bit hokey back then, now I'd say it's more enjoyable in hindsight, and maybe more powerful. I have a feeling that if I reread it today, it would disappoint; but I can see myself recommending it to my kids when they reach their teens.

What a cool trilogy. I can't stop thinking about these books and the two story lines that encompass them. Follow a young man (mid-20s) on two separate journeys. The novels interweave present & future, dreams & reality, good & evil. This fascinating, page-turning exploit keeps its reader wide awake, well into the early morning hours. Who needs sleep? Certainly not the protagonist of this tale. While it may seem that the fate of 2 "worlds" rests on the shoulders of 1 man, this trilogy is a much grander epic tale that combines present political concerns with both Armageddon & the Garden of Eden in a masterful and fast-paced thriller. Part thriller, part war story, part science fiction/fantasy, part romance -- this trilogy has it all.

See show more target="_top">http://bookzone.zedzone.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6572 show less

Reason read: this has been on myself (K) for a long time (2017). It was published in 2004 and is a work of fantasy. I have not read anything by Dekker previously. In this story the main character goes back and forth between two realities through dreaming. It is the first of four books; Black Red, White, Green. Green is both a prequel and the last book. Themes include evil and rescue, pursuit and death. This book reminded me of the COVID virus which was a lab made virus that spread across the world and in which there was no or at least inadequate ways of defeating the virus. The virus was unable to be eliminated. Given that this was published in 2004, it was forward thinking novel. This reportedly is Christian fiction and what Dekker has show more done is rewrite the stories found in the Bible about evil; the fall. I am not particularly fond of Christian fiction as it tends to be lacking in literary techniques. In this one, it is less obvious that it is Christian literature. show less

I am pleasantly surprised to find a wonderful balance between science and faith in this Christian sci-fi novel. My only complaints were the somewhat cliche (and racist?) use of a Muslim terrorist antagonist and a very sensual depiction of heaven and God's love for mankind. But I'm not bothered that Dekker's imagined world doesn't perfectly match my ideas of God. Things I very much enjoyed were the fast pace, the multiple goings-on, the suspense, and the wonderfully unexpected retelling of the Adam and Eve story. After all, writing a story where your audience already knows the ending (or perhaps the beginning) is no small feat indeed!

The concept is actually rather fascinating. I just wish the writer was better.

There are 2 "realities" in the story - the modern day "realistic" one is actually well-done and quite interesting. The fantasy world is a bit too... err... poetically Christian? In the "realistic" world, Thomas Hunter is being shot at, but then when he sleeps and pops into the "fantasy" world, there is page after page after page of "The Great Romance".

This is the part that bothered me the most. Of course, it is Christian fiction so there is lots of God and feel-good-ness abounding throughout the story, but.... the whole "Great Romance" part of the story feels like the author was trying to pretend he was writing as a (bad) female romance novelist - "oh woo her show more Thomas!" "Oh, fight imaginary monsters to protect her Thomas!"

GAG!!! This foray into a bad imitation of chick lit romance ruined what was otherwise a very decent and interesting story. I won't read the rest in the series - it's just not good enough to waste time on. show less