Green: Book Zero: The Beginning and the End

"Green" is the fourth and, hopefully, final volume in 'The Circle' series. The iconic Ted Dekker writing style is back, making for an engaging read, easily devoured until the final page. That is the only good thing about the book. Coming on the heels of an entertaining and complete trilogy, this book felt superfluous. This was most blatantly felt in the modern-day storyline where the world-ending threat of the Rason strain which propelled the original trilogy is replaced with a vague threat of the apocalypse. This storyline is under-developed and only exists to provide plot devices to its sister storyline. The novel also fails as a follow up to the original trilogy because it appears to draw on events from several spin-off series of the original trilogy (I say appears because I have not read all the spinoff books and there were many references which I did not understand). Had this novel been marketed as a large extended universe concluding story, this would have been fine, but as book four of this series, it fails. Convenient plot devices also permeate the book as new information and powers are pulled from the ether to give rise to the threat, solve problems, and drive the plot forward. Application of these contrivances is not only sloppy writing but their execution is poor and makes for a jarring read. Finally, the characters have a plethora of problems including flat, one-dimensional new characters (perhaps these characters are from spinoff books and have some character provided to them there). Worse still is that the established characters are manhandled and lose their relatability at the hands of Mr. Dekker’s allegory. There are many statements and actions which do not make sense in context or to the characters involved but exist simply to parallel Biblical truths. Simply put, "Green" is not a good book in any sense. If you enjoyed "Black", "Red", and "White" like I did and are looking to "Green" to complete the series, save your money and your time and skip this one. And as a bonus, your life will be better for it.

Green...the beginning and the end. No one quite knew what to expect when Ted announced he was going to write a novel that would be a sequel AND a prequel to the Circle trilogy, but I daresay that never has one of his books been more anticipated. Black, Red, and White introduced us to Thomas Hunter, the man who lives between two worlds. At the same time he is trying to stop a terrorist's virus from wiping out the human population of our world, he is battling the Shataiki, evil in its rawest form, and their servants the Horde, in Other Earth. While just a few weeks pass in our world, Thomas lives many years in Other Earth and becomes a family man and a great warrior, the leader of the Circle, a people devoted to Elyon. By the time of Green, the virus has been stopped, but Other Earth is facing its toughest battle yet. Division from within threatens to tear the Circle apart and betray the most deeply held values that makes them everything they are. This schism will test the resolve of the faithful and begin the most epic showdown of good and evil Other Earth has ever seen. Reading Green does indeed feel like a return to the world of the Circle, but it is certainly not Black-Red-White all over again. There are several dramatic stylistic differences. First of all, in the original trilogy, the immediate stakes in our world equaled the stakes in the other world. In Green, although much important action takes place in our world, it all revolves around what's happening in the other world, on Other Earth. I didn't mind this a bit, but some fans miss the global drama that was played out in Black, Red, and White. Green is also much darker than the original trilogy. It takes us to all new lows of evil that I seriously did not think were possible. Green also introduces fans to a whole new category of characters whose story was first mentioned in the Lost Books and will be further explored in the upcoming Immanuel's Veins. If you thought the Shataiki were bad, wait till you meet the ones who have knowingly and joyfully sold their souls to them. But while it does indeed plunge new depths, it also soars to new heights...literally. In my opinion, Green contains some of the most beautiful and entrancing scenes in the entire series. I was utterly captivated by the passionate crazy love that was displayed between Thomas and Elyon, and Thomas and his wife Chelise. Ted Dekker certainly can write the most sick and twisted evil you will find anywhere, but he also writes the most incredibly beautiful and perfect love stories with equal intensity. I don't mean mush. I mean LOVE. So is Green the end or the beginning? ...Yes. Green is chronologically the end of the Circle, although elements of it are chronologically at the beginning. It will read as a climax to those who've already read the trilogy, and it will also serve as a perfect starting point to those who have yet to experience the Circle. Feedback from new fans and old has been very positive. Green is a fantas

I received "Green" in the mail on September 1st and finished it early the next day. I have read all the other books. I began with Showdown, then Saint, Sinner, the Circle series, the Lost Books and finally Green. They are all very well written books. In my opinion it wouldn't matter how they are read, but this is the order that I recommend, since it's how I enjoyed them. Green was an incredibly good read. I was hoping for some closure in the end, but c'est la vie. (I won't ruin the ending for anyone who hasn't read the book.) Still Green is a compelling read. In my mind as compelling as the Narnia series by the late C.S. Lewis. While entirely fictional in its concept of a future time, the book series teaches the deeper meanings of life and sin. Ted Dekker teaches these truths quite eloquently, without being preachy. He simply tells the story that although we don't see our sin on the outside like we can with the Scabs, the sin is still there, hidden, within us. Most of us are as oblivious to that sin as the Scabs are of their sin-sick skin disease. They try to cover it up with morst paste, while still believing it's perfectly normal and healthy. Due to the sickenss of their minds, caused by the same critter that is causing the skin disease (you'll learn that in this book), they think they are fine while those who have bathed in Elyon's lakes are the diseased ones. Whether a Christian like me or a non-believer, this series will make you truly think about the "underlying" sickness we all have inherited, and will allow us to see that we are the only ones who can seek a cure for this disease.

I finished Green the other day and was truly amazed. Like Ted Dekker's other books I thoroughly enjoyed it! Green in particular was an amazing page turner for me, I couldn't seem to put it down. I was always on the edge of my seat wanting to know what was going to happen next, how it was going to progress and come out. Green is a novel that is the 4 book in a series that has several side stories that tie into it. Of the 4 part series it is the first and the last book in the series. It brings things "Full Circle" as Ted Dekker puts it. Everything ends, but comes back to the beginning again. In Green things that were wondered about and speculated are revealed, and the ultimate Showdown of Good and Evil comes about in a picture that all to clear portrays the end times. An amazing story, that you won't want to miss, and won't be able to put down. Enjoy!!!

I think it's fairly safe to say that few books in the Christian Fiction genre have had the level of anticipation associated with it that Ted Dekker's latest book, Green, has enjoyed. As Dekker completes the "Circle" series with this prequel that's mostly a conclusion, Thomas Nelson has ratcheted up the marketing, complete with a nice website and fantastic animated trailer. Fans who have taken the full ride Dekker provided with the series have been given bits of the world he created in the "Lost Books" series. Many, though, have clamored for a last piece of the story, waiting over 4 years for Dekker take them on one final ride into the world of Thomas Hunter. With Green, Dekker manages to recapture the magic from the original trilogy (Black, Red, and White), and provide fans with a satisfying ending/beginning to the series. If you haven't seen the promotional materials, Green is intended to serve both a prequel to Black and a sequel to White. They are billing this as the preferred starting point for new readers, and while Dekker does a great job of "completing a circle" with the series, I would have to disagree that it's the best place to start, and I mean that for positive reasons. Without giving away any plot points, let's just say that readers who have taken the time to read Black, Red, White, the Lost Books, as well as Showdown and Sinner, in particular, are rewarded for their efforts in Green. While I have no doubt one could read Green without any prior knowledge and understand the plot, the level of depth would not be near what is attained from having the background knowledge obtained from those other books. I hate to think that many will miss out on the way Dekker has woven this gigantic, sweeping story together throughout all of the books and culminated in Green. Either way, the action in Green is portrayed with Dekker's signature layering of truth upon narrative. Nothing is ever exactly what it seems to be, and he manages to not only combine the two different realities within the story, but also combines those two realities with ours. Dekker says more about the gospel in his stories without ever actually talking about the gospel than most Christians ever do. Dekker has said, "Redemptive History is a heart-wrenching tale full of twists and fantastic romance. If put in the people's language, the story is irresistible." His ability to present truth within a fictional, allegorical plot is top-notch, but you are so enthralled by the story, the truths come out naturally, never forced. His thinly-veiled commentary on some aspects of the church in Green, for example, was powerful and needed. Overall, Green succeeds at meeting its huge expectations and finishes out the Circle series in a very satisfying manner. The animated trailer on the book's website compares the series to J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" and C.S. Lewis's "Chronicles of Narnia" for its attempt to "peel back the layers of truth" using metaphor. While only time can possi

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.