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AS FORETOLD BY ANCIENT PROPHETS, an apocalypse destroyed Earth during the twenty-first century. But two thousand years later Elyon set upon the earth a new Adam. This time, however, He gave humanity an advantage. What was once unseen became seen. It was good and it was called...Green.
But the evil Teeleh bided his time in a Black Forest. Then, when least expected, a twenty-four year old named Thomas Hunter fell asleep in our world and woke up in that future Black Forest. A gateway was opened for Teeleh to ravage the land. Devastated by the ruin, Thomas Hunter and his Circle swore to fight the dark scourge until their dying breath.
But now The Circle has lost hope. Samuel, Thomas Hunter's cherished son, has turned his back on his father. He gathers the dark forces to wage a final war. Thomas is crushed and desperately seeks a way back to our reality to find the one elusive hope that could save them all.
Enter an apocalyptic story like none you have read. A story with links to our own history so shocking that you will forget you are in another world at all. Welcome to GREEN. Book Zero.
Statistics
- Title - Green
- Author - Ted Dekker
- Genre - Fantasy/Suspense
- Publication Date - September, 2009
Review
At the beginning of Green there is an author's note where Dekker claims that readers can start reading the Circle series with either Green or Black. While this is factually true, since the series is in fact an endless loop, I cannot recommend this course. Authors should rely on the reader's prior knowledge for building intrigue. Reading Green first would rob Black and the other books of much of their suspense.
In fact, reading Green first would also give away crucial aspects of other related books. I've read Showdown and Saint but not Sinner. I've also read four out of six books in the Lost Books series. Major characters from those books are featured in Green. Unfortunately, I now know a good portion of how those books will end due to reading Green out of order relative to the printing date.
Dekker has frequently described his novels as pure escapism with inescapable truth in which he often plumbs humanity’s ongoing struggle with evil. The thematic elements could be likened to Jesus' parables. Like the parable of the sower "those who have ears can hear" but the point of the Circle series is never made absolutely clear except for hints. That is, until Green, where the point is made abudantly clear, like how Jesus explained to his disciples the parable of the sower. While I felt this did not need to be spelled out the Biblical elements would be hard to miss. Heck, many readers might find themselves insulted if they realize what Dekker is alluding to.
Now as for the content of Green I can say I'm fairly pleased. Green ties all the threads of the other books into one knot, culminating in a final battle. At the same time Dekker pulls a literary trick by making it so the events of Green also cause the events of Black and all the other books. While this is neat it also leaves the series slightly unsatisfying since it sticks Thomas Hunter, the main character, in an endless loop of heartache and dissatisfaction where he's vainly trying to save his son, Samuel, from an earthly and spiritual death.
Green also leaves enough threads hanging that could be spun into further books. Dekker could conceivably produce an End Times novel using the green version of Billy who is destined to become the Anti-Christ in our reality. The lost books of history have the power to rewrite history itself. Thus, Dekker could also produce a new series where the endless time loop of the Circle Series could be broken.
If you liked the original trilogy you will like this book, but if your are like me the original books are much better due to the satisfying conclusion. To give Dekker the benefit of the doubt, maybe I expected too much from this book due to the greatness previous three. We get to revisit characters that by now feel like family and dive once again into Elyon's water. We're reminded of God's love for us, of our call to love the lost, of passion, the past, the present, and the future. We get to once again glimpse God as the child, the father, the warrior. Dekker has created a series that is truly remarkable. These books bring God out. They remind the church of who we serve and why we persevere. Beyond the mysteries, of the worms, the books, the superpowers, stands God and His enduring love and endless pursuit of even one lost son. While Green was the weakest of the four, it still had scenes that could lift us to the mountain--to our Creator.
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