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)