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The Circle #0
Green: The Beginning and the End
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.
FOUR NOVELS. TWO WORLDS. ONE STORY.
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.
FOUR NOVELS. TWO WORLDS. ONE STORY.
392 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
420 people are currently reading
15362 people want to read
About the author
Ted Dekker
191 books9,955 followersTed Dekker is known for novels that combine adrenaline-laced stories with unexpected plot twists, unforgettable characters, and incredible confrontations between good and evil. Ted lives in Austin with his wife LeeAnn and their four children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 902 reviews
January 9, 2013
I loved Black, Red, and White. I figured Dekker would eventually pick up Thomas's story and I looked forward to that.
But I was extremely disappointed in the result.
The "circle" concept made the story empty and futile for me. I understand that Green was meant to represent the end times/last days, but I felt like the "circle/do-over" ending undermined one of the main points of the story. Throughout Black, Red, and White Elyon (representing God/Christ) had a plan and cared for the characters through all of the pain and the chaos.
Spoilers if you continue:
Now suddenly, because things do not end the way Thomas wants, Elyon gives him a do-over? And the story continues into Black so that Thomas is trapped in an endless cycle of futility and pain (since there will never be another outcome). This is a pathetic, weak, somewhat cruel representation of Christ and inconsistent with the portrait from the first three books. I was quite disappointed.
In short, do not bother with this book. Let Black, Red, and White stand on their own.
But I was extremely disappointed in the result.
The "circle" concept made the story empty and futile for me. I understand that Green was meant to represent the end times/last days, but I felt like the "circle/do-over" ending undermined one of the main points of the story. Throughout Black, Red, and White Elyon (representing God/Christ) had a plan and cared for the characters through all of the pain and the chaos.
Spoilers if you continue:
Now suddenly, because things do not end the way Thomas wants, Elyon gives him a do-over? And the story continues into Black so that Thomas is trapped in an endless cycle of futility and pain (since there will never be another outcome). This is a pathetic, weak, somewhat cruel representation of Christ and inconsistent with the portrait from the first three books. I was quite disappointed.
In short, do not bother with this book. Let Black, Red, and White stand on their own.
June 1, 2011
What a disappointment. I really enjoyed the first three books, especially Red and White. I was perfectly fine with the completion of the saga just as it was at the end of White. Sometimes it's best to leave well enough alone. Yes, I get the whole "circle" concept that Dekker was going for, but come on. Even fantasy has to be believable. The ending of Green was such a huge stretch, I was left with a very bad taste in my mouth. Frankly, it ruined the whole series for me. I literally threw the book down in disgust.
The other complaint I had was the heightened level of sexuality and violence depicted in Green as compared with the other books. The opening sacrifice scene with all the blood letting was unnecessarily gory. And I found Dekker's sensual descriptions of Janae and Billy over the top and inappropriate for a story that's supposed to be a Christian allegory.
If you liked the first three circle books, take my advice; quit while you're ahead. You'll be much happier. Green is one of the worst anticlimactic endings I've ever seen.
The other complaint I had was the heightened level of sexuality and violence depicted in Green as compared with the other books. The opening sacrifice scene with all the blood letting was unnecessarily gory. And I found Dekker's sensual descriptions of Janae and Billy over the top and inappropriate for a story that's supposed to be a Christian allegory.
If you liked the first three circle books, take my advice; quit while you're ahead. You'll be much happier. Green is one of the worst anticlimactic endings I've ever seen.
April 3, 2012
Ted Dekker says you can read the circle trilogy from Black to Green or from Green to White. I read it in the order of Black, Red, White, Green and honestly think it would be very hard to read it Green, Black, Red, White. Dekker really threw me for a loop in the last half of Green. He left me... a little crazed? The amount of information being thrown at me in this book was kind of overwhelming my brain. At the end of Green, having read all 4 of the books in the Circle Trilogy, I thought, "It really IS a CIRCLE!!!?!!!?!" Don't get me wrong -- I LOVED the series, especially <3 Justin <3 , and Thomas because of his bravery and the whole idea of the Great Romance wooing, rescuing, pursuing, lavishing, and all that. The storyline was excellent and it amazes me at times like these that authors can plan so far ahead in a particular series and tie everything together so well. Dekker certainly amazed me.
Something I remember not liking about this book in particular was the amount of violence that was involved. I read Black, Red, and White near the end of 2009 and finished Green about 2 months ago, so perhaps my memory is not as sharp as it was when I had finished the first three books. Some of the book was quite disturbing (the sacrifice, some of Ba'al's rituals).
I love Dekker's work and I admire how he managed to pull together a lot of information and connect it in Green. This was a rather thrilling series.
Something I remember not liking about this book in particular was the amount of violence that was involved. I read Black, Red, and White near the end of 2009 and finished Green about 2 months ago, so perhaps my memory is not as sharp as it was when I had finished the first three books. Some of the book was quite disturbing (the sacrifice, some of Ba'al's rituals).
I love Dekker's work and I admire how he managed to pull together a lot of information and connect it in Green. This was a rather thrilling series.
August 2, 2010
Ted Dekker implied he was trying to wrap up a series with this book. I do not feel wrapped up. This book gave me many more details into the whole Circle series, but I don't feel that everything has been completed. Hopefully more books in the future will reveal more details that will finally allow us readers with less brilliant minds and busy schedules to figure out all the mysteries of Ted Dekker's world.
March 8, 2014
THE WEAK LINK IN THIS CIRCLE
Fans of Ted Dekker’s “Circle” Trilogy have been waiting not-too patiently for the release of his sequel/prequel to the series, “Green”. This fan has anyway, since the day I heard it was on its way to the bookstores.
“Green” is touted as being “the beginning and the end,” the book that completes the Circle. Readers new to the series are told they can start with Green and then read through Black, White, and Red, or start with Black and end the series with Green. Either way, the story is complete, the Circle unbroken.
This fan disagrees.
Had I read Green before the original Circle Trilogy, I would have experienced none of the magic and wonderment of discovery, the need to devour page after page, the sense of slowly losing myself to the future world of the colored forest, furry rousch, ugly shitaki, scabs and forest dwellers, heroes and villains, juxtaposed with a current-day race to save the earth’s population from destruction by madmen intent on releasing a deadly virus. The fate of both History and Future are dependant on the actions of our hero, Thomas Hunter, who travels between them in his dreams.
I cracked open Green eager to return to Thomas Hunter’s dual existence and an all-new adventure. I was more than curious as to how Green was going to begin and end the series, but I had no doubt Mr. Dekker would amaze me…again. As I read, I kept the thought in the back of my mind, “How would I like Green if I were reading it first, not having read the other three?”
Having finished, I’m afraid the answer is, “Not much.”
A good portion of Green is spent going over what happened in the first three books, plus the seven books that accompany and continue the original Circle Trilogy. For example, Chapter One opens with a beautiful, moving reenactment of the Great Wedding, only to be interrupted after just six paragraphs with a page-length review of what has happened over the past 10 years, what the Great Wedding is, and why they are reenacting it, before finishing the scene.
Reminders and rehashes of the previous books are sprinkled liberally throughout the book. Had I read Green first, I would know much of what was to come. I would even know the main theme of the allegory, having it spelled out quite clearly by a couple of characters. Part of the sheer pleasure I got from the Circle Trilogy was unfolding the story page by page, chapter by chapter, and book by book; uncovering symbols and allegories and connections. Meeting new characters and mourning deaths. Reading Green first would have robbed me of that joy.
As a sequel, it works…somewhat. Mr. Dekker has written some amazing scenes, visually and spiritually enrapturing. I did occasionally find myself weeping for Eloyn with Thomas, gasping in awe or in disbelief, and was reminded of why I was so captured by the Circle Trilogy. Unfortunately, there weren’t enough of those scenes, the novel being bogged down with going over the past (or the future, as the case may be.)
SPOILER ALERT: You may want to skip ahead if you don’t want to know too much! I’ll give you the ALL CLEAR when you can start reading again. ;)
Green slips from the symbolic allegory of the Circle Trilogy to almost-Biblical fiction, recreating John’s Revelation of Jesus Christ. There is no wondering, no mistaking at all what is happening here.
Green doesn’t end where Revelation does, though; Mr. Dekker’s ending is conveniently crafted for the very purpose of being able to advertise Green as the beginning as well as the end. I sensed it coming and I shouted in my mind, “NO! Don’t do it! Please, Ted, don’t do it.” He didn’t listen to me. He did it.
If you’ve read Stephen King’s Dark Tower series, you’ll groan with me. Stephen did it right, though. Ted left me shaking my head with disappointment. Not only does it make no sense logically (I’d go so far as to say it’s silly,) it is unbiblical. I’ve been trying to work out how it fits theologically, but I’ve been unable.
ALL CLEAR: End of Spoiler alert. J
Green might work best as a stand-alone novel, an “extra” to the series. It is too revealing to be a prequel, and too history-laden (pardon the pun) to be a sequel. And if anyone can explain how the ending fits into Biblical theology, I’d like to hear it.
Fans of Ted Dekker’s “Circle” Trilogy have been waiting not-too patiently for the release of his sequel/prequel to the series, “Green”. This fan has anyway, since the day I heard it was on its way to the bookstores.
“Green” is touted as being “the beginning and the end,” the book that completes the Circle. Readers new to the series are told they can start with Green and then read through Black, White, and Red, or start with Black and end the series with Green. Either way, the story is complete, the Circle unbroken.
This fan disagrees.
Had I read Green before the original Circle Trilogy, I would have experienced none of the magic and wonderment of discovery, the need to devour page after page, the sense of slowly losing myself to the future world of the colored forest, furry rousch, ugly shitaki, scabs and forest dwellers, heroes and villains, juxtaposed with a current-day race to save the earth’s population from destruction by madmen intent on releasing a deadly virus. The fate of both History and Future are dependant on the actions of our hero, Thomas Hunter, who travels between them in his dreams.
I cracked open Green eager to return to Thomas Hunter’s dual existence and an all-new adventure. I was more than curious as to how Green was going to begin and end the series, but I had no doubt Mr. Dekker would amaze me…again. As I read, I kept the thought in the back of my mind, “How would I like Green if I were reading it first, not having read the other three?”
Having finished, I’m afraid the answer is, “Not much.”
A good portion of Green is spent going over what happened in the first three books, plus the seven books that accompany and continue the original Circle Trilogy. For example, Chapter One opens with a beautiful, moving reenactment of the Great Wedding, only to be interrupted after just six paragraphs with a page-length review of what has happened over the past 10 years, what the Great Wedding is, and why they are reenacting it, before finishing the scene.
Reminders and rehashes of the previous books are sprinkled liberally throughout the book. Had I read Green first, I would know much of what was to come. I would even know the main theme of the allegory, having it spelled out quite clearly by a couple of characters. Part of the sheer pleasure I got from the Circle Trilogy was unfolding the story page by page, chapter by chapter, and book by book; uncovering symbols and allegories and connections. Meeting new characters and mourning deaths. Reading Green first would have robbed me of that joy.
As a sequel, it works…somewhat. Mr. Dekker has written some amazing scenes, visually and spiritually enrapturing. I did occasionally find myself weeping for Eloyn with Thomas, gasping in awe or in disbelief, and was reminded of why I was so captured by the Circle Trilogy. Unfortunately, there weren’t enough of those scenes, the novel being bogged down with going over the past (or the future, as the case may be.)
SPOILER ALERT: You may want to skip ahead if you don’t want to know too much! I’ll give you the ALL CLEAR when you can start reading again. ;)
Green slips from the symbolic allegory of the Circle Trilogy to almost-Biblical fiction, recreating John’s Revelation of Jesus Christ. There is no wondering, no mistaking at all what is happening here.
Green doesn’t end where Revelation does, though; Mr. Dekker’s ending is conveniently crafted for the very purpose of being able to advertise Green as the beginning as well as the end. I sensed it coming and I shouted in my mind, “NO! Don’t do it! Please, Ted, don’t do it.” He didn’t listen to me. He did it.
If you’ve read Stephen King’s Dark Tower series, you’ll groan with me. Stephen did it right, though. Ted left me shaking my head with disappointment. Not only does it make no sense logically (I’d go so far as to say it’s silly,) it is unbiblical. I’ve been trying to work out how it fits theologically, but I’ve been unable.
ALL CLEAR: End of Spoiler alert. J
Green might work best as a stand-alone novel, an “extra” to the series. It is too revealing to be a prequel, and too history-laden (pardon the pun) to be a sequel. And if anyone can explain how the ending fits into Biblical theology, I’d like to hear it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2011
I couldn't make it past the first few chapters. For a book that is supposed to complete/begin a "circle", the writing style (compared to the other 3 books) stuck out like a sore thumb. It didn't flow with the previous books at all. His writing has lost the magical quality and grown more reliant on the only non-stock/unrecycled character personas he has--Thomas Hunter, Marsuvees Black, and Billy. After sticking through the original Circle trilogy, the Lost Books series, Showdown...all those books, I've completely lost interest. When it was just Red, White and Black, it was genius. Add Showdown, and it's brilliant. But turn it YA with (what was it, 6?) more increasingly predictable books, and you've got overkill. The release, and subsequent failure of Green was the final nail in the coffin for me.
I would not recommend this book to anybody. It was the worst written Dekker book I've ever read. It was dry, almost as if...well, exactly as if he had been contractually obligated to write a certain number of books each year. At the time of the publishing of Green, he was. Shocker. The characters were the blandest I've ever seen them, out of any of his books. It's certainly not my cup of tea.
On a positive note, the cover was cool. His earliest books were fantastic--this newer crap, I happily live without looking past the cover. I've been to two of his "Gathering" conferences and own many of his books, and still I wouldn't dare be anything but completely honest in this review. Dive deep.
I would not recommend this book to anybody. It was the worst written Dekker book I've ever read. It was dry, almost as if...well, exactly as if he had been contractually obligated to write a certain number of books each year. At the time of the publishing of Green, he was. Shocker. The characters were the blandest I've ever seen them, out of any of his books. It's certainly not my cup of tea.
On a positive note, the cover was cool. His earliest books were fantastic--this newer crap, I happily live without looking past the cover. I've been to two of his "Gathering" conferences and own many of his books, and still I wouldn't dare be anything but completely honest in this review. Dive deep.
August 17, 2023
Where to start?
Don't read this book. It's not worth it.
Now buckle up, I have thoughts.
I was excited to start The Circle series, as I knew it was a popular series with some of my friends and I had heard positive things about it. I figured I would start with Black, but the audiobook of all four begins with Green, so that's where I started. And I regret it.
I have a weakness. And that is I have to finish what I start. Once I start something, I have to know how it ends. I have to hear the whole story. I seriously debated putting this one aside, I probably should have, but I stuck it out, hoping for a redeeming end and telling myself others have read it, so I can too. 😕
I'll first start off with the book in general, why I didn't like it, how it only takes away from the series, and then I'll get into the content issues.
I know one of the things people love about this series is that it's written in a "circle" format. You can read book 0, then the trilogy, then book 0 - it fits wherever you want it. First, last, in between a re-reading. And that's the problem. SPOILIER ALERT. Life in the Circle has taken a turn downward. There's disagreements, and divisions, and discouragement. So, Thomas sets out to save the circle. And by the end of the book, when all life is lost, we've come to the end, everyone is dead, evil has won, Elyon gives Thomas another chance. With one condition. He can go back and live it all over again, hopefully this time with a better outcome, but he won't remember any of it. It will be like he's living it all for the first time. So hopefully, hopefully, he just makes better choices.
HOW. HOPELESS. IS. THAT.
That's not how God works. This series is supposed to be an allegory. God gives us freewill; He allows us to make bad choices and wrong decisions, and yes, sometimes He gives us second chances, He allows for repentance and forgiveness, and He doesn't strike us down where we stand. But we still have to face the consequences, the pain, the broken relationships, all the struggles. He gives us grace through those. But He doesn't give us a redo. And praise God for it.
Thomas Hunter is going to be living this narrative over and over, never to break free from wrong choices, never to save his son. There's no "happy ending", no ending at all. He's just in a hopeless cycle of repeat.
Life in the physical isn't all about happy endings, but it does have an ending - physically. Our painful, sin-riddled, full-of-wrong-choices, broken, fallible, lives will come to an end. For those who have believed in Christ we will go to an eternal life of beauty, joy, and goodness with our Lord. No sin, no pain, no tears, no brokenness.
But poor Thomas is stuck in his cycle of living life over and over again, never to escape, never to find meaning. Evil wins in the end, so we start over and try again. Over and over.
Friends, this is not the Christian life. You don't have to live with this hopelessness. Our lives on earth are filled with struggles and pain as we imperfectly follow Christ and live as broken vessels for Him. But there is joy in this life, because we walk with Christ, we have relationship with Christ, and we grow deeper and love Him more. He makes life worth it. He gives us purpose. And we have hope because we know this broken life will come to an end; Christ will set all things right. You don't have to live in the cycle of sin forever. Praise the Lord.
Content. This is not a clean book. I can tolerate most violence. I don't appreciate graphic violence, but I can tolerate it. There's graphic violence in this book, and at least one scene that is way over the top. The sexually content is intolerable. It's sensual and inappropriate. Evil is described and explored in dark ways. We don't need to fill our minds with an in depth look at demonic forces.
This book is a completely different taste from the other three. If I hadn't heard this from others, I would have stopped at Green. Don't waste your time. Don't fill your mind with this.
Read the trilogy. Enjoy the story. But you don't need Green to complete it. Sure, there's a couple of loose threads that are tied up in Green, but it's not worth it. It will only ruin the story for you. And the violent and sexually content is not wholesome. Don't hurt you mind with it. I've blocked it out of my memory. I'll pretend this book never happened and enjoy the trilogy as it is, ending White with the promise and hope that the Warrior will return to claim His bride.
The End.
A few quotes I appreciated,
-Blood is life. Disease here and evil there are both carried by blood. And they're wiped out by blood.
-How could she, who'd drowned and found new life, question the reality of Elyon now, just because the world was dark?
Don't read this book. It's not worth it.
Now buckle up, I have thoughts.
I was excited to start The Circle series, as I knew it was a popular series with some of my friends and I had heard positive things about it. I figured I would start with Black, but the audiobook of all four begins with Green, so that's where I started. And I regret it.
I have a weakness. And that is I have to finish what I start. Once I start something, I have to know how it ends. I have to hear the whole story. I seriously debated putting this one aside, I probably should have, but I stuck it out, hoping for a redeeming end and telling myself others have read it, so I can too. 😕
I'll first start off with the book in general, why I didn't like it, how it only takes away from the series, and then I'll get into the content issues.
I know one of the things people love about this series is that it's written in a "circle" format. You can read book 0, then the trilogy, then book 0 - it fits wherever you want it. First, last, in between a re-reading. And that's the problem. SPOILIER ALERT. Life in the Circle has taken a turn downward. There's disagreements, and divisions, and discouragement. So, Thomas sets out to save the circle. And by the end of the book, when all life is lost, we've come to the end, everyone is dead, evil has won, Elyon gives Thomas another chance. With one condition. He can go back and live it all over again, hopefully this time with a better outcome, but he won't remember any of it. It will be like he's living it all for the first time. So hopefully, hopefully, he just makes better choices.
HOW. HOPELESS. IS. THAT.
That's not how God works. This series is supposed to be an allegory. God gives us freewill; He allows us to make bad choices and wrong decisions, and yes, sometimes He gives us second chances, He allows for repentance and forgiveness, and He doesn't strike us down where we stand. But we still have to face the consequences, the pain, the broken relationships, all the struggles. He gives us grace through those. But He doesn't give us a redo. And praise God for it.
Thomas Hunter is going to be living this narrative over and over, never to break free from wrong choices, never to save his son. There's no "happy ending", no ending at all. He's just in a hopeless cycle of repeat.
Life in the physical isn't all about happy endings, but it does have an ending - physically. Our painful, sin-riddled, full-of-wrong-choices, broken, fallible, lives will come to an end. For those who have believed in Christ we will go to an eternal life of beauty, joy, and goodness with our Lord. No sin, no pain, no tears, no brokenness.
But poor Thomas is stuck in his cycle of living life over and over again, never to escape, never to find meaning. Evil wins in the end, so we start over and try again. Over and over.
Friends, this is not the Christian life. You don't have to live with this hopelessness. Our lives on earth are filled with struggles and pain as we imperfectly follow Christ and live as broken vessels for Him. But there is joy in this life, because we walk with Christ, we have relationship with Christ, and we grow deeper and love Him more. He makes life worth it. He gives us purpose. And we have hope because we know this broken life will come to an end; Christ will set all things right. You don't have to live in the cycle of sin forever. Praise the Lord.
Content. This is not a clean book. I can tolerate most violence. I don't appreciate graphic violence, but I can tolerate it. There's graphic violence in this book, and at least one scene that is way over the top. The sexually content is intolerable. It's sensual and inappropriate. Evil is described and explored in dark ways. We don't need to fill our minds with an in depth look at demonic forces.
This book is a completely different taste from the other three. If I hadn't heard this from others, I would have stopped at Green. Don't waste your time. Don't fill your mind with this.
Read the trilogy. Enjoy the story. But you don't need Green to complete it. Sure, there's a couple of loose threads that are tied up in Green, but it's not worth it. It will only ruin the story for you. And the violent and sexually content is not wholesome. Don't hurt you mind with it. I've blocked it out of my memory. I'll pretend this book never happened and enjoy the trilogy as it is, ending White with the promise and hope that the Warrior will return to claim His bride.
The End.
A few quotes I appreciated,
-Blood is life. Disease here and evil there are both carried by blood. And they're wiped out by blood.
-How could she, who'd drowned and found new life, question the reality of Elyon now, just because the world was dark?
September 17, 2024
This is a mind-bending and mind-expanding series. I would recommend as others to read in the order of Black, Red, White, and Green.
There are several questions that don't seem answered yet Dekker's intent was to read this series in a circle. This apocalyptic series is either in the future or histories depending on what world Thomas dreams to...or is the future in the history.
This one was a little gory with the Baal showdown but then again I'm pretty sure the book of Revelation isn't pretty for unbelievers.
The narration was really good. I'm glad I did the audiobooks because I don't think my attention would have lasted if I did print since this isn't in my usual genre sphere.
There are several questions that don't seem answered yet Dekker's intent was to read this series in a circle. This apocalyptic series is either in the future or histories depending on what world Thomas dreams to...or is the future in the history.
This one was a little gory with the Baal showdown but then again I'm pretty sure the book of Revelation isn't pretty for unbelievers.
The narration was really good. I'm glad I did the audiobooks because I don't think my attention would have lasted if I did print since this isn't in my usual genre sphere.
Want to read
July 22, 2023someone recommended reading this after the sequel series so it's on hold for now.
September 9, 2013
After reading the entire series, I changed the rating I originally put up because I could not look past his inaccurate doctrine (after reading the bonus interview with Dekker, I can now conclude that Dekker did write with a certain underlying message that does not agree with the Word of God. However, I'm not saying that Dekker intentionally meant to be inaccurate, but that he, along with every other believer, should continue to grow in his intimacy with God and in the studying of His Word, thus allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal more of His truth to him). But as I said with my previous review of WHITE, I would recommend this series only to Christians who have a firm foundation in their faith in God.
I started the series with BLACK, and I think it's a better beginning than GREEN. Most of GREEN just seemed unnecessary, whether it was read as a prequel or a sequel to the series. It was meant to give a finality to the series, but WHITE was a really good finale to me! I just felt that everything with Billy and Janae was unnecessary. Vampires? Really? Naphilim ok, but vampires? And mind reading? I know that Billy was supposed to be a huge part of what made it a "circle" but again, it was just unnecessary. I think what made the series so enjoyable to read in the first place was that the reader never really knew which reality was real, so this book kind of ruined all that too... I did like the new alternate ending though, compared to the original. I wound rather swim in Elyon's water for even just a minute than be anywhere with anyone else for all of eternity.
However, I still enjoyed reading this novel, but I actually took off stars this time because I could not look past his inaccurate doctrine (after reading the bonus interview with Dekker, I can now conclude that Dekker did write with a certain underlying message that does not agree with the Word of God. However, I'm not saying that Dekker intentionally meant to be inaccurate, but that he, along with every other believer, should continue to grow in his intimacy with God and in the studying of His Word, thus allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal more of His truth to him). But as I said with my previous review of WHITE, I would recommend this series only to Christians who have a firm foundation in their faith in God.
With that said, the three inaccurate doctrines that was brought to my attention were...
(1) Those albinos who turned their backs on the circle and followed Samuel to war eventually became scabs. Since the disease manifests themselves in those who have not followed Elyon in the drowning, then it would mean that the blood of Elyon was not powerful enough to keep the disease away. This is rejecting the teaching of "once saved, always saved" (Ephesians 2:8-9, Hebrews 10:10). Even though Christians often forsake God in their everyday lives, if we genuinely gave our lives to Christ, then He is faithful to continue perfecting us until He comes again. His salvation doesn't leave the moment we turn our backs on Him.
(2) When Elyon came to take back with Him those who willingly drowned in His waters, Thomas was given a second chance to save His son who in the end was not saved. As gracious and loving and merciful God is, after death comes judgement (Hebrews 9:27). God has revealed Himself to all mankind through His creation and through the Gospel so that no one is has an excuse (Romans 1:18-20, Romans 10:14-17). So in God's sovereignty, after someone dies without accepting Christ as his/her Saviour, there is no second chance. But God, in His grace, gives us more than enough chances to accept Him now while we are still alive on earth.
(3) When Thomas asked Elyon in the new earth whether or not it was the end, Elyon replied that it depended upon whether or not evil is embraced again. This, in addition to Dekker's response to question 8 in the interview, just FORCED me to take off the many stars that I took off. This teaching is completely inaccurate! Yes, I agree that we will still have free will in Heaven with Christ but we will be perfected (Phil 1:6, 1 Cor 15:52) and anything/anyone that sins or causes people to sin will be no more (Matt 13:40-43). There are many more verses that I could share but Revelations 21 explains a lot. God promises that there will be no more crying, sickness, nor death, and since sin brings about all those things, we can conclude that there will be no more sin.
In the end, it all comes down to whether or not you believe that Christ's death was enough to satisfy the penalty of sin once and for all (Heb 9:26, John 19:30).
I started the series with BLACK, and I think it's a better beginning than GREEN. Most of GREEN just seemed unnecessary, whether it was read as a prequel or a sequel to the series. It was meant to give a finality to the series, but WHITE was a really good finale to me! I just felt that everything with Billy and Janae was unnecessary. Vampires? Really? Naphilim ok, but vampires? And mind reading? I know that Billy was supposed to be a huge part of what made it a "circle" but again, it was just unnecessary. I think what made the series so enjoyable to read in the first place was that the reader never really knew which reality was real, so this book kind of ruined all that too... I did like the new alternate ending though, compared to the original. I wound rather swim in Elyon's water for even just a minute than be anywhere with anyone else for all of eternity.
However, I still enjoyed reading this novel, but I actually took off stars this time because I could not look past his inaccurate doctrine (after reading the bonus interview with Dekker, I can now conclude that Dekker did write with a certain underlying message that does not agree with the Word of God. However, I'm not saying that Dekker intentionally meant to be inaccurate, but that he, along with every other believer, should continue to grow in his intimacy with God and in the studying of His Word, thus allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal more of His truth to him). But as I said with my previous review of WHITE, I would recommend this series only to Christians who have a firm foundation in their faith in God.
With that said, the three inaccurate doctrines that was brought to my attention were...
(1) Those albinos who turned their backs on the circle and followed Samuel to war eventually became scabs. Since the disease manifests themselves in those who have not followed Elyon in the drowning, then it would mean that the blood of Elyon was not powerful enough to keep the disease away. This is rejecting the teaching of "once saved, always saved" (Ephesians 2:8-9, Hebrews 10:10). Even though Christians often forsake God in their everyday lives, if we genuinely gave our lives to Christ, then He is faithful to continue perfecting us until He comes again. His salvation doesn't leave the moment we turn our backs on Him.
(2) When Elyon came to take back with Him those who willingly drowned in His waters, Thomas was given a second chance to save His son who in the end was not saved. As gracious and loving and merciful God is, after death comes judgement (Hebrews 9:27). God has revealed Himself to all mankind through His creation and through the Gospel so that no one is has an excuse (Romans 1:18-20, Romans 10:14-17). So in God's sovereignty, after someone dies without accepting Christ as his/her Saviour, there is no second chance. But God, in His grace, gives us more than enough chances to accept Him now while we are still alive on earth.
(3) When Thomas asked Elyon in the new earth whether or not it was the end, Elyon replied that it depended upon whether or not evil is embraced again. This, in addition to Dekker's response to question 8 in the interview, just FORCED me to take off the many stars that I took off. This teaching is completely inaccurate! Yes, I agree that we will still have free will in Heaven with Christ but we will be perfected (Phil 1:6, 1 Cor 15:52) and anything/anyone that sins or causes people to sin will be no more (Matt 13:40-43). There are many more verses that I could share but Revelations 21 explains a lot. God promises that there will be no more crying, sickness, nor death, and since sin brings about all those things, we can conclude that there will be no more sin.
In the end, it all comes down to whether or not you believe that Christ's death was enough to satisfy the penalty of sin once and for all (Heb 9:26, John 19:30).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2020
“¿Crees que devolver muerte con más muerte nos traerá paz?”
Ahora sí llegamos al final de La Serie del Círculo de Ted Dekker, ¿o debería decir el inicio? “Verde” es un libro que sirve no solo de fin para la serie, sino también de inicio para la misma… pareciera que no se entiende… pero la verdad es que es una historia que no tiene fin, porque allá donde empezamos con “Negro”, es donde termina “Verde”...
Éste es el Libro 0 y se puede comenzar a leer por aquí, pero la verdad es que lo mejor es comenzar por “Negro”, ya que en él se explica cómo inicia toda la travesía de Thomas Hunter.
La historia comienza 10 años después de lo sucedido en “Blanco”, donde después de las guerras desarrollados durante toda la serie, tres grupos permanecen en conflicto: los albinos (los que se han ahogado voluntariamente), los mestizos (quienes rechazaron el ahogamiento) y las hordas (quienes han permanecido como esclavos de la enfermedad). “Verde” tiene una historia excelente, original y bien planteada, donde se librará la batalla final que decidirá la victoria entre los grupos.
Nos encontraremos con nuevos personajes como Billy, que después me he enterado que es protagonista de la serie “The Paradise” del mismo autor (aún no la he encontrado disponible en español), y es prácticamente quien lleva la trama. Asimismo, hace la introducción a una vampira… sin han leído bien, una vampira en la cual el autor nos hace referencia a otro de sus libros Sangre de Emanuel.
Para mi fue un libro perfectamente enlazado con sus tres anteriores, donde se mantiene la magnífica narración conjuntamente con la fuerza de sus personajes. El autor nos ofrece una perspectiva profunda de las fuerzas que nos rodean; bordándola con elementos fantásticos, salpicados con metáforas que te llevan a reflexionar.
En definitiva, es una Serie con una historia increíble entre la lucha entre el bien y el mal, la salvación, la traición y el amor.
100% recomendado
“Todo lo que una vez fue espiritual e invisible se volvió físico y visible.”
Ahora sí llegamos al final de La Serie del Círculo de Ted Dekker, ¿o debería decir el inicio? “Verde” es un libro que sirve no solo de fin para la serie, sino también de inicio para la misma… pareciera que no se entiende… pero la verdad es que es una historia que no tiene fin, porque allá donde empezamos con “Negro”, es donde termina “Verde”...
Éste es el Libro 0 y se puede comenzar a leer por aquí, pero la verdad es que lo mejor es comenzar por “Negro”, ya que en él se explica cómo inicia toda la travesía de Thomas Hunter.
La historia comienza 10 años después de lo sucedido en “Blanco”, donde después de las guerras desarrollados durante toda la serie, tres grupos permanecen en conflicto: los albinos (los que se han ahogado voluntariamente), los mestizos (quienes rechazaron el ahogamiento) y las hordas (quienes han permanecido como esclavos de la enfermedad). “Verde” tiene una historia excelente, original y bien planteada, donde se librará la batalla final que decidirá la victoria entre los grupos.
Nos encontraremos con nuevos personajes como Billy, que después me he enterado que es protagonista de la serie “The Paradise” del mismo autor (aún no la he encontrado disponible en español), y es prácticamente quien lleva la trama. Asimismo, hace la introducción a una vampira… sin han leído bien, una vampira en la cual el autor nos hace referencia a otro de sus libros Sangre de Emanuel.
Para mi fue un libro perfectamente enlazado con sus tres anteriores, donde se mantiene la magnífica narración conjuntamente con la fuerza de sus personajes. El autor nos ofrece una perspectiva profunda de las fuerzas que nos rodean; bordándola con elementos fantásticos, salpicados con metáforas que te llevan a reflexionar.
En definitiva, es una Serie con una historia increíble entre la lucha entre el bien y el mal, la salvación, la traición y el amor.
100% recomendado
“Todo lo que una vez fue espiritual e invisible se volvió físico y visible.”
August 12, 2011
Con este libro terminé la serie del Círculo, esta serie me agradó mucho pero este libro en particular no tanto.
Hubiera deseado no haber leido el prologo donde explican que la serie era en realidad un círculo y como tal no podía tener principio ni fín, esto inevitablemente arruina cierta parte del final del libro, ya que se intuye que tiene que terminar de la misma manera que Negro empieza.
Verde retoma la historia 10 años despues de donde Blanco termina, en donde las circunstancias de los "albinos" comandados por Thomas Hunter son muy adversas.
A diferencia de los otros 3 libros, Verde se centra en el mundo de Elyon y deja muy de lado la realidad de 2000 años antes que es más parecida a nuestra realidad. Siento que en cuanto el manejo de los 2 mundos este libro queda un poco a deber, ya que lo poco que pasa en el otro mundo es hasta cierto punto irrelevante.
Se introducen 2 nuevos personajes importantes Billy y Janae, esta ultima es la hija de Monique cuyo padre no es revelado en ninguna parte del libro pero que probablemente tenía algo de vampiro o shataiki. Esto es probablemente lo más raro del libro, el que el autor tratar de explicar el origen de la raza de vampiros que al final no tiene ningún impacto en el transcurso de la historia.
El final es inesperado y me dejó con sentimientos encontrados, por lo cual aún no me decido sí me gustó o no.
Creo que este es el peor de los libros de la serie, pero no tan malo como para recomendar no leerlo si ya leiste los otros 3 libros.
Hubiera deseado no haber leido el prologo donde explican que la serie era en realidad un círculo y como tal no podía tener principio ni fín, esto inevitablemente arruina cierta parte del final del libro, ya que se intuye que tiene que terminar de la misma manera que Negro empieza.
Verde retoma la historia 10 años despues de donde Blanco termina, en donde las circunstancias de los "albinos" comandados por Thomas Hunter son muy adversas.
A diferencia de los otros 3 libros, Verde se centra en el mundo de Elyon y deja muy de lado la realidad de 2000 años antes que es más parecida a nuestra realidad. Siento que en cuanto el manejo de los 2 mundos este libro queda un poco a deber, ya que lo poco que pasa en el otro mundo es hasta cierto punto irrelevante.
Se introducen 2 nuevos personajes importantes Billy y Janae, esta ultima es la hija de Monique cuyo padre no es revelado en ninguna parte del libro pero que probablemente tenía algo de vampiro o shataiki. Esto es probablemente lo más raro del libro, el que el autor tratar de explicar el origen de la raza de vampiros que al final no tiene ningún impacto en el transcurso de la historia.
El final es inesperado y me dejó con sentimientos encontrados, por lo cual aún no me decido sí me gustó o no.
Creo que este es el peor de los libros de la serie, pero no tan malo como para recomendar no leerlo si ya leiste los otros 3 libros.
November 20, 2009
Recently I read Green by Ted Dekker. It's called book Zero. According to Dekker you can read this final book in the Circle trilogy. Which is ironic as this is the fourth book and there are some other books that are connected to these books as well. Confusion aside, Dekker is an amazing storyteller. Quite possibly my favorite author in this fantasy genre. I recommend his books, although some of them can be a bit dark, this one included.
It is good to recall all the familiar characters from the other books, as it has been a while since I read them. It took a little reading before I felt like I was totally sucked in, but by page 100 or so there was no turning back. Gripping story. Excellent character development. Mind bending thought process. Reality jumping. This book was hard to put down. Of the Circle books, this is easily the darkest. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it is interesting.
I would personally recommend reading this one last. I think that if you don't you will miss out on some of the great character development there is when you read the rest. It is a bit frustrating at the end as there is no real resolution, but perhaps there is some genius there? I don't know.
It is good to recall all the familiar characters from the other books, as it has been a while since I read them. It took a little reading before I felt like I was totally sucked in, but by page 100 or so there was no turning back. Gripping story. Excellent character development. Mind bending thought process. Reality jumping. This book was hard to put down. Of the Circle books, this is easily the darkest. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it is interesting.
I would personally recommend reading this one last. I think that if you don't you will miss out on some of the great character development there is when you read the rest. It is a bit frustrating at the end as there is no real resolution, but perhaps there is some genius there? I don't know.
March 25, 2012
If you're planning to read the series (which I highly recommend) just skip this book. You're better off without it.
March 10, 2018
It was a good conclusion, though I was a bit disappointed about the ending.
November 30, 2009
The beginning and the end.’
Ted Dekker’s long awaited Green, Book 0: The Beginning and the End was, as always, a great Dekker read. Dekker’s ability to define and reveal characters is one of the main reasons he is one of my favorite authors.
Add to this the wondrous allegory of the Christian themes that are so tightly woven throughout all his books, makes Dekker a simply must read author.
Curious of how Green could be the first in the The Circle Trilogy as well as the last, I could not wait to read it. Reading the familiar characters hearkened my thoughts back to the original story and reignited my experience of when I read Black, Red, and White.
Thomas Hunter, leader of the Circle, is faced with rebellion from within his own family as his son Samuel leads an uprising of those in the Circle who have grown tired of waiting for Elyon. The way Thomas is portrayed here reminds of how David grieved for his son Absalom.
What option does Thomas now have to renew the Great Romance in his son Samuel? He must travel in time and find the Books of History. He will have to do what he can to change history.
You will find evil in this book and it is shown as it is, sometimes repugnant, vulgar and gross. But that is true evil. You will also find good in this book and it is shown as it is; pure, beautiful, engaging and spotless. More importantly, it is revealed that God is providential and never out of control. This is a difficult concept to weave into such a story of good versus evil, but Dekker accomplishes it quite well.
This is simply a dynamic thriller and one not to miss. Warring tribes, supernatural encounters, the end of the world as we know it, love, hate, and sacrifice all vivid reminders of humanity’s fallen nature. This is humanity; this is our nature without a loving God to intercede.
Ted Dekker’s long awaited Green, Book 0: The Beginning and the End was, as always, a great Dekker read. Dekker’s ability to define and reveal characters is one of the main reasons he is one of my favorite authors.
Add to this the wondrous allegory of the Christian themes that are so tightly woven throughout all his books, makes Dekker a simply must read author.
Curious of how Green could be the first in the The Circle Trilogy as well as the last, I could not wait to read it. Reading the familiar characters hearkened my thoughts back to the original story and reignited my experience of when I read Black, Red, and White.
Thomas Hunter, leader of the Circle, is faced with rebellion from within his own family as his son Samuel leads an uprising of those in the Circle who have grown tired of waiting for Elyon. The way Thomas is portrayed here reminds of how David grieved for his son Absalom.
What option does Thomas now have to renew the Great Romance in his son Samuel? He must travel in time and find the Books of History. He will have to do what he can to change history.
You will find evil in this book and it is shown as it is, sometimes repugnant, vulgar and gross. But that is true evil. You will also find good in this book and it is shown as it is; pure, beautiful, engaging and spotless. More importantly, it is revealed that God is providential and never out of control. This is a difficult concept to weave into such a story of good versus evil, but Dekker accomplishes it quite well.
This is simply a dynamic thriller and one not to miss. Warring tribes, supernatural encounters, the end of the world as we know it, love, hate, and sacrifice all vivid reminders of humanity’s fallen nature. This is humanity; this is our nature without a loving God to intercede.
April 5, 2011
If you read the Circle Trilogy and want to read this book to complete the series, DON'T.
If you want to read the Circle Trilogy, SKIP THIS BOOK and just read Black, Red, and White.
I really loved the Circle Trilogy. Each book contained a beautiful picture about a truth about God and displayed it in an understandable and believable way. It had beautiful worlds and beautiful themes of redemption. I found myself caring for each of the characters. The world shifting technique for story telling worked and was consistent.
But Green, which was written years after the Circle Trilogy, has none of this.
The allegory was convoluted and lacked the same meaning and importance as the other books contained. In fact the allegory really wasn't the centerpiece of the story. The real centerpiece was trying to make it feel like the story was cyclical, which betrayed the whole purpose of everything. The book spent the majority focusing on the most hideous of characters that I hated. The characters seemed gimmicky at times to try and pull in a different audience. Also, the story felt like it was almost a different world and different principles with people who had super powers and vampires. Seriously?! Vampires!?!
But of everything that drew me into this series, I kept going mostly because of the beautiful imagery of love and redemption that we have through Jesus. This book really strayed far from truths and really shouldn't be viewed as a part of the original trilogy. The theology gets very sketchy, as well in the finale of the book, and in my opinion, doesn't really stand up at all.
The book did have some good storytelling elements and if I did not come expecting it to connect to the other Circle books, I might have a totally different opinion, but as it stands, I'm not very impressed.
If you want to read the Circle Trilogy, SKIP THIS BOOK and just read Black, Red, and White.
I really loved the Circle Trilogy. Each book contained a beautiful picture about a truth about God and displayed it in an understandable and believable way. It had beautiful worlds and beautiful themes of redemption. I found myself caring for each of the characters. The world shifting technique for story telling worked and was consistent.
But Green, which was written years after the Circle Trilogy, has none of this.
The allegory was convoluted and lacked the same meaning and importance as the other books contained. In fact the allegory really wasn't the centerpiece of the story. The real centerpiece was trying to make it feel like the story was cyclical, which betrayed the whole purpose of everything. The book spent the majority focusing on the most hideous of characters that I hated. The characters seemed gimmicky at times to try and pull in a different audience. Also, the story felt like it was almost a different world and different principles with people who had super powers and vampires. Seriously?! Vampires!?!
But of everything that drew me into this series, I kept going mostly because of the beautiful imagery of love and redemption that we have through Jesus. This book really strayed far from truths and really shouldn't be viewed as a part of the original trilogy. The theology gets very sketchy, as well in the finale of the book, and in my opinion, doesn't really stand up at all.
The book did have some good storytelling elements and if I did not come expecting it to connect to the other Circle books, I might have a totally different opinion, but as it stands, I'm not very impressed.
March 15, 2019
I want my time back Dekker; Green is clumsy, defective, and cheap.
I read the circle trilogy and enjoyed it, I was not in love or felt as though this series was magnificent, but it entertained me. However, this last book, the 4th book of the trilogy, did not belong, but I think you could figure that out by its nature of being the fourth book in a "trilogy." Tedd can count as well as he can write I guess. Thin, undeveloped characters exist in a half-baked world.
You are a better person without this book in your life. Green is a literary catastrophe of likes of Save the Pearls by Victoria Foyt. Dear God, this was an awful book. If you come across this novel in a bookshop, do your fellow readers a favour and hide it. Here are some ideas of where you could hide this book. You could hide it on top of a shelf, or you could hide it in the bathroom; maybe in the toilet, it seems like Green would do well there. I will personally donate CAD $3 to the Red Cross for every time someone hides this book away from gullible readers like me. Green drags on and on and on... This book is not enjoyable, it is infuriating. I cannot begin to understand how it has such a high rating. THIS.BOOK.IS.BAD. At this point I am waiting or Ted to pop around the corner and scream "surprise," and then we can all have a good laugh, if that's the case then well played Mr. Ted. Until that happens, I will regret every moment that I invested in this book.
I read the circle trilogy and enjoyed it, I was not in love or felt as though this series was magnificent, but it entertained me. However, this last book, the 4th book of the trilogy, did not belong, but I think you could figure that out by its nature of being the fourth book in a "trilogy." Tedd can count as well as he can write I guess. Thin, undeveloped characters exist in a half-baked world.
You are a better person without this book in your life. Green is a literary catastrophe of likes of Save the Pearls by Victoria Foyt. Dear God, this was an awful book. If you come across this novel in a bookshop, do your fellow readers a favour and hide it. Here are some ideas of where you could hide this book. You could hide it on top of a shelf, or you could hide it in the bathroom; maybe in the toilet, it seems like Green would do well there. I will personally donate CAD $3 to the Red Cross for every time someone hides this book away from gullible readers like me. Green drags on and on and on... This book is not enjoyable, it is infuriating. I cannot begin to understand how it has such a high rating. THIS.BOOK.IS.BAD. At this point I am waiting or Ted to pop around the corner and scream "surprise," and then we can all have a good laugh, if that's the case then well played Mr. Ted. Until that happens, I will regret every moment that I invested in this book.
July 18, 2018
At first I thought that I should have read this book after the others because of all the references to the other books. However, by the end I realized it didn't matter because a circle has no beginning and end or in this case it was the same thing. Wow! What a graphic story. Some parts were very gruesome and I wondered why I was even listening. The scary part is that the farther I got into it the more it made sense. Thomas is in a future world that ends in Armageddon but is sent back to our world in the hope that he can set things straight. It's complicated and involves the books of history and plenty of blood. This is a very compelling book and I am in hurry to listen to the rest of the series.
PS. I knocked off a star because after I read the other books I was disappointed how this one ended. I don't like the idea of Thomas spinning between realities for eternity especially after all self sacrifice and bravery he gave. I'm trying to come to grips with it and not quite succeeding. Perhaps Dekker should have left this book alone?
PS. I knocked off a star because after I read the other books I was disappointed how this one ended. I don't like the idea of Thomas spinning between realities for eternity especially after all self sacrifice and bravery he gave. I'm trying to come to grips with it and not quite succeeding. Perhaps Dekker should have left this book alone?
May 6, 2016
This book covers the story of how Thomas Hunter first entered the Black Forest and forever changed history. It acts as a Prequel to "Black" and sequel to "White." It begins at a time when 3 opposing armies are gathered for a final battle in the valley of Migdon.
I found this an excellent read. It parallels our own history (and Judeo-Christian end-of-days prophecies), except that most of us are unable to see the evil in our world as directly – as a visual, physical disease. I highly recommend it to all fans of SF/Fantasy, to those who love a good story and, for sure, to Dekker fans.
I found this an excellent read. It parallels our own history (and Judeo-Christian end-of-days prophecies), except that most of us are unable to see the evil in our world as directly – as a visual, physical disease. I highly recommend it to all fans of SF/Fantasy, to those who love a good story and, for sure, to Dekker fans.
October 19, 2017
My mind was blown! Ted Dekker takes one last journey into Thomas Hunter's world and truly does bring it round full circle. The story and overarching narrative is written well and very engaging. Even though this book could be first or last, I believe last is the best place for it. Knowing Thomas and his world before this book makes this story all the more important and I was more invested.
The only downside was the book should have ended a few paragraphs earlier but I am no writer.
The only downside was the book should have ended a few paragraphs earlier but I am no writer.
March 30, 2022
First time listening to the audiobook and it was brilliant! This was also the second time “reading” this book after it was first released in 2009 (13 years later!) and was still amazing! Looking forward to listening to the whole saga again!
This series is definitely an evolution of C S Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia! Amazing allegory with great theology behind it that brings Biblical stories and themes to life in a new light.
This series is definitely an evolution of C S Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia! Amazing allegory with great theology behind it that brings Biblical stories and themes to life in a new light.
December 31, 2011
This book totally destroyed the Circle Trilogy. I hated it. I wish Dekker had left this series alone. If you read the Circle novels, do not read this one.
February 24, 2023
If it wasn't for the audiobook, I don't think I could have ever gotten past the first chapter.
Let me start off with the fact that I was confused about the world in this book. I think it would have been better for me to start off with Black. I have seen that in many reviews of this book. I will know when I finish the series.
Also, should say I have tried starting this book three or four times now. I always just said screw it and gave it back to the library. Well, I decided to give it one more go and actually finish it so I could move on to Black. I really should have seen the reviews on this to read Black first. Ted mentions at the beginning of the book before you start that this series is a circle. You can either start with Green and end with White or start with Black and end with Green. I can’t say anything about this until I finish the series.
I like the story with Thomas, but when we get the past POV with Billy and Janae I couldn’t care less. I just wanted to know what was going on with Thomas and “the future”. But most of the time, I wasn’t rooting for any character. I didn’t like Thomas’s wife, Chelise. Actually, I don’t think I liked any character, especially Samuel. I just wanted to know what was going on in the other world.
I’ve got a few more library books to read before I take this back and get Black.
Let me start off with the fact that I was confused about the world in this book. I think it would have been better for me to start off with Black. I have seen that in many reviews of this book. I will know when I finish the series.
Also, should say I have tried starting this book three or four times now. I always just said screw it and gave it back to the library. Well, I decided to give it one more go and actually finish it so I could move on to Black. I really should have seen the reviews on this to read Black first. Ted mentions at the beginning of the book before you start that this series is a circle. You can either start with Green and end with White or start with Black and end with Green. I can’t say anything about this until I finish the series.
I like the story with Thomas, but when we get the past POV with Billy and Janae I couldn’t care less. I just wanted to know what was going on with Thomas and “the future”. But most of the time, I wasn’t rooting for any character. I didn’t like Thomas’s wife, Chelise. Actually, I don’t think I liked any character, especially Samuel. I just wanted to know what was going on in the other world.
I’ve got a few more library books to read before I take this back and get Black.
August 29, 2024
This rating is really for the whole Circle series. I was hoping for more out of this story, which started with so much potential in the first two books but seems to lose its way from then on. What starts as an interesting allegory for the real redemptive history the Bible reveals to us, with the added twist of jumping between two time periods, devolves into a pattern of contrivances and comparatively shallow parallels with the Church Age and End Times.
For this book specifically, everything that happens in the plot flows from the idea of connecting the end of the series with the beginning, forming a “circle,” but the way the author does it betrays the notion that he wasn’t quite sure how to do that. The writing is tediously repetitive and the conclusion is unsatisfying. Which is fitting, I guess, since circles have no end.
All that in mind, the story still had me wanting to know what would happen and how it would conclude, so it did some things really well. Others might find it more compelling than I did.
For this book specifically, everything that happens in the plot flows from the idea of connecting the end of the series with the beginning, forming a “circle,” but the way the author does it betrays the notion that he wasn’t quite sure how to do that. The writing is tediously repetitive and the conclusion is unsatisfying. Which is fitting, I guess, since circles have no end.
All that in mind, the story still had me wanting to know what would happen and how it would conclude, so it did some things really well. Others might find it more compelling than I did.
January 14, 2025
I really enjoyed Black, Red, and White. And unfortunately Green was….. not enjoyable.
They say you can read Green either first or last. I don’t think it would make any sense at all if you read it first. But also I think you could just skip it and read the other three alone. They have a pretty good conclusion and you can just tie up any loose ends with your own imagination.
There were a lot of things I didn’t like. I didn’t like the random invention of two major characters that weren’t in the other books just to tie up loose ends. I didn’t like that we weren’t switching between worlds as much as before and we didn’t find out what happened in the other world. I didn’t like the excessive amount of… vampire procreation? Yuck. And I didn’t like the final resolution. It was disappointing and not as beautiful as we all wanted it to be.
I know multiple people who say this is their favorite series. I feel bad for not enjoying this book but hopefully liking the other 3 makes up for it?
They say you can read Green either first or last. I don’t think it would make any sense at all if you read it first. But also I think you could just skip it and read the other three alone. They have a pretty good conclusion and you can just tie up any loose ends with your own imagination.
There were a lot of things I didn’t like. I didn’t like the random invention of two major characters that weren’t in the other books just to tie up loose ends. I didn’t like that we weren’t switching between worlds as much as before and we didn’t find out what happened in the other world. I didn’t like the excessive amount of… vampire procreation? Yuck. And I didn’t like the final resolution. It was disappointing and not as beautiful as we all wanted it to be.
I know multiple people who say this is their favorite series. I feel bad for not enjoying this book but hopefully liking the other 3 makes up for it?
October 10, 2025
I loved this book! Narnia meets Lord of the Rings for adults! My husband read the Circle series years ago but I avoided it because I didn’t think it would be to my taste.
Dekker wrote Green book 0 after he had written the trilogy and I’m glad I waited to read them in order. He did a great job with the imagery in reference to the Bible and how man must battle the darkness of evil relentlessly.
Dekker wrote Green book 0 after he had written the trilogy and I’m glad I waited to read them in order. He did a great job with the imagery in reference to the Bible and how man must battle the darkness of evil relentlessly.
February 12, 2022
So sad. I really loved Black, Red, and White, but Green did absolutely nothing for me. I thought it was going to tie things together. Instead, it was another story of his son turning against his father and joining another group to kill all the Horde. Thomas and the Circle are all about peace. they don't fight anymore, they just keep moving from place to place.
I am so glad I didn't read this first, or I think I might not have enjoyed the series!!
I am happy with the Circle and without Green, it was great!
I am so glad I didn't read this first, or I think I might not have enjoyed the series!!
I am happy with the Circle and without Green, it was great!
March 20, 2025
A meandering story and an emphasis on new characters made it harder to be invested in the final book of the circle series. But, excellent ending! And thank you to my amazing friends Caleb and Maegan for gifting us this series!
October 26, 2018
Green can be rather confusing to a new reader in the beginning, especially if you have no knowledge of this series. For me I had no idea what was going on during my time reading the book. Plotlines felt very empty, I know he wrote at the beginning of the book that you can start with Green, but trust me this book doesn’t feel like the beginning of book series, but more like the second or third book. I was very lost and was wondering if this book was going to get any better. I was alright for the most part, but it was hard to keep up with a couple of the characters. At the beginning the book introduced these characters and I had a hard time keeping up the dialogue and who was saying it. So here’s a small summary of how this book went down. The Circle is breaking up with different doctrinal lines, doubts, and bitterness. Thomas of Hunter is 10 years older than his wife Chelise they have 3 children Samuel, Marie, and Jake. Samuel has gone rogue and is starting to rebel against his family. Thomas tries to save his son and the Circle before it is too late, with Chelise trying to save her father. Set in both the near-present day and 2,000 years in the future The members of The Circle, still led by Thomas Hunter and his wife, Chelise, have become a peaceful people, hiding from The Horde instead of fighting them. But some in their people are not satisfied with this kind of existence and want to get rid of the their enemies instead of doing what they were told by Elyon to love unconditionally. More and more of The Circle grow tired of living merely with the past words and revelation of Elyon. Led by Thomas’ own son, this group threatens everything for which The Circle has stood. I would not recommend this book to anyone especially children since there is a lot of sexual content within this book.
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