I'm not posting the lyrics to "Auld Lang Syne"...

Watch this space. At the beginning of 2008, I'll post some information on upcoming books and movies of the year. Celebrate New Year's as happily (or drowzily) as you like.

"The Circle Trilogy" review

Yadda yadda. You know the shpeel. Ted Dekker's done it again! Kept me riveted from the first page to the last! What a great writer! Yeah, same old, same old. Anyway, Merry Christmas. Here's my cumulative review of Black, Red, and White, the three volumes of the Circle Trilogy and the beginning of the Books of History Chronicles, which, at the time of my writing, spans no less than six books.

Black: The story begins as Thomas Hunter exits a coffee shop in Denver to discover he is being shot at. He is wounded and soon falls asleep... only to awaken in another world. This is Earth's future, where a plague has ravaged and eliminated most of the planet's population. The survivors live in a colored forest alongside white fuzzy bats known as the Roush. It is peaceful, and the humans are all under the great Elyon's protection. But across the river is the Black Forest, where the Deciever, Teeleh, lives. None from the Colored Forest can eat Teeleh's fruit or drink his water, or else they will die and the Colored Forest will be destroyed. One day, though, a man from the Colored Forest crosses over, and evil begins to creep back into the world...

Meanwhile, on present-day Earth, a man named Valborg Svensson plots to kill millions, if not billions, with the Raison Strain, a mutation of what was thought to be a helpful vaccine. It leaves its victims dead in three weeks...

Thomas Hunter discovers that anytime he is asleep, he travels from one world to the other. It seems only he has the ability to save both worlds...

Red: Fifteen years have passed in the Other Earth, though only a night has passed in the here and now. Thomas Hunter is the leader of the Forest Guard, who protect what is left of their home, from the attacks of the Horde. The Horde are those whom Teeleh decieved, who did not drink of Elyon's cleansing water, and they have sworn to destroy the Forest Guard. And there is a traitor in Thomas's midst...

On the Earth of today, the Raison Strain has been released. The clock is ticking...

White: It has all led to this. Thomas Hunter and his newly born sect, the Circle, have vowed to show the Other Earth Elyon's love, even if it means their deaths. And it very well may. Qurong, the leader of the Horde, has a plan to overthrow the Circle, and Teeleh is pulling the strings. It is this moment the Circle has been waiting for. It is this moment in which the fate of the world may be decided...

On present-day Earth, a possible cure to the Raison Strain has been found. But it might require the ultimate sacrifice...

I'll admit, I was skeptical. I mean, this sort of thing doesn't normally work. But Dekker's writing had me hook, line, and sinker from the beginning, and he kept raising the stakes until it became almost unbearable... the mark of a truly good writer. There is not enough praise I can give for this series. So I'll just say two words:

Dive Deep.

"THR3E" and "House" reviews

Ted Dekker is known to be the master of Christian suspense. His books, some of which have been made into movies, are bestsellers, and they combine Christian themes with nail-biting adrenaline rushes. This is one of his books.

What would you do if you got a phone call from a man while you were driving down the road? What if that man told you to confess a sin you didn't know you'd committed? What if he told you the car you were in would explode in a few minutes? Of course, you'd be curious. You'd probably pull over to the side of the road and step out of your car for a while, just to be sure.

What if the car really did explode?

Such is the starting point for THR3E, a thriller that will keep you guessing until the last page. Filled with an unusual perspective on goor and evil, a twisting plot, and solid characters, this book is a must-read that will keep you up at night.

House's plot is as simple as the title. Four people get stranded in a house with no way out, no way to alert the authorities. A man named Barsidious White tosses in a can with the house rules. #1-- God came to this house and I killed him. #2-- I will kill anyone who comes into my house like I killed God. #3-- Give me one dead body and I might let Rule #2 slide. You have until dawn.

This book is a collaboration between Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker, which is sort of a big deal. And I'd say it's worth the hype. The story takes place all during one night, which gives the feeling that time is running out with the pages. The characters all have radically different personalities, and it's always interesting to see them bounce off each other in a situation of full panic. Finally, in the end, decisions are made that show each character's true worth.

Enjoy.