amanda_sauer's review
5.0
A Must Read!! I couldn't wait to pick up the next book. They were very different from anything I'd ever read, but I couldn't help but be enthralled by Dekker's writing style and the way he pulls you into the story. Just make sure you own all 3 books when you start the first one. ;)
myeverskye's review
5.0
The Black, Red & White books are all three amazing & it's great to have them all together in one, very large book
hrector's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.25
gregsgal's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I'm giving the compilation of all the books a 3 star rating and identified each book's rating below.
This series is one you can either read Black, Red, White, then Green or Green, then Black, Red, and White. I read them in the first order with Green being the closing book of the series. It should also be noted that I didn't realize Ted Dekker was a Christian author (shame on me for not looking into the author of a book series whose synopsis was intriguing) and didn't realize how much this would factor in as the series went on. Quick recap of the other books before I delve into this one.
I really enjoyed Black (4 stars) - a man wakes up in what seems to be another world but you find out it's the future and any time he goes to sleep he wakes up in the past (his current timeline). In the future he learns the past was ravaged by a highly transmittable and fatal disease that is moments away from being his reality in the other timeline and he does everything in his power to prevent this from occurring. There was some stuff in the future world that leaned heavily on god (Elyon) but overall it wasn't too detracting and actually seemed to lend itself to the overall story.
I also really enjoyed Red (4 stars), slightly less than Black, but still pretty good. Then enter White (2.5 stars). I still liked this one but less than the previous two books. It seemed to rely more heavily on the god stuff and there was a bit of instalove in it that felt rushed and cobbled together but sure...
And finally Green (0 stars). Wow, this book was just awful. If I had read the series starting here, I would have stopped after this book and probably wouldn't have even finished this one. There was SO much god stuff, a couple "new" characters (Billy wasn't new but basically could've been because I forgot he existed entirely since the last time we'd heard about him was in book 1 and he was a very passing character, and Janae who I didn't care about even slightly yet I think we were supposed to care about her), suddenly we have other creatures that I guess were always there but never explicitly told about, and an ending that you might be okay with if you don't think about how this whole thing is a circle and so the characters are trapped in a never ending cycle of the same thing over and over again with no change in outcome. It felt weirdly churchy/preachy, confusing compared to the other books, and just entirely lackluster.
If you're going to read these books, do yourself a favor and skip this one.
This series is one you can either read Black, Red, White, then Green or Green, then Black, Red, and White. I read them in the first order with Green being the closing book of the series. It should also be noted that I didn't realize Ted Dekker was a Christian author (shame on me for not looking into the author of a book series whose synopsis was intriguing) and didn't realize how much this would factor in as the series went on. Quick recap of the other books before I delve into this one.
I really enjoyed Black (4 stars) - a man wakes up in what seems to be another world but you find out it's the future and any time he goes to sleep he wakes up in the past (his current timeline). In the future he learns the past was ravaged by a highly transmittable and fatal disease that is moments away from being his reality in the other timeline and he does everything in his power to prevent this from occurring. There was some stuff in the future world that leaned heavily on god (Elyon) but overall it wasn't too detracting and actually seemed to lend itself to the overall story.
I also really enjoyed Red (4 stars), slightly less than Black, but still pretty good. Then enter White (2.5 stars). I still liked this one but less than the previous two books. It seemed to rely more heavily on the god stuff and there was a bit of instalove in it that felt rushed and cobbled together but sure...
And finally Green (0 stars). Wow, this book was just awful. If I had read the series starting here, I would have stopped after this book and probably wouldn't have even finished this one. There was SO much god stuff, a couple "new" characters (Billy wasn't new but basically could've been because I forgot he existed entirely since the last time we'd heard about him was in book 1 and he was a very passing character, and Janae who I didn't care about even slightly yet I think we were supposed to care about her), suddenly we have other creatures that I guess were always there but never explicitly told about, and an ending that you might be okay with if you don't think about how this whole thing is a circle and so the characters are trapped in a never ending cycle of the same thing over and over again with no change in outcome. It felt weirdly churchy/preachy, confusing compared to the other books, and just entirely lackluster.
If you're going to read these books, do yourself a favor and skip this one.
sade's review
5.0
Been off Ted Dekker for a looong while now but the circle series minus Green remains one of my fave ted dekker series..
meika_b's review
5.0
Great story, dynamic worlds, interesting characters. This story has stuck with me over the years despite its not-at-all-subtle Christian allegory, which I was not a fan of. That being said, the fact that it was so allegorical provided me some insight into Christian thinking, and to why the faithful are so enchanted with their savior's story. That and the storyline were what I remember the most, even a decade after reading this trilogy.
williamsdebbied's review against another edition
2.0
The Circle trilogy consists of (duh) three books: Black, Red, and White. The books do not stand alone and should be read in order or the story won't make much sense. Thomas Hunter suddenly begins to live in two separate but related realities. When he sleeps in one reality, he wakes in the other. One reality is a modern world (ours) where an evil man plans to release an airborne virus, deadlier than Ebola, that will wipe out life on the planet. The alternate reality is a less modern society where good and evil are clearly visible (the evil creatures are ugly and diseased). Both worlds are in danger and it seems to be up to Thomas to save them. Parts of the story were quite captivating--the overall premise was interesting and there were some imaginative plot twists. However, the religious imagery got to be a bit much at times--it was kind of like a Bible story featuring Rambo, or maybe Dirty Harry, as the hero.
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