Green (Circle 0) - Ted Dekker

Green: The Beginning and the End by Ted Dekker
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Ugh. This book. I wish I could go back and time and never read it so it wouldn't have tainted my love for the original Circle Trilogy.

I read the original trilogy a couple of years before Green was released, so I wanted to reread the other three books before reading Green. I just read all four in a row. And I have a lot to say about Green - none of it complementary. I wish I could give zero stars.

First of all, Dekker says Green completes the Circle, and you can read it at the beginning or the end. There is NO WAY you could read this book before you read Black, Red, and White. Absolutely no way. It would make no sense and be even more confusing than reading it after you've read those three.

Second, it seems like someone completely different wrote this book than the others. There is none of the vibrancy of character or engagement of plot present in this book that was there in the first three that would make a reader want to keep turning pages. In fact, I wanted to do anything *but* read more of Green. I wanted to give it up every other chapter, but my stubbornness to see the series through wouldn't let me. Seriously, I cleaned my kids' bathroom once instead of reading more of this book. That's desperate for you.

There were so many great descriptions in the other books. There were descriptions in this book. I don't know how many times I read about "light colored horses." Worse than that, so many of the descriptions were much more sultry/sensuous/sexual or violent. I was not a fan of the change. I understand that this book was about good and evil. And evil is dark. But I think that point can be expressed without being so graphic.

And vampires?!? Okay, I guess at this point I should admit that I haven't read all of the Ted Dekker's books. I think that was some of my confusion with a lot of what occurs in Green. You need to not only have read the original Circle Trilogy but also the other books (Showdown series, Lost Books, etc.) that link in and were written after Black/Red/White. Especially to understand Billy's character and story. Things are hinted at in Green. But the hints are confusing.

There were So. Many. inconsistencies. How did Thomas know Billy was connected with Ba'al? Even more so, how did he know that Janae and the priestess were connected when he'd never met her in any form? Chelise later reflects on Thomas shouting at her as he disappears, but nothing indicates he ever even saw her there. How does Janae so easily infiltrate the Eramites when such a point has been made about Eram being a smart leader and it was mentioned multiple times that the Eramites are supremely cautious of the albinos, including Samuel and his friends.

Character development: There was none.

The world building of the other books: nonexistent.

Read the original three. Do yourself a favor and skip this one.

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