Infidel Review

The Lost Books of History II: Infidel




After reading Choosen I had high expectations for Infidel. In my opinion though, this book is solely for the purpose of leading to Renegade, the next book, which we must wait for until April. The reality though is that this book has a lot of the same ideas found in White, my least favorite of the Circle series. Even more though, the characters become less believable.

One of the coolest plots within this book are the Books of History, which in fact are what the Choosen were called to find. There is something about these books and blood that show a person power and terror unimaginable. But, in Infidel, we do not see everyones visions when there blood touches the book. Because of this, the reader is uncertain why Billos is so interested in obtaining the books.

We are also unsure as to the nature of the desperation found within Johnis. Although his mother is alive, and any man wants to save his mother from the depths of hell. In any case, most men, 16, 17, or 56 are going to try to do so with success in mind. Johnis, on the other hand, leads a whole batallion into a trap without even realizing. The reader does have an indication that it is a trap before hand thanks to a traitor of the Guard. This though in and of itself does not go agaisnt the blind decision making Johnis is making. In the first book they develop him as being a leader who ought to be followed. In this book he becomes a failure that can not be trusted. The dichotomy was very hard to follow and ever harder to embrace.

This book is still a bit dark, having a Horde member threaten to kill his own daughter. This invokes compassion for the Horde, and in doing so Dekker creates a parallel between our world and his own. That parallel is very much found in the fact that Christians in our day and age may often see the sin of this world as dispicable. In the books the Guard sees the Horde as such, and vice versa. Yet, when Johnis embraces the Horde as people, he has compassion. The disease of the Horde is everyones desease, books or our world included. We all have a tendancy towards Evil(rape, murder, and other massives forms of selfishness), but it begins without a sort of renewal each and every day. So as our renewal is ignored, our temptations become greater.

Even so, there wasnt a lot of uniqueness in this book. It is good and worth the read, but you find yourself holding on to an unbelievable ride that has a plot line that seems easy, giving those in trouble alternate ways of getting out of trouble. The Horde may have dulled minds, but there ability to let the smartest of the Forest Guard go in impossible situations is uncanny, too conveniant, and ultimately frustrating.

Yet, Billos places his all too bloody body onto a book of history at the end at the three Choosen see him completely disapear. Where he shows up, we will not know until April. But I have a feeling that it won't be Paradise.

Choosen Review

Book 1 of the Lost Books: Choosen

Welcome back. The Horde has been missing you.


For all those who failed to read the Circle series none of this blog makes any sense. Fine, ok, not a big deal, just read Black, proceed to Red, then to White, then to really get the greater feel of the Lost books, read Showdown, Saint, Skin, and you should be caught up. On second thought, you have a lot to catch up on!

As for Chosen, we welcome you back to the Lost World of Ted Dekker. Originally found by one by the name of Thomas Hunter, or as he is known in the forests, Thomas of Hunter, the world has now developed in to one of survival and war.
At the outskirts of the book we find that the Forest Guards numbers are dwindling against the mighty horde. In order to try to combat this, Thomas decides to lower the recruiting age to 16 and in result four unlikely heroes will arise to be the Choosen.
Initially, this book seemed to be just another one of Ted Dekkers quick writes(much like a quick read, only from a writers perspective), but only until the character of Johnis is developed and is called out by the Roush. At this point, the books take a direction that the first color titled books of the Circle series started to do, but deterred from as the books develop. In seeing the Roush, Johnis and his fellow Choosen are dropped into the hell itself looking right into Satan's face. Satan tells them to try to leave. HA, good luck. I mean seriously, only in the Choosen's case it is into the middle of a Black Forest previously unbeknownst to any human(Horder or Forest Dweller) and Satan is Teelah. Yea, I would say this is cool.

As for being scholarly though, I am a little uncertain why these books are in the youth fiction category. The Choosen will be faced with challenges from facing demons all the way to being tortured. If your teen is going to read it, I would advice you read it first. It is a quick read (only about 250 pages) and a fun read. The characters are beleivable and the plot interesting, and ultimately will get you acquainted with one of the best Christian Fiction writers I am aware of.

Above and beyond anything else, this book has taken the brilliance of the Showdown series and drawn it back to the Circle series. The brilliance found in doing this is without description, for the implimintation of what Dekker does is astounding. But, in order to truly appreciate the connections, one must have at least read Skin. As this particular series develops though, you will have to read Showdown and Saint if not the orginal Circle series to truly appreciate what Dekker is doing.

Jean's Funeral

Preface: I debated to post this for a while, but I decided that it was good and worth while, but a bit of a tear jerker.

For every season there is a reason, a time for everything under Heaven. Sometimes though seasons seem to linger for all too long. The winter tends to be long for all of us, especially for the sick, the blind, the lame, and the paralyzed.

In John we see a man who has been unable to go into the pool for he is limited to his mat. His season had lasted all too long and for Jesus it was time for this to change. For this man had experienced weeping and to mourning, he did not know anything but his disability. Yet, in John, we see Jesus call out to the man “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured, he did exactly what Jesus declared.

This is what we believe, that the Bible has inspiring moments for us all to hold onto, we hold these things to be fact and written by God. Still, in these times, the seasons of death, crying, and morning—What reason is there to believe that Jesus cares? What reason is there to trust in the greater season of Christmas? Why would we have any reason to hope?

Coming home to be back in Colorado, these questions fueled my mind. I see seasons as well as people come and go. I come in front of Jesus to tell him that we as a people seem to be invalid, I tell the Lord that there is no one to help us: We are all dieing.

In this season though, we have experienced the loss of a mother, a sister, a grandmother, and a friend. For most of us we were a part of the whirlwind that was Jean going into the hospital, her fast fade, and finally the dreaded phone call of her dieing.

But for one of us, as I have found, that one was given reason to hope.

As the Bible fell open Tom read John 5:1-9 in Jean’s last moments. Let me, though, do my best to describe not what was read, but what was truly going on:

Some time later, Tom went up to the Wray Hospital where people who are blind, lame, or paralyzed go to get well. There, Tom met with Grandma Jean who had been sick for sometime. Her body failing, her mind lost deep within the sorrow of loosing both her parents and her beloved dancing partner in only the past few years. Tom thinks in his mind “Don’t you want to get well?”. Jean doesn’t reply, she is too tired—not that she might sleep; but simply tired of trying, tired of hoping—simply tired of living. Then Tom reads Jesus reply to the invalid, to all of the people in this world, but specifically to Jean. Jesus says: “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”

As Tom looked up Jean has passed, but he only sees Jean’s body. In reality, the reality that we will never understand which is Heaven, our Jean at once was cured. She picked up her mat and walked right into the hands of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is there, in the arms of Jesus, Jean is experiencing an everlasting season. This season is one of planting, healing, laughing, building, but beyond any of these—dancing.

As you go forth, may you know that beyond the times of dieing, there is healing. Beyond the times of weeping, there is laughing. But, beyond anything else—know that beyond mourning there is dancing. May we all go forth to the Elks and dance with the joy that only comes from Jesus Christ.

Back from the Grave

Whatever faithful bloggers who are out there trying to exist by reading other's blogs, I apologize for my long absense having last posted in February. I have way too much on my plate, but the past few days I have been able to return from being six feet under in more ways than one.
I will try to say as much as I can though, the reality is that if you believe in God or not, life takes unexpected turns. Whether it is ordained or not doesnt really matter, it simply comes up that our plans are not destiny's plans and sometimes we are left for dead. Sometimes we are left six feet under wondering what the hell just happened. As tears are shed and reality is realized, as Selah says, we press on. So, here I am a bit changed in my tendancies, but back from the grave. I have been inspired to do something more with this blog when I do anything with it at all, but the point of the matter still remains: but the breadth at which you will see my mind may be changing. I will try to post more often, in hopes that my creativity will take claim and people will be interested. So here we go, and for all you faithful bloggers, read and blog on.