Chosen
Reviewed by Jake Chism, Bookshelf Review
It’s been thirteen years since the evil Teeleh has laid waste to the beauty of Elyon’s creation. The Horde roams the desert-filled earth seeking to destroy the followers of Elyon that remain. Thomas Hunter is the commander of the Forest Guard, warriors who have given their lives in service to Elyon and fellow believers. The Horde greatly outnumbers the Forest Guard, and Thomas is reluctantly forced to encourage sixteen and seventeen year olds to fight. Out of this group four have been chosen by Thomas himself as special leaders: Johnis, Silvie, Darsal, and Billos.
These new recruits are sent on one last training mission to prove their worth to Thomas and the Guard. They soon discover there is an even greater mission in store for them, and the survival of Elyon’s followers depends on their success. They must seek out and collect the legendary Books of History before they fall into evil hands. Along the way Johnis discovers that not only was he born to lead, but his destiny is greater than he could have ever imagined.
Ted Dekker is one of the most prolific and successful CBA authors to date, and with the beginning of this great new series he only continues to elevate his status. Chosen is an extraordinary tale that builds upon the unforgettable world Dekker created in Black, Red, and White. Adventure, action, and suspense abound, and the world and characters of Elyon are rich and skillfully fashioned. The subtle connections to Dekker’s previous works are a clever and fun addition to the enjoyment.
Chosen is being marketed as Young Adult Fiction, but young and old alike will enjoy this latest offering. Dekker fans will love this new story from the Circle universe and new readers will undoubtedly be sucked in to the greatness that is Ted Dekker. This is a superb beginning to what is sure to be a fantastic series.
Stretched to their limits and celebrated as heroes, the chosen will wish they'd never been given the thankless task of finding the seven lost Books of History before the Dark One can.
Continuing against all odds their journey will now take them into the Horde City itself, to face an adversary that not even Thomas Hunter has faced. But there in the most desperate straights, new hope is found and love takes root.
And for the first time it becomes clear that their journey will take our heroes into the books themselves. Nothing will ever be the same, not for these four.
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6 comments:
I just finished reading the circle trilogy and was floored at how amazing it was. I am a youth pastor, so of course the trilogy was just an awesome modern day parable to the fall of man and the plan of salvation...kudos to Dekker. But now, I see that there are so many of his books that may be connected to the circle trilogy. My question is the following: which books by Dekker are connected to the trilogy and do you have a order that you would recommend reading them in...also if you can...do you recommend reading them...meaning, do they really contribute to the circle world and do they have an awesome religious message like the trilogy? Thanks for your answers.
I would happily have replied by email, but as you did not send me an email address, I hope you will check back here for my response.
First, I have enjoyed most everything Ted Dekker has written. If you want some great stories NOT related to the Circle, check out Thr3e, Obsessed, and House (written with Frank Peretti). They have all been reviewed on this site, but the reviews may contain spoilers, so beware.
If you're really into the Circle (as most Dekker fans are), there are several books that range from vaguely related to deeply connected to the Circle. I would recommend reading them all, in the following order:
Black
Red
White
Showdown
House
Saint
Skin
Showdown is deeply connected to the histories, as will become apparent. House and Skin have roots as well, and even Saint has a very vague connection. They are all very, very good reads.
I have read all of the books mentioned here several times, and enjoyed them anew with every read.
If you'd like more information, email me at joe@averagejoeamerican.us and I'd be happy to discuss them with you.
I'm confused, I'm reading Chosen right now and I can't figure out where it fits in the time line of the other books. His wife in Chosen is Rachel yet she was killed in Red. Is this new series an expansion of the story between Black and Red?
I am actually just now reading the story myself. I, like you, was boggled. The cover of CHOSEN makes it sound as if it takes place 13 years after the CIRCLE trilogy (BLACK, RED, WHITE). But in CHOSEN Thomas of Hunter's wife is Rachelle, who died in the trilogy, and Thomas in fact remarried CHELISE, the Horde Princess at the end of WHITE.
According to the Message Boards at TedDekker.com:
CHOSEN takes place between BLACK and RED, so Rachelle is not yet dead. I do remember that there is a long period where Thomas Hunter sleeps and lives out about 15 years in the dreams, so it is entirely possible that this 15 year period is where the Lost Books of History (CHOSEN, INFIDEL, etc.) take place.
It has to be two years prior to Red because it repeatedly says thirteen years in chosen and fifteen years in red, also the bathing pools are still green they have not turned to red yet so therefor Justin hasn't come yet. In the beginning of Infidel we see Johan changing his name to Martyn, at least thats as far as i have gotten i just started Infidel an hour ago. Also in Chosen Michal says there are 7 lost books of history but Justin says there are thousands of them in Red a lot of things are seeming somewhat contradictory.
If you haven't read the rest of Dekker's Circle-related works (SHOWDOWN, SKIN, SAINT, and even HOUSE), you should. They will make the entire story much more evident to you. In CHOSEN we find clarification of something that happens in SKIN. I personally don't think you can read one without reading the others.
Also in CHOSED, "the traitor" is frequently spoken of. We know that this is Johan/Martyn in the trilogy, so CHOSEN clearly happens at some point during the 15 years that take place in Other Earth between BLACK and RED.
As for the books of history, there are thousands of them. Thomas discovers chests full of them in Qurong's tent in the trilogy. There are thousands of them in play in SHOWDOWN. However, this is not a contradiction. In CHOSEN when Thomas speaks of the seven lost books of history, he specifically refers to them as the books that were penned by Elyon himself. In the trilogy and in SHOWDOWN we learn that most of the thousands of books are blank.
I am still reading CHOSEN, and can't wait to finish it and get started on INFIDEL. Every time Dekker brings out a new book related to the Circle, I read it, then re-read the entire Circle saga. That reading list is constantly growing longer and longer, and I've read them many, many times, but somehow every time is like the first time reading it.
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