Black
Book 1: The Birth of Evil
by Ted Dekker
Overview
From the Publisher
Fleeing his assailants through deserted alleyways, Thomas Hunter narrowly escapes to the roof of a building. Then a silent bullet from the night clips his head . . . and his world goes black.
From the blackness comes an amazing reality of another world--a world where evil is contained. A world where Thomas Hunter is in love with a beautiful woman.
But then he remembers the dream of being chased through an alleyway as he reaches to touch the blood on his head. Where does the dream end and reality begin?
Every time he falls asleep in one world, he awakes in the other. Yet in both, catastrophic disaster awaits him . . . may even be caused by him.
Some say the world hangs in the balance of every choice we make. Now the fate of two worlds hangs in the balance of one man's choices.
My thoughts
Wow ... the jury is still out which is why I've given this book two stars instead of three.
The author is a gifted writer and an imaginative storyteller, no doubt. Beyond that, well, I'm at a loss. I found this book in the "Christian Fiction" section of the bookstore and I'm not sure what I expected but it wasn't this.
We all know there was a lot of controversy about the Harry Potter series and whether the books were evil because of magic spells or whether they were simply a fantasy. I wonder why this series of books doesn't face the same criticism for perhaps going too far with religious symbolism. Tying the main character to a cross and then hanging another person to the cross with nails went too far for me. I liked the idea of a playful God who brings unabashed love and joy to mankind, but the dark side of this book was most uncomfortable to me. I really can't decide if I loved this book or hated it. I know that sounds bizarre but it's that controversial to me.
So would I recommend this book? Um, sure, but not without prefacing the recommendation with a warning that it might give you bad dreams, it might be uncomfortable, it may cross some sensitive religious lines, the violence is plentiful though not overly graphic, and the fun parts are really fun. I don't know. I just can't decide about this book!
Favorite Passage
Still kneeling, Tom saw the boy run directly for him. His eyes flashed like emeralds, a twisted grin lifted his cheeks. The boy sprinted right up to Tom, slid to a stop, put an arm around his neck, and placed his soft, warm cheek against Tom's. His hot breath brushed Tom's ear. "I love you," the boy whispered.
A roaring tornado rushed through his mind. Forceful winds blasted against his heart with pure, raw, unrefined love. He heard a feeble grunt fall from his mouth.
Then the boy was on to Rachelle. He repeated the embrace and Rachelle shook with sobs. The boy turned and sprinted from the camp. He stopped a dozen paces to the east and twirled around, eyes sparkling mischievously.
"Follow me," he said ...
