Black (novel)
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| Author | Ted Dekker |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Circle Series |
| Genre | Christian, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Thriller |
| Publisher | Thomas Nelson |
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Publication date
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2004, 2009 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover and Paperback) Audiobook |
| Pages | 432 |
| ISBN | 1-59554-021-0 |
| OCLC | 53131188 |
| Preceded by | Green: The Last Stand |
| Followed by | Red: The Heroic Rescue |
Black: The Birth of Evil is a novel written by author Ted Dekker. It is the first book in the Circle Series, and is a part of the Books of History Chronicles.
Plot summary
This book is about a man named Thomas Hunter in Denver, Colorado, 2010, who, after being knocked unconscious from a bullet wound to the head, wakes up to find himself in a strange world full of black, twisted trees. After being attacked by evil bats called Shataiki and led out of the Black Forest by a white bat, he is rendered unconscious again due to blood loss. He wakes up to find himself back in Denver.
Startled at the sudden change, he can’t figure out which world is real. He soon discovers that every time he falls asleep, he wakes up in the other world, until he falls asleep there.
Outside of the Black Forest is the Colored Forest, a paradise inhabited by a civilization of immortal-yet innocent-human beings who are watched over by Elyon, a God-like being, along with white, bat-like Roush, who are opposites of the Shataiki and act as servants of Elyon.
Thomas eventually finds out that this other world is our own thousands of years in the future, and that a virus, mutated from the Raison vaccine, would wipe out his present-day Earth later that year.
Thomas is forced to fight evil in both worlds, a difficult prospect, for while evil is portrayed differently in each reality, it is equally as potent, and Thomas quickly finds that putting a stop to an event of apocalyptic proportions is no easy task.
Characters
- Thomas Hunter
- Kara Hunter
- Michal
- Gabil
- Rachelle
- Tanis
- Elyon
- Teeleh
- Carlos Missirian
- Valborg Svensson
- Monique de Raison
- Jacques de Raison
Symbolism
The tale in Black represents the story of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden, although there are many more than two people living in the paradise on Other Earth. Elyon represents God ("Elyon" is one of the various names of God), Teeleh represents Satan, the Shataiki represent Demons, the Roush represent Angels (particularly Michael and Gabriel), and the character Tanis represents Adam.
The title, "Black", refers to the color of the Shataiki and the "Black Forest", in contrast to the luminescent colored forest, but more importantly black is the color commonly associated with sinners' hearts in the Christian tradition, and of the world before Jesus Christ came to heal the curse of Adam.
Genesis: The Birth of an Idea
As part of a promotional campaign called "Share the Love" in which participants would preorder three or more copies of Dekker's newest book, The Priest's Graveyard, he offered various incentives. Anyone who bought three or more copies of The Priest's Graveyard would receive a free copy of one of Ted's older manuscripts known as Genesis. It is a very early version of Black, and while it contains many of the same events and elements of Black, it is a completely different story with "over 50% new story content."
