Book Review: The Circle Series

Okay, here's the book review, finally! I guess it's more of a "books" review, since it's on four books, not just one.

I'm going to do this book review a little differently: I'll list the pros and cons separately, in bullet-proof format, instead of in paragraph form. 

Title: The Circle Series (Black, Red, White, Green)

Author: Ted Dekker

PROS:

* The series was an excellent mix of fantasy and thriller.

* It was well-written and hard to put down.  It accomplished the hard feat of putting vivid images in the reader's mind without bogging him down with descriptions.

* It was a very original type of fantasy.  It did not have the feel of classic Tolkienesque fantasy with dragons and knights and wizards and elves, and weird names that are hard to pronounce, and dark mysterious forests with giant spiders, and an ancient flowery elvinish-like language to make the story more "cool", etc., etc.  It's not that I'm opposed to that type of fantasy, but to be honest, I was really starting to get tired of it, and it was quite refreshing to read something more original.  

* Dekker keeps you very grounded in reality throughout the book (because the main character is constantly switching between our world and the other world), so much so that it doesn't feel like you're reading fantasy at all.  The other reality becomes just as real and believable as our reality in the book.

* Not only is it a gripping thriller and convincing fantasy; it is an awesome story that revolves around the powerful them of redemption.  In the book Black, evil and sin arrive, and humans are separated from God (Romans 3:23).  In Red, we witness the great sacrifice; God offers His Son to die, and restores the relationship between humans and God (John 3:16).  White highlights how the relationship between God and mankind is like a Great Romance; He is the groom and the deliverer, and we are His precious bride (Revelation 21:9, Song of Solomon).  And the color Green represents how anyone who is in God finds new life, and an eternal home in Heaven (John 14:2-3).

 
* Anyway (continuing the thought from the last point), I thought the story on its own -- take out the page-turning plot, well-developed characters, originality, etc. -- was absolutely beautiful, and it was what truly made the series.  Otherwise, they'd just be another collection of entertaining but generally pointless thrillers; instead they are entertaining thrillers that also have a moving portrayal of redemption.  You will come away from this series seeing God in a whole new way and desiring a relationship with Him even more... at least, I certainly did!

CONS

* Warning: The books are bloody and violent... not recommended for young readers! 

* The series has a lot of romance, although the romance is not pointless; it plays a part in demonstrating what our relationship with God should be like, in a general sense.  I think the overall message of the series would be less powerful without the romance.  However, there is also premarital kissing, and some people -- including myself -- may have a problem with that.

* The last book, Green, (or the first book, actually, depending on which order you read the series in), has some telepathic and vampire content.  It's a little weird, so be forewarned.  This book is by far the creepiest of the four, but once again, it is for a reason; it helps establish the evil side that exists in the story, and considering what that side represents in our world, it's not an exaggeration!

Well, as you can see, I thought there were a lot more pros to the series than cons!

A note about order: While I recommend that you read the series in the order of Black, Red, White, and Green, it can also be read with Green as the first book, followed by the rest in the same order.  Dekker designed the series to be read either way.  The reason I recommend the first way is because that's the order the series was written in, so it feels a lot more natural.  Plus, it's a lot easier to get hooked onto the story when you start with Black, and it's cool to see how in Green, everything unfolds and mysteries from the first three books are answered.  The one downside to this order is that Green ends on a mild cliff-hanger, whereas White has a more satisfactory ending.  To each his own.

 
To learn more about The Circle Series, read about all four books on Ted Dekker's official website: http://www.teddekker.com, or see his books on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Circle-Hardcover-Box-Set/dp/1595547339/.

Can Mankind Stop Global Warming?

Watch this short and eye-opening video. It is only ten minutes long and well-worth your time; you may never see global warming the same way again.

Then, if you can, share this video with your friends and family. This is a message that needs to be spread. You can click on the easy share button at the bottom of this post to instantly share it through email, blogger, Facebook, Twitter, or Google Buzz, or you can share the video directly through Youtube.



P.S. Another blog post is still coming soon: a review on The Circle Series (Black, Red, White and Green) by Ted Dekker.

Picture of the Month

I'm sorry it's been so long since my last post... I've had a lot of excitement over the last month and not much time for blogging.  I actually meant to write a post last week, but I was out of town, and accidentally left my notes for the post at home.  So, that post will be coming soon... stay in tune!

Meanwhile, here's another weird picture to entertain you...

All Scientists Believe in Evolution!

Oh, do they? Here are some quotes from numerous scientists expressing their doubts in the Evolutionary theory:

" ‘Scientists who go about teaching that evolution is a fact of life are great con men, and the story they are telling may be the greatest hoax ever. In explaining evolution we do not have one iota of fact.’ [Tahmisian called it] a tangled mishmash of guessing games and figure juggling."—*Fresno Bee, August 20, 1959, p. 1-B [quoting *T.N. Tahmisian, physiologist for the Atomic Energy Commission].

"Evolution . . is not only under attack by fundamentalist Christians, but is also being questioned by reputable scientists. Among paleontologists, scientists who study the fossil record, there is growing dissent from the prevailing view of Darwinism."—*James Gorman, "The Tortoise or the Hare?" Discover, October 1980, p. 88.

"Scientists have no proof that life was not the result of an act of creation."—*Robert Jastrow, The Enchanted Loom: Mind in the Universe (1981), p. 19. (Note: Jastrow is a leading astronomer.)

"The particular truth is simply that we have no reliable evidence as to the evolutionary sequence . . One can find qualified, professional arguments for any group being the descendant of almost any other."—*J. Bonner, "Book Review," American Scientist 49:1961, p. 240.

"The facts fail to give any information regarding the origin of actual species, not to mention the higher categories."—*Richard Goldschmidt, The Natural Basis of Evolution, p. 165.

"The theory of evolution suffers from grave defects, which are more and more apparent as time advances. It can no longer square with practical scientific knowledge."—*Albert Fleishman, zoologist.

"It seems to me astronomy has proven that forces are at work in the world that are beyond the present power of scientific description; these are literally supernatural forces, because they are outside the body of natural law."—*S. Toulmin, "Science, Philosophy of," in Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol. 18 (15th ed. 1974), p. 389.

"Nobody can imagine how nothing could turn into something. Nobody can get an inch nearer to it by explaining how something could turn into something else."—*G.K. Chesterton (1925).

"The theory of evolution is totally inadequate to explain the origin and manifestation of the inorganic world."—*Sir Ambrose Fleming, F.R.S., quoted in H. Enoch, Evolution or Creation (1968), p. 91 [discoverer of the thermionic valve].

" ‘Science positively demands creation.’ "—Lord Kelvin, quoted in H. Enoch, Evolution or Creation, (1988), p. 94.

"The theory [of evolution] is a scientific mistake."—*Louis Agassiz, quoted in H. Enoch, Evolution or Creation (1986), p. 139. [Agassiz was a Harvard University professor.]

"To my mind, the theory does not stand up at all."—*H. Lipson, "A Physicist Looks at Evolution," Physics Bulletin 31 (1980), p. 138.

"The hypothesis that life has developed from inorganic matter is, at present, still an article of faith."—*J.W.N. Sullivan, The Limitations of Science (1933), p. 95.

 "Evolutionism is a fairy tale for grown-ups. This theory has helped nothing in the progress of science. It is useless."—*Bounoure, Le Monde et la Vie (October 1983) [Director of Research at the National Center of Scientific Research in France].

And from Charles Darwin himself:

 [In a letter written to Asa Gray, a Harvard professor of biology:] "I am quite conscious that my speculations run quite beyond the bounds of true science."—*Charles Darwin, quoted in *N.C. Gillespie, Charles Darwin and the Problem of Creation (1918), p. 2 [University of Chicago book].

Of course, these quotes don't necessarily prove anything. I understand that. But you definitely cannot say that all scientists believe in Evolution. 


Quotes taken from The Evolution Handbook by Vance Ferrell, published by Evolution Facts, Inc. Read the entire book, including many more quotes from scientists regarding problems with the theory of Evolution, at http://evolution-facts.org/Handbook%20TOC.htm.

Picture of the Month

Nearly False Advertising

We've all heard the talk about Cheerios being an excellent way to lower cholesterol, but here's what's in the fine print (I found this written on a Cheerios cereal box):

"*Three grams of soluble fiber daily from whole grain oat foods, like Cheerios cereal, in a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, MAY reduce the risk of heart disease.  Cheerios cereal provides 1 gram per serving."

(My own emphasis added.)

So, let me translate:  Cheerios might, possibly give you 1/3 of what you need every day to lower your cholesterol, IF you additionally have a diet that's already low in cholesterol and saturated fat.

Let me translate again:  Cheerios is practically useless in lowering your cholesterol.  Just have a diet that is low in cholesterol, and you'll be fine.  Cheerios can be a part of that diet, but it does nothing on its own.

Sorry, General Mills.  You're just not as healthy as you think you are.

The Fall of Rome and America Today: Are We Headed Down the Same Path? (Part 2)

How does the Roman empire before its fall compare to America today? While our economy has been the strongest in the world for a long time, we have recently experienced economical decline. Just as the Roman empire had an increase in unemployment, and as a result, more government handouts to the needy, our country has experienced a recent rise in unemployment. According to the latest release from the United States Department of Labor, unemployment is now at 9.9 percent (www.bls.gov). Meanwhile, our government has also been steadily increasing its financial handouts to the unemployed, entitlement programs for the poor, and its bailouts for big businesses. 

 

In the same way that the value of Roman coins dropped, the value of the American dollar has been under attack for many years. To help correct America's economic woes, the Obama administration announced in March of last year that it would print $1 trillion (ww.rt.com). However, history has shown again and again that printing money, without backing it up with gold or other sources of value, harms an economy instead of helping it. A prime example of this was when Septimus Severus, also seeking to boost his economy, decreased the silver content in Roman coins. It appears that the United States government is repeating some of the mistakes of history instead of learning from them. While the effects of the Obama printing spree are not expected to take toll on our economy for a little while, many economists fear it will create nasty inflation much worse than what we already have.

According the Armed Forces Journal, our country has become the world's largest debtor over the last thirty years (Thompson www.armedforcesjournal.com). Thomas Fingar, the top analyst in the U.S. intelligence community, has predicted that by 2025, China will move towards taking America's place as the world's largest power and stablest economy (Ibid). Over the last decade, our economic growth has lagged behind the rest of the world, our share of global output has dropped from about one third down to one fourth, and we have had more than one recession. Yet during all this, China has had a relatively stable growth rate, averaging about eight percent higher than ours during the Bush administration (Ibid).

In addition to America's economical troubles, we face difficulties with the military and with foreign threats. Since 9/11, we have been at war with enemies in the Middle East who have publicly pledged to destroy us. These terrorists have every intention of carrying out that pledge, and would love to see the downfall of our nation. Lately, however, our response to the threat of terrorism has been what we think of as diplomatic, but what our enemies think as weak. 

 

Many people in our government are advocating the idea of eliminating our nuclear weapons and discontinuing their production in the future. President Obama said in December 2009, “I've made it a central pillar of my foreign policy to secure loose nuclear materials from terrorists, to stop the spread of nuclear weapons, and to pursue the goal of a world without them because every nation must understand that true security will never come from an endless race for ever-more destructive weapons; true security will come for those who reject them” (Gaffney www.newsmax.com). In April, Obama announced that he would begin a new arms strategy that would significantly reduce the United States' usage of nuclear weapons (Sanger www.nytimes.com). Meanwhile, as the United States strives to remove nuclear weapons from the world scene, our enemies continue to make them behind closed doors. Iran, for example, has created a nuclear program. The government promises the program is peaceful, but a number of nations – including the United States and Israel – are convinced it is a precursor to weapons (Ibid). While foreign threats mount overseas, overall discontent grows at home for the military and the wars; just as the Romans lost support for their own military (Yingling www.armedforcesjournal.com). 

 

Having said all this, how Rome and America share many economical and militaristic similarities, one might wonder if these similarities really matter? Does America's economic and military resemblance to the Roman empire mean we are truly doomed for the same fate, or is this resemblance an irrelevant coincidence? The answer can be found by digging deeper into the cause of Rome's fall. The empire not only collapsed because of economical and militaristic issues. Both of these issues stemmed from a larger problem, which Americans should pay attention to, because it mirrors our own situation even more than the economical and militaristic ones do.

Romans forgot who they were. Their national pride and patriotism diminished into a relaxed, false sense of security; a feeling that they would never fall, that their empire would last forever, that they were superior to the world, and invincible. Not long before the city of Rome was sacked by Visigoth barbarians, a poet named Claudian wrote, “There will never be an end to the power of Rome” (Murphy 31). Romans no longer had the morals and virtues they once believed in and fought for, such as the importance of family and hard work. They were no longer as passionate about protecting their homeland and, perhaps, protected it mainly out of fear, instead of patriotism.

In comparing Rome during the Punic Wars to its latter days in the fifth century, historian Victor Davis Hanson wrote, “The difference over six centuries, the dissimilarity that led to the end, was a result not of imperial overstretch on the outside but something happening within that was not unlike we ourselves are now witnessing. Earlier Romans knew what it was to be Roman, why it was at least better than the alternative, and why their culture had to be defended. Later in ignorance they forgot what they knew, in pride mocked who they were, and in consequence disappeared” (Murphy 9). 

 

Just like the Romans, many Americans have definitely forgotten who we are. We have certainly lost much of the patriotism of our ancestors, and we feel the same false sense of security that the Romans felt: a feeling that Americans are the best, that things will always be the way they are now, and America will certainly never fall, because “it's America!” However, just as “being Rome” did not stop Rome from falling, “being America” will not stop us from falling. Our solution is to go back to the morals and values of our founding fathers, and most importantly, the morals and values of the Bible. We must get on our knees and turn our hearts back to God. He is the only true, long-lasting antidote to corruption, moral decline, and every other problem in society that can lead to a civilization's fall.

Bibliography

“Employment Situation Summary.” 7 May 2010. Accessed 13 May 2010.

Gaffney, Frank. “Obama's Nuclear Weapon Stance Creates Risk for U.S.” 25 January 2010. Accessed 11 March 2010.

Gill, N. S. “Fall of Rome – The End of the Roman Empire.” Accessed 6 May 2010. 

Murphy, Cullen. Are We Rome?: The Fall of an Empire and the Fate of America. 2007, Houghton Mifflin Company, New York City, NY

“Obama's Administration Turns on Money Printing Machine.” 20 March 2009. Accessed 11 March 2010.

Ruddy, Christopher. “The Dollar Is Under Attack.” 19 November 2007. Accessed 11 March 2010.

Sanger, David E. and Peter Baker. “Obama Limits When U.S. Would Use Nuclear Arms.” 5 April 2010. Accessed 7 April 2010.

Thompson, Loren. “America's Economic Decline.” March 2009. Accessed 26 February 2010.

Yingling, Lt. Col. Paul L. “The Founders' Wisdom.” February 2010. Accessed 26 February 2010.