Circle Series 4-in-1 (The Circle Series)

This is the page-turner of all page-turners! First few chapters were a bit confusing but once you get into the two realities it is easy to follow. One of Ted Dekker's 10 star books (5 stars are too few)

Loved it! There were parts that were a little slower than others, but I needed the breaks from the parts that were so exciting that I couldn't focus on anything else! I was very moved by the whole series analogy to Christ's rejection, crucifixion and eventual triumph over the grave. Great read!

Really enjoyed this whole series. Makes one think. The physical parallels to the spiritual are amazing. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes action, mystery, and divine all rolled into one.

I borrowed the audiobook from my local library to give to my husband for his long commutes. He was so impressed that he urged me to listen to it, and I was absolutely hooked as well! Even though I've dabbled into financial planning browsing books by Suze Orman, listening to talk shows here and there, Aaron's Smith's *In the Black* has been TRANSFORMATIVE for me. I'm 41 years old, and for the first time, feel like I can truly take control of my financial future -- and stop WORRYING about money! The "real life" examples coupled with passages from the Bible were truly inspirational. The book will NOT answer every question about financial planning that you might have, but it provides a solid foundation and the financial literacy needed to consult with a professional. I bought the book so that I could complete the worksheets and to have a reference. I am buying both the audiobooks and paperback version for both of my sisters for Christmas, and I think it will be the best gifts that I ever given them.

These are awesome books! I don't usually read this genre but a friend recommended them and the story really grabbed me. You won't be able to put them down and as soon as you finish one you'll want to get right to the next book!

The story captures your attention from the start. Easy to imagine the characters and what's going on. It describes what is happening as if you were there watching and even a part of the story. I have read "Black" and am now on "Red". Can't put it down!

I bought this collection for my 18 year old daughter for Christmas! She has read these books and Ted is her favorite author! She is constantly telling people that they need to read Ted's books but this set of four are her all time favorites.

I was completely riveted throughout much of this book series. It is truly a page turner. The characters were great, the imagery spectacular, and themes engrossingly challenging. There were enough twists and turns to keep me up reading for hours at night. The idea of a circular plot-line was truly inspired, but some of the plot developments seemed rushed or forced. In the end, this was the only thing that kept me from giving it 5-Stars.

The Circle Series was a solid story told mostly from the viewpoint of Thomas Hunter as he is transferred between two dimensions, dreams, or realities. I enjoyed the majority of the story and only felt as though it dragged at some points, particularly in the third book as it felt like a circle or cycle of the same thing happening over and over but I digress. I was severely worried when an item came late in the story with powers to completely change everything and I thought “here we go lazy writing, he wrote himself into a hole so now we have to randomly have this object that can fix it” but to my joy I was wrong, and the story moved along and the item added to the story as opposed to de-railing or taking away.
My biggest problem would have to be the theology of Dekker, he said is an interview:
“Do you believe that humans will retain their humanity in the next life? That is, will they still have a free will? If so, they would still have a choice for evil, yes? Remove that choice and we essentially become like robots in the future. So if evil exists in the next life, will anyone choose it, the way Lucifer first did? I suppose so. And if so, would the event involve another fall so to speak? We don’t know. Perhaps this allegory I’ve penned is closer to the truth than one might think. Then again, probably not.“
We, in glorification do not have the ability to sin, however that doesn’t make us any less free. He is saying we will still have the ability to fall, and so will need to be redeemed again? That’s heresy. So his hyper-Arminianism view of free-will is troubling to me, but as long as you can differentiate between Elyon and the God of the Bible, remember this is a fictional story and not a theological work.
I enjoy how he demonstrated evil and didn’t pull any punches, I was cringing at certain points, but evil is evil and the way he personifies it is excellent.

These are Excellently written books! Full of thrill, romance, suspense, and supernatural happenings that will blow your mind! I've loved this series and when I finished reading the last book I felt reading the series all over again right then! Definitely recommend this series!

When I first started reading the books, I thought it would make a fantastic movie. But then the further into it I got, I thought it would definitely be too scary for me. The evil is a bit too much. Even reading it was difficult but I still loved the contrast of good and evil and it just gave me even more of a distain for evil.
I feel like my worship experience was enhanced the last couple weeks at church after having read this series. I thought Dekker did a great job of making Thomas feel like a real person of today and so I kept relating it as real even when he was in the other reality, despite how strange some of that was.
I just keep thinking about sin as being a physical disease like the Horde and what a blessing it is to believe in and accept the sacrifice Christ made for each of us!

According to the forward, these books can be read in any order, but when I started with page 1,2,3 etc I felt very much like I jumped into this middle of a creepy, gory story. I could not even complete the first book of four. Since then, a friend who read the books in a different order recommended I try again, but read them out of order from the way they are printed here. I haven’t tried this yet, but it’s hard to recommend this set of books in is current configuration.

Loved black, red, and white 5?! Green is significantly darker, and feels a bit 'forced' to me, so only 3?.

My son (11) and I both enjoyed this series immensely, but I wouldn't have let him read green yet if I had been ahead of him.

So great having all 4 books in one. Dekker never fails to draw the reader into a world of drama, danger, intrigue and suspense. Having all the books together let me continue through til the end. Loved having the alternate ending as well. If you are a Dekker fan, get this series!!