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Nov 25, 2008

Jill rated it:

Someone is shooting at Thomas Hunter. He runs for his life—zig-zagging, hiding, and executing some awesome martial arts—as men chase him through the streets of Denver. But when a silent bullet grazes his head, his world goes black and he wakes up somewhere else.

In darkness. He doesn’t know where he is. Hideous bats chase him, clawing at him until he loses consciousness again and wakes up back in Denver, in an alley. He manages to get to his sister’s apartment, clean himself up, and More...

0 comments like (9 people liked it)

Jan 28, 2012

Martha rated it:

I've listed this as Christian fiction, but it really doesn't fall in that category. I'll give this some thought and maybe come up with a new shelf. I did enjoy this book and would have given it 4 stars except for some parts that I found a bit boring and a little ridiculous ... even for this type of story. The pseudo Garden of Eden was a bit hard to take at times ... at least for me. At one point I though these must be the bad guys because they are just too good to be true. Since this is the firs More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 27, 2008

Charles rated it:

Few books have such an immersive world that you actually feel like you're living in it when you read it. Although this is true about the first book in the ring trilogy (being Black) by Ted Dekker, the book has some major flaws.

Characters sometimes seem unrealistic and do absurd things for seemingly no apparent reason. I am constantly reminded of this by the stupid comments that the main character constantly throws out in serious conversations. Such as "If they don't help us we s More...

5 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jan 28, 2008

Rachel rated it:

I would highly recommend this book to anyone I know. This was written about the Chronicles of Narnia on wikipedia.org but applies to the Color Trilogy as well: "The series contains many allusions to traditional Christian ideas,... however, the books can also be read purely for their adventure, colour, and richness of ideas."
Even if you are not a Christian, I believe you will enjoy this book because it IS a metaphor. In fact, even as a Christian, I didn't understand what the m More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jan 26, 2012

Sue rated it:

I was intrigued by the idea that this was a trilogy that evolved with a 4th book that could be read before or after the basic trilogy. Okay that sounded a little crazy, but the premise on the cover was good so I decided to get "Black" and begin the journey. The main character goes in and out dreams, back and forth in time, and meet beings and human like animals, and falls in love....all in a period that almost suspends reality. I feel like this is Robin Cook meets the "Matrix More...

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Oct 09, 2011

Kasia rated it:

Ted Dekker is a magician when it comes to creating a book this astounding, this addictive, and this breathtaking. It held a strong grip on me and has left me spellbound from the beginning to the very end. There is no relief at the last page; instead it left me begging for more. The story ends on a high note and only promises a more delectable part 2 that I can't wait to read.

The book starts innocently enough; Thomas is on his way back home in Denver when a shooting brings him down into More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 07, 2011

Jonathan rated it:

This simple looking cover and basic title was my introduction to the world of Ted Dekker. I picked it up off the shelf of my school library and brought it along with me on an excursion. Without any idea of the powerful wow factor of this novel I began reading and would not have put the book down had it of been for the fact that the bus had to stop and let us out.

Black is the story of a man caught between two worlds. When he dreams in our everyday world he wakes in another world of fa More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 29, 2011

Adam rated it:

I've been trying to think about what I could say about this book. And I know that's a horrible way to start off a review. I also think that it hits at the core of what could be said. Do I tell you, that as a Christian, I actually dislike a great deal of Christian books? That even though I did like this book -- that I really don't mind this series too terribly much -- that it does nothing to change my opinion of the state of Christian publishing. Should I tell you that while Ted Dekker holds More...

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Jun 09, 2010

Michelle rated it:

This book is tough for me to write about. There are elements I liked and elements I didn't. His writing style is easy to engage with and is compelling, but it is the first half-fantasy, half-mainstream fiction I've ever read.

I don't really know what to say.

Yes. I do.

This book is intriguing because Ted Dekker has taken an idea and catapulted it into a whole other spectrum of writing. I can see why he is so well loved and has done so well.

The sto More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 03, 2010

Terri rated it:

I would classify this book as an allegorical Christian thriller and I really looked forward to reading it after hearing good things about some of the author's other books. Unfortunately, I was not impressed by Black. It was unnecessarily long and I found myself rather bored at times. The allegorical aspects seemed alternately too obvious and too convoluted leaving me to wonder at the author's intent. The "great romance" allegory struck me as cheesy and, as a Christian, I was left wonde More...

1 comment like

Mar 01, 2010

Lydia rated it:

In January I was introduced to Ted Dekker through his most recent Circle book, Green. I was fascinated by Thomas Hunter and his dreams in that book and with Black I feel as if they have been taken to a whole new level.

Now, Black was written before Green. And Green is meant to be read as the finale, or as the beginning - it doesn't make a difference really. I will tell you that having read Green first I was able to jump with both feet i to the story laid out in Black and my level of More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 07, 2010

Loren rated it:

From ISawLightningFall.com

I don’t remember all that much about my elementary-school days. However, I do recall one art class in particular. My teacher held up a color wheel and pointed out the three primaries. Combining these in varying proportions, she explained, yielded the rest of the colors. Red and yellow made orange, yellow and blue formed green, and so on. This fascinated me, but what really blew my six-year-old mind was how she said we got black -- by combining everything. Th More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 05, 2009

Spenser rated it:

Black by Ted Dekker. My personal opinions.

Black by Ted Dekker is a hard book to describe in a sentence. It has a strange feel that tells you something like "Never put me down!" or "Just read one more chapter." And it surely did to me. Black is about Thomas Hunter, a man is constantly switching between two realities, One is our reality, one is the future. The problem is he cannot tell which one is really the true modern reality. The dreams feel so real, the touch More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 18, 2009

Adrienne rated it:

The book started slowly, and I read through many other books between starting this one and finishing it. But right about page 300, things started to pick up, and my attention was piqued. It also helped that I only had about 100 pages to go and needed one more book to get the book count to an even 80. But the final 100+ pages made me want very much to continue the trilogy, so I’ll be reading the other two books in 2009.**

Tom Hunter is a normal guy, just trying to get along in life. He More...

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Apr 28, 2009

Zoe added it

“Black" written by Ted Dekker is the first book of a mind twisting thriller trilogy. As Thomas Hunter, the main character is fleeing from his pursuers, he is shot in the head then finds himself awake in another world where good and evil are separated by a designated river. He soon discovers that when he falls asleep in one world, he has awakened in the other world. In both worlds, something goes terribly wrong and the fate of both worlds is all depended on Thomas’ decision
This book wa More...

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Apr 14, 2009

Alex rated it:

I just read the book, Black, by Ted Dekker. This book is a mystery/suspense fiction novel. Tom Hunter is a guy in his twenties who lives in Denver, in an apartment with his sister. He works at a coffeeshop, and has several manuscripts of books he'd like published at home. He also was raised in the Philipines, learned how to defend himself against gangs there, and has borrowed a bunch of money that he has to pay back, which is why he's in Denver. He's running from the lenders. He's found by his l More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 11, 2011

Caressa rated it:

This falls into my category of Brilliant Idea Executed Poorly. I have always had wicked vivid dreams, so novels about dreamscapes, dreams vs reality, dreams portending the future, etc, fascinate me. "Black" intrigued me enough that I forced myself to read six or seven chapters, then I was so irritated that I ranted about it to my poor husband for 20-30 minutes.

What didn't I like? Characters who are at once both ridiculously unbelievable AND flat (our protagonist can't fo More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 05, 2011

Rae rated it:

For the first book in a trilogy, as it was when Dekker originally published it, this book was incredible. It was fast-paced, original, creative, and very, very intense. I can remember reading it several years ago when it came out; I was already a Dekker fan, and Black was slated to be something different from his normal fare of suspenseful thrillers as it delved into two different worlds. The result? I was instantly captivated.

Coming back years later to reread it, however, my perspect More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 25, 2011

Tracy rated it:

I don't remember how I came across this book and added it to my TBR pile, but I am so, so very glad that I did. Ted Dekker is an amazing story teller. I decided to look Ted Dekker up on the Internet. Up popped his face book page. I want to share this little part with you now...

'So in my story world, I am a gay priest obsessed with violence, vampires and blood? Well, I guess that depends on what you think all those labels mean. One thing you can be certain of, boxes and labels will n More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 24, 2009

Quinn rated it:

Thomas Hunter is caught between two different worlds and he must try to stop evil in both. When Thomas Hunter falls asleep he crosses over to the other world. The things that happen in our world coincide with the things that are happening in the other world. In our world a terrible mad man is about to release a virus that will wipe-out the world’s population. In the other world a frightening devil-like creature is trying to destroy his world with treachery and evil. Thomas Hunter must figure More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Apr 25, 2011

Tara rated it:

I have heard a lot about Ted Dekker and this trilogy. I will admit I am not the biggest fan of Christian fiction, because it tends to be cheesy in many respects (just my personal opinion). Obviously there are some exceptions to this rule (C.S. Lewis anyone?), but overall it usually disappoints me. This was no exception, but the frustrating part was it actually had a cool concept. Without giving too much away the main character is living in two worlds. When he's awake in our time, he's aslee More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 13, 2011

Hugh The Curmudgeon rated it:

I was almost done with this book, I had the audio version narrated by Leonard Nimoy, when I went to Ted Dekker's website and found out that he was using this story (and the books that came after it) as an alegory to explain how faith, religion and god work as he understands them in his life.

Put on those terms, the story went from a better than average sci-fi tale to something really incitful. It is an amazing work. Though I know the author has moved to more mainstream thriller/su More...

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Mar 06, 2011

Kyle rated it:

This book is a thrilling tale of a man who lives between two worlds, our world (with the threat of a biological weapon that could wipe out most of the world), and a world of sharp contrast of good and evil.

I really had a hard time putting this book down once I got into it because of how driving the story was, however, sometimes it just felt like something was missing - which I think is due to the fact that this was one of his first books.

The allegory is good for some who ha More...

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Aug 06, 2010

Mike (the Paladin) rated it:

I tried to read this book once before, and just couldn't get into it. I put it down, didn't try to review it, didn't comment, I just hadn't gotten into it. BUT, I have friend to whom this is an important book, so I set out to read it again. My take on it is that it could have been a much better book than it is.

Throughout this book I'd say that my estimation of it's rating moved from 2 to 4 stars. It took me FOREVER to care about the characters. I know I should have. I know I was mean More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 08, 2011

Hannah rated it:

Wow, what a delightful surprise of a book! I couldn't put this down; Tom Hunter's parallel stories of life on Earth and the other world are full of twists, suspense, mystery, action and thrills.

Half fantasy, half modern fiction, Black is the story of Tom Hunter as he tries to save two worlds after being shot at, thus opening a gateway to another reality. Ted Dekker does a great job of keeping the reader engaged and writes in a way that makes the transition from each reality easy to fo More...

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Dec 05, 2011

01matthewb rated it:

My favorite thing about Black is all the symbolism. Specially the idea of The Great Romance. It’s such a cool concept. It shows us how God loves us and cares for us so much that we should want to do the same and one of the ways of showing our love for him is my showing his love to others. That’s just an awesome way to think about it. The only down side of the book was the sudden stop. It had such a suspenseful cliff hanger. Because of that I had to go to the library and pick up Red as soon as I More...

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Jan 22, 2010

Don rated it:

This book had moments of potential in an ocean of ridiculousness.

A very Avatar-like cycling from our world to an overly-ideal world. This phasing could have had potential, but it felt that it took most of the book for the author to get his legs and then only fleetingly.

A prefallen world as in A Case of Conscience with the absurdly difficult task of trying to describe perfect good as anything but boring. In many ways, this book did a better job but still failed to make it More...

1 comment like

Apr 14, 2009

Derrick added it

Black by Ted Dekker starts off with Tom Hunter getting shot at from people that have been looking for him from New York and his sister Kara now live in denver. He and his sister were raised in the Philipines until father left his mother. Tom spent some time with her in New York after they spilt up. Now he is in denver unfortunately the men from new york have found him. black opens with Hunter ducking hit men and having his head hit by a bullet.
When Tom passes out he awakens in a strange p More...

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Mar 26, 2009

Tracy rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Nov 07, 2011

Kara rated it:

First I had trouble discerning between the world of today and the world with the big white birds or the black bats. Yeah it was kind of trippie. So, after I kind of figured out that we were just going to flip worlds and get used to it don't make any sense of it, the book started coming in hard with the religious message. I have read Dekker before and really liked him. This made me feel badly about myself because his version of Eden I kept asking if it was the deception and mapybe the main guy More...

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