PERSONAL RESPONSE
Chaos was yet another one of Ted Dekker’s great works. This was my favorite book in the “Circle” series. I think having the setting on earth and being more current was a lot more relatable towards me. I also enjoyed how much action was included in the book.
PLOT
Johnis and Silvie found each other after entering what they called “Second Earth.” Time wasn’t the same on “Second Earth.” Seconds in the Forests turned into hours. It seemed as though everything worked on magic, as well. Bright lights raced by attached to horseless buggies. Lights glowed different colors. They saw a brightly lit sign that read, “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas.” They saw what appeared to be a buggy feeding station that they headed towards. When they arrived at the station, Johnis spotted a beautiful, red buggy. He had to have that one. They tried to buy it, but the clerk did not let them, so they stole it. Johnis felt a connection with it and then began driving as though he had been driving for years. Johnis sped away, and soon after other buggies with red and blue lights on seemed to be following them. Johnis raced into Las Vegas trying to get away from the other buggies. Johnis ran into trouble and crashed. They stumbled into “Excalibur,” with the police still on their trail. They flew through the building faster than they have ever run before. They hid in a closet full of clothes and weapons. To disguise themselves, they put some of the clothes on. Johnis chose a bright red cape as part of his disguise. When they thought it was safe, they exited the closet. Soon after, they were confronted by an official who stated that red capes are sent into an arena. Johnis was forced into the arena and was to battle. Johnis was overtaken by his opponent, but he was faster in this world. He quickly ran and pulled his knife on the man dressed as an executioner. Quickly, people realized that Johnis was about to kill the man. The warriors from before quickly subdued Johnis. Silvie only saw Johnis being beaten on “The Net,” so she quickly took a hostage herself. She was trying to get Johnis freed. Her hostage was one of the most famous singers in that world. As quickly as she took the woman hostage, she was on “The Net” being broadcasted all over the world. They were arrested for their actions. Then Karas came and bailed them out of jail. This was where the journey to find the books began. Now that they have Karas they have three books. Soon into their search, they were informed of someone who had a book and claimed to know Darsal. They quickly met her, and she seemed pretty suspicious from the start. She ended up taking all the books and flew away. Now there was a problem. She had all four of the Forest books, and all she needed was to find the earth books and she could do whatever she wanted. They needed to find the earth books before she did, so their mission began.
CHARACTERIZATION
Miranda was a mysterious person from the start. She showed up out of nowhere with a book claiming to know Darsal. She claimed that Darsal told her all about the books and about Johnis and Silvie. Then she stated that Darsal was dead. She turned out to be Alucard’s second in command. Miranda became the main antagonist as Alucard rarely came out of his lair. She did all his dirty work for him. She relied on the fact that Silvie loved Johnis to capture them on multiple occasions. She tried her hardest to get all seven books. There was an unexpected twist about her. She actually turned out to be Darsall. She used cosmetics to hide her identity and work for Alucard.
Johnis was truly the main focus of both Silvie and Miranda. He was precious to both of them. Silvie loved Johnis and did not want to be separated. Miranda used Johnis as a tool to get the books from Karas and Silvie. Johnis was focused on the mission of finding the books. He had left Silvie at times just to complete the mission. He had jumped out of the plane to be able to stop Miranda from getting all the books to use for evil. Johnis truly was dedicated to this task. He risked his life many times for the books.
SETTING
The book was set in the year 2035 outside of the well-known Forests. Johnis and Silvie found themselves inside the books in what they called “Second Earth.” Time was different there. When Johnis entered the books seconds after Silvie, she had waited for hours. Many bright lights shone in the distance. There was Horde everywhere. A loud gigantic bird flew overhead. It never beat its wings once as it glided down onto its belly in a stone field. The people didn’t look or act like Horde, but they sure weren’t as kind as forest dwellers. Johnis and Silvies abilities were different than back in the Forests. Johnis was quicker and can take control of a "Chevy" with tremendous ease. Silvie had incredible knowledge and was smarter in this world.
RECOMMENDATIONS
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys action and fiction. It draws the reader in with everything that is going on. This book is great for girls and guys. Girls can relate to Silvie and her troubles of trying to keep Johnis. Guys will relate to the adventurous, daring, and stubborn character Johnis. It is a nice easy read for middle and high schoolers.