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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I agree with those who say it's not written particularly well. The language is kind of shallow, which I guess makes it good for younger readers. Fairly predictable, especially considering that wasn't my goal. I found myself more interested in picking apart the religious allegories and examining Horde culture and belief systems than the story itself.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In the three years following the release of the Circle Trilogy, nearly everything Ted Dekker wrote had some connection to the world of the Circle but Dekker—despite the clamoring of fans—taken the plunge back into Other Earth. The trilogy was a specific thing: a retelling of redemptive history where every major element was steeped in allegory and metaphor. Returning to that world without that structure would be no easy task. Nevertheless, partially because the fans willed it, partially because publishers always want more of a hit series, partially to hit a new readership demographic, and partially to extend the lore of the Books of History, Dekker returned to Other Earth in a six-book young adult series called The Lost Books.
Chosen, the first book in the series, takes place thirteen years into the fifteen-year time interval between Black and Red. If you haven’t read those books first, Dekker does a great job of bringing readers up to speed but, yeah, go read the trilogy—or at least Black, if you want to read it strictly chronologically.
It’s been thirteen years since Tanis drank of Teeleh’s water, releasing the murderous Shataiki from the Black Forest to ravage the land. Now one hundred thousand followers of Elyon must bathe daily in the waters of Elyon lest they contract the dreadful disease that will turn them into the Horde—their mortal enemies.
Chosen throws the reader into a world where the Forest Dwellers are outnumbered by the Horde ten to one and the Horde are closing in for the kill. Thomas of Hunter is forced to lower his recruitment age for his army—the Forest Guard—from 18 to 16. Among all of the new young recruits, four are chosen to go on a quest to prove their character and bravery. There’s Billos, the strongest, largest, and most stereotypical warrior among them; Darsal, a girl with more gristle and skill than any other woman her age; Silvie, a warrior with a chip on her shoulder and something to prove; and…Johnis, the one who would rather be reading than fighting, who only became one of the Guard because Thomas Hunter insisted.
Their simple mission soon becomes a struggle to stay alive when they are ambushed by Horde fighters. They then discover a Horde plan that could annihilate the Forest Dwellers. But even greater than this is when two Roush name Gabil and Michal appear to Johnis and give him a new mission. But Johnis will have a hard time convincing his three warrior companions that fuzzy white bats—thought to be the stuff of legend—have bequeathed to them an important quest. The fate of the worlds lie in their hands and they must not only believe it, but begin to work together as a team to face an enemy so great he is thought to only be legend. It all hurtles to an explosive conclusion that in reality is only the commencement.
Dekker’s foray into YA fiction is not without its flaws. Dialogue is sometimes clunky and character development is jumpy at times. The character of Johnis, the main protagonist, mutates much too quickly from scared little boy to warrior leader. I also question the timeframe in which Roush have become considered legendary. It’s been thirteen years. Their parents would have spent most of their lives in the pre-fall world. Sidelining Thomas Hunter is probably a good thing. Making him the hero, or even a recurring character, would have been tricky and perhaps interfered with the Trilogy too much. But Thomas’s disbelief/indifference/whole personality seems to be off from what we see in the Trilogy. He just doesn’t feel like the Thomas Hunter from the main books.
Chosen also suffers from pretty much every single YA trope, whether it’s the obvious Chosen One motif, the stereotypical Quest to Find the Macguffin, or even just the Sports Game with Major Consequences. It’s all a bit generic, despite drawing on the richness that is the world of the Circle. It’s probably an average YA novel, but in light of its source material, it doesn’t live up to the standard set by the Trilogy.
Despite all of that, The Lost Books are a fun foray into Other Earth and deeply expand the Circle mythos in important ways as the story continues. Chosen is a bit of a slow start, but things begin to take off with the next book, Infidel. And as the books released in tandem, maybe that’s how the story should be evaluated.
Chosen är en klassisk berättelse om en utvald som ger sig ut på äventyr. Boken var lättläst och det gick snabbt att ta dig igenom den. Dock hände det inte så förfärligt mycket, men intresset höll mig ändå kvar och jag kommer troligtvis att läsa uppföljaren.
This review is of the audio book.
The Lost Books have been on my radar for a long time. I've read several of Dekker's books, including Black, White, etc. I had no idea that they were related, and now I wonder how many books he has woven into this series. And 'woven' is indeed the correct term. This 'series' is not light reading, but it is compelling, for certain. I love the fantasy sci-fi genre, and Dekker is a master.
One suggestion is to not wait too long between books. The more detail you can remember, the more you'll enjoy the story.
A note on the audio format. I enjoyed this narrator. Some narrators leave much to be desired and may even ruin the book. If you are new to the audio book world, a word of advice. Don't assume that any chosen narrator is the best for a given book ; I've had perfectly good books ruined by an unfortunate narration. If you expect a book to be good but are turned off by the audio book, give the print version a try. Sometimes your own mind is the best voice
The Lost Books have been on my radar for a long time. I've read several of Dekker's books, including Black, White, etc. I had no idea that they were related, and now I wonder how many books he has woven into this series. And 'woven' is indeed the correct term. This 'series' is not light reading, but it is compelling, for certain. I love the fantasy sci-fi genre, and Dekker is a master.
One suggestion is to not wait too long between books. The more detail you can remember, the more you'll enjoy the story.
A note on the audio format. I enjoyed this narrator. Some narrators leave much to be desired and may even ruin the book. If you are new to the audio book world, a word of advice. Don't assume that any chosen narrator is the best for a given book ; I've had perfectly good books ruined by an unfortunate narration. If you expect a book to be good but are turned off by the audio book, give the print version a try. Sometimes your own mind is the best voice
There are a lot of things I could say about this book, not the least of which that I read it in two and a half hours. The first book I've ever finished by Ted Dekker, I was easily swept into the story and enjoyed thoroughly the elements of adventure and mystery.
I haven't read (well, I should say *finished*) any other books by Dekker, which, I think, actually hindered my complte understanding of the story, something I plan to remedy as soon as I can get the library (and find some free time :P)
The main characters, the "Chosen", were very interesting, though for different reasons.
I felt like I didn't get to know Billos well enough to grant much of an opinion, but he had an oldest's instinct.
Darsal is a hard one to pin down, way to emotionally attached, and a determined warrior none the less. At times I found it nearly impossible to relate to her, othertimes her reluctance and pause came clearly through. Very well done.
Of all the characters, I disliked Silvie the most. Something about her just got on my nerves! She was...feminine in a...warped way. Somehow her inner wounds melded with what she was created to be. It was very subtle, well done, but I found her *ANNOYING*.
Johnis is probably the hardest and easiest character to describe, probably because I can relate to him the most. Especially when he is the only one who can see the black bats, later chosen, uncertain. Trusting and following, not confident in himself, but in what he had to do. I completely understand that. One thing that I think Dekker did get wrong, he didn't express the absolute, out of control terror that decends. Maybe it doesn't in 'this world'. This fantasty land, but in the real world, life is a world of fear and its not just the fear of dying. Its the fear of living. Perhaps that is the reason I struggled with giving this book four or five stars. It was to..neat.
I haven't read (well, I should say *finished*) any other books by Dekker, which, I think, actually hindered my complte understanding of the story, something I plan to remedy as soon as I can get the library (and find some free time :P)
The main characters, the "Chosen", were very interesting, though for different reasons.
I felt like I didn't get to know Billos well enough to grant much of an opinion, but he had an oldest's instinct.
Darsal is a hard one to pin down, way to emotionally attached, and a determined warrior none the less. At times I found it nearly impossible to relate to her, othertimes her reluctance and pause came clearly through. Very well done.
Of all the characters, I disliked Silvie the most. Something about her just got on my nerves! She was...feminine in a...warped way. Somehow her inner wounds melded with what she was created to be. It was very subtle, well done, but I found her *ANNOYING*.
Johnis is probably the hardest and easiest character to describe, probably because I can relate to him the most. Especially when he is the only one who can see the black bats, later chosen, uncertain. Trusting and following, not confident in himself, but in what he had to do. I completely understand that. One thing that I think Dekker did get wrong, he didn't express the absolute, out of control terror that decends. Maybe it doesn't in 'this world'. This fantasty land, but in the real world, life is a world of fear and its not just the fear of dying. Its the fear of living. Perhaps that is the reason I struggled with giving this book four or five stars. It was to..neat.
adventurous
fast-paced
Not my favorite but it wasn’t to bad just kinda childish but I’m pretty sure it was written for middle grade readers but thanks Madison for letting me borrow this book, I enjoyed it.
This book was really good. The world, the plot and the character were really well written. I am already reading the second novel of the series. I really recommend it.