The Circle Series
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The Circle Series by Ted Dekker consists of four books. Black, Red, White, and Green.
The books are about Thomas Hunter, the main character, who suffered head trauma and now every time he goes to sleep he wakes up in and alternate reality. He holds the weight of two worlds in his hands. Our world is about to release a deadly virus, which everyone thinks is a cure to a disease, and the "other earth" is being threatened by war. Thomas is the only one who can save the two worlds from their impending doom, it just becomes a matter of if he can do it in time.
The books jump right into the story and it takes a while to understand what is going on, but they still get you hooked. To fully understand the complexity of the books you need to read them. They aren't difficult to read, but they are full of plot twists and things you would never have thought to put into a book.
Sources:
Christian Books
Ted Dekker is a Christian Author who is a New York Times best-selling author for thriller and mystery novels. He has written many other books and series besides the Circle Series, and some of them have been turned into movies.
Erin Healy is Ted Dekker's editor. He had been through many other editors, but Erin Healy and Ted Dekker have been working together for about 7 or 8 years now. The two of them just recently wrote a book together that was published within the past year. Ted values Erin's opinion very highly and looks for her approval and critiques in his books.
In this book one of the most common themes is Good vs. Evil. It is most recognizable in the "other world" because there are two main regions: the black forest (evil) and the colorful forest (good).
In all of Ted Dekker's books he has four recurring themes:
1. A desperate struggle that typically plunges the main character into a hopeless situation from which they must find their way out
2. Good vs. Evil
3. The failure of religion at some point in the book
4. The ideal that love and self-sacrifice are life’s greatest discovery and highest purpose
Sources:
Youtube, Ted Dekker
Ted Dekker was asked how he overcomes writer's block in a question and answer session. His response was along the lines of that he does not believe in writers block and only believes in having a bad moment. He does not think of it as a block and thinks of it more as an opportunity to use his creativity to think of new ideas.
As mentioned above Ted and his editor have been working together for many years. When he is writing he goes to her to bounce off his ideas. Also Ted said that Erin pulls back is edginess and give him a feminine touch when it needs it.
Sources:
Youtube
When Ted went to his publisher, at first they did not accept the book because of some of its "darkness" so he went back and rewrote some of the parts and got it published in 2004.
These books are meant for everyone. He did not write them specifically for Christians. Instead, he wanted them to be books that everyone can read and enjoy. Christians and other religious people may enjoy the religious aspects in the book, but people who are not religious will enjoy the suspense, action, and other aspects that are in other top selling books.
Sources:
The Circle Series, Youtube
One of the main things that Ted Dekker did not want to do was use the word God or another other name that is common. He wanted to use a name for God that was more uncommon so he could avoid any prior judgements or feelings people may associate with that word. In fact, Elyon is a Jewish term for God but it is not commonly used and most people thought it was made up.
The whole book revolves around symbolism. Almost every aspect of the book can be linked to something religious if you think about it. Picking up on the symbolism is very easy, Ted did not make it one of those books that you have to sit there for hours trying to decipher the symbols. Instead, as you are reading through the book all the symbols pop out and it makes the book that much more complex and meaningful for some people.
Ted came up with two parallel worlds that Thomas Hunter goes between. After a certain point in Black (book 1) Thomas no longer knows which world he is actually in. He feels as though they are both so real but yet at the same time they both can't be real. Part of what makes these books so captivating is the description and imagery that these two worlds posess. Every detail right down to the feeling of the ground or the taste of the water was thought of making the book almost feel real to the reader as well.
Sources:
Ted Dekker, The Circle Series, The Circle Series:Ted Dekker
Ted took a while to develop the main character, Thomas Hunter. He wanted to make sure the character was relatable enough so the readers would immerse themselves into his life, but he has to have the right spin to him so that he fit into the two worlds.
Another difficulty Ted had was making sure he linked the two worlds together. He said he wanted to make both worlds relatable, but at the same time make them both very different. Since I have read the books, I can say he did a good job linking them together, but you'll have to read it and find out if you haven't already because this is one of the big aspects of the book and I don't want to spoil it.
Sources:
Youtube
The Gathering is an aspect of these books. The people of the "other world" gather at the main water source and all swim in the water and experience Elyon. The Gathering in the United States is not exactly like this. Ted Dekker has the Gathering once a year, starting in 2008, where all of his fans of any book can join. They decorate the area where the gathering is taking place and try to make it look like the description in the book. But instead of swimming in the water it is a Q and A session where his fans can ask him any questions about any book or any aspect of his life. He tells them inside scoops and things that most people may not know about him.
Sources:
Youtube
These books are very popular and over 1 million people have read them.
One of the most interesting things about this series is that it originally was a trilogy, but then Ted Dekker decided to make a book zero. His readers thought this was a very interesting way to create a series. Green is a prequal to Black(book 1), but Green is also a sequal to White(book 3) with Red being book two. Green is a starting point for new readers, or and ending point for those who have read Black, Red, and White. It is called the Circle Series because it is literally a circle. You can either start with book zero or end with it, but either way you read them the series will come full circle and make sense in the end. Even the colors on the books create a circle because the color of the title of the book is the color of the background of the next book.
Another main thing about this series is that they are considered religious thrillers or suspense-fiction. They include romance, drama, suspense, action and fantasy. They definitely gain your attention no matter who you are and this is one of the main reasons why they are so popular.
Sources:
The Circle Series:Ted Dekker, Youtbue
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOR8-w5vHBU
This is Ted Dekker speaking in a Q&A session at The Gathering 2009. - Ted Dekker - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Circle Series - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Circle Series: Ted Dekker - Christianbook.com
Christianbook.com: Circle Series: Ted Dekker: It comes full circle. A true modern-day epic, superbly crafted by this relatively new master of supense-fiction, gives breath to a parallel world and reveals the soft white underbelly of international int
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First off, I would like to say that I love Ted Dekker but I have not read the Circle series yet. I am looking forward to it! Right off the bat, I would like to say that your presentation is very visually appealing. I think you used a great layout for the pictures and points that you were trying to get across. I also think the length of your explanations was very nice. One thing about your presentation I would change is to put your sources in the paragraphs instead of just at the end so the readers know exactly where each piece of information specifically came from. I really liked that you included the four recurring themes that are present in all of his books because I think it is a really important aspect to understand the writing of Ted Dekker’s books. I really like that you included that the books were initially rejected and that they are meant for all people, not just Christians. I would recommend that you include an age group and what type of novels they are. For example, include that they are adult fiction and are action, mystery, or fantasy novels so your readers know what to expect. Another suggestion I have is to not include your opinion too much in your CHAT map because you want to display more factual information so that your readers know it is accurate. Overall, very interesting! Great job!
I found your discussion of the plot to be helpful in developing an initial impression of the book series; which appears to be very confusing to say the least. One question that stood out to me was whether or not both of his consciousness’s are in real time. In other words, is the one where he falls asleep a dream, or reality? Regardless, it asks some interesting philosophical questions. In the production slide, you briefly mentioned that Ted Dekker is a Christian author. This distinction seems to be incredibly important so maybe you could discuss how Dekker’s spirituality affects the production of his texts in terms of genre. I noticed you mentioned how the theme of the books is good versus evil so perhaps you could discuss how he uses his Christianity to influence the plots of his writing. In addition, in the production text, you could discuss more about the physical production of the book. For example, you could mention who, if anyone edits the book and which company publishes it. You also mentioned how the book was originally rejected for some of its darker aspects. This would be a great point to explore in the socialization slide by looking at how social norms at the time rejected the text as a whole. One topic that I was slightly confused about yet very interested in was the concept of the gathering. So is the gathering a fictional event of the book or of actual religion? Regardless, this gives an impression of how popular the book is.
I have never heard of The Circle Series or Ted Dekker myself but I thought your CHAT map was very interesting and informative and definitely made me interested in the series. You did a good job of explaining the basic plot of the series even though in reality the series is very complex. I you did a good job of explaining how popular the books were but to improve this you could have added reader's or critic's reviews of the books so that we could get a better impression of how the books were received. I was surprised to find out that even though he is a Christian author, the series is not meant for religious people only and includes something for anyone looking to read it. I am curious to know if Ted Dekker normally writes books that are clearly religious or if he writes books similar to the Circle Series. If his other books are normally religious, how did his fans react to a book that was not necessarily Christian? You also mentioned that he had to originally had to rewrite aspects of the books because they were too “dark.” What exactly were the aspects of the books that were too dark? Were the publishers worried about how audiences would react to the story? What aspects of the book did he have to rewrite? In general though I thought your CHAT map was excellent, good job!
First off I appreciated how much emphasis you put on the book and its plot rather than talking about facts. The books seems like a really interesting read and a bit confusing so I liked that you took the time to explain it, your presentation made me want to read the book. I’ve never heard of another series that works full circle like that so it was neat to learn about a book like that. I thought your presentation slides were very appealing and they complimented the tones of the books well. Furthermore, I thought it was nice to see you add your own thoughts to the presentation. It helped to better explain the plot and it gave you a connection to the book and made you sound more credible. Rather than just rambling off facts and statistics, you explaining the book made the book more interesting because I was getting someone’s point of view on it. I really enjoyed the socialization slide for this reason. I thought it was helpful to make this connection from the book to something the author does in real life. Making this connection gave me a visualization of how his fans react to his series and how interact he is in their lives. Overall I really enjoyed reading you hub and you did a good job of portraying the book and making me interested!
Nikki, I have never heard of the Circle Series but they sound very interesting. One of the things that I found most interesting about this series is that it doesn’t matter whether you start or end with “Green” which I thought was a very interesting aspect of the author. I have never heard of a series that does that and yet still has it makes sense in the end. I like how you included that the author and the editor work closely together, showing that there is a lot of thought that goes into these books and that the books are well thought out before being published. By adding that the fans go to what is called a “Gathering” similar to what happens in the book I thought was very interesting. The fact that he modeled his fan get together after a key part of the book really shows that he is engaged with his fans. While this CHAT map was very thought out and put together I still think certain parts could have been elaborated on. For instance in the socialization section you could have added how the fans perceived it and whether or not people thought that parts of the book were to Christian. Often times readers frown upon writers that put a too religious spin on books. Overall I thought this CHAT map was well put together and very informative.
**Housekeeping**
- Presentation Notes
- Use of Citation
I like that the intro balances between details of the story of Thomas Hunter and your take on what the story is like as a reading experience. Noting that the story "jumps right in" and is full of plot twists can help your readers decided whether or not they might like Dekker's work.
I like your citation style - the combination of image URL's on each slide and section citations for the bibliography clearly notes your sources.
**Production**
- Describing how it's produced
- Acknowledgement of creators
- Describing the research done by the authors
I like how you introduce Dekker's working relationship with Healy - a good editor can have a real positive influence on a book. To build on this, talk more about their habits in working together. Do they use e-mail? Meet in person?
For Ecology, you may want to talk more about Dekker's personal ecology (as in where he writes from), and then see if you can relate that at all to the two worlds in the book. You might want to link Ecology a bit more with "The Gathering," too, since that seems like an interesting cross-boundary phenomenon.
**Genre Conventions**
- Identifying the genre
- Describing the genre conventions
- Showing how these conventions are used.
The Four Themes you bring up are very important, especially in identying Dekker as a Christian writer. I also like how you describe his approach to reaching all audiences - in describing his choice of Elyon and the specificity of detail he uses, you give a clear picture of how the book can develop its realism for a large audience. To build on this, maybe talk more about how this approach compares to other books in the genre of Christian fiction.
**Social Activity**
- Describing social and physical distribution
- Discussing cultural reception
I really like your description of "The Gathering" - this sounds like a neat parallel construction to link fiction and reality by involving the fans.
**Audience**
- Identifying the intended audience
- Discussing how genre coventions are used to attract that audience
- Indicating audience reception.
I like how you talk about the way audiences can read the books literally in a circle. If you can, it would be interesting to get perspectives from readers who have read either starting or ending with Green to see if there are differences in the experience.
Overall, I really like the way your presentation integrates the aspects of CHAT together, showing how each element of the book's process is geared toward reaching the audience.
I have never heard of this series before, but it sounds like an interesting series and just the kind of series I wouldn't be able to put down! One of the things that I found really fascinating is how all of the books revolve around in a circle. I feel like you can almost start anywhere in the series and if you read the rest of the books in the order of the circle, you will get the same effect of the book as if you started in the beginning. Also, it would be pretty interesting to start in the middle of the story and work your way back to the beginning. This is a really unique concept that I haven't seen a lot of before! I also like how you not only listed the genre, but also the themes of the book. Sometimes when only the plot is described, you can't get a full feel for the book, but you did an awesome job at giving us a feel for the series without actually giving anything away! I also like how you mentioned that the symbolism was pretty easy to understand because if I am reading a book for fun, I don't want to be analyzing what I read every other page. It was interesting how you mentioned that the books were initially rejected because of the "darkness" that was in them. I was just wondering if he completely revised this out of his books, or if he just made it a little less intense? It is also great that this series is relateable because it always helps when you are reading a book and find ways to connect events in your life to those of the characters in the book. Overall you did a great job! I can tell you really did your research and have a love for the books as well!
I was very curious to read your Chat map for a variety of reasons. One because it was a book and I wanted to see how you described the plot and characters with out giving details away and also because I wanted an explanation on why the covers are always a different color than the title. You didn’t disappoint and cleared up my questions. To start off your presentation you gave a very clear synopsis of the story and I was really able to get a good idea of what the books were about. I liked that you described the relationship with the editor. I think that this is overlooked a lot with novels. Also I thought including the recurring themes was also a great addition that helped me to understand the texts. I was especially interested in learning about the “Gathering”. These events are obviously unique to this book series and its nice to see an author that cares of connecting with fans and readers. As I said before you cleared up the mystery of the seemingly miss matched titles and book covers. I also found it very interesting to learn about the order of the books. My only recommendation for improvement would to be adding in more information about the book’s success and fan base. Thanks for enlightening me about another great book series! Good job!
I can’t wait until I can workshop you tomorrow and tell you how horrible this CHAT map was. I also hope you got the sarcasm in that last sentence, because I really just wanted to see if you were reading your comments or not. I mean, what can I say? It’s as amazing as I would expect it to be Nikki. First of all, I’m so glad I wasn’t the only one who chose to do a book that not many people have heard of. I feel like it can be more difficult at times because when people write about TV shows and movies they can assume that readers know some basic facts. I’m tempted to read these books now, after all the endorsements you’ve given Mr. Dekker. I’m curious, what makes Christian authors different from other authors? It’s great that you included the recurring themes from his books, such as the failure of religion. I like his take on writers block – I’m sure his fans love that he never struggles from getting his ideas on paper. It’s good that you put how these books are meant for everyone and why non-christians are interested in the books. I was a little confused when you talked about some parts of the book, but I don’t blame you for that. You did a great job, I think I’ll stop rambling now!
Dylan
I have not read any of Ted Dekker’s books, but he sounds like a good writer. His books have some reoccurring themes that are interesting and a little edgy. The religious aspect of the books might be a little too much for some people. The concept of the two times sounds like a new TV show that is supposed to start in next few weeks. That sounds like the most interesting part of the series. The fact that he has never gotten any sort of writers block is amazing. I have never really heard of an author having such a deep relationship with his editor. I see it as a good thing that he has someone to bounce ideas off of. It was cool that he has worked with the same editor for so many years which is probably why he feels comfortable sharing his thoughts with her as he writes. The series sounds like the typical world ending need a hero story line, but it also sounds like it is complex and twisted. I thought it was cool how the books were colored. Yes I noticed that. I little more information about fan reception of the series and its topics would have been nice. Overall I like the CHAT map and am considering this series for a summer read.
I have never heard of this series or author before, but this sounds like a really interesting series that I should read. You did a great job of explaining the basics of the series for everyone who has never read the books without going into too much detail on it. I would have liked for you to mention how the author came up with the idea for the series, and how he actually went about writing each of the books; but that type of information is not always available to the public. I think its actually really interesting that this is a Christian author, but the book could be read by a non-religious person and they would still be able to enjoy the books. It seems like the author put a lot of work into making the series something that anyone of the right age group would enjoy reading without singling out any groups. Overall, great job!
Although I have never heard of Ted Drekker or The Circle Series, your chat map has totally piqued my interest, especially in the reception slide. I liked that you demonstrated on the “circle” aspect of the series with your complex description of the order of the novels in the series. I have never heard of anything like that (where you can start the books in any order and finish with the same meaning regardless) so it was a good idea to highlight that, since it’s not a very common technique. I thought your inclusion of the working relationship between Drekker and his editor was interesting because you don’t often hear about editors and the roles they play in publications. I liked that you mentioned the fact that although religion is a common motif in Drekker’s series, he does not use the word “God” because of the connotations it carries, which I feel was a good decision. I also liked the description of the “gathering” in your socialization slide, but I would have liked to know other ways that fans of the book communicate with each other as well. I enjoyed your presentation as a whole, however, and will definitely look into the series!
I have never read any books form this series before, but it sounds pretty interesting! To be honest, when you first said “waking up in an alternate realty”, the first think that came to mind was the Matrix series. However, this sounds like it has elements that make it more fantasy based than science fiction. I really like that you mention the themes that run through the book series. I love seeing connections like that, no matter how geeky it might seem. I really appreciate the fact that it mentions controversial themes like the conflict that many people have with religion. Too often, authors avoid topics that they think might offend readers, but I believe its good to see it in literature. It gives people a chance to cope with issues they may be coping with in their own lives. I also really like the fact that the author chooses to make themes and symbols somewhat obvious. Nothing ruins a love of literature quite like needing to spend hours analyzing and highlighting. I also really appreciate his positive outlook on “Writers block” not as a failure, but an opportunity for improvement. Over all, I think you did an excellent job with your CHAT map.
PRODUCTION: First off, this CHAT map is very aesthetically pleasing. I like how you used a neutral color and the images of the books really seemed to pop against such a simple background. By viewing the first slide without an introduction, it was very hard to judge this book by it's cover. I was surprised to read the description of what it was about. I was interested in learning that it was a Christian author. This being mentioned, I would have liked to know a little more about that. How much of an influence does the producer's religion does it have on the book series? Although it says that the book is not aimed at only people of the Christian faith, is there a stronger connection people Christians and the these books? I like how he was able to view writer's block as an opportunity rather than an obstacle in writing. Also, working with a female must have helped him shape certain parts of his books. One thing I would have liked to know would be an example where her input as a female really influenced or changed his opinion on a certain situation. Overall, great map! It was interestin to learn about a new author and book series.
Audience-
To be honest, I have never even heard of this series but the story does sound very interesting. I like how you give some background information on the author so we can get a feel for where he’s coming from with his writing. I thought it was very interesting how he is a Christian author and his book got rejected the first time for being too “dark”. Anyway, I thought your CHAT map was definitely visually appealing with the right amount of information on and under the slides. I thought the pictures went well with all the slides so good job. For audience, you clearly stated who the intended audience was for the series which is everybody. I think it’s cool that even though he is a Christian author, he wrote the series for everyone to enjoy. Even though there are some religious aspects, everyone will be able to enjoy the suspense and action of the books. My only suggestion, would maybe add just a little more information to the reception slide. You could describe more about how people received this series and their opinions on it. Other than that, I think you did a great job on your CHAT map. It was very informative and makes me want to give the first book a try.
Genre: first off, really really great job on your CHAT map. It definitely looks visually appealing and struck interest! From what I read, I definitely think this would be considered a drama. The Genre is really important with books, because it definitely determines its readers. Most people have their specific likes and dislikes when it comes to books. I can not tell what age group this is specified for, perhaps I missed it. But, that might be a good thing to add to your CHAT map! Cause it definitely might be appealing to someone if it is over a topic they like and if they find out it is very appropriate for people their age. Overall, fantastic job on this presentation! I can tell you put in a lot of effort and it looks great!
I’ve never heard of these books but they seem very interesting. I find it interesting that it was a successful series but it almost did not get published because of some of its darkness. It seems like almost everything is this way, almost all the shows and books that have been picked for these chat maps are this way, and obviously all of these books and movies are popular. I enjoyed the background you used, usually I don’t like the darker backgrounds but I thought that the font color popped and the pictures really brightened the background. I think that it is interesting that he took so long to develop his main character. This is a very important step to creating a successful novel. I am now really interested in this series now. It seems like something that I could immerse my interests in. I think you did a great job interesting the audience in a not so main stream book. Also I liked the amount of information you included, hopefully I will have time to read this series because it seems like something that would really interest me.
ytsenoh Level 7 Commenter 3 months ago
Very interesting hub and books. Nice presentation of your products and well written hub. Thank you.