The *SoCs Domain

So when Red ended, Thomas Hunter was dead in one reality, finally killed by Carlos. In the other, he was alive and well, but his wife of 15 years, Rachelle was not, having been killed by an arrow as they escaped the forest for the desert. However, that is not the end of the story…err… stories. The world is being ravaged by a deadly virus in one reality and Thomas and the rest of the Circle are being hunted by the Horde in the other.

Here’s the breakdown.

Characters
This book brings Quorong’s daughter, Chelise, briefly seen in the previous book as Thomas was remembering a time he ran out of Elyon’s water and became a Horde. When Thomas is captured, she takes him as a servant to teach her how to read the Books of History, which no Horde can read due to the disease they carry.

In the other reality, Carlos gets a surprise when Thomas, who has been dead for days, wakes up and tells him about the other reality. Then, through contact with his blood, shows it to him.

Story
Thomas gets captured early on and Chelise takes him for a servant so he can teach her how to read the books of the histories. Thomas takes an opportunity to use the blank books to save himself in the other reality along with Monique. Of course, Chelise didn’t expect to fall for Thomas, especially as she’s being promised in marriage to the new warlord.

In the other reality, the virus is ravaging the world which is standing at the brink of war. Thomas is the only hope for the world, and as far as they all know, he’s dead. Until he calls the President.

With the end of this book, everything is wrapped up into a nice little trilogy. The story could end, but it doesn’t. What happened to the blank books? That and several other questions are answered in the next book, Showdown.

So we’re back to Thomas Hunter and his two realities. In one, it’s been 15 years and he now leads a band of “albino” warriors against the Horde, those with the Shataiki skin disease. In the other, it’s been seconds and there’s a gun to his head.

Here’s the breakdown.

Characters
Added to the cast from the previous book is Justin, a man of controversy. He tries to bring peace between the Forest Guard and the Horde, and the Forest Guard are divided about him, though most hate him for it. For the Horde, they have a new General, Martyn, who is bolder and smarter than their previous Generals.

In the other reality, Thomas wakes up to the gun at his head. A gun held by Carlos, a professional hitman. Using skills he learned over the last 15 years in the alternate reality, he is able to save himself. During the course of the book, both Monique and Carlos experience the other reality.

Story
The viruses in both worlds have been released, though symptoms are not yet appearing for those with the Raison Virus. The people behind the virus’ release are using France to make demands of the whole world.

In the other reality, dissension stirred up by Justin comes to a head toward the end of the book, culminating in the death of Justin, by drowning, after his blood has defiled the lake. The next morning, everyone has the skin disease. The only way to get rid of it is to drown in the lake, which has turned red.

I love the imagery in this series. In the alternate reality everything spiritual in this reality is physical there. And once you’ve finished the series, you realize just how many parallels there are. This is a really great book and you should read it.

“How can there be love without a true choice? Would you suggest that man be stripped of the capacity to love?” -Elyon as the boy

When I picked up this book to read, I had no idea how much of an adventure it would be to read it. I did not expect to be caught up in trilogy of books for the next few days as I immersed myself one of the best trilogies I’ve ever read. You could even say I “drowned” in it.

So here’s the breakdown.

Characters
So the main guy in this book is Thomas Hunter. He has the unusual ability to dream about another reality, but more on that later. There’s also his sister, Kara, and another woman, Monique, who just happens to be responsible for the worst virus outbreak in history. In the other reality, You have Tanis, first born among men, and Rachelle, who’s fallen for the amnesiac Thomas Hunter. Also in the other reality are these bat creatures called Shataiki and their leader, Teelah. Also along the way, you meet a little boy named Elyon, who also happens to be the creator of this alternate reality. And the first reality. Confused yet?

Story
The story begins with Thomas’ walk home from work being interrupted by bullets. One grazes his head and when he passes out a few minutes later, he wakes up in the Black Forest of the alternate reality surrounded by the Shataiki and Teelah. From there he goes back and forth, between realities trying to remember everything in one and trying to stop a catastrophe in the other. Instead he watches both realities get destroyed by sicknesses, one caused by a virus and one caused by the Shataiki. The book ends with a gun held against an unconscious Thomas’ head.

It’s an amazing story and it really brings elements of the Christian faith to life. My favorite part of the book was Elyon’s playground and the stories of what he did for fun. In one story he reversed gravity for a day, just for the fun of it. At his playground, he opened up a hole as deep as the earth is thick and had his people jump in. They fell for hours, playing and enjoying themselves the whole way down. Then they splashed down in water, one of Elyon’s lakes, if I remember correctly.

It’s one of the best trilogies I’ve ever read, and I highly recommend owning a copy of it so you can read it over and over again.

I wasn’t sure exactly how this could be both the beginning and the end of the Circle. White seemed to end things pretty well for the original trilogy and the Paradise Novels made it seem that everything was just moving on. Green picks up right where Sinner left off.

Here’s the breakdown.

Characters
The story starts with Billy, the one who put Thomas Hunter in the Black forest by writing in the Lost Books and who can now read minds, meeting with Monique and Kara, the two women most involved in Thomas Hunter’s life. Shortly after that meeting, we are introduced to Janae, Monique’s daughter. That’s all the characters for this reality.

In the other reality, there is Thomas, leader of the Circle, and Chelise, his wife. His son Samuel, who has been chafing under his father’s non-lethal treatment of the Horde, is becoming a catalyst. On the Horde side of the conflict, there’s Quorong, Chelise’s mother, and Ba’al, who from what I can gather is actually Billos from the Lost Books series (that I have yet to read).

I have to say that the character of Billy was not what I expected. I knew he was troubled because of the monastery in Paradise and the books, but I never thought he would be what he turned out to be. I also have to say that I was a bit saddened at how easily certain people in the Circle fell away at the end, but I do know that it will probably happen like that. It was interesting how at least one of them knew they were being seduced by evil, and went along with it anyway.

Story
So it starts with Billy looking for Thomas’ blood, one last vial of it that he believes Kara and Monique hid after the Raison Strain incident. They deny it and keep Billy from reading their minds by wearing dark glasses (he has to see their eyes directly to read their minds). They assign Janae to keep an eye on him, but that turns on them when Janae and Billy dose themselves with an alternate strain of the Raison virus, which forces Monique, desperate to save her daughter, to use the vial that she had denied existed. As in the past books, Thomas’ blood transports Billy and Janae to the other reality.

In the other reality, Thomas is dealing with the Circle starting to fracture. And his son is leading the way. In response, Thomas offers a challenge to the Horde not unlike Elijah and the priests of Ba’al in the Bible. Quorong’s priest, aptly name Ba’al, mixes a little of Abraham’s test into it and calls the Shataiki, evil bats working for Teelah, the evil one, to kill Samuel.

There is quite a bit I love about this book. It’s another that I could not put down once I got into it, and it didn’t take long for that either. It was interesting to read through this and then go right into reading the Circle Trilogy graphic novels. I basically got to read Green as both the end of the series and the beginning all at once. I must say that is does a very good job of being both, but you’ll get the most out of it if you read the rest of the related books as well.

Be sure to pick this one up when you get a chance.