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Renegade (The Lost Books, Book 3) (The Books of History Chronicles) Review
One of the chosen has gone renegade. Turning his back on all that he once believed, Billos enters the forbidden book and lands in a reality that is as foreign to him as water is to oil. A place called Paradise, Colorado, where he discovers he has strange new powers given to him courtesy of a mysterious figure known as Marsuvees Black. The chosen four have survived the desert, escaped the Black Forest, battled the Horde, and added a spirited refugee to their number. But nothing has prepared them for the showdown that Billos, the renegade, will lure them into. User Submitted Renegade (The Lost Books, Book 3) (The Books of History Chronicles) ReviewsAugust 22, 2008 More I preread this book for my son. It is a great adventure. Poopoo to all the nitpickers. I got behind the characters and enjoyed the adventures. July 25, 2008 Can't put it down! Ted Dekker is a master story teller that will wow you with the twist and turns through! He builds the characters in his books to a depth that you love every one! July 24, 2008 Best yet in the series Sometime after the year 4000 AD, history appears to be repeating itself as Teeleh, enemy of Elyon, overruns the once lush green forests. Those who are faithful to Teeleh, the desert Horde, have multiplied in number, and those loyal to Elyon, the Forest Dwellers, must recruit a new army as theirs dwindles. Thomas of Hunter, the Forest Dweller commander, carefully selects 1,000 worthy young men and women to replenish his diminishing troops. Heading up this unseasoned army are teenagers Johnis, Silvie, Billos and Darsal, who, unknown to Thomas, have been similarly handpicked by the white Roush (bat-like guardians of all that is good) for a larger mission than Thomas can imagine. The four are instructed to find the seven Books of History, which hold such supernatural power as to destroy all of mankind. With three in their possession, the foursome must search out their lands and that of the Horde to retrieve the other four...or so they think. When Billos experiences a rush of power unlike anything he's ever known after touching the Book with his bleeding hand, he then schemes and steals the three books and escapes to the desert. Once alone, Billos repeats the process; a vortex opens to another reality and he steps into it. What he discovers is an alternate world where a mysterious stranger, Marsuvees Black, offers him unlimited power in exchange for the books. At his fingertips Billos receives what seems to be endless power to command weaponry to appear at will, and he ruthlessly uses it to kill off innocents in Paradise. Succumbing to the temptation despite inner misgivings, he turns traitor to Elyon and agrees to Black's plan. Meanwhile, Billos's comrades discover him missing, search for him and the books, and must face Thomas with the truth. Thomas orders them to find Billos and stay out of trouble. Instead, more complications arise when Darsal sets off on her own to find Billos. Thinking herself alone, she is startled to see Karas, the former Horde girl, following her. Together they enter into enemy territory, and Darsal makes a deal with Alucard, the Shataiki, under command of Teeleh, to use his Book in order to rescue Billos. It works...sort of. Johnis and Silvie, now in more trouble with Thomas for losing Darsal as well, search for her. Despite the danger and their separation, all four continue to play into destiny's hands as they brave their enemies and end up using the books to escape certain death. With one world and another colliding, each of the leaders discovers how Elyon is present with them throughout, using each decision, each circumstance, for a bigger purpose. Even so, not everyone in the group will survive. This third installment in The Lost Books series is Ted Dekker's best by far. Fans will be eager for the final chapters where the battle for the seven Books of History will find their culmination. Fast-paced and multileveled, Dekker's prose shines in RENEGADE. --- Reviewed by Michele Howe July 14, 2008 Dekker always surprises This 3rd in the Lost Books of History series is the best yet. Unexpected reverses and entrance into new worlds holds the reader's attention. Dekker never fails to give constant action and characters who touch the heart. Better buy 3 & 4 together, because you won't be able to wait for 4 after finishing 3! June 16, 2008 Ted Dekkor is the best. Ted Dekker has a way of working other books into the Circle Trilogy and he does it seamlessly. May 22, 2008 Dekker Raises the Bar Higher! After devouring every savory word of Ted Dekker's Chosen and Infidel, I have anxiously been awaiting the release of the next two installments of the Lost Books series. Renegade begins right where Infidel left off: Billos has just vanished from his world, taking the three Books of History with him. Johnis, Silvie, and Darsal (the other Chosen) are now left wondering not only how to find the fourth book, but also how to track down Billos before he does any more harm. Their journey will lead them deep into the enemy's lair, where one will make a tremendous sacrifice in order to help bring Billos home. Meanwhile, Billos finds himself in the skin between worlds where he goes head to head with the mysterious and ever elusive, Marsuvees Black. Tempted by the dark power Black offers, Billos must now choose whether to fight for truth or give in to his selfish desires. In the end the choice he makes will affect the fate of two worlds and the one he loves the most. In Chosen and Infidel, Dekker started us off on a mind-spinning journey set in the alternate universe he created in his groundbreaking Circle Trilogy. Renegade raises the bar even higher as we are treated to a delightful adventure full of tension, suspense, and wonder. Dekker fans will once again love the tie-ins to his previous works (Showdown, Skin) and the return of Marsuvees Black is a trip to be sure. While there is enough action and intrigue to go around, this story is also about finding redemption in the most unlikely places. Once again Dekker knocks one out of the park as he beautifully sets the stage for Chaos. May 8, 2008 Dekkers mediocre series continues It's getting really annoying how Dekker fans gush over every one of his books as if they were written by God Himself, proclaiming them to be "masterpieces" and riveting fiction every bit as deep and meaningful as his older works. It is a lie people. Ted Dekker truly has written some great fiction in the past but in recent years his writing style has become, how should I say this? Old, boring, childish, and cliché. Although I loved his recent novel Adam, I am equally disappointed so far with his farce of a series The Lost Books. These are not great books; they are hardly good books at all. All the progress Dekker made in Infidel has been sucked dry by this half hearted attempt at fiction. If I have to be the one to point this out to you, then fine, but don't shoot the messenger for giving his report. There is only one HUGE problem with this book, and the whole series for that matter, which Dekker seems incapable of fixing; he doesn't get people, especially teenagers and young children. His characters idealistic clichés created to drive a point or the plot, which isn't bad in all situations but when they ALL are that way we have problems. An idealistic character is, necessarily, quite unrealistic in nature and will often act in such a way that will promote ideals which the author wishes to convey to his readers. Unfortunately when ALL the characters in a story are structured this way, as they are here, it sucks all realism right out from the beginning. There is nothing realistic about any of these characters, not Billos, not Darsal, not Karas, Silvie, or Johnis, they all act, talk, and live in manners which are totally inconsistent with ways real teenagers live. Am I really the only person to notice the absurdity of these characters actions? Am I really the only one who read this book and rolled my eyes almost every time they talked? Am I the only one to know that ten year old girls don't go on scary missions, willingly face death, or sacrifice themselves for others? Am I the only one who noticed how completely predictable the actions of our stupid tough guy, Billos, were? Or the plot of the story in general? Was this lost on everyone but me? I wonder who is reading these books. But the biggest disappointment for this story was the newest member of our little group, Karas, the Hord girl who Johnis rescued in the last book. I still remember her from Infidel, the most adorable little girl to ever live who's suffering and joy became my own. I wrote in my last review that I hoped she would play a major role in this book, and she does, but she isn't the same character, not by a long shot; in fact, I'm not even sure she's ten anymore. She acts and speaks like someone twice her age, and for someone who's only recently become a citizen of the Middle Forest, she seems to already know all there is to know about love, Elyon, and a host of other subjects. I know how little kids act, I've been around them my whole life, and Karas is NOT a little kid. Maybe that's a twist of some kind for the next novel, I don't know, I haven't read it yet, but aside from that very unlikely possibility there is no reason to have her act this way. Why make her ten if you're just going to have her act like a twenty year old? Dekker completely and utterly ruined one of his best characters. But this book is not all bad. Although some parts and copied and pasted from Black (remember Thomas swimming in Elyons lake?) it is, never the less, very interesting in the way it ties in with Showdown, Saint and Skin. I love how Dekker introduced Black (the villain from Showdown) into the Circle saga and explained the power and origin of the Books of History, which play pivotal roles in both the Circle series and the Paradise books. It even manages to tie Skin into the equation, although I'm not quite sure how that's all going to fit in at the end. This isn't a great book by any stretch of the imagination. It isn't very well written, its characters are all heart and no substance, and the plot is thin in most places, but it does give its readers a better understanding of the original series, which is why it exists anyway. All I can hope is that Dekker will finish this series off with a bang and then get on with Sinner. Re-read value; low. May 4, 2008 A real treat for seasoned fans...you'll be lost if your new... Renegade is a real treat for those who have been emersed in the world of Ted Dekkers Circle trilogy. You get an exciting and shocking trip back to Paradise, the world we see in Showdown and Skin. You get an incredible further explanation and building of the characters Bilos, Darsil and Karas, the other two main characters taking a bit of a back seat after the second book. The plot is again fast-paced and you are left once again in typical Ted Dekker fashion, longing to know the resolution. In this book, more than Johnis are learning what it means to follow their hearts and we get a great picture of how sometimes following our heart leads to darkness, but that if we keep following it, it will eventually lead us through to the light...powerful themes of falling/sin and redemption are present amidst a mysterious, sometimes confusing but altogether exciting world Dekker has invented... April 27, 2008 The Best of the Four When Billos, touched the cover of one the books of history with blood, a black hole opened and he entered a different reality. Once in that reality, he comes face to face with Marsuvees Black. Black offers Billos the deal of a life time, find and bring the books that crossed to Black and Black will give him incredible power. Drawn by loyalty, Darsal makes a deal with Alucard and binds her life to the books and enters the new reality to rescue Billos. What they discover together will change their lives forever. Renegade was also somewhat slow getting started. With each of the YA books, I've found that they seem to start by going around in circles with a lot of arguing among the recruits and them frustrating Thomas. However, once all the initial scuffles are over, the stories are riveting and pretty much mind blowing. If you want answers in Renegade to the whole book of histories saga, keep reading. There aren't many answers here, just more questions. Typical to Ted's style, he incorporate some great tie ins with other books and some awesome spiritual truths. This book to me is one of his best since White. It's lush with imagery and symbolism. One of the scenes towards the end is reminiscent of a scene in Black. I remember my breath being taken away when I read it in Black, it's just as awsome in Renegade. Truth is the most powerful weapon we possess as Christians and Ted wields that weapon quite effectively. Renegade is once again, another powerful reflection of the reality of us and the reality of God. Belief of God versus believing God. Do we really believe Him, do we really trust Him? Power from the world is an illusion. The only true source is from God alone. And of course, one of my favorites, the love, the choosing and the pursuit of God for each person. So many rich themes. I can not encourage people enough to try this series of books. It's awesome beyond imagination. April 27, 2008 Wanna trip, Baby? Okay... I've been anticipating the final two books in the Lost Books series ever since I read the first page of Chosen, and now my mind has absorbed each and every word of sheer awesomeness. Renegade is more than a trip, trip, trip. It's a trip and fall, making your mind spin around every bend and curve definitely more than once. Think of Showdown, The Circle Trilogy, and Skin compressed into one book, all your favorite locations, characters, and villains brought back to life in a whole new and unique way. Dekker promises to never let the tension break, and you'll be more than glad that you read this once you're done. I'm already tempted to reread it and I just finished it yesterday. For more Renegade (The Lost Books, Book 3) (The Books of History Chronicles) reviews click here.
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