The Visual Edition of Black, Red, and White (Circle Trilogy (Thomas Nelson)) [Hardcover]

The Circle Series Visual is a hardcover 3-in-1 edition of the original graphic novels for Black, Red, and White, which are in turn adaptations of Ted Dekker's epic Circle Trilogy. A retelling of redemptive history, these three books are Dekker's masterpiece, and to see them played out through graphic novels is amazing.

It all begins when Thomas Hunter falls and reawakens in the colored forest. At first, he thinks he is living in a fantastical dream, but soon comes to acknowledge the reality of both this Other Earth - this dream world - and Real Earth, the world of his present. He finds that when he sleeps in one world, he reawakens in the other. And the future of both worlds has been placed on his shoulders.

With information gleaned from the colored forest, which claims to be the future of Real Earth, Thomas learns that a bioterrorist releases a virulent disease, called the Raison Strain, which ushers in The Great Deception. In the colored forest, Thomas finds an Edenic type of reality, with the saga of man finding itself retold. In three stories of two worlds only one man can bridge the realities and do what is necessary to save both worlds.

New York Times bestselling author Ted Dekker first gained major popularity when his publisher, Thomas Nelson, declared it Year of the Trilogy and released the entire Circle trilogy in the space of a year (Dekker has since added a Book Zero, Green, to the saga). Such overwhelming success led to the graphic novel versions, here repackaged in a durable and hardcover format.

The art throughout the graphic novel gets better and better with each page. Dekker's words form pictures and we see the story come to life. Graphic novels are an interesting medium when they adaptations from regular full-length novels. Obviously, one cannot render every scene or include every bit of dialogue, so the major challenge is deciding how to stay true to the story while yet creating an exciting visual story. The adaptation and editing team - Kevin Kaiser, J.S. Earls, Matt Hansen, Bob Strachan, and Mike S. Miller - did a great job in this respect, so while ardent fans of the series will undoubtedly note what is missing, they should also appreciate that the core storyline is maintained and that Dekker's vision shines through.

There are many pros about this version and the graphic novel concept in general. From a purely pragmatic standpoint, for those wanting to dive into the Circle in living color, this is probably your best financial option. These graphic novels are great for introducing the Circle series to younger kids who might not have the time or attention span to consume a full-length novel, but will digest works such as this. While slightly smaller in size than the original glossy softcover editions, this 3-in-1 is just as easily read as the original version. Text size is slightly smaller but barely noticeable.

Dekker fans who do not already have the individual graphic novels will find this a must-have add to the Dekker library. Those new to the Circle will find themselves salivating for more as they close the cover. All in all great job by a number of people to take an epic trilogy and offer it in an exciting medium.

The Circle Series; I loved the original series and of course bought several sets for friends and family. When the graphic novels came out I just had to have them for all the youngsters that do not read a lot or can not focus for a large amount of time. A great way to share God's love for us to theese children or even adults. I now have children asking about God and wanting a relationship with him. How great is that? I have met Ted Dekker and he is a wonderful Christian role model. My husband and I can hardly wait for his new books to come out.

Worth the money. Excellent for children. You might actually get them to read with this.