Friday Fiction Fix: "Red: The Heroic Rescue"

The Short:

Red: The Heroic Rescue

The Circle, Book 2

By: Ted Dekker

5/5 Stars

What: Thomas is trapped between two dying worlds—modern history, which is being attacked by a killer virus, and the future, which is about to be overrun by the fearsome Horde.

Recommended to those who like: Action, Fantasy, Interdimensional travel/multiple realities, Christian, Allegory, End times

The Long:

This is by far my favorite book out of the Circle series. While Black will give you a bit better appreciation for what’s going on, it’s not strictly necessary to read it prior to diving into Red. The recaps of prior events are pretty thorough.

Thomas Hunter lives in two realities. In the present day, he’s trying to stop a deadly virus from overtaking the world. Meanwhile, his alternative self has lived 15 years in the distant future, which seems more like the past. There, he’s perfected a rudimentary style warfare against the Horde, which threatens his people, their religion, and their way of life. But he might be facing more danger from his own people than the Horde.

This book has one of my favorite portrayals of redemption in it. It never fails to make me stop and think for a little while.

The action in this book isn’t lacking, either. I mean, in one world, we have high-tech weaponry, espionage, and cross-world chases. In the other, there are sword fights, cavalry battles, and martial arts. It blends together nicely without feeling like there’s no time to stop and catch your breath.

I would probably recommend this book to teens and up for some violence that’s a bit on the detailed side. It’s probably equivalent to a PG-13.

The Bottom Line: This allegory combines modern day action and fantasy for an exciting read that would be suitable for teens and up.