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.                                                                                                                                     

Sequel Review: "Tangled"

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. If you haven't already, check out my review of Out of the Shadows, the first book in the series. (Tangled is set to hit digital shelves soon, so it gives you plenty of time to read the first book!)

The Short:

Tangled

The Tacket Secret, #2

By: Emma Carrie

4/5 Stars

What: Jessie finds herself hunted again—only this time, she has her new guardian to protect.

Recommended to those who like: Sci-fi, action, mystery/detective, Christian.

The Long:

Jessie’s sure that she’s being hunted by her handler again. That would have been complicated enough without her new guardian, Detective Vick Tacket, poking her nose into her business. When three Russians show up on her doorstep, looking for information on genetic engineering and tissue generation, things start to get messy.

Just as with the first book, the action keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time. It’s a fast-paced, quick read, with a hint of Christianity thrown in (without getting preachy). There’s also a touch of humor to several of the scenes, which made for a few refreshing moments in what otherwise might have been a dark novel.

However, this book failed to deliver on any of the major secrets introduced in the first book, which was a little frustrating. While we get to see the characters grow and develop, we didn’t get to learn any more about their gritty and mysterious back stories. I want to know how Jessie became such a skilled assassin! What’s Vick hiding? Argh. I suppose I’ll have to read the next book to find out, because this one didn’t give me the answers I was looking for.

The author provides nice refreshers on what happened in the previous novella, so you can probably jump into this one without reading Out of the Shadows, if you really needed to. However, I think you'd miss some of the more subtle character nuances if you did that. 

The Bottom Line: Recommended to action fans who like a hint of sci-fi and Christianity thrown in.