Renegade [Hardcover]

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.

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

Below is an excerpt of my full review of The Lost Books Series:

I read all six books in just over a week's time as it continued to suck me in just as The Circle Series had. There were times that it was a challenge to put the book down. I even lost sleep reading this books late into the night. Much like The Circle Series, these book built off the previous one and the story become more engrossing as it progressed further. The connections between Green and this series are finally made clear. Where Ba'al (Billos) came from, how he knew so much about the Books of History, what he was talking about when he described going into another world, what became of the book Thomas Hunter brought with him in White, and how Billy could have gotten his hands on one of the Books of History that gave him telepathic powers. I am sure that there were other connections as well, but I do not recall all of them. In the end, only one chosen youth did not finish the quest while the other three were able to gather all seven books in the past (our not so distant future of 2033). Very enjoyable and satisfactory.

If you enjoyed the Circle Series, this series is a great addition to a fantasy world that delivered a great story. Unless you really feel inclined, I strongly suggest skipping books five and six. The quality is sub-par and you can almost see where Ted Dekker's influence stops and Kaci Hill's begins. The series, as a whole, suffers because of Lunatic and Elyon. Separate, however, the first four books are superb. The last two books They were close to awful and should be purged from Ted Dekker fantasy lore.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 32 reviews  4.4 out of 5 stars