Black (novel)

infobox Book |
name = Black: The Birth of Evil
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = Ted Dekker
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series = Circle trilogy
genre = Novel
publisher = Thomas Nelson
release_date = 2005
media_type = FICTION / Christian / suspense
pages = 432
isbn = 1595540210
preceded_by =
followed_by = Red: The Heroic Rescue

"Black" is a novel by Christian author Ted Dekker.

Plot summary

In Black: The Birth of Evil, the first novel of the trilogy, Hunter discovers the alternate world of the colored forest which is gradually revealed to be a world in which the Fall of Man never occurred: Tanis, the "firstborn," and his wife have populated a world of unfallen people who experience no pain, want for nothing, are overseen by angelic figures—white bat-like creatures called Roush—and desire only the thrill of worshipping God, called "Elyon" in this world [1] who appears sometimes as a boy. While Hunter experiences his own redemption for a sinful life in the real world, he learns about Teeleh, a batlike Satan-figure in the world of the black forest who wants nothing other than to rule over the people and world of the colored forest. Teeleh plants seeds of deception into Thomas' mind, claiming that he is not actually a part of this world and that he landed in a spaceship with his pilot Bill. Even going as far as to cause deceptive hallucinations in Thomas' mind, making images of Bill appear to emerge from the black forest only to be torn back in by the Shataiki. These seeds of doubt grow in Thomas' as tries to reclaim his lost memory. Thinking that the only answers he can find are with Teeleh, he ventures into the black forest once more and upon his gruesome return he is witnessed by Tanis (just as Teeleh hoped) from the colored forest's side of the bridge. At this point when Thomas crosses over Tanis' attention turns to him and he tends his wounds. But the knowledge of what he's seen is like a splinter in his mind that he must see to. After he's sure that Thomas is sought after he returns to the bridge, when Thomas is informed of this by Michal the Roush, he rushes to Tanis' aid knowing full well what Teeleh's motives are. However when he arrives he is too late, as Tanis is in the process of eating some of Teeleh's poisonous fruit that plants deception into his mind. In a climactic moment, Teeleh offers Tanis a waterskin with his water inside to wash the fruit down, saying that the knowledge he desires, the knowledge of The Histories, is within (akin to Satan's offer of knowledge through the forbidden fruit to Eve). Teeleh succeeds in tempting Tanis to accept his water, frees their bonds to the black forest and allows himself and the millions of Shataiki under him to spread forth and destroy. As the wall of Shataiki emerges forward from the black forest the colored forest begins to wilt and dissolve into ash beneath their shadow. Thomas flees for his village in an attempt to warn everybody, but he cuts it too close and only has enough time to lead Rachelle and Johan into the Thrall (a colorful temple-like structure in the center of their village) for sanctuary. Witnessing the chaos outside, Thomas sees that the Shataiki exercised no restraint and destroyed everyone and everything in their path. The world is physically different, the once beautiful colored wood is no more. Thomas, Rachelle and Johan try to wait it out through the night and upon their awakening they hear nothing. When Thomas cracks the door a rush of putrid air enters the Thrall and immediatley the beautiful colored wood loses its glow and the once emerald green floor diminishes to simple wood. Thomas is shocked to see that Rachelle and Johans eyes have changed from their beautiful green to a dull gray and knows that the same has happened to him.

Meanwhile, a Left Behind-like premillennialism scenario is playing out in the world of Earth (called "Ancient Earth" in the world of the colored forest, which also sees itself as Earth). Each time Hunter sleeps in one world he awakens in the other. In "Ancient Earth," a terrorist group is attempting to create a biological plague through mutation of a vaccine. The group's plan is to offer the cure for the plague to the world at the cost of the sovereignty of the world's nations. The inhabitants of the world of the colored forest have knowledge of Ancient Earth's complete history, including events which have not happened yet. They refer to this time as the "Great Deception." The books strongly imply this event was the beginning of the great apostasy and the reign of Antichrist. In the last book of the trilogy, White, the Great Deception is now referred to as Teeleh's seduction of Tanis (since the Great Deception on "Ancient Earth" is prevented).

At the conclusion of Black, the few survivors are directed by Elyon to seven forests on the other side of the world. After fleeing the Thrall and finding the once bottomless green lake where they once had their nightly gatherings emptied, Thomas decides to lead the others out into the desert, which was suggested by a forlorne Michal. After a seemingless endless journey that would seemingly kill them, they are confronted by a young boy whom Thomas recognizes to be the same from the upper lake where he met Elyon face-to-face. The boy leads them quickly to a lush and beautiful forest, complete with a lake. There they are to bathe once daily in lakes provided by Elyon which cleanse them of a leprosy-like disease that has spread over the whole world. They are given a total of seven rules to follow, including the commandment that they must never allow blood to come in contact with the lakes.

The title "Black" refers to the color of the Shataiki and their forest, which in contrast to the luminescent colored forest is composed entirely of black trees; after Tanis accepts the water of Teeleh and the Shataiki invade, the colored forest turns black as well.