Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Chosen-Ted Dekker

Title: Chosen
Author: Ted Dekker
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Format & Pages: Hardcover, 260
Publication: Thomas Nelson, 2007
Source: Borrowed
Rating:Heart Rater Original photo HeartRater_zps372caef9.pngHeart Rater Original photo HeartRater_zps372caef9.pngHeart Rater Original photo HeartRater_zps372caef9.pngHalf Heart Rater photo HalfHeartRater_zps31c1c2cf.png
“The land of the Forest Dwellers has been decimated by the Horde under the watchful eye of the vilest of all creatures, Teeleh. Thomas Hunter, supreme commander of the Forest Guard, is forced to lower the recruitment age of his arm from 18 to 16. From among thousands, four new recruits are chosen to lead-and perhaps die-for the greater good.

The chosen four are sent on a quest to prove their character, but their mission takes a dramatic turn when they are intercepted, sworn to secrecy, and redirected to a different endgame. Now they must find the seven lost Books of History. Books that have power of the past, present, and future. Books whose words are alive. Books sought by the Dark One that control not only the destiny of their world…but that of ours as well.”


Chosen takes place in a world parallel to Earth where humans are followers of Elyon. They are under attack by the Horde, creatures once human but overcome with a horrific disease that can only be cured with the waters of Elyon. In this time of battle, Thomas Hunter expands the age for enlistment in order to bolster his army. During the test to see which of the new recruits will become leaders, Johnis ends up becoming a leader. Shunned by his fellow comrades, Silvie, Billos and Darsal, they set out to cement their resolve and prove their leadership skills. Along the way, Johnis starts to see black bats, the winged servants of Teelah, the enemy of Elyon. Events rapidly unfold around them, leading the group farther away from their forest than they could ever imagine.

Overall, this way a fairly interesting read. The setting was dynamic, with the forest being the only sources of Elyon’s water and everything else being hot desert. The disease itself is quite amazing and really highlights the need for cleanliness, among other things. How the disease takes hold and clouds the mind while destroying the skin is really creepy. Never wanted to take a nice bath more in my life.

I enjoyed all the characters, but Johnis stood out to me the most. Not only is he the main character but he is haphazardly thrust into this world of battle with very little experience. In fact, make that no experience. He is impulsive and rash, which can greatly hinder any military operation. He also seems the least likely to be a leader. Over the course of the book, however, we find that Johnis grows in the role that was forced upon him. He becomes the leader that his comrades need and his impulsiveness saves them in the end.

Even though Chosentakes place after Dekker’s Circle series, you in no way need to read that series to understand what is taking place in Chosen. While I am sure that it would heighten the experience, I had no trouble following the plot as the story went along. There was even an astounding twist at the end. It really is a cliffhanger and makes me want to go out and get the next book to read.

2 comments:

  1. Hmm, I recognize the authors name, but not this book. Sounds good. Thank you. :)

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    Replies
    1. It was good and makes me want to read the circle series to know what lead up to this point a bit more.

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