Black

Enter the adrenaline-laced story that started it all: the fate of two worlds hangs in the balance of one man's choices as dreams and reality collide. Thomas Hunter narrowly escapes mysterious assailants only to encounter a silent bullet that clips his head . . . and his world goes black. He awakens in an alternate reality and soon finds himself pulled between two worlds. In one, Thomas is an average guy working in a coffeehouse. In the other, he's a battle-scarred general leading a band of warriors known as the Circle. Every time Thomas falls asleep in one reality, he wakes in the other-and both worlds are facing catastrophic disaster. In one world, he must race to outwit sadistic terrorists intent on creating a global pandemic by releasing an unstoppable virus. In the other, far into the future, a forbidden love could forever destroy the Circle's ragtag resistance. Thomas can bridge both worlds, but he quickly realizes that he may not be able to save either. In this mind-bending adventure, the fate of both worlds now rests on his ability to shift realities through his dreams-and somehow find a way to change history. From New York Times bestselling author Ted Dekker, experience the novel that launched The Circle. Full-length epic contemporary fantasy Part of the Circle Series Book 1: Black Book 2: Red Book 3: White Book 4: Green Includes discussion questions for book clubs

Thomas Hunter is a man torn between parallel realities, each teetering on the brink of disaster. Every time he falls asleep in one reality, he wakes in the other: one where he must race to outwit terrorists intent on releasing an unstoppable virus and the other, far into the future, where a forbidden love could forever destroy the Circle's ragtag resistance. Dive into the mesmerizing world of Ted Dekker's The Circle Series with the first novel— Black. Thomas Hunter narrowly escapes mysterious assailants only to encounter a silent bullet that clips his head . . . and his world goes black. He awakens in an alternate reality and soon finds himself pulled between two worlds. In one, Thomas is an average guy working in a coffeehouse. In the other, he's a battle-scarred general leading a band of warriors known as the Circle. Every time Thomas closes his eyes, he awakes in a different reality, where he must thwart a looming pandemic in one and confront forbidden love in another. Thomas can bridge both worlds, but he quickly realizes that he may not be able to save either. In this mind-bending adventure of suspense, thriller, and fantasy, the fate of both worlds now rests on his ability to shift realities through his dreams—and somehow find a way to change history. Ted Dekker excels in crafting a narrative rich with allegorical depth and spiritual introspection, making The Circle Series a profound exploration of faith, redemption, and the human spirit. Experience the novel that started it all with Black and join the Circle with the rest of the series: Book 1: Black Book 2: Red Book 3: White Book 4: Green

Black--favorite color of priests and penitents, artists and ascetics, fashion designers and fascists--has always stood for powerfully opposed ideas: authority and humility, sin and holiness, rebellion and conformity, wealth and poverty, good and bad. In this beautiful and richly illustrated book, the acclaimed author of Blue now tells the fascinating social history of the color black in Europe. In the beginning was black, Michel Pastoureau tells us. The archetypal color of darkness and death, black was associated in the early Christian period with hell and the devil but also with monastic virtue. In the medieval era, black became the habit of courtiers and a hallmark of royal luxury. Black took on new meanings for early modern Europeans as they began to print words and images in black and white, and to absorb Isaac Newton's announcement that black was no color after all. During the romantic period, black was melancholy's friend, while in the twentieth century black (and white) came to dominate art, print, photography, and film, and was finally restored to the status of a true color. For Pastoureau, the history of any color must be a social history first because it is societies that give colors everything from their changing names to their changing meanings--and black is exemplary in this regard. In dyes, fabrics, and clothing, and in painting and other art works, black has always been a forceful--and ambivalent--shaper of social, symbolic, and ideological meaning in European societies. With its striking design and compelling text, Black will delight anyone who is interested in the history of fashion, art, media, or design.

Black--favorite color of priests and penitents, artists and ascetics, fashion designers and fascists--has always stood for powerfully opposed ideas: authority and humility, sin and holiness, rebellion and conformity, wealth and poverty, good and bad. In this beautiful and richly illustrated book, the acclaimed author of Blue now tells the fascinating social history of the color black in Europe. In the beginning was black, Michel Pastoureau tells us. The archetypal color of darkness and death, black was associated in the early Christian period with hell and the devil but also with monastic virtue. In the medieval era, black became the habit of courtiers and a hallmark of royal luxury. Black took on new meanings for early modern Europeans as they began to print words and images in black and white, and to absorb Isaac Newton's announcement that black was no color after all. During the romantic period, black was melancholy's friend, while in the twentieth century black (and white) came to dominate art, print, photography, and film, and was finally restored to the status of a true color. For Pastoureau, the history of any color must be a social history first because it is societies that give colors everything from their changing names to their changing meanings--and black is exemplary in this regard. In dyes, fabrics, and clothing, and in painting and other art works, black has always been a forceful--and ambivalent--shaper of social, symbolic, and ideological meaning in European societies. With its striking design and compelling text, Black will delight anyone who is interested in the history of fashion, art, media, or design.