The Blood Book - Ted Dekker

Two years ago, I entered into a world like no other...a world that can exist only in our imaginations...a beautiful reminder of a much more perfect world that we await after this life.  This world makes the beautiful worlds of Narnia and Middle Earth look like simplistic dreams in comparison.  This world is called Other Earth.  The year...is 4036. 

Back in 2010, we met a man named Thomas Hunter who entered into Other Earth in a dream.  Soon, he couldn't determine which world was the dream and which was reality.  When he fell asleep in one world, he woke up in another.  While Ancient Earth and the horrible reality of a disease that could kill out humanity certainly felt real when he was there, Other Earth felt more real than he could imagine.  In Other Earth, the spiritual is made physical.  Elyon is active in Other Earth as a boy, a man, a lion, and a lamb.  He plays with the people of Other Earth, and sometimes even turns the world upside down for their enjoyment.  Elyon has begun this new earth, after the great apocalypse that took place sometime between the years 2030 and 2040.  The earth holds magical fruit that heals, refreshes, and satisfies, and the most beautiful living water in the green lakes--Elyon's water.  But evil is being kept at bay in the Black Forest, and it is destined to return to destroy Other Earth when the firstborn drinks the water of Teeleh, a black bat also known as Satan.  The Shataiki bats (known as demons in our world), take over Other Earth, and the beautiful, white Roush bats (known as the messengers of God) disappear, and the spiritual is no longer as physical as the people would like; but Elyon promised to provide a solution in one fell swoop.
The horde (a physically and spiritually diseased people) have taken over parts of Other Earth and Elyon has promised to save His people when all hope seems to be lost.

So begins a story for the ages.  This story consists of 16 books going in different directions.  Ted Dekker has provided us with different sub-series of what is now known as the Books of History Chronicles, so that we can satisfy our craving to know more about Other Earth.  Recently, Ted ran a campaign called Share the Love, which allowed participants to receive a copy of the never before published, Blood Book, as well as copies of never published, Genesis and signed advanced copies of Forbidden, which will be released in September 2011.  Blood Book and Genesis are not set to ever be available to the public, but are meant to be a reward to those who participated in this campaign.  1000 copies were released and I was lucky enough to be one of the 1000.

The Blood Book allows the reader to discover the answers to many questions regarding Other Earth, including the connection between Roush and Shataiki and Teeleh's plan to destroy humanity and keep them separated from Elyon--as well as a unique look into journals of Ba'al, the shataiki queen Marsuuv, and, of course, Thomas Hunter.  The journals of Thomas Hunter gave me a whole new outlook on Other Earth and the journal of Marsuuv was a much needed and disturbing reminder of the harsh reality that religion is destroying our world and keeping us away from Elyon. 

I won't reveal much about the Blood Book, since most fans will never have the opportunity to read it, but I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to participate and I wanted to share a review of some kind!  The Blood Book exceeded my expectations and left me wanting even more!  I hope Ted will find other connections and continue the Books of History Chronicles, even though it is currently said to be over.