Black: The Birth of Evil

Black is a novel by Christian author Ted Dekker.

Plot summary
The book begins with a private meeting between an assassin, Carlos Missirian and his employer, a biological weapons mastermind called Valborg Svensson. Svensson informs Carlos that they have finally found the perfect virus, and that the involuntary source is a "dreamer" called Thomas Hunter.

Several days before, while walking home from work at the Java Hut, Thomas Hunter is assaulted by armed men, presumably as revenge for ripping off the Mob. While Thomas is able to temporarily escape with the aid of his rusty fighting skills, a bullet clips his temple, triggering unconsciousness.

When Thomas wakes up, it is to discover that he is in the middle of a vast black forest. He discovers his head wound, and assumes that his experience in Denver was a dream triggered by his apparent fall. In the black forest, he finds another human, "Bill", who urges him to drink from the small pool of green water. Confused and disoriented, Thomas investigates the water, but before he drinks, is distracted by horrifying black bats hanging from the trees. Noticing a white bat that appears to lead the way out, he tries to escape the forest. Enduring attacks by the bats and a swarm of carnivorous flies, he manages to stumble across a bridge into a brightly colored forest before he passes out.

Thomas wakes to find that he has returned to Denver, and makes his way back to his apartment. There, his sister, Kara, tends to his head wound, while he frantically explains his experiences. Skeptical, she demands proof that his dreams are an actual reality.

Meanwhile, Thomas wakes in the colored forest to find two of the white bats and a woman standing over him. The woman, Rachelle, leads him to a nearby village, whose inhabitants all worship God, named Elyon on Other Earth, through the religion of "The Great Romance". There, he meets the first inhabitant of this world, Tanis, who advises Thomas to pursue Rachelle as his wife. Amid this series of events, and despite the disorienting beauty of the colored forest, Thomas remembers to ask one of the white bats, called Roush, for more information. The Roush reveals that this world is a reincarnation of Thomas's world, with the exception of everything, including spiritual forces, being made visible. Upon further inquiry, Thomas learns that an event called "The Great Deception", which involved a virus mutated from a vaccine, caused the destruction of "Ancient Earth".

Thomas returns to Ancient Earth and supplies to Kara the proof she demanded—the winner of the upcoming Kentucky Derby. Convinced, she agrees to go with him to Bangkok, Thailand to warn the company Raison Pharmaceutical of the deadly potential of their vaccine. Upon arrival, he is unsurprisingly unable to convince the daughter of the company's founder, Monique de Raison. Desperate, he takes Monique hostage and lodges himself in a hotel. Tying her to the wall, Thomas is able to fall asleep.

In Other Earth, desperate to know more about the nature of the future virus, Thomas turns to the lord of the black forest, a giant bat named Teeleh. Without argument, Teeleh gives Thomas the exact temperature and time needed to cause the fateful mutation.

In Ancient Earth, Thomas has been followed by the assassin Carlos, who, after listening to Thomas recite the mutational information in his sleep, captures Monique and fatally shoots Thomas.

Regaining consciousness in the Other Earth, Thomas is led to a great green lake, the center of Elyon's power. Diving in the lake, he mentally and spiritually experiences the love of Elyon, and experiences redemption for a sinful life.

The power of the green water heals Thomas's chest wound, and he pursues the head of Raison Pharmaceutical to convince him of the danger. Carlos and Svensson have placed a ransom for Monique's life, demanding all of the Raison vaccine information. Using knowledge from Other Earth, Thomas is able to ascertain Monique's location, and leads a rescue mission. While he cannot physically remove her, due to a proximity bomb in her stomach, he is able to convince her of the truth, and take her ring to her father as proof of her persuasions. On the way out, Carlos again attempts to kill Thomas, but is once again foiled by the healing power of the water from Other Earth.

Wanting to know more about how he came to be in Other Earth, Thomas once again turns to Teeleh, who brings him to a spaceship inside the black forest. However, the spaceship was only an illusion, designed to make Thomas drop his sword (the sword is made of wood from the colored forest, It has power against the black bats). Now imprisoned, Thomas is given the choice to kill the mysterious Bill, his supposed shipmate. Refusing, Thomas makes his escape with the aid of a previously hidden dagger (also made of the wood from the colored forest).

Having escaped the black forest, Thomas is able to witness Teeleh deceiving Tanis into eating some black forest fruit. 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 Thomas has, is within. Teeleh succeeds in tempting Tanis to accept his water, thus allowing the bats access to the colored forest. As the wall of black bats, or "Shataiki" emerges from the black forest, the colored forest begins to dissolve into ash beneath their shadow. Thomas is unable to warn the villagers and takes refuge with Rachelle and her younger brother Johan within the Thrall as the bats ravage the area. In the morning, Thomas is shocked to see that Rachelle and Johan's eyes have changed from green to a dull gray and knows that the same has happened to him.

Meanwhile, Svensson has revealed his full plan: Now that he has released the virus, he will withhold the cure to all who do not pledge loyalty to him. Time is running out for the population of Ancient Earth, as the virus's three-week incubation period begins.

Elyon directs the dying survivors of the attack to seven forests on the other side of the black forest. There they are to bathe once daily in lakes, which cleanse them of the scabbing disease that has spread over the whole world. They are given seven rules to follow, including the commandment that they must never allow blood to come in contact with the lakes. Here in the oasis, Thomas, at the urging of Rachelle, consumes rhambutan, a fruit which suppresses dreams. He weds Rachelle and, for the next fifteen years, he lives with his growing family and community, never once returning to Ancient Earth.

But Carlos has infiltrated the Raison quarters where Thomas is sleeping soundly. The book ends with Carlos holding a gun to the prone Thomas' head.

Symbolism
The title Black refers to the color of the black Shataiki and the burnt forest, in contrast to the luminescent colored forest.