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Most Helpful Favorable Review
10 out of 13 people found this review helpful.
Absolutely Compelling!
As a longtime Dekker fan/reader, can I just say one thing: IT'S ABOUT TIME! Dekker fans of The Circle will squeal in delight as they see Dekker return to his earlier roots of fantasy and the darkly spectacular in Forbidden, but Lee's fans will glory in the beautiful pro...
As a longtime Dekker fan/reader, can I just say one thing: IT'S ABOUT TIME! Dekker fans of The Circle will squeal in delight as they see Dekker return to his earlier roots of fantasy and the darkly spectacular in Forbidden, but Lee's fans will glory in the beautiful prose and innate elegance that is completely Tosca. Combined, Dekker & Lee have crafted plainly a powerful story with compelling characters. Absolutely stunning! The characters are so well developed, the pacing breathtaking, and the storyline so utterly satisfying that I am in tears that its sequel, Mortal, is not yet available. I just have one thing to say after reading Forbidden-it's good to be ALIVE!
posted by RonieK on August 1, 2011
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7 out of 13 people found this review helpful.
Ehhh...
I didn't care for it. I couldn't decide if they were using stories from The Holy Bible for ideas or mocking it. It left me not wanting more. I really did want to like it.
posted by 10325970 on February 3, 2012
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RonieK
Posted August 1, 2011
Absolutely Compelling!
As a longtime Dekker fan/reader, can I just say one thing: IT'S ABOUT TIME! Dekker fans of The Circle will squeal in delight as they see Dekker return to his earlier roots of fantasy and the darkly spectacular in Forbidden, but Lee's fans will glory in the beautiful prose and innate elegance that is completely Tosca. Combined, Dekker & Lee have crafted plainly a powerful story with compelling characters. Absolutely stunning! The characters are so well developed, the pacing breathtaking, and the storyline so utterly satisfying that I am in tears that its sequel, Mortal, is not yet available. I just have one thing to say after reading Forbidden-it's good to be ALIVE!
10 out of 13 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted February 3, 2012
Ehhh...
I didn't care for it. I couldn't decide if they were using stories from The Holy Bible for ideas or mocking it. It left me not wanting more. I really did want to like it.
7 out of 13 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted December 31, 2011
Not Impressed...
...at ALL. I'm honestly shocked by all these great reviews. I agree with the reviewer, a definite waste of time and money. If I hadn't paid for this book, I would have just stopped reading it. BUT since I did, I read til the end and still not impressed. I wasn't pulled into the writing style, plot, or the characters. This writer has awhile to go.
6 out of 18 people found this review helpful.
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Ozzy12
Posted April 4, 2012
I Also Recommend:
The story had me hooked. Great Read!
The story had me hooked. Great Read!
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Interesting dystopian take on zombies
When I first saw the galley of this book on NetGalley I was intrigued by the cover. The whole "metal badge on a stone wall" design was appealing all by itself but with the bleeding heart in the middle the concept became that much more interesting. But there it sat, waiting for its time, which finally came late last week. I was immediately swept into this odd world where people feel nothing but fear and into Rom's life that's turned upside down when an old man gives him a mysterious box and almost immediately gets killed for it. I felt for this simple young man who didn't ask for anything that follows, who struggles with the onslaught of feelings that couldn't be any more strange. I hoped that the bad guys would fail once and for all and yet I knew that things couldn't be that simple. I recoiled at the twisted and horrific things the villains did and wondered about their leader's apparent omniscience.
There are plenty of dark and terrible things in this book and at first all the violence and blood spilling shocked me a bit but then I remembered that this is not a YA book and kept reading. Everything that happened made sense and I'm not sure that the book would've gripped me as it did had the authors shied away from the blood and gore or even toned it down. Morbid of me? Maybe. Doesn't make the book any worse.
The combination of highly advanced science and hardly any technology accessible to the masses creates a very interesting atmosphere. It kept me wondering what else was possible in this strange society, what else wasn't destroyed and what kind of advancements were actually made in the centuries when the world's population just tried to survive. The last several chapters sure opened up a lot of possibilities.
There are some things that weren't very believable. No matter how trusting people are how many times can the same trick really work? Wouldn't they be on the lookout for that exact thing? Shouldn't they be on the lookout for it? Similarly, if someone knows that something that doesn't fit with their plans is going to happen and they know when exactly it'll happen and where wouldn't they take steps to prevent it? Apparently not in this world.
The book didn't end on a cliff-hanger and I'm grateful for that - we all know what it's like to impatiently wait for a year or more to find out what happens next. The authors tied up the plot threads without leaving any loose ends but making plenty of promises for the sequel and giving an idea of what to expect in the future books of the series. I'm still wondering what will happen next, but at least I can wait without biting my nails to nothing.5 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
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onedesertrose
Posted December 3, 2011
Book of Mortals
Warning: Graphic scenes
Forbidden by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee will take you on a fantasy ride like no other! I¿ve read many of Ted Dekker¿s books, but none by Tosca Lee, so I¿m not familiar with whose style is presented the most, or if the two mesh together so well one cannot tell.
It¿s the story of a civilization where the living are walking dead¿ while undisclosed secrets held for years leave the people unaware of their loss. It started with The War of the Chaos, when Legion spread and stripped the genetic code of the limbic region of the brain of every thing but fear. It seems like a Utopia without the threat of war, hatred, lofty ambitions, greed, etc., but they must proclaim their loyalty to and live under fear of The Order.
This alleged Utopian life will be challenged for a few individuals, starting with Rom Sebastian. A box is tossed to him one evil night for safe-keeping, containing a vial of blood wrapped with vellum that includes a cryptic poem and an indiscernible message. Fleeing the Citadel Guard, he shares his finding with current and former friends, putting their lives in danger. Once they consume the contents, they will have to abandon everything they once knew as they encounter real humanity and its sensations.
However, once the message is decoded, a journey of delight, death, and danger throws multiple groups into conflict. Set in what appears to be a medieval era, the action is swift and sometimes brutal. The graphic scenes show the difference of The Order¿s view on murder and the reality of what takes place¿the proverbial ¿Do what I say, not what I do.¿ Your own senses are put on high alert as they encounter the pages of this book, and your own emotions are stretched during the difficult and delightful circumstances.
Would a life with love that includes pain and loss be better than a dead life with fear? This question must be answered individually by each of the alive characters. The authors create circumstances that will tear them apart. What will they decide? Their decisions will be crucial as the authors reveal their stories. It¿s a question the authors tweak your own emotions with as well. Are you alive or just stagnating? Living in Love or fear?
I do have a problem with the drinking of blood, as Scripture is adamant about not drinking blood. Knowing Ted and Tosca, it will most likely be brought around full circle.
I found a double meaning to the story that I believe the authors are acutely aware of, and wondering if we catch on.
You will find that this is not a light-reading book and that it doesn¿t end with Forbidden. But I can say I¿m already hooked for the next book in the trilogy.
Special thanks to Sarah Reck, Web Publicist | FaithWords & Center Street | Hachette Book Group, for sending me a review copy. No monetary compensation was exchanged.5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
As a major Dekker fan I loved this book! I got an advanced copy so I read it before a lot of people, and I LOVED IT!!! It was another world that I was hurled in to and was saturated with the love...the fear of that world. It makes me crazy, and impatient for the next book!!
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted December 25, 2011
Whyyyyyyyyy
Barney is better then this crap!
4 out of 17 people found this review helpful.
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9689845
Posted August 28, 2011
Must read!
Best advance read, instantly hooked!
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted December 24, 2011
Boring
A waste of my time and money.
3 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
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Good, With Moments of Dejavu
I won't review the plot of the story, you can do that. I will say, though, that this latest release of Dekker (with Tosca Lee) is much better than his recent books. I enjoyed the general story, the characters, and an interesting premise. My concern with his last few books is that Dekker keeps pulling out his one trick pony. Same basic plot ideas through each one. While this is much better, I'm concerned the pony is showing up in it's pages again. This time it's in the form of the circle trilogy. Dekker stays with familiary circle territory...old world theme, horses, tainted blood... and what was kind of a downer for me, another pendant showing up. It felt like the circle in some ways, just under a different story. I will read Mortals when it comes out in 2012, but you can only dress the pony up in different clothes so many times before you begin to wonder if he has anything more to offer.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted May 16, 2012
Recommended
As usual, Ted Dekker does not disappoint. I was caught up in the story line, I look forward to the continuation.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Arkatox
Posted May 7, 2012
Forbidden by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee
[Book Description]
Many years have passed since civilization's brush with apocalypse. The world's greatest threats have all been silenced. There is no anger, no hatred, no war. There is only perfect peace... and fear. But a terrible secret has been closely guarded for centuries: Every single soul walking the earth, though in appearance totally normal, is actually dead, long ago genetically stripped of true humanity.
Fleeing pursuit, with only moments to live, a young man named Rom stumbles into possession of a vial of blood and a piece of cryptic writing. When consumed, the blood will bring him back to life. When decoded, the message will lead him on a perilous journey that will require him to abandon everything he has ever known and awaken humanity to the transforming power of true life and love.
But the blood will also resurrect hatred, ambition, and greed.
Set in a terrifying, medieval future, where grim pageantry masks death, this tale of dark desires and staggering stakes peels back the layers of the heart for all who dare to take the ride.
[Book Description End]
With one month from the release of the series' second installment, I finally finished Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee's highly-acclaimed Forbidden, which I first started reading in October 2011.
The first in the Books of Mortals trilogy takes place in an alternate future in which fear is the only emotion genetically allowed. Although the setting and story are certainly good, the book failed to meet its hype. The book was slow, and even got to be quite boring in many places. It's a struggle to get through, making an unpleasant experience.
The antagonist is a man named Saric. He was given a serum by alchemists that brings back some of his emotions, but only the horrible ones. Basically, he was turned into a beast in a world that knew only fear. He sickened me to the point that I truthfully say I have never hated anyone, real or fiction, more than I hated Saric. That is not how to write a good bad guy! A well-written bad guy is one who you can see reason behind; one you can sympathize with. Ted Dekker has a trend of writing antagonists who are mentally unstable and/or retarded, and no offense to him, but that is the most annoying kind of bad guy in any story. By the end of Forbidden I literally wanted to butcher Saric.
There was a flaw in the story's concept. It's an awesome concept for a setting, but it's not possible to get rid of all emotions except fear. Among the characters who could only experience fear, I saw other emotions as well, such as confusion and desperation. Those could be considered attributes to fear, but that's irrelevant, because they're also emotions separate from fear. If someone in that universe suppresses their fear, they can still be confused, causing a major flaw in the idea of no emotions but fear. Other emotions are necessary in order to have only fear, and that in itself is contradictory.
Forbidden was good, but there were a lot of things I had a problems with; all those listed above, in addition to all of the blood, gore, and sexuality. There's nothing necessarily wrong with having blood, gore, or sexuality in a novel, as long as they don't go overboard. I, for one, am someone very easily grossed out, and there was a lot of gore that I wasn't comfortable reading. The authors could have been just as realistic in their writing while just being less explicit. I know that, because they've done so in the past. As for the sexuality2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted February 26, 2012
Must Read!!
This was the first book that I purchased on my Nook. I figured that I would read it just here and there, but in less than two weeks I'm finished! It wouldn't be so bad, but I have also been working about 70 hours per week. I have not read any books by Ted Dekker or Tosca Lee, but I'm shopping for one now (at least until Mortal comes out).
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted February 15, 2012
Loved it
I am a big fan of the circle series, so the twist of this story and the others was extremely unexpected and auesome! I cannot wait for the next book! Highly recommend!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted January 24, 2012
Strange
I could only get through the first 20 pages. Too wierd for me.
2 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted January 17, 2012
Very disapointed
After reading "Three" by Ted Decker, i was very dissapointed with this novel•Story was gloomy and depressing. Characters did not pop•perhaps intentionally since they were all emotionally dead. The plot eventually heightens when boy was found but the boy was more scared and clueless than the cast. Knowing Dekkers work, where good always wins, i was left hanging. No satisfying heavenly miracle in this one :(
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted January 7, 2012
Left me hanging
This book left me hanging and wanting more as a good series should. I can't wait to find out what happens with everyone and the adventures to come.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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songbirdsue
Posted November 2, 2011
Good Book
This book is similar to "the Gift" or "Uglies" where humanity has been genetically changed to be "better". In this case all emotions have been removed except for fear which makes them controllable without being ambitious. The story then revolves around "keepers" of the secret, those who discover and fight for freedom and the evil men who want to unleash evil and darkness.
This is not my favorite genre because they tend to be depressing and dark. This one is well done for this type of story and includes a lot of action and death. It draws a definite line between the dark and light emotions and how they can rule our lives. The ending is a beginning as well leaving room for future books.
I would not recommend it for teens because of the darkness and references to physical and sexual abuse provoked by the darker emotions.2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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No love, No hate, No joy, No laughter. Just fear.
This book is about a society that has had most of its emotions stripped away because of a virus. The only emotion left is fear. No love, no hate, no joy, no laughter. Just fear. The story follows Rom who is given a vial of some ancient thing he thinks may be blood. He doesn't know. So he does what any fearful person would do. He drinks some. While he is unconscious from drinking whatever the vial contained, his friend, Arva, is fearful that he will die. So she does something every fearful woman would do. she drinks some too! This book is full of twists, turns, plots, and mystery. It never lead in the direction I thought it would go. The ending was a surprise. This is one of those books that may have to be read again just to discover the hidden clues about things that I missed on the first time through. Although this book is written in a futuristic place, it really had the feel of an older place with castles, horses, and men with swords. Even though it would flip back and forth between the alternative places (like riding a horse through the cobble stone streets while looking at television monitors of your approach) it wasn't too much that my dual-personality mind couldn't handle. ** Note ** I received this book free from NetGalley and Hachette Book Group in exchange for an honest review. I received no chocolate or any other compensation in exchange for my review.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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