FORBIDDEN is the first book in a new trilogy from Ted
Dekker and Tosca Lee. The trilogy is called The Book of
Mortals, a very fitting title.
On the very first page you find out that scientists have
discovered the genes that control emotions. About ten years
later, the world goes to war. It is a war that ends our
world, as we know it. It destroyed most of our civilization
and out of the ruins comes The Order.
A virus was created and it spread like wildfire around the
remains of the human population. This virus did not make you
sick; it took away your emotions. There is no love, no
sorrow, no hope, no hate, even the anger is gone. All that
is left is fear.
Fear becomes the motivator for everyone.
The Order is a religion of a sort. There is no belief, but
there is fear. Fear that you have broken one of the laws of
The Book of the Order. The Order requires that every person
attend their "meetings" and that, if for any reason a person
is suspected of doing anything that is not allowed, they are
to be reported. If you fail to report or help anyone, you
will face the same punishment.
There is peace for 480 years and then this book begins with
a boy who has lost his father. A very small group of which
his father was a member has kept hidden a vial of blood that
is untainted by the virus. A young boy's father dies, but
there is no grief, just the loss. Then a wild old man runs
up to the young boy and thrusts a box into his hands. The
boy stands there, stunned with no idea what is going on.
Before his eyes the guard kills the man and the boy runs.
You never run from The Order. Then his mother is killed
barely an hour later.
He is left with a cryptic message and a vial of blood, he
has no idea what to do or where to turn. Trust is a feeling,
so he has a few people he knows, young, innocent people.
Where can he go, who can he turn to? With all that and the
guards closing in, he sips the blood. He passes out and
wakes with feelings. Not just one and not just one at a
time, all of them and all at once. He feels love, anger,
hope, despair and up until now these were just words with
definitions.
Now it is up to him to solve the mystery of the blood, why
the small group protected it all this time. He needs help
and the few people he knows are now involved in deceiving
The Order, the punishment death for them all.
He must solve the cryptic note and find the one foretold who
would come. He must save his life, his friend's lives and
humanity. Not a small task for a group of young people
barely ready to start their lives.
Ted Dekker writes in many genres, but this is for young
adults, teenagers or anyone who likes a good story. A fast
easy read that leaves you waiting for more. More will come
with the second book called Mortal and then
Sovereign.
New York Times bestselling author Ted Dekker teams with
Tosca Lee to create this gripping thriller set in a desolate
future.
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.