Forbidden

This new book by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee has received so much hype that part of me wondered if it was all fluff but now, having read the book, I see that many of the endorsements were spot-on.

I am a big fan of Tosca Lee’s. She has written some amazing books (namely, Havah and Demon) with beautiful poetic language. And Ted Dekker’s books always have plenty of thrilling action (which I love), but I have been less than satisfied with some of his endings.

Nonetheless, both Lee and Dekker are very talented writers with very specific skills and I was excited when I heard they were combining their talents on a new book. Wait…a new series? Even better!

As I waited (impatiently, I might add) for the book’s release, part of me was fearful for the authors and their work. For writers, collaborations can be the most difficult projects ever and hard to pull off brilliantly. But I needn’t have worried. Lee and Dekker pulled this one off admirably.

Lest this sound too much like a love-fest, I read the entire book last night in one sitting and am still on that satisfied high that I sometimes get when I finish a book that really hit the sweet spot. In the midst of that, I have to sit back and look carefully to find a downside. But here goes…

Some people will not like this book. The basic premise of the story is that in a post-apocalyptic world, humans have released a retrovirus that infected every person in the world, effectively editing out of their DNA all emotions except fear in an effort to keep humanity from destroying itself again through ambition and war.

Because the book explores the heights of every emotion known to man, more gentle souls might be offended by the authors’ explorations of desire, rage and lust. Regardless, I think that roughly 90% of my reader friends would not be offended and would enjoy this book to its fullest, including its explorations of joy, peace and love as the basis for a living society.

I dare not say more lest I give away too many spoilers. This book deserves to be read as a new experience, allowing the reader to discovers new vistas in every chapter.

Forbidden hits bookstores September 13, 2011.

You can get $10 off if you pre-order through Amazon (here) or Barnes & Noble (here). For more information on the authors, here are links to their websites: http://www.teddekker.com, http://www.toscalee.com

Publisher: Hachette Book Group; Imprint: Center Street
Format: Hardcover
Publication Date: 09/13/2011
Pages: 432
ISBN: 9781599953540
List Price: $24.99

I love to hear from you. Do you have a favorite Ted Dekker or Tosca Lee novel? On September 30, I will have a drawing for a $5 Starbucks card. For every blog post you comment on, you will receive one entry. Leave a comment and join the fun! If you don’t want to miss a post, make sure to subscribe to my RSS or email feeds here.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Forbidden, the first novel in The Forbidden series, will release in September 2011 from Center Street (Hachette Book Group). Described by the authors as “a thriller for tomorrow”, the world as we know it is unrecognizable. Four hundred eighty years have passed since civilization’s brush with extinction. Perfect order reigns and humanity’s greatest threats have all been silenced under the rule of a totalitarian government. There is no disease, no malice, no hate, and no war. There is only peace until the day one man discovers the truth: Every single soul walking the earth is actually dead and the human heart has been stripped of all that makes it human. Now only he is alive and has the knowledge that can once again awaken humanity.

You can visit the authors at:
http://www.teddekker.com/
http://www.toscalee.com/

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

(Note added 8/28/11: It has come to my attention that this deal is no longer available at the iTunes store.) 

Can you believe it? A free Ted Dekker audiobook? Yep, you heard me right. Right now you can download a copy of Ted Dekker’s novel Black from the iTunes Music Store–free of charge. This is the 13-hour, unabridged version. Here’s the iTunes link:
Ted Dekker Black Audiobook

Here’s a short synopsis of Black from Ted Dekker’s website:

By day’s end, three million people will be carriers of the deadliest virus in history. There is no vaccine. There is no anti-virus. The world’s only hope is Thomas Hunter, and he has already been killed. Twice. Enter an adrenaline-laced epic where dreams and reality collide – and the fate of two worlds hangs in the balance of one man’s choices.

For more info on the author, here’s a link to his website:
http://www.teddekker.com

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”