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.

Book Summary

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.