Title: The Forbidden Author: F.R. Tallis
Publisher: Macmillan
Published: June 2012
ISBN: 978 0230 760806
Price: Hardback £12.99
Rating: 5/5 with merits
The cover on this is eye catching, I like the ornate scroll font used, along with the black and white cover which fits the era of the book very well.
Doctor Paul Clement is a hands on doctor – he loves experimenting and coming up with new ideas for the science community. When he takes a job in Saint Sebastien at a mission hospital he hopes to discover cures for tropical diseases. Instead he finds out that black magic is in practice and is witness to a murder of someone who is said to have been one of the living dead. He is forbidden to share what he has seen. From that point on Pauls life is not the same – he has to deal with superstition, possession and then living with the consequences.
In places I found this fairly shocking and explicit in its brutality – I found the story was well worth continuing to read, even though I don’t read horror normally. The psychological element of the story was what made me continue to read. The storyline was formidable, intriguing and completely absorbing. I thought it was very well written, and really earns the 5/5 with merits rating that I’ve given this.
Book synopsis:
Superstition. Posession. Hell on Earth . . .
When ambitious Doctor Paul Clément takes a job at the mission hospital on Saint Sébastien, he has dreams of discovering cures for tropical diseases. What he finds is a place where the black arts are just a way of life. After witnessing the ritualistic murder of a young man, said to be one of the living dead, he is forbidden to speak of what he has seen.
On returning to Paris, Clément's attention turns to studying the nervous system and resuscitation. He is told of patients who have apparently died, been brought back to life, and whilst suspended between life and death, experience what they believe to be heaven. Clément attempts a daring experiment in order to confirm these extraordinary reports, but the outcome is wholly unexpected. Could it be that when he is resuscitated, he brings something back with him - an ancient evil, so powerful that it can never be destroyed? Is the good doctor slowly succumbing to madness, or has he really passed through the gates of hell?
Source – Many thanks to Macmillan, a copy was received in return for an honest review.
1 comment:
I loved that book. I finished reading today and I'm still amazed.
I think, there are influence of from "Constantine", "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and "The exorcist" and I loved it.
Greetings!
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