NASHVILLE – Even Ted Dekker’s most avid
readers never saw this one coming. Last June, at a gathering of more than four hundred
fans, the New York Times bestselling author announced something so unexpected
it drew a collective gasp from the room. He is writing a new trilogy, he
explained, to rival the scope and impact of his beloved Circle Series, and he is doing it with the help of award-winning
novelist Tosca Lee.
“I
write for the same reason my readers pick up these stories: to discover,” he
told the crowd. “I want to explore the themes common in all of my
books—redemption, love, hope—in a completely different way. But, this story is
so far-reaching that it needs two imaginations to fuel it.”
To pull this story off
right would require a unique blend of Dekker-style thrills and grit wrapped in
masterful prose like he had never delivered before. It would require
collaborating with someone able to help elevate the story and make it larger
than life. It seemed like an order too big to fill until he discovered Tosca
Lee.
Forbidden, the first in
a three book series, combines the heart-pounding suspense and trademark plot twists Dekker
fans have come to love with Lee’s strong feminine voice and affinity for
nuanced emotional connections. According to Dekker, this novel is a true
collaboration unlike anything he’s done before. From concept to writing, both
authors have given 100% to the process. The result: a seamless story that is
all Dekker, yet all Lee at the same time.
In Forbidden, a novel the authors describe as “a thriller for
tomorrow,” the world as we know it is almost unrecognizable. Four hundred
eighty years have passed since civilization’s brush with extinction. Now,
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, 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.
The
novel is being released September 2011 by Hachette Book Group under the Center
Street imprint.
Dekker
is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 20 books,
including The Bride Collector, BoneMan’s
Daughters, Adam, Thr3e,
and The Circle Series. His
novels Thr3e and House (co-written with Frank Peretti) have been adapted as feature films, and
more of his books are in development with Lionsgate Entertainment.
Lee
is the critically acclaimed author of Demon:
A Memoir—Christy Award finalist and ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year
Silver Award winner—and Havah: The Story
of Eve, which received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly and 4.5
stars from Romantic Times. Her third novel, Iscariot,
releases in January 2012 from B&H Publishing.