The Forbidden - Softcover

F.R. Tallis

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1447204980 ISBN 13: 9781447204985

Publisher: Pan Macmillan, 2016

Synopsis

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, her 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?

About this title

About the Author

Frank Tallis is a writer and practicing clinical psychologist. He has held lecturing posts in clinical psychology and neuroscience at the Institute of Psychiatry and King's College London and is one of Britain's leading experts on obsessional states. In 1999 he received a Writers' Award from the Arts Council of Great Britain, and in 2000 he won the New London Writers Award.

Review

“Thrilling. What we have here is a proper scare-your-socks-off horror tale. Tallis weaves real historical figures into the narrative and conjures up fin-de-siecle France beautifully, but his main intention, excellently achieved, is to jolt even the hardiest of hearts.”
- The Financial Times

“A captivating historical series.”
- New York Times Book Review

“F.R. Tallis plunges us into late-1800s Paris, all cathedral gargoyles, rustling silk and gaslight. We follow Dr. Paul Clément, a student of the budding field of neurology, whose particular interest is in resuscitation of the dead using electrical charges. Tallis populates his story with real historical figures of the time, and thanks to impressive research detailed in the afterword, creates a beautifully authentic style that never falters into anachronism. You might say it’s a 19th-century “Flatliners,” segueing into “The Exorcist."”
- The Charlotte Observer

“Fans of Caleb Carr will feel right at home.”
- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“If you’re looking for the best in popular fiction, Tallis is well worth seeking out.”
- The Washington Post

Edition details

• Publisher: Pan Macmillan
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1447204980
• ISBN 13: 9781447204985
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384