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Talisman Chronicles #1
The Forgotten Eden
Hidden within the deep woods of rural Alabama, along the forgotten southern course of the Black Warrior River, lies an unseen world feared for centuries by the residents of the tiny town of Carlsdale. Only one person has ever survived a visit to this place long enough to tell about it. His name is Jack Kenney.
Thirteen years old at the time of the event, Jack and his family were forced to flee Carlsdale and head north to the larger city of Tuscaloosa. The menace from their former home left them in peace for nearly eight years. But after the brutal murder of a noted archaeologist and teacher at the University of Alabama, everything changed. Jack and his older brother, Jeremy, attend the University and are close friends of the late professor. Within days of his death, they are abducted by the FBI, held against their will in a secret holding facility near Manassas, Virginia.
Frustrated by the brother’s seeming refusal to cooperate, the agency’s interrogations become increasingly violent, until Jack gains a welcome reprieve when Special Agent Peter McNamee arrives from the FBO’s Richmond office. He befriends Jack and gains his trust, drawing upon a similar supernatural event from his own youth. Willing, finally, to talk after so many years spent in sworn silence, Jack leads Peter on an extraordinary roller-coaster ride involving a mystical and deadly realm located in America’s Deep South…
Thirteen years old at the time of the event, Jack and his family were forced to flee Carlsdale and head north to the larger city of Tuscaloosa. The menace from their former home left them in peace for nearly eight years. But after the brutal murder of a noted archaeologist and teacher at the University of Alabama, everything changed. Jack and his older brother, Jeremy, attend the University and are close friends of the late professor. Within days of his death, they are abducted by the FBI, held against their will in a secret holding facility near Manassas, Virginia.
Frustrated by the brother’s seeming refusal to cooperate, the agency’s interrogations become increasingly violent, until Jack gains a welcome reprieve when Special Agent Peter McNamee arrives from the FBO’s Richmond office. He befriends Jack and gains his trust, drawing upon a similar supernatural event from his own youth. Willing, finally, to talk after so many years spent in sworn silence, Jack leads Peter on an extraordinary roller-coaster ride involving a mystical and deadly realm located in America’s Deep South…
315 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 7, 2010
377 people are currently reading
1210 people want to read
About the author
Aiden James
84 books311 followersedit biographydelete
Biography
Aiden James is the bestselling author of "Cades Cove: the curse of Allie Mae", "The Judas Chronicles", and the "Nick Caine Adventures" (with J.R. Rain). The author has published over forty books and a new series is set to begin in the fall of 2022 (The BloodStar Chronicles). At present, he resides in Nashville, Tennessee with his wife, Fiona, and an ornery little dog named Pepper.
To learn more about Aiden James and his latest books, please visit AidenJamesNovelist.com, or look for him on Facebook (Aiden James, Paranormal Adventure Author) and Twitter (@AidenJames3).
You can also learn more about Aiden and Fiona, and their interests, at the links below:
FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/ManorHousePu...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
May 20, 2012
The premise of this supernatural tale was good. Years ago, Jack's parent disappeared leaving him and his brother, Jeremy, to live with their grandfather on a farm in a small town. Years after their disappearance, Jack investigates a small sphere that sits at the entry to the woods. When Jack ventures beyond the sphere, he finds himself in a beautiful, magical place that mysteriously appears. When a beautiful woman, Genovene, shows up and invites Jack to a feast in their village, he is taken with her beauty and follows her further into the magical community.
What he finds there is the answer to not only his parents' disappearance, but the before now unsolved disappearance of many others. He discovers that the magical village is not at all what it seems, but filled with evil that he could never imagine.
My problem was not with the story itself but the way it was told. The story was narrated by Jack as he told it to a government agent and the dialogue between the agent and Jack, and the dialogue in general was rather elementary. I feel that relaying the story in a different fashion would have added greatly to the appeal of the book.
What he finds there is the answer to not only his parents' disappearance, but the before now unsolved disappearance of many others. He discovers that the magical village is not at all what it seems, but filled with evil that he could never imagine.
My problem was not with the story itself but the way it was told. The story was narrated by Jack as he told it to a government agent and the dialogue between the agent and Jack, and the dialogue in general was rather elementary. I feel that relaying the story in a different fashion would have added greatly to the appeal of the book.
January 8, 2019
Halfway through this book, I was interested enough in the plot to keep reading, but the writing was difficult to sludge through, so I started skimming through unnecessarily tedious descriptions to finish, only to realize it is a trilogy!
The characters are 1-dimensional and unbelievable. The plot had potential, but the second- and third-hand telling made it feel weird. No 20 year old is going to recount a story in the type of minutely descriptive prose Jack uses FOR HOURS. Not only does he tell his own life story, but that of everyone he knows.
Then are the occasionally unexpected Rated X sexual scenes/suggestions that seem out of place in a story about a 12-year old. There were just too many unbelievable scenarios that made it impossible to suspend disbelief in order to stay in the story long enough to enjoy it.
The ending not only seemed contrived, but the cliffhanger stops in a jarring and confusing way. The plot had potential, but I will not be finishing this series, as I could really care less what happens next.
The characters are 1-dimensional and unbelievable. The plot had potential, but the second- and third-hand telling made it feel weird. No 20 year old is going to recount a story in the type of minutely descriptive prose Jack uses FOR HOURS. Not only does he tell his own life story, but that of everyone he knows.
Then are the occasionally unexpected Rated X sexual scenes/suggestions that seem out of place in a story about a 12-year old. There were just too many unbelievable scenarios that made it impossible to suspend disbelief in order to stay in the story long enough to enjoy it.
The ending not only seemed contrived, but the cliffhanger stops in a jarring and confusing way. The plot had potential, but I will not be finishing this series, as I could really care less what happens next.
August 12, 2017
I wish I could give this 2.5 stars, not because it was necessarily bad, but because it could have been so much better.
The story itself? Very interesting, and I read through it at every opportunity, trying to find out what was going to happen. So plot gets a solid 4 stars. What's the problem, then? First of all, approximately 70% of the story is told in flashback narration. Not a true flashback, where you know you're in the past but the scene is written like it's in the present. No, it's just one guy telling another guy what happened to him, with occasional pauses for the two to comment on the story or talk about some more things that they might know in the future, or (most frustratingly), when they're going to break for dinner. Seriously. Every hundred pages or so. "I know we're at a really interesting part of the story, but do you want to stop to get something to eat?" "No, I'm good." STOP ASKING THEN.
Plus, the narration and dialogue was very stilted. These are supposed to be small town Alabama boys, but they talk like they're practicing for a Shakespearean play. Everything is written in a very grandiose, ten-dollar-word way that's highly distracting, because it doesn't fit at all with what I'm told about the characters everywhere else. It's extremely jarring and kept pulling me out of the story, because I'd have to go stop and go, "Would anybody anywhere say that? Out loud? Really?"
There are more books after this, and maybe with the backstory out of the way the rest would move more quickly and in the present. But the woodenness of the dialogue and the complete insanity of living an entire story in narrative form will keep me from reading them.
The story itself? Very interesting, and I read through it at every opportunity, trying to find out what was going to happen. So plot gets a solid 4 stars. What's the problem, then? First of all, approximately 70% of the story is told in flashback narration. Not a true flashback, where you know you're in the past but the scene is written like it's in the present. No, it's just one guy telling another guy what happened to him, with occasional pauses for the two to comment on the story or talk about some more things that they might know in the future, or (most frustratingly), when they're going to break for dinner. Seriously. Every hundred pages or so. "I know we're at a really interesting part of the story, but do you want to stop to get something to eat?" "No, I'm good." STOP ASKING THEN.
Plus, the narration and dialogue was very stilted. These are supposed to be small town Alabama boys, but they talk like they're practicing for a Shakespearean play. Everything is written in a very grandiose, ten-dollar-word way that's highly distracting, because it doesn't fit at all with what I'm told about the characters everywhere else. It's extremely jarring and kept pulling me out of the story, because I'd have to go stop and go, "Would anybody anywhere say that? Out loud? Really?"
There are more books after this, and maybe with the backstory out of the way the rest would move more quickly and in the present. But the woodenness of the dialogue and the complete insanity of living an entire story in narrative form will keep me from reading them.
May 18, 2020
This book was seriously dreadful. It often felt like the author had given himself a challenge to use one new big word on every page, and didn't always get them right. The bulk of this story is about one character narrating a story to another character, which makes the over-use of the thesaurus even more ridiculous. No one talks like that. Additionally, the set up was just bizarre. What is the actual story here? Is it Jake and the feds, or is it the fantasy world that he's telling them about, in exquisite, unbelievable detail? I should have given up at 20% like I was going to, instead of skimming the rest. Absolute waste of time.
January 19, 2022
I mean the writing in this book was terrible. The story was OK, but the author doesn’t seem to understand how to write dialogue, what tense he was writing in or from whose point of view. The narrator often changed mid way through a sentence and the language was either stilted or unrealistically descriptive for what was supposed (in the most part) a conversation between the main character and some kind of federal agent. Descriptions of people being offered drinks or stopping at weird points in a conversation just to get another drink could probably be made into a drinking game itself. The number of times someone ‘chuckled’ or ‘smirked’ makes me think a Thesaurus was close at hand for a lot of the writer’s process as well.
I think the book could have done with a really good edit, and a different narrative set up. This would have improved it a lot. I don’t like not finishing a book I have started which is why I finished this, but I won’t be reading the rest of the series.
I’m not sure if these books are self-published but regardless, this book actually makes me want to start writing my own book because I’m sure I could do something of at least this calibre.
I would not recommend buying this book.
I think the book could have done with a really good edit, and a different narrative set up. This would have improved it a lot. I don’t like not finishing a book I have started which is why I finished this, but I won’t be reading the rest of the series.
I’m not sure if these books are self-published but regardless, this book actually makes me want to start writing my own book because I’m sure I could do something of at least this calibre.
I would not recommend buying this book.
August 7, 2017
Wonderful book! Took me a bit to get into it but then I started becoming curious and got totally wrapped up into the book and the story. I do not give out spoilers but I will say if you like an imaginative story line then you will like this. Only issue I have with the book, that gained it's 4 stars instead of 5, is the abrupt way the book ended. I'm use to a trilogy leaving you hanging a bit but not cutting you off at the knees. Was a bit to abrupt in my opinion. Otherwise it's well worth the read!
October 18, 2017
Discovering you have a path to a secret hell demension in your back yard woods. Imagin that your parents are also one of many who have disappeared into this place never to return. Anyone trying to investigate winds up dead or wanted by the government, but somehow your family is personally tied to the place. Very interesting. I liked how the entire story was told as a recollection of the main character's past.
Warning though, there is a very graphic sexual encounter in the beginning of the book, so I would not recommend for young people.
Warning though, there is a very graphic sexual encounter in the beginning of the book, so I would not recommend for young people.
August 30, 2017
Good story, so so dialogue
I love the story, and will definitely get the next two books in this series. However, it contains a lot of dialogue, and it doesn't read as normal speech to me. Overly descriptive for regular conversation, and the characters keep referring to that fact which just focuses the reader's attention on it more.
I love the story, and will definitely get the next two books in this series. However, it contains a lot of dialogue, and it doesn't read as normal speech to me. Overly descriptive for regular conversation, and the characters keep referring to that fact which just focuses the reader's attention on it more.
August 8, 2017
WARNING! Cliffhanger
Not only does it leave you hanging but it needs some serious editing. It drones on and on in areas. Going into the mysterious place this happens, then that, then another thing, none of which have any meaning except to drag out the story.
Not only does it leave you hanging but it needs some serious editing. It drones on and on in areas. Going into the mysterious place this happens, then that, then another thing, none of which have any meaning except to drag out the story.
August 22, 2017
Confusing
This book was a bit of a strange one. I enjoyed the part where Jack was in the strange world,but I got a bit lost when suddenly he was in the police station accused of murder. I got into that so the confusion disappeared,but the ending was odd too.
This book was a bit of a strange one. I enjoyed the part where Jack was in the strange world,but I got a bit lost when suddenly he was in the police station accused of murder. I got into that so the confusion disappeared,but the ending was odd too.
September 9, 2017
Another Win!
I'm a fan of Aiden James and enjoy everything I've read. Forgotten Eden is another in the win column. It's a great combination of fantasy, suspense, and horror. I can't wait to read the next in the series.
I'm a fan of Aiden James and enjoy everything I've read. Forgotten Eden is another in the win column. It's a great combination of fantasy, suspense, and horror. I can't wait to read the next in the series.
May 18, 2018
Waaaay too much detail!!!
Two stars may be a little low, I'm generally not a fan of fantasy; horror is my usual genre. However, the detail in this book even puts Stephen King to shame. I couldn't finish even half the book.
Two stars may be a little low, I'm generally not a fan of fantasy; horror is my usual genre. However, the detail in this book even puts Stephen King to shame. I couldn't finish even half the book.
December 29, 2023
A most unusual story.
I have never read a story like this before. I think it would make a great film. Very different from any thing I have read before. I enjoyed it. I could have carried on reading it the book hadn't finished. Great story, most unusual.
I have never read a story like this before. I think it would make a great film. Very different from any thing I have read before. I enjoyed it. I could have carried on reading it the book hadn't finished. Great story, most unusual.
August 2, 2017
very good
August 4, 2017
Great book
Really enjoyed this book though I was amazed at the authors imagination. And it ended on cliffhanger grrrr. But great read
Really enjoyed this book though I was amazed at the authors imagination. And it ended on cliffhanger grrrr. But great read
August 8, 2017
What an amazing imagination Aiden James has! This isn't the sort of book I normally read but it kept me enthralled.
August 9, 2017
One word - plodding
I hated this book - I stuck with it for awhile, but finally decided 1/4 of the way through that it was not worth my time.
I hated this book - I stuck with it for awhile, but finally decided 1/4 of the way through that it was not worth my time.
August 10, 2017
The Forgotten Eden
Jack has had an eventful life and not in a good way. The plethora of evil and perhaps good characters keep coming.
Jack has had an eventful life and not in a good way. The plethora of evil and perhaps good characters keep coming.
August 12, 2017
I despise cliffhangers...
Regardless of how good the book may be, I really despise being held hostage to buy the sequel. I will not buy it...
Regardless of how good the book may be, I really despise being held hostage to buy the sequel. I will not buy it...
August 12, 2017
A cliffhanger
A tale that drags out keeping the reader in suspense, difficult to put down, eagerly awaiting to discover Jack and Jeremy's fate only to be
A tale that drags out keeping the reader in suspense, difficult to put down, eagerly awaiting to discover Jack and Jeremy's fate only to be
October 29, 2017
Interesting
An interesting book that kept me engaged. It makes one wonder about many things in regards to history and practices that were once used.
An interesting book that kept me engaged. It makes one wonder about many things in regards to history and practices that were once used.
Read
November 10, 2025not bad, but not what I was expecting.
July 20, 2013
Jack Kenney and his brother Jeremy are brought in for questioning by the FBI in the death of Jeremy's professor and mentor after Jack was the last one to see him alive in the hospital after the professor was brutally beaten. Along with being questioned for the murder, Jack is asked questions surrounding the strange happenings in the small Alabama town in which he lived as a child. Jack and his brother were raised by their Grandfather after their parents had disappeared when Jack was just a baby during what the towns people called The Season. Jack, having found a talisman when he was young which marked him as a chosen one to enter the world of Genovene and her villagers who are the cause of many strange disappearances in the area for centuries. The ensuing story brings back many horrible nightmares as Jack tells his almost unbelievable tale to the agent who takes over the investigation and who also had an experience in his past similar to Jack's.The Forgotten Eden is one of those stories that you think you have figured out only to find...you were wrong about what was going to happen. I am a fan of Aiden James and the way his writing is so detailed and intriguing. The Forgotten Eden is a mixture of supernatural and mystery and will have you wondering until the end! I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a really good book to sit enjoy.
September 27, 2013
This is the first book in a series and I loved it. I don't really know how to describe it because I feel it had an aspect of all of these, Paranormal, suspense, Thriller, Horror. Genovene and her "family" have caused nothing but pain and horror to Jack and Jeremy's family.
Jack, being the "chosen one" went through almost unbelievable horrors during what he thought was going to be a great adventure at the age of 13. His brother Jeremy seemed to hate the world and seemed to have it out for Jack big time. While his grandfather was worried he didn't give Jack any reason to stay away from the woods besides the fact that he was told to stay away from the woods. lol.
Jack being a curious 13 year old decides to disobey and next thing he knows he thinks he is going on a grand adventure with a beautiful girl he found in the woods. Little does he know the horrors that would eventually befall him. These events do not stop there though. Things like these tend to follow you and now in his twenties it has found him. There is something about Jack that makes Genovene really want him. Maybe the fact that he is the one that got away.
Definitely excited to read book 2 and see what awaits Jack and Jeremy. I highly recommend this book. Aiden really has a way of capturing your attention right from the beginning and if I didn't have obligations I would not have put this book down!
Jack, being the "chosen one" went through almost unbelievable horrors during what he thought was going to be a great adventure at the age of 13. His brother Jeremy seemed to hate the world and seemed to have it out for Jack big time. While his grandfather was worried he didn't give Jack any reason to stay away from the woods besides the fact that he was told to stay away from the woods. lol.
Jack being a curious 13 year old decides to disobey and next thing he knows he thinks he is going on a grand adventure with a beautiful girl he found in the woods. Little does he know the horrors that would eventually befall him. These events do not stop there though. Things like these tend to follow you and now in his twenties it has found him. There is something about Jack that makes Genovene really want him. Maybe the fact that he is the one that got away.
Definitely excited to read book 2 and see what awaits Jack and Jeremy. I highly recommend this book. Aiden really has a way of capturing your attention right from the beginning and if I didn't have obligations I would not have put this book down!
October 3, 2013
This is the first book in a series and I loved it. I don't really know how to describe it because I feel it had an aspect of all of these, Paranormal, suspense, Thriller, Horror. Genovene and her "family" have caused nothing but pain and horror to Jack and Jeremy's family.
Jack, being the "chosen one" went through almost unbelievable horrors during what he thought was going to be a great adventure at the age of 13. His brother Jeremy seemed to hate the world and seemed to have it out for Jack big time. While his grandfather was worried he didn't give Jack any reason to stay away from the woods besides the fact that he was told to stay away from the woods. lol.
Jack being a curious 13 year old decides to disobey and next thing he knows he thinks he is going on a grand adventure with a beautiful girl he found in the woods. Little does he know the horrors that would eventually befall him. These events do not stop there though. Things like these tend to follow you and now in his twenties it has found him. There is something about Jack that makes Genovene really want him. Maybe the fact that he is the one that got away.
Definitely excited to read book 2 and see what awaits Jack and Jeremy. I highly recommend this book. Aiden really has a way of capturing your attention right from the beginning and if I didn't have obligations I would not have put this book down!
Jack, being the "chosen one" went through almost unbelievable horrors during what he thought was going to be a great adventure at the age of 13. His brother Jeremy seemed to hate the world and seemed to have it out for Jack big time. While his grandfather was worried he didn't give Jack any reason to stay away from the woods besides the fact that he was told to stay away from the woods. lol.
Jack being a curious 13 year old decides to disobey and next thing he knows he thinks he is going on a grand adventure with a beautiful girl he found in the woods. Little does he know the horrors that would eventually befall him. These events do not stop there though. Things like these tend to follow you and now in his twenties it has found him. There is something about Jack that makes Genovene really want him. Maybe the fact that he is the one that got away.
Definitely excited to read book 2 and see what awaits Jack and Jeremy. I highly recommend this book. Aiden really has a way of capturing your attention right from the beginning and if I didn't have obligations I would not have put this book down!
April 3, 2012
The forgotten Eden is my second venture into the writing of Aiden James. (I read "Plague of Coins" first).
The forgotten Eden is the first book in a series called "The Talisman Chronicles". It's a very dark, fantasy type of book. It's written from a slightly different perspective than most novels. The book opens with the main character locked up by the FBI. He goes on to tell the story of what has happened to him in the past. So basically, you're reading a story, of someone else telling a story. Because of that, I felt that it bogged down from time to time - not terribly, but it wasn't my favorite way to get a story either. There is plenty of action, plenty of interesting characters, but there are some scenes (the escape from Genovene's city) that are a little drawn out and a bit too far fetched - even for a fantasy novel.
All in all, the book is worth the read if for no other reason than the fact that the second book in the series "The Devil's Paradise" is MUCH better and would make no since if you didnt read this one first.
I've heard that the 3rd book in the series should be out December of 2012.
The forgotten Eden is the first book in a series called "The Talisman Chronicles". It's a very dark, fantasy type of book. It's written from a slightly different perspective than most novels. The book opens with the main character locked up by the FBI. He goes on to tell the story of what has happened to him in the past. So basically, you're reading a story, of someone else telling a story. Because of that, I felt that it bogged down from time to time - not terribly, but it wasn't my favorite way to get a story either. There is plenty of action, plenty of interesting characters, but there are some scenes (the escape from Genovene's city) that are a little drawn out and a bit too far fetched - even for a fantasy novel.
All in all, the book is worth the read if for no other reason than the fact that the second book in the series "The Devil's Paradise" is MUCH better and would make no since if you didnt read this one first.
I've heard that the 3rd book in the series should be out December of 2012.
May 26, 2015
I had a hard time getting into this book, as it is one that slowly builds up. Once it got going it was much better. The narration was a bit odd to me, as it's a story being told, but it keeps going back to the narrator talking with the man he's telling the story to. I feel it may have been better with just the story being told. The whole, "I know the answer & I'll tell you, just not now," thing almost put me off of it, but I wanted those dang answers! It ended so well that I dove into the 2nd book of the series immediately. Yes, there are still mysteries, how else could there be 2 more books in the series?! I will say the 2nd book picks right up where the first left off. Honestly, it's a much different book than the first & sadly, not in a good way.
August 28, 2013
This was my first time reading a book by this author and I was completely blown away! The story line was intense, unpredictable, and terrifying. I was held captive as a world beyond my imagination was brought to life from the extensive detail. The paranormal and fantasy aspects of this novel aren’t forced and never hindered the constant flow. After such an amazing introduction, I can’t wait to follow the Kenney brothers in the next installment!
I won a free paperback copy of this novel from Goodreads and this is my unbiased opinion.
I won a free paperback copy of this novel from Goodreads and this is my unbiased opinion.
December 23, 2014
Imaginative and original
This trilogy starts off with a present day interrogation, and I wasn't sure what to expect. Quickly, though, it began to get very fast-paced and moved along smoothly, getting more interesting with each page! It takes us through an insane, very descriptive adventure in the narrator's past, stopping at the end only to relate the back story to a present day nightmare that Jack and Jeremy must try to help solve. I read this in two nights, stopping only to go to work and sleep...very suspenseful and I'm starting the next one now. Recommend!
This trilogy starts off with a present day interrogation, and I wasn't sure what to expect. Quickly, though, it began to get very fast-paced and moved along smoothly, getting more interesting with each page! It takes us through an insane, very descriptive adventure in the narrator's past, stopping at the end only to relate the back story to a present day nightmare that Jack and Jeremy must try to help solve. I read this in two nights, stopping only to go to work and sleep...very suspenseful and I'm starting the next one now. Recommend!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews