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The Forgotten
Reprinted EditionThe Past. . .Will Banning survived a childhood so rough, his mind has blocked it out almost entirely--especially the horrific day his brother Michael died, a memory that flickers on the edge of his consciousness as if from a dream. Isn't Gone. . .Now, as a successful psychologist, Will helps others dispel the fears the past can conjure. But he has no explanation for the increasingly bizarre paranoia affecting the inhabitants of Caledonia, California, many of whom claim to see terrifying visions and hear ominous voices. . .voices that tell them to do unspeakable things. . ..It's DeadlyAs madness and murderous impulses grip the coastal town, Will is compelled to confront his greatest fear and unlock the terrifying secret of his own past in a place where evil isn't just a memory. . .it's alive and waiting to strike. . .Praise for the supernatural thrillers of Tamara Thorne"A tapestry of chills and scares that will be remembered long after the lights have gone out." --Douglas Clegg"Tamara Thorne has an uncanny knack for combining the outrageous with the shuddery, making for wonderful, scary romps and fun reading." --Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2002
11 people are currently reading
176 people want to read
About the author
Tamara Thorne
75 books291 followersTamara Thorne has collected ghost stories, true and fictional, since she saw her first Twilight Zone as a tot, and continues to this day. In addition to writing novels and stories of the paranormal, she also writes non-fiction and is an active ghost hunter. She makes her home in southern California with her husband and their feline family and when she’s not writing, can be found haunting ghost towns, phantom-filled hotel rooms, and other spooky places. Tamara loves to hear from her readers. Whether you have questions or comments or would like to share your own ghostly experience,come visit her at her website www.tamarathorne.com.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
February 12, 2022
I have read several books by Thorne and really enjoyed them; The Forgotten, however, was a bit of a let down. I am not even sure I would call this a horror novel, more like a drama/thriller with some ghostly elements, but so be it.
The story centers on Will Banning, a 'shrink' in a small SoCal town in 'Thorneverse', e.g., located next to a few other 'towns' were other of her novels take place (lots of Easter eggs if you are a Thorne fan as well). Will's BFF Maggie is a vet in town, and they hang out with a gay couple, one of which works as Will's receptionist. Will's brother Pete also lives in town and runs the local cable company. Pete is an asshole, make no mistake. Pete used to torment Will when they were kids (Pete was several years older), but after a stint in the Navy, Pete seems somewhat reformed, but old wounds heal slowly if at all.
While Thorne gives us the backstory on the main characters, strange events start to happen in Caledonia. While Will is with a patient, a huge murder of crows smashes into the office through French glass doors. A few days later, other birds smash into his front door. Maggie is being besieged by pet owners at the vet, reporting all kinds of strange animal behavior. Worse, several of Will's patients report seeing ghosts (one even claims his penis is talking to him, giving him lewd suggestions). While Will is very skeptical, even he sees the ghosts in the gay couple's living room.
So, what is causing all the ruckus in our small town? Not much of secret, as we learn pretty early on that Pete is still covertly working with the Navy on some ELF (extra low frequency) tech transmitted via the cable boxes in people's homes...
Now, Thorne can write, and has a lovely, nasty sense of humor for sure and usually includes some fairly racy, erotic scenes as well. TF has this, and a set of fun characters, but as I mentioned at the start, this was really more of a prolonged drama than a horror story. The sexual tension between Will and Maggie got old quick (they had been BFFs since they were 4), and this story arc featured rather prominently. Pete is a great asshole for sure, and this helped a bit, but over all, a pretty meh outing for Thorne. 2.5 ghostly stars, rounding up for a few surprises at the end.
The story centers on Will Banning, a 'shrink' in a small SoCal town in 'Thorneverse', e.g., located next to a few other 'towns' were other of her novels take place (lots of Easter eggs if you are a Thorne fan as well). Will's BFF Maggie is a vet in town, and they hang out with a gay couple, one of which works as Will's receptionist. Will's brother Pete also lives in town and runs the local cable company. Pete is an asshole, make no mistake. Pete used to torment Will when they were kids (Pete was several years older), but after a stint in the Navy, Pete seems somewhat reformed, but old wounds heal slowly if at all.
While Thorne gives us the backstory on the main characters, strange events start to happen in Caledonia. While Will is with a patient, a huge murder of crows smashes into the office through French glass doors. A few days later, other birds smash into his front door. Maggie is being besieged by pet owners at the vet, reporting all kinds of strange animal behavior. Worse, several of Will's patients report seeing ghosts (one even claims his penis is talking to him, giving him lewd suggestions). While Will is very skeptical, even he sees the ghosts in the gay couple's living room.
So, what is causing all the ruckus in our small town? Not much of secret, as we learn pretty early on that Pete is still covertly working with the Navy on some ELF (extra low frequency) tech transmitted via the cable boxes in people's homes...
Now, Thorne can write, and has a lovely, nasty sense of humor for sure and usually includes some fairly racy, erotic scenes as well. TF has this, and a set of fun characters, but as I mentioned at the start, this was really more of a prolonged drama than a horror story. The sexual tension between Will and Maggie got old quick (they had been BFFs since they were 4), and this story arc featured rather prominently. Pete is a great asshole for sure, and this helped a bit, but over all, a pretty meh outing for Thorne. 2.5 ghostly stars, rounding up for a few surprises at the end.
March 25, 2015
This book was neither fish nor fowl: part ghost story, part military conspiracy, mixed in with absurd sitcom like characters and irrelevant explicit sex scenes thrown in at random. Not to mention the cats, which made a nice kind of radar for the invisible bad waves, but otherwise were given too much attention. Reading for the umpteenth time how they crawl around Will was simply boring.
The only parts worth reading were those concerning the mysterious events and ghost visions happening in the neighborhood and the exploration of their origin. As it is, a good idea for a ghost story was messed up by adding too many unnecessary ingredients burying instead of supporting it.
I've already read several pretty good novels by Tamara Thorne, therefore the The Forgotten was a very surprising disappointment.
The only parts worth reading were those concerning the mysterious events and ghost visions happening in the neighborhood and the exploration of their origin. As it is, a good idea for a ghost story was messed up by adding too many unnecessary ingredients burying instead of supporting it.
I've already read several pretty good novels by Tamara Thorne, therefore the The Forgotten was a very surprising disappointment.
January 14, 2020
Great ghost story. Relatable characters, interesting twists.
May 19, 2013
Not gonna finish this one. It's really crude and just disgusting. I'm no prude, but this is just trash with a ghost thrown in. Plus, the ridiculous sterotyping of the gay assistant is unforgivable. I had to go back and check the author, and was surprised to see a woman writing this (at times) sexist, misogynistic junk.
November 2, 2019
I just couldn't get into this book.
The characters were shallowly written in my opinion. What build up there was in the story was very under-whelming. Then there was a climax that was sort of just there so suddenly and, to be honest, it was even more of a let down then the build up was! I just wasn't a fan of the book. The one saving grace that I can give it is that I did enjoy Kevin and Gabe and sort of wish that there had been more of them in the book or, perhaps, had them as the main characters. This could have been higher rated if it were a slightly shorter story with a little bit better character personality and with an ending that actually MEANT something or packed a bigger punch.
This was just meh.
I can't recommend it for anything.
The characters were shallowly written in my opinion. What build up there was in the story was very under-whelming. Then there was a climax that was sort of just there so suddenly and, to be honest, it was even more of a let down then the build up was! I just wasn't a fan of the book. The one saving grace that I can give it is that I did enjoy Kevin and Gabe and sort of wish that there had been more of them in the book or, perhaps, had them as the main characters. This could have been higher rated if it were a slightly shorter story with a little bit better character personality and with an ending that actually MEANT something or packed a bigger punch.
This was just meh.
I can't recommend it for anything.
November 29, 2021
Format: audiobook
Narrator: Jamison Walker
A psychologist with his own issues finds himself flooded with more patients than he can handle when strange sightings have people flooding to him for answers to their apparent hauntings. Ghosts are not something Will Banning believes in, there has to be another logical explanation but Will may just learn that not everything can be explained away!
An enjoyably interesting and intriguing story. I’ll be looking to see what else this author has written.
The narrator does a good job, he’s certainly a good fit for this story.
Narrator: Jamison Walker
A psychologist with his own issues finds himself flooded with more patients than he can handle when strange sightings have people flooding to him for answers to their apparent hauntings. Ghosts are not something Will Banning believes in, there has to be another logical explanation but Will may just learn that not everything can be explained away!
An enjoyably interesting and intriguing story. I’ll be looking to see what else this author has written.
The narrator does a good job, he’s certainly a good fit for this story.
February 6, 2025
I hooted with laughter reading this book. From the first page!! It wasn't at all what I expected from the cover, and I can't say enough how much I enjoyed it. Dick just had me in stitches. I giggled through pretty much the entire book. lol
I have been thoroughly entertained and can't wait to read more from you, Ms. Thorne.
I have been thoroughly entertained and can't wait to read more from you, Ms. Thorne.
January 1, 2020
4.2 stars
Horror/military mashup. Other reviewers didn't catch Thorne's sense of humor. Not so subtle sex laden character last names like Hardwick and Cockburn. I normally abhor romance mixed with horror, but Thorne pulls if off reasonably well. Plenty of scares and eerie moments.
Horror/military mashup. Other reviewers didn't catch Thorne's sense of humor. Not so subtle sex laden character last names like Hardwick and Cockburn. I normally abhor romance mixed with horror, but Thorne pulls if off reasonably well. Plenty of scares and eerie moments.
April 22, 2021
You can clearly see that Tamara is playing and having fun with this one, and knowing that brought me along for the ride.
March 14, 2022
Don't know why there were so many negative reviews, I thought it was Brill, typical Tamara fashion, sick, twisted and a comical element, highly recommended 👌
October 20, 2016
DNF Starting the book with a man who believes he was a talking penis quickly made my mind up that I couldn't suffer through this book.
July 24, 2013
I have to say "yuck". I'm sure this author has many fans who would call me names and scratch out my eyes, tell me not to be a prude. Thing is I like a hot romance novel now and then. I am not off-put by physical intimacy in books but it should be part of the natural progression of the story. One review of this book suggested the author was trying to write erotica. I think the book failed in that category as well since the erotic scenes were not very intense, just gross. "I think that while i'm standing here plotting my next move I'm going to masturbate" - that sort of thing. However, everyone climaxed in this book but the main couple. And the story.
The story sounded good in the summaries i looked at. Didn't hold together,though. I was almost bored about halfway through the book. The characters were pretty shallow. The main character, Will, has an obnoxious (semi-evil) brother named Pete, who has teased Will his entire life. During a phone call Pete gets on Will's nerves by calling him "Willy" and says outloud "Still hate that name, huh? Think there is some deep dark reason for that?" To which Will thinks to himself, "Willy is slang for penis and you are fully aware of that." Did the author forget that "peter" is also a similar euphemism? What was her point? Peter vs Willy?
Most of the character names sounded like names you would see in porn. Lara Sweethome, Mickey Elfbones, Mia Hunt Hartz, Carrie Cockburn, Mr. Hardwick, Sgt. Jeff Thursday? Really?? Also, the author's word of the month was Hypnogogic. I lost track of how many times that word was used after about 10.
Sorry if you are a fan of the author. Maybe I'm disappointed because I had no idea what i was really getting into when i started this book. I had completely different expectations. I was hoping for a good paranormal, supernatural, ghost story. I had hoped I would feel something for the tortured main character, a psychologist. I thought there would be more psychological thrills.
The story sounded good in the summaries i looked at. Didn't hold together,though. I was almost bored about halfway through the book. The characters were pretty shallow. The main character, Will, has an obnoxious (semi-evil) brother named Pete, who has teased Will his entire life. During a phone call Pete gets on Will's nerves by calling him "Willy" and says outloud "Still hate that name, huh? Think there is some deep dark reason for that?" To which Will thinks to himself, "Willy is slang for penis and you are fully aware of that." Did the author forget that "peter" is also a similar euphemism? What was her point? Peter vs Willy?
Most of the character names sounded like names you would see in porn. Lara Sweethome, Mickey Elfbones, Mia Hunt Hartz, Carrie Cockburn, Mr. Hardwick, Sgt. Jeff Thursday? Really?? Also, the author's word of the month was Hypnogogic. I lost track of how many times that word was used after about 10.
Sorry if you are a fan of the author. Maybe I'm disappointed because I had no idea what i was really getting into when i started this book. I had completely different expectations. I was hoping for a good paranormal, supernatural, ghost story. I had hoped I would feel something for the tortured main character, a psychologist. I thought there would be more psychological thrills.
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September 23, 2025Interesting to use Amazonia breasts to denote size when they’re fabled to have chopped one off.
Why is Gabe as a DO doing chiropractic work. While he can do this type of care it’s rare for a medical doctor to do it. Most doctors regardless of kind will not perform outside the specific scope of their specific speciality or practice type.
Will is a psychologist which cannot write prescriptions - which he has a made the loophole of using Gabe to actually write them but he’s still prescribing them. Psychologists don’t have the pharmacology training to do this so even him “recommending” medications is, if not malpractice still very dangerous.
No vet would see a client as neurotic as poopy-pie’s mom and freely give tranqs for a dog that clearly doesn’t need it.
The cats would be a trio not triplets.
It’s illogical there could be ghosts without acknowledging the basic law of energy cannot be created nor destroyed?
Almost everyone knows a bunch of crows is a murder not a flock.
They said auto fellatio and then says they wouldn’t know that he did that in the closet in the dark. They literally just said they did. They didn’t say anything about rubbing in the car so why did he assume that?
Hanged! If a person is hanging the past tense is hanged not hung.
Why is Gabe as a DO doing chiropractic work. While he can do this type of care it’s rare for a medical doctor to do it. Most doctors regardless of kind will not perform outside the specific scope of their specific speciality or practice type.
Will is a psychologist which cannot write prescriptions - which he has a made the loophole of using Gabe to actually write them but he’s still prescribing them. Psychologists don’t have the pharmacology training to do this so even him “recommending” medications is, if not malpractice still very dangerous.
No vet would see a client as neurotic as poopy-pie’s mom and freely give tranqs for a dog that clearly doesn’t need it.
The cats would be a trio not triplets.
It’s illogical there could be ghosts without acknowledging the basic law of energy cannot be created nor destroyed?
Almost everyone knows a bunch of crows is a murder not a flock.
They said auto fellatio and then says they wouldn’t know that he did that in the closet in the dark. They literally just said they did. They didn’t say anything about rubbing in the car so why did he assume that?
Hanged! If a person is hanging the past tense is hanged not hung.
December 15, 2008
From the back:
The Past...
Will Banning survived a childhood so rough, his mind has blocked it out almost entirely- especially the horrific day his brother Michael died, a memory that flickers on the edge of his consciousness as if from a dream.
Isn't Gone...
Now, as a successful psychologist, Will helps others dispel the fears the past can conjure. But he has no explanation for the increasingly bizarre paranoia affecting the inhabitants of Caldonia, CA, many of whom claim to see terrifying visions and hear ominous voices...voices that tell them to do unspeakable things...
It's Deadly...
As madness and murderous impulses grip the coastal town, Will is compelled to confront his greatest fear and unlock the terrifying secret to his own past in a place
where evil isn't just a memory...it's alive and waiting to strike...
I loved so many of the characters and Will's relationship with his three cats (Freud, Rohrshach and Jung) and his friends was a wonderful part of the book. I felt cheated at the end.Everything was so rushed and there were some illogical leaps to tie things up. So, while I liked most of the book I would hesitate to highly recommend it to someone.
The Past...
Will Banning survived a childhood so rough, his mind has blocked it out almost entirely- especially the horrific day his brother Michael died, a memory that flickers on the edge of his consciousness as if from a dream.
Isn't Gone...
Now, as a successful psychologist, Will helps others dispel the fears the past can conjure. But he has no explanation for the increasingly bizarre paranoia affecting the inhabitants of Caldonia, CA, many of whom claim to see terrifying visions and hear ominous voices...voices that tell them to do unspeakable things...
It's Deadly...
As madness and murderous impulses grip the coastal town, Will is compelled to confront his greatest fear and unlock the terrifying secret to his own past in a place
where evil isn't just a memory...it's alive and waiting to strike...
I loved so many of the characters and Will's relationship with his three cats (Freud, Rohrshach and Jung) and his friends was a wonderful part of the book. I felt cheated at the end.Everything was so rushed and there were some illogical leaps to tie things up. So, while I liked most of the book I would hesitate to highly recommend it to someone.
March 30, 2016
I don't know if I would really call this a "horror" novel. More like a supernatural/conspiracy thriller? Without a lot of thrills. Will is a psychologist. He's been best friends with Maggie since they were 4. Evidently that means they cannot date. Even though they both have feelings for each other. His older brother Pete is a psychopath. He used to bully Will when they were younger. Especially after their oldest brother Michael died. Pete now owns a thriving cable company. Which allows him into peoples homes. Animals start acting weird. Then people. I waited for something to happen. But, we get a lot of unnecessary details: what they ate, repeated details about Wills patients, etc., etc. I liked that there were gay characters in it. BUT, one of them was a stereotype. Then the neat ending. I've read other books by this author. They were nothing like this. I'll still read any others. I just wouldn't recommend.
August 6, 2016
The first book I read by Tamara Thorne was Haunted. I will admit that my first thought was how bad can a book be for the low cost it was. I found myself having trouble putting the book down. I enjoyed it so much.
After I finished Haunted. I had to look her up and find more books. So, the next book I read was The Forgotten. And I must say. I loved this book. I liked the fact that the story takes place near the same town as Her book Haunted. While reading it I keep seeing Candle Bay (another book) I bought and sorry to say missed placed it. So know I must buy it again. Not just to read it but to see if it ties into the other two books.
Tamara Thorne? You are such an amazing writer. I would like to thank you for not only writing about the paranormal, which I am a big believer, but with The Forgotten not only have you writing about E.L.F. waves but also with the psychologist type of view point (in my eyes at least).
After I finished Haunted. I had to look her up and find more books. So, the next book I read was The Forgotten. And I must say. I loved this book. I liked the fact that the story takes place near the same town as Her book Haunted. While reading it I keep seeing Candle Bay (another book) I bought and sorry to say missed placed it. So know I must buy it again. Not just to read it but to see if it ties into the other two books.
Tamara Thorne? You are such an amazing writer. I would like to thank you for not only writing about the paranormal, which I am a big believer, but with The Forgotten not only have you writing about E.L.F. waves but also with the psychologist type of view point (in my eyes at least).
December 15, 2008
I was really hoping this would be a good ghost story. I forgot that I had read another Tamara Thorne novel earlier in the year and was horribly disappointed.
But this book...oy vey. Her depictions of the characters are so generalized and stereotypical. Oh, this character is gay? He MUST be uber-flamboyant.
I don't know. I read it straight through. I did like the idea of the government using magnetic waves to control citizens of a town, and how the waves not only affected people but also animals. But I didn't like how, once again, she has to always fall back to sex. I think she gets bored. I mean, even in her thank yous at the beginning of the book she makes reference to some guy saying that he always likes to come last. Ugh! How awful is that?
Why doesn't she just write erotica? It seems like that's what she wants to do anyway!
But this book...oy vey. Her depictions of the characters are so generalized and stereotypical. Oh, this character is gay? He MUST be uber-flamboyant.
I don't know. I read it straight through. I did like the idea of the government using magnetic waves to control citizens of a town, and how the waves not only affected people but also animals. But I didn't like how, once again, she has to always fall back to sex. I think she gets bored. I mean, even in her thank yous at the beginning of the book she makes reference to some guy saying that he always likes to come last. Ugh! How awful is that?
Why doesn't she just write erotica? It seems like that's what she wants to do anyway!
November 15, 2015
Right from the get go, I liked the way Tamara Thorne put words to paper. She has a simple and satisfying was of telling a story that makes it very believable. The characters in the story are well-though out and the plot is electrifying.
I found that I did not want to put the book down because I had to know about Will's past and how they were going to stop Project Tingler. Would the ghosts invade and kill everyone? Or are they just apparitions for people to see? Would the government stop its testing when they noticed the ghosts? Or would they just continue and watch what happens? I really enjoyed this tale of ghosts and was pleasantly surprised when it wasn't a splatter book. Is the story scary? No, at least it wasn't to me, but it is a great tale.
The Forgotten by Tamara Thorne is an excellent book that any ghost enthusiast will enjoy.
I rated this book a 9 out of 10.
I found that I did not want to put the book down because I had to know about Will's past and how they were going to stop Project Tingler. Would the ghosts invade and kill everyone? Or are they just apparitions for people to see? Would the government stop its testing when they noticed the ghosts? Or would they just continue and watch what happens? I really enjoyed this tale of ghosts and was pleasantly surprised when it wasn't a splatter book. Is the story scary? No, at least it wasn't to me, but it is a great tale.
The Forgotten by Tamara Thorne is an excellent book that any ghost enthusiast will enjoy.
I rated this book a 9 out of 10.
June 26, 2012
With The Forgotten, Tamara Thorne takes a chilling ghost story and lays it neatly over a conspiracy, that is equally as haunting, making nothing safe, real or unreal. As with her other works I have read, in The Forgotten, she creates a world filled with characters as real as anyone you pass on the street, with her words coming to life and reaching from the pages, haunting readers as only she can. She is the master of the ghost story, bringing to each of her novels a realism that will cause even the most skeptical to turn on a light, while they read.
The Forgotten is a must read novel, by a must read author, and I highly recommend it to all readers of horror and thrillers. If you love a good ghost yarn, you are in for a treat.
The Forgotten is a must read novel, by a must read author, and I highly recommend it to all readers of horror and thrillers. If you love a good ghost yarn, you are in for a treat.
July 20, 2013
I read this book thinking it would be a good ghost story. I couldn't have been more wrong. The story focuses on an increase in strange animal and human behavior in the small town of Caladonia. Psychologist Will Banning (although if the author had done her homework would have realized her character was actually a psychiatrist) and his longtime friend, veterinarian Maggie Maewood team up to get to the bottom of the unexplained phenomena. The writing is terrible. The choices of characters names is laughable. The plot is all over the place. Don't waste your time with this one.
March 6, 2013
I guess I really went into this with different expectations than I should have. I was expecting a 'hide under the covers' ghost story and got more of a psychological tale of abuse mixed with governmental conspiracy. So while I didn't find anything per say bad, (other then the rather stereotypical categorizations of a particular gay character as another reader pointed out) it just wasn't what I was looking for.
May 12, 2017
4 stars!
February 25, 2016
fast paced, kept you involved!
November 6, 2021
Not horror but still has horrible moments and revelations that when finally revealed only confirmed my early suspicions.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews