The Visitation (by Frank Peretti)

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There are times when I find a book rather bland or slow on my first reading and then thoroughly enjoy it six or seven years later. It’s less often that I rate a book highly first time around and then find it disturbing when I re-read it. But that's the case with this book. Perhaps that’s not surprising when the author in question is Frank Peretti, who writes Christian thrillers; some of them are very dark indeed.

We acquired ‘The Visitation’, in hardback form, around the turn of the century. I had read some of Peretti’s other books and found them a bit tense, but very readable. Thrillers are not my preferred genre, but his books ‘This Present Darkness’ and ‘Piercing the Darkness’ were popular in the circles we were mixing in, and I eventually read this book in 2001. According to my review of the time, I thought the conclusion exciting, the ending satisfactory, and overall I enjoyed it.

Sixteen years later I had entirely forgotten the story, other than recalling that a young man appears in a small town and started doing miracles. And, indeed, that’s a large part of what happens. Some of the novel is related in the third person from quite a mixture of viewpoints, but there are also first-person accounts narrated by Travis, a former pastor who has become seriously depressed after losing his wife.

Brandon, the visitor, stirs up strong emotions in the town and for many miles around. Some are desperate for a healing touch or words of wisdom, others are convinced he’s either a nutcase or demonic. The pastors - a mixed bunch of widely varying denominations - meet to try to decide what to do, and Travis gets more and more drawn into to investigations.

Much of what Brandon says makes Travis look into his past; he had problems with the ultra-charismatic beliefs of some of his former friends, and made several mistakes when he believed he was ‘called’ to a particular career or place. We learn a great deal about him: he was sincere but often wrong, and found stability with the love of his wife.

There are caricatures of some of the more extreme mega-churches, in what I hope is an ironic style, and the first part of the book, if a tad slow-moving at times, is very readable. However suspense starts to build up, and the last quarter has some extremely unpleasant scenes, which I had to skim rather than read in detail. The climax is undoubtedly exciting but I didn’t enjoy it at all, and the last couple of chapters were very disturbing.

There’s a gentler, more hopeful epilogue, which means that the book ended on a positive note, but I wouldn’t say I enjoyed it overall.

For those who like thrillers and don’t mind a bit of violence, it’s probably not a bad read; the Christian content is clear but not preachy at all. But I don’t feel inclined to re-read this again in future.

Review copyright 2017 Sue's Book Reviews

Tilly (by Frank Peretti)

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It's many years since I first read books by Frank Peretti. I've re-read a few of them, and although they're not really my kind of genre - Christian thrillers, basically - the plots are good, and I found them quite thought-provoking. Peretti is not strong on characterisation, but in a fast-paced exiting novel that doesn't matter too much.

However, I had never come across his short novel 'Tilly' until I saw it on a friend's shelves while babysitting. I picked it up, and read it in an evening. It's a strange book. It's about someone who has managed to block out something terrible that she did nine years previously, and at last finds a way of moving forward with forgiveness. There's a twist towards the end that I was not expecting, but most if it is fairly predictable.

It's also about loneliness, and family life, and love... and in the hands of some authors, could have been extremely moving. Unfortunately, the characters are very flat, and there's almost no plot; the most important part of the book is a lengthy dream sequence.

There are odd plot inconsistencies too. At least, I hope they are inconsistencies. The blurb on the back makes it clear that this book takes a clear anti-abortion stance. I don't have a problem with that at all, but the circumstances in this book surround a healthy unborn baby, old enough to survive outside the womb, belonging to a happily married couple. No doctor is legally able to destroy a baby at this stage - or at any time unless there is a serious threat to the health of either the mother or the baby. And in this story, not only did it happen, but the doctor was attended by a Christian nurse.

I really don't know what age-group it would be suitable for. The length and reading level is approximately that of early chapter books, usually intended for children aged around 6-9.

But the content, obviously, is more suited to older teens and young adults - and even then, not entirely relevant since the bizarre situation makes no sense at all. In addition, the Christian content is quite strong, which is likely to be off-putting to those outside Christian circles.

Not a bad book, I suppose; it gives a message of sorts. But not one I expect to be reading again.

Not really recommended.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, February 2012

Piercing the Darkness (by Frank Peretti)

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'Piercing the Darkness' is the second Christian thriller by the American writer Frank Peretti. It is sort of a sequel to This Present Darkness, which I re-read a few months ago. 

Once again it portrays problems in small-town America which are mirrored in the spiritual realm with angels and demons battling for lives and souls. It's exciting enough that it would probably be enjoyed by anyone who likes action-packed thrilling novels, although it probably makes more sense to Christians.

There are two broad plot strands. Sally Roe, a rather reclusive young lady, is on the run after an attempted murder. At the same time a young widowed Christian teacher has his children taken away from him by Social Services, and a pending court-case involving a ten-year-old girl at his school. It's only gradually that the connections between these two people unfold.

The pace is rapid, the characterisations acceptable although not brilliant. There are a large number of characters, a few of whom appeared in the previous book, although it would be quite possible to read this as a standalone novel.

The line between good and evil is perhaps a bit too clearly drawn: the innocent in the church, the evil of a satanic cult and a power-crazy organisation loosely connected with them. But there are also gossipers in the church, and there are naive people on the fringes of the power-crazy group, drawn to cosmic consciousness and world peace without any wish to cause violence or fight legal battles.

As encouragement for Christians to stand up for what they believe, and to keep praying, it's probably quite successful. However the book IS fiction, and it's important to remember that Peretti's spiritual battles are only his interpretation of a possible scenario. Some critics complain that his theology is off-beam, but I don't think that's really fair: he's not teaching theology, he's writing a novel.

On the other hand, it's a pity he makes the Christian school stand up so strongly for corporal punishment (called, strangely, 'paddling') and that the court case revolves partly around an incident when a disruptive girl has been spanked. Many Christians - at least in Europe - don't agree with this kind of thing, particularly in schools.

The supposed conspiracy theory to teach children spirit-channelling and other dangerous practises may well be happening in places. I'm also sure it's true that 'New Age' principles sometimes cause people to lose any sense of morality. But it rather weakened the case for the book, in my opinion to have the good guys so in favour of spanking in schools.

That apart, it's a good read which was almost as gripping the third time I read it as it was the first time, about 12 years ago.

Recommended.

This Present Darkness (by Frank Peretti)

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I like to vary the style of books I read. So yesterday afternoon I picked up 'This Present Darkness' by Frank Peretti. I thought it would last me a few days, maybe even a week, since I've read it twice before: first in about 1993, and again maybe about 1999.

However I was quickly gripped. I read far longer than I planned to yesterday, and finished the book this afternoon. I didn't have quite the suspense of my first reading since I did vaguely remember what happened, but not being a fan of suspense, that added to my enjoyment rather than the reverse.

The basic plot is that some strange and disturbing things are happening in a small American town called Ashton. Underlying this is some dramatic spiritual warfare - angels against demons, good vs evil in the ultimate sense.

The one person standing against the rise of evil in Ashton is the pastor Hank Busche. He is well-supported by his wife Mary and a few faithful members of the congregation. Others of his flock are less keen on him, and set him up for a fall.

The other main character of the book is Marshall Hogan, the new owner of the Clarion newspaper. His daughter is caught up in some very odd happenings at the university, and he is determined to get to the bottom of them.

So it's a thriller with an element of fantasy thrown in, probably closest in genre to CS Lewis's 'That Hideous Strength', although nowhere near as well written. The style is terse and exciting; in places rather gratingly informal. There's not much character development, the conversations seem stilted at times, and the plot is rather far-fetched.

All in all, this is not my kind of book. And yet I've just read it for the third time, and found it difficult to put down. No doubt I'll read it again in a few years.

The Visitation (by Frank Peretti)

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Some of Frank Peretti's novels are too suspenseful for me, even though I know they have Christian themes. However I did very much enjoy both 'This Present Darkness' and 'Piercing the Darkness', and having picked this one up inexpensively on the MV Doulos, I thought I would try it.

'The Visitation' is the story of a young man who arrives in a small American town, and starts doing miracles. Some claim that he is Jesus, some are sure he is not. The ministers in the town are divided in their opinions.

Travis, the previous Pentecostal minister, has been in depression due to losing his wife. But events force him out of his apathy and he joins forces with his successor against the visitor. In doing so, he re-lives, in flashback, much of his own life.

It's a very cleverly written book, with an exciting climax and satisfactory conclusion. There was actually less suspense than I had been afraid of, and there's even a little mild humour in places. There's also an almost satirical look at some of the extremes of charismatic mega-churches.

The book has a slightly odd style, mixing first person and third person narratives. But on the whole it works well, and I enjoyed it.

(However, when I re-read 'The Visitation' sixteen years later, I did not like it nearly so much; if you dislike violence in books, it might be worth reading my later, less positive review too).

Piercing the Darkness (by Frank Peretti)

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Frank Peretti is an American Christian author whose work is a little different from most. It's dark, sometimes too dark for my tastes, and there's a great deal of suspense.

In 'Piercing the Darkness', a Christian school goes to court, accused of abuse; meanwhile, a likeable pastor is undermined and losing confidence. A reporter sees connections, and an evil plot is uncovered.

This novel is actually a sequel to Peretti's first book, 'This Present Darkness', and although it stands alone it's probably easier to understand if read afterwards. As with the first novel, angels and demons are portrayed as realistic beings, with a spiritual battle taking place alongside the earthly ones.

There is high tension and much drama before the evil forces are bound - for a while - again.

Definitely recommended.

(If this isn't long enough, I wrote a longer review of 'Piercing the Darkness' when I re-read the book five years later)

This Present Darkness (by Frank Peretti)

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'This Present Darkness' is a Christian thriller by Frank Peretti.

I thought it a brilliant story. It revolves around the fictional small American town of Ashton. Hank, a pastor, wrestles in prayer against the forces of darkness, as a New Age conspiracy tries to take over.

Angels and demons are involved in the cast of this book, showing the spiritual battle alongside the earthly one. I found it convincingly realistic, with a satisfactory conclusion. The writing style is a bit basic and the characters not all that well-developed, but the plot is very clever.

I read this before, about eight years previously, but still found it surprisingly gripping and hard to put down.

(If you'd like to read a longer review of This Present Darkness, I wrote this one five years later, after another re-read).