Illusion (1st Edition) (2.5.2012) - By Frank Peretti

Frank Peretti's "Illusion " could be categorized as Science fiction...He as always weaves all the characters throughout the book giving the reader no clue as to how it is going to end. There is less Christianity in this book then some of his others yet
"Illusion" does show that he is a Christian and in no way is any of the book offensive to Christian readers.
It is hard to put down and holds your interest until the last page...

I have always enjoyed Frank Peretti's books, and this one did not let me down. I really had a hard time setting the book down, because I just wanted to see where her was going with his thoughts. That said it is very different than his other books, and it is hard to see his faith in this one.

Angels and demons never made a personal appearance. But, God was present in the characters' lives throughout. He wasn't a deus ex machina, coming in at the last moment, but a real presence to Manny, Dane and friends.

Frank Peretti is my favorite Christian fiction author! I have 8 other books by him and have read a couple of them more than twice. This book is different from his other books and is taking a littlest time to get through. I've order the audio version of this book as well because my time is very limited now and sitting down to read withou being interrupted is not possible most of the time. Still, I'm enjoying what I've read and heard so far. Already looking forward to his next book.

The Holy Spirit can give us such amazing works and powers if we allow GOD to work through us. This book is beautiful! Thank you Mr. Pretty, I love your devotion to Christ and to your writings. I am a great fan of yours. This book too is another amazing work of art and so much more now being known that it's from our One and Only Master! Simply Delightful!!!

This book is really hard to classify into just one genre. Is it romance? Tragedy? Thriller? Science Fiction? Fantasy? Usually, a book leans more into one type but this one just didn't. It just kind of dips its toes into each of the genres.

Clearly, the beginning of the story is a tragedy. Dane is grieving over the grisly death of his beloved wife and magic partner. He decides to honor her last wish and move to a small farm in Idaho. Nothing seems to help him past his grief.

Flash backward forty years to Mandy, a young girl at a county fair, enjoying a magic show. She blacks out and is suddenly thrust forward in the future. She doesn't know how or why such a thing would happen and can't answer the authority's questions. She is sent to a mental hospital but knows that she isn't crazy, even if she is having such weird waking nightmares. All she does know is that she just doesn't quite fit in this time period and she escapes the hospital to find some answers.

Inexplicably, Mandy is drawn to magician Dane who agrees to train her. They are both shocked to find that she is extraordinarily good and no one can seem to explain her illusions. Dane is more than mesmerized by the young girl and can't shake the feeling she looks remarkably like his recently dead wife. It can't be true, can it? Is he losing his mind? How in the world can such a storyline be resolved?

Overall, I liked the book. The story was sweet and it doesn't take a giant effort to suspend belief for all the unbelievable things that happen. If you are a true science fiction buff, this one might drive you mad. The science just doesn't add up but if you like romance with a little fantasy, this one will be sure to please. A light read, but a hopeful one---one that will make you believe in the magic of long lasting love. Very sweet!

A Vegas Magician loses his wife/assistant in a car accident. Coincidentally at the same time the spirit of his wife is transported from an initial position in 1970 to 2010 and begins a journey back to her girl hood home in Idaho where her future (?) husband has just bought a retirement ranch in 2010. This doesn't seem very deep for Peretti and a bit transparent overall. You could define it as a love story, but I definitely wouldn't call it science fiction, or really religious, like other Peretti novels. The undertones are there but not like "This Present Darkness". I would also caution those who want science fiction, that takes a careful blending of science with fiction to make something that's credible. This isn't it. Peretti tries to deal with a multiplicity of time lines, etc., but its not very convincing.

What was unique (for me) and interesting was the mental steps of how to pull off an illusion, setting up fake restaurants and stages and working through the plan. I could agree with what Peretti was saying and say "Yep, I'd do it just like that....". The attention to the detail of how to present, and not just how to pull the trick off was pleasing.

In the end it's basically a love story. It's enjoyable and pleasant but not too astounding, and a bit predictable. I did it as an audio book, which was read by Peretti. He has a pleasant reading voice and it was enjoyable to listen too. Bottom line: enjoyable, but don't expect too much.

When the chance presented itself to read Frank Peretti's new novel I jumped at it. I hadn't read anything of his since middle school when I fell in love with his books This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness . Illusion did not disappoint. It is a mind bending tale of love and loss, of hope and faith, and of man's unending desire to play at being god.

The characters and their back story are incredibly well fleshed out....so much so that it is impossible not to feel for their present situation. The secondary characters also each got a bit of their own tale...although I wish that we had gotten to know the motivations behind the villains a bit more. On the whole though, I almost felt like there was a little too much descriptiveness and detail (and I almost never say that) but there were definite points where the novel did feel as if it dragged a bit.

I tried my best not to get bogged down in the technical/sci-fi conundrums of the time/space issues inherent in this kind of story. I think that Peretti did a great job of giving us more than enough detail to make it all seem "possible" and at that point it is our job to suspend disbelief and just enjoy the story telling.

I was captivated by the "unconventional" love story and the unbelievable mystery throughout and could not help myself from rooting for Dane & Eloise despite the uncertainty and oddness of their situation. The conclusion of the novel was both spellbinding in it's beauty and grandeur (Indeed it was a "Grand Illusion" ) and left me immensely satisfied.

Note: I recieved a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

What if all the bad things that happened to you . . . didn't? What if all the accidents, all the bad decisions, all the pain and suffering from diseases and cancers could just be - skipped over?

In a poignant story of love, life, and loss, Frank Peroretti crafts yet another page-turner of a novel. Dane and Mandy had the storybook romance; married at a young age, touring the world as a magician and beautiful assistant, taking the world by storm and loving every minute they shared together. Then a motor vehicle accident took Mandy from him, and Dane struggled to start over again.

At a small coffee shop, Dane is mesmerized by the 19-year old beauty who is holding the audience spell-bound with her magic act. She is performing illusions that even he can't understand. More disconcerting is the fact that her mannerisms, her quirks, her very persona is familiar . . . hauntingly so. How could this be?

As Dane and his new protégé establish and begin to build a new professional relationship, the uneasiness grows. As does the danger. And for Dane, the climax will be more than he ever bargained for.

Frank Peretti does a thorough job at explaining otherwise complex theories while keeping the reader firmly hooked with his masterful prose and winsome storytelling.

Illusion is the first novel by Frank Peretti that I've ever read. After reading it, I can honestly say it won't be the last.

I love books that take me on an emotional roller coaster, and challenge my mind at the same time. Illusion is not a book I could read a lot of at one time the way I usually do. I had to take it in bite sized pieces, because it was a lot to process. I'll be honest, the first quarter of the book almost lost me, because it was a little slow and a bit confusing at times. However, I pushed through, and I'm so happy that I did. Once I got over that "hump" I was hooked. I connected with the characters, found myself rooting for Dane and Mandy, wanting them to figure out what in the world was going on. It was so well written, that although I thought I knew how it was going to end, I actually didn't predict the ending at all.

I feel like I spent part of the book looking too hard for the bigger picture. Looking for that "ah ha" God moment, and I really never got it. It wasn't until I was finished reading, and contemplated it for a bit that it occurred to me that the love portrayed in Illusion between the two characters is a reflection of how Jesus searches for his bride with an everlasting and eternal love that exceeds anything our mind can fathom.

I do highly recommend this book, in fact I've already passed my copy along to my sister in hopes that she loves it as much as I did.

With a sleight of his talented hand, Frank Peretti has spun a magical tale of suspense, mystery and love. In his latest release, Illusion, Peretti combines a love story that surpasses time with a disappearing act unlike no other. There is something for everyone in this tale.

Mandy Whitaker is pronounced dead following a tragic car accident while her husband Dane is left to grieve the dual loss of wife and magic act partner. As he struggles to live without her, Mandy awakens as the nineteen-year-old she was in 1970, but in the year 2010. Attired in a hospital gown and greatly confused, Mandy is soon placed in a mental ward. There she discovers a new skill she's been given--time travel.

This reviewer loved Illusion for many reasons. Mandy's memories of the 70's reminded me of a less frantic and simpler time. The fight of good versus evil and the longing for a love that surpasses time are themes with universal appeal. Dane and Mandy's battle to play the cards they'd been given became my battle too. You can't help but root for this couple to beat the odds.

This book is indeed magic. I suggest you read it--before all the copies disappear.

Because I had enjoyed Frank Peretti's books years ago, I checked out his most recent book, Illusion, from my local library in the audio CD format.

I cannot imagine what Simon & Schuster was thinking when they agreed to let the author read his own work! Usually it is a joy to hear an author read his own writing, but there are times when another well-trained voice can really do the job better. In this case Mr. Peretti's extensive dental work (I'm guessing) or perhaps even dentures, completely ruin the audio quality. I'm so glad I didn't purchase the CDs! I returned the set to the library pronto.

If you are interested in this book, skip the audio version unless you are visually- impaired.

Mandy and Dane Collins are well known magicians, ready to buy that farm in Idaho and retire. But Mandy is killed in an automobile crash, or is she? Flash back forty years. Teenager Mandy and her girlfriends are at the Spokane fair. Her friends go off as she decides to rest a moment. Suddenly, Mandy finds herself in the same place, but something is wrong. She has a hospital gown on and the fair has changed. Where is her father? Where is their booth? Where are her friends? What is happening? Reacting to her new and unknown circumstances, Mandy is taken in for psychiatric observation.
Mandy manages to escape the hospital. But her father's farm is gone. There is no one she knows. She manages to find her way to a friendly shelter and a gig, doing magic tricks in a restaurant for tips. She comes under the helpful eye of an attorney who manages to get her a new identity. She continues her magic - amazing tricks of levitation and controlling objects. She finally comes to the notice of the sixty year old Dane Collins. He can't believe his eyes. She looks exactly like his Mandy did, forty years ago. But his Mandy died in the car accident. What is going on?

Peretti fans have waited seven years for a new book from him. I have to say, it is not one of his best. It gets off to a slow start and has a slow middle. There is lots of action at the end, and perhaps that makes the novel worth the read.
The plot includes a combination of time and space travel, cutting edge experiments the government is very interested in. Imagine, taking a soldier back in time, just a few minutes to before he was shot, moving him to another location just before the bullet hit him.
I was a bit disappointed in that the writing was not snappy or witty. I would not call Peretti a clever wordsmith at this point in his career. It surprised me as I have read all of his novels (even his ones for teens) and this one just does not seem up to par.
And the occupation of Mandy and Dane, magicians, seems a bit odd. Their life's work is based on illusion, strange for Christians. I expected a little dialogue along the way explaining why they did what they did. Christians making a living deceiving people needs a believable reason to do so, I think. I don't remember something like that in the book.
The plot did not grab me and compel me to read on. I figured out the bad guy early on so his part in the ending did not surprise me.

In a note from the author, Peretti says this novel, on the surface, is about two illusionists who are separated by death, but not really, and their quest to find each other. The symbolism includes being lost in this weird and sinful world, the deception of the world as we reach for heaven, the comforting presence of the Holy Spirit, and our longing to be united with Jesus.
I think the reader has to work a bit to understand those themes in the book. Peretti's earlier novels have such strong Christian themes, outright spiritual warfare, I felt that aspect of his writing was toned down a great deal in this novel.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Howard Books for the purpose of this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

A work of. . .magic! ILLUSION is a beautiful love story, one replete with redemptive themes, and poignant moments. The story of Dane and Mandy with its complex interweaving of timelines is quite simply: brilliant. Admittedly, the middle of the story sagged some, and I nearly stopped reading, but I am SO GLAD I didn't. At one point, I found myself vowing bodily harm to Peretti if he did not end the story as I thought it should end--and alas, this master author gets to stay alive as the ending was absolutely beautiful!! STUNNING!!

I received a presale paperback version of "Illusion" by Frank Peretti, with the job to read and review it. I haven't completely finished this book yet, but am about halfway through the story. I can't wait to get to the end. I am loving this story. It pulled me in from the first sentence and kept me interested. In talking about magic tricks featuring a pack of cards, there was great description and I could hear the sound effects in my head. I am excited to reach the last page and find out how the story ends.

I know many people reviewed this book, concerned with long descriptions and even questioning the motive of the storyline! My imagination came alive with the picturesque imagery and the younger
woman was drawn out of me, yet,as Mandy, I so desired to be the beautiful wise woman. If you didn't read the last three pages, you missed the entire message!

This book proved to be another excellent cliff hanger by Frank Peretti. His ability to intertwine people, demons, and angels makes for compelling reading. I have read all of Mr. Peretti's previous books, and this one stayed up with his standards.

Just finished the newest novel by best selling spiritual thriller author. Wow! I was totally blown away by the story. I quickly became immersed in the love story of the two main characters, Mandy and Dane. "Christian magicians? Interesting..." Soon I couldn't' put the book down and couldn't wait to get back to it as soon as I got back from work. It was more entertaining than TV for sure. If you've been waiting for a good book to keep you on your toes. Get this one!

I was pleasantly surprised by the difference in the writings of This Present Darkness/Piercing the Darkness, which I just read again. This book grabbed me and held me from beginning to end.
This is a good read for anyone, any age.
Thank you for staying true to your calling. God Bless ;)

I'm not finished but feel very confident that this will end as FANTASTICALLY as it's gone so far. I'm near the end and liked it soooooooo much that when my husband couldn't find me - I WAS OUT IN THE CAR LISTENING TO ILLUSION!!! Frank Peretti is a master when it comes to suspence and I love that he reads his own works.

Great read! Love how Peretti develops his characters, paints a visual picture for his audience and surprises you with changes of direction in the storyline. This book tugs at the heart and challenges the intellect. I am starting to reread it already. It has had a profound impact on my perspective on issues I am experiencing in my own life! This book was a homerun far over the centerfield fence!