A Novel (Reprint) (2012-11-07) [Paperback] - By Frank Peretti

Stories dealing with time travel have fascinated and entertained me at the same time. Stories about real love gill me with happiness. Stories about science and technology challenge me in a good way. This novel is all of these kinds of stories. I loved every page!!

A pretty trippy story about a magician who experiences living in several dimensions at once. A clever story line, but nothing Peretti has written will top "This Present Darkness" and "Piercing the Darkness" in my opinion.

The characters were engaging. The plot was great. A love story told throughout the ages, reminiscent of the Savior's love for us, but filled with twists and a longing to turn the page. One of the greatest qualities about Peretti's books is that they are gripping, powerful and page turning to the point that you do not want to put the book down. In addition he always has the spiritual realm in sight with the focus being on Jesus, even though he may not directly say His name.

This present darkness series made Peretti one of my favorite authors, but his books seemed to go downhill from there. This books storyline did not interest me enough for purchasing but I decided to give it a chance since I did enjoy his books so much at one time. I am glad I did. It was a unique story and creatively done. I am not normally someone who enjoys love stories but he was able to draw me into thAt as well. I hope go enjoy more books from him in the future.

Illusion starts as a tale of two illusionists, Mandy and Dane, separated by death. Things get freaky when Mandy returns in 2010 as a 19 year old girl, who finds she has the ability to do true magic.

Dane meanwhile wonders if he is going mad, seeing a younger version of his long-lost wife return.

Peretti's prose and imagery of the first 'stanza' of this book are brilliant. I particularly found the bleak hospital settings vivid and compelling.

As the story progresses however things start to fall apart. I was enjoying the magic slant, then somehow sci-fi snuck in there and even government espionge towards the end.

The characters are likeable enough at least, and I was plenty interested to witness their fate, but the actual story became somewhat unhinged, and almost would have been better as 2.5 short novellas rather than a slightly lengthy novel.

A stretch of imagination is engrained throughout the storyline, with thrills and wonderment around every development. Peretti fans will not be disappointed and those new to his literary works are in for a ride.

Peretti does such wonderful research and brings the reader right into the world of magic. Plus the Christian theme is woven into the story. This is a great read. I also buy his kids books for my grandsons who really enjoy them too.

Sforce

Just like all of his other novels, I started reading and I could not put it down. I absolutely loved the story and characters. It was a love hate situation...wanting to see how it would end but not wanting it to end. The spiritual comparison at the end was the icing on the cake.

The book started out great but when explanations began, it got very confusing. Which timeline are we in and which girl is performing now? When I read a novel, I don't want to think too much. Maybe that's why this one was so hard to follow. I like to put my brain on hold. I enjoy reading Frank Peretti books but this is not one I would recommend to very many people.

Just finished Frank Peretti's "Illusion" I haven't read any of his newer stuff before this- really good, sucked me in, mind-bending and gripping. A thriller and a romance rolled into one. Very real while being a little sci-fi.
I have read "This Present Darkness" "Piercing the Darkness" and "Tilly" of his.

As usual Frank Peretti comes through again yet with noticeably less reference to Christianity and the supernatural. The book, though unbelievable, still captivates and holds you in until you've finished. If you like Frank, you'll enjoy his latest release. It makes me wonder if his motivation is to create something that could easily be transferred to the big screen or if he's just run out of ideas that are conclusively of the spirit realm.

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!!!

Peretti created as far as I know a truly original plot with this book. I applaud him for creating a plot I have never heard of before and making it convincing. I couldn't put the book down. Readers will surely finish the book very satisfied.

I really like Peretti but this book seems more like a story done by Ted Dekker than Peretti alone. Peretti usually have a story that is more spiritual but this one falls short on that. Don't get me wrong, it's a good story but not the caliber that I'm used to from Peretti.

Strong and suspenseful work form Peretti. Not quite as great as his peak novels in the 80s and 90s, but I highly recommend it.

It started a little slowly for me, but it quickly got going. This novel seemed to have less emphasis on spiritual/faith matters. Although it is definitely still a Christian novel.

Although it started a little slow, patience brought me to a point where I couldn't wait to see what was coming next. I am so glad to see a book from Frank Peretti full of the things that made me fall in love with his writing in the beginning. I'm not a fan of his co-written books with other authors. But this one brought me back to his corner. I hope there are many more to come as spellbinding as this one.

I have never been disappointed in a Frank Peretti book. The illusionist is exciting and hold your interest through each exciting chapter. Sometimes you really appreciate a novel that is intriguing without any real garbage that so many authors feel necessary these days. I have read all of Peretti's novels and they all rate high on my list.

The book was awesome! It was not typical of Franks writing, but I loved every minute of it! We met Frank and his wife after reading the book and that made it even better. I have never been disappointed with any of his books!!

As always, I enjoy Frank Peretti when he's writing on his own, never when he works with another writer. But I'm not a magic lover. i'm not sure why. It has nothing to do with right or wrong, it's just boring to me. NOT that the book was boring, just the subject matter. Frank Peretti's other books were much more interesting to me. He's a fabulous writer, and my only complaint is that he doesn't write as many novels as I'd like to read. But I'd like to see him write novels of his own devising. He has a wonderful talent for humor in the midst of horror. Illusion was a solid Frank Peretti novel.

I could just tell you that Illusion is awesome and leave it at that, but you might want to know why I've come to this conclusion. To put it simply, Peretti is a real genius when it come to crafting an entertaining, slightly confusing, edge-of-your-seat kind of story. Illusion is a chunk of a book at around 500 pages, but it isn't one of those dragging, did-an-editor-even-read-this kind of book. The characters are thoughtful and well-planned. The points of view are error-free. Though the subject matter is one of magic, illusion, and science, by the end Peretti had me believing that this sort of thing is highly plausible.

The most intriguing thing about Illusion is the love story it contains. Thankfully this isn't run-of-the-mill Christian fiction, so we side-step the too obvious glances and longings. Illusion, instead, displays real love, a 40-years strong love that is hard to be disappointed by. There are so many moments where Dane's love for Mandy is completely obvious, but it really has nothing to do with Mandy's looks, though she is pretty. Dane loves the person she is, the person he has watched her become. It's really beautiful, and the anticipation of the ending that could separate the two of them really tugs on your emotions.

I guess if you aren't really into magicians and illusions you might be inclined to bypass this book. But even if you are kind of eh about card tricks and the like, there's a lot more in Illusion to interest you. And, though I was wary of how an author would combine magic with God, I think Peretti did a really good job. (Though, there are several mentions of a scenario being "a God thing" and I've never liked that saying.)

I'm pretty sure this'll end up in my Top 10 list this year.

(Many thanks to the publisher for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.)

Illusion by Frank Peretti is an excellent book. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. In fact, I didn't want to put the book down but I had other things I had to do such as eat and sleep. If you enjoy magic, science fiction (concept of time travel) suspense, mystery romance, and faith all rolled up into one then this is the book for you. The storyline had enough suspense to keep me interested and wanting to know what was going to happen next but not so horrific that it turned me away.

Dane and Mandy married forty years was a great couple that put on magic acts together but that came to an end when they get in a terrible car accident and Mandy dies or so they think.

Mandy goes back in the time of her teenage years when she was nineteen in 1970. She is admitted to a mental ward because people think she is crazy. She finds a way to escape it through magic and time travel. She supports herself by doing her magic in the streets and a coffee shop.

Dane goes to this coffee shop hoping to find new talent. He is surprised to see this teenager who does miraculous magic tricks that he can't even explain. This teenager reminds him so much of his former wife of forty years (her appearance and mannerisms).

They begin a relationship as mentor and understudy. In the meantime Dane tries to figure out who she really is and she tries to figure out why she is attracted to him.

You will have to read the book to figure out what happens to Mandy in the end. It will be well worth your time.

I received a free copy of this book from Howard Books, for my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Mandy is an absolute delight to follow through the pages which continuously drew me. I adored the nostalgic scenes and throwback references. Dane's strength in character and evident vulnerably were quite compelling as well. The yearning for the truest of known love between these two characters was wonderfully expressed. I was drawn in time and again making this book a fairly quick read! The subtle spiritual symbolism within is masterful.

The story seemed like so many random, puzzling events, but had just enough continuity to keep the reader turning pages right up to the last page. I just could not put it down. I was even thinking of actors that could play the parts in a movie! Loved it.

I really enjoyed this book. Since I became a Christian, I haven’t read very many sci-fi books as they are founded in naturalistic origin theories which I no longer accept as true.

Illusion is not like Peretti’s other books where he shows you what’s going on in the spiritual world alongside our world. It’s a love story about a man and his wife who are separated by strange unknown forces and their struggle to find each other again. They are Christians but there is no overt Christian message, just their love and devotion to each other.

I don’t think the book dragged as some reviewers have stated. I saw that as character development and building suspense. The reader is trying to figure out how this happened (time travel). I couldn’t put it down. I would like to see this made into a movie. The special effects would be spectacular.

Ever since I read This Present Darkness I have been a fan of Frank Peretti. I think I have read all of his novels. Every time I read one of his new stories I am intrigued by the subject matter and the subtle plot twists Peretti makes as he weaves his unfolding tale and memorable characters together. Like the previous works, Peretti's newest novel does not disappoint. Illusion, is another excellent book you'll want to add to your reading list.

While I would classify many of his other books as supernatural thrillers, his last book, Monster, and this one I would call more of a psychological science thriller. "How so?" you might ask. Well, I cannot say too much without giving away the surprises within Illusion.

The story begins with a crash - literally, and then begins to piece together fragments of story lines until the climactic finale. One fragment is Dane, half of the magic act of Dane and Mandy. With the loss of his wife he has become despondent and depressed. Moving into the house he and his wife had bought for retirement, Dane attempts to find new relevance for living while mourning for his former love.

Another fragment is Mandy. She feels displaced in time. Everyone and everything she has ever known seems to have disappeared or changed. But, there is one love that has been consistent in her turbulent life and it is her love and wonder of magic.

The last fragment is The Machine. What is it the machine? How does it hold sway over the lives of these characters? Can it be or should it be stopped?

All these elements make for a fast paced intertwining roller coaster ride. You will ascend slowly as anticipation builds but once the story hits its stride you will not want to put the book down. In Illusion, Peretti weaves a masterful tale of love, longing, faith, and discovery amidst chaotic and, sometimes, catastrophic events.

Pick up a copy for your Summer reading and enjoy Illusion.