Customer Reviews

This Present Darkness

5 star:		(109)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Of the Christian novels I have read, this is easily the best. The followup, "Piercing the Darkness," is a disappointing sequel, and the famous "Left Behind" series left me cold before I had finished the first installment, being sadly predictable and written in such a superficial style that it seemed to have been solely aimed at a junior high school reading level. Peretti's style, however, is more advanced and draws in the more experienced readers among us as well as those younger.

We humans are bound by our five physical senses. Beyond that, we have little idea what may be happening among the principalities and powers of the air. Scripture gives us a few glimpses, and long religious tradition has fleshed out some ideas, of what is going on between the powers of darkness and the powers of light. In this novel Peretti does a credible and intriguing job of putting names and personalities to the various characters and forces involved in the spiritual warfare around us and within us, and the story ultimately is unforgettable.

My only quibbles with this excellent work are that the answers to these issues are a little too pat, the solutions to the problems a bit too neat. I am fully willing to admit that this may be my own lack of spiritual perception regarding the invisible realm, but it just smacks sometimes of being a bit too easy and convenient, as if the book too often allows its built-in deus ex machina to intrude on the action. Still, the book is well worth four stars and worth reading and rereading.

This is one a Christianities all time classics. Its a must read - thrilling, provocative and enlightening in regard to the unseen spiritual realm around us. I was first introduced to the book in the late eighties and have reread it since and still enjoyed it. It is the book that rocketed Frank Peretti to fame and remains an amazing story that is skillfully woven together.And the Beat Goes on

For goodness sake it is a novel. When someone rights a novel they know that the beginning and the middle also will be difficult to get through because it will not exactly be 100% entertaining. When I started to read this book my dad told me about how much he wouldn give to be able to read this book for the first time again. I was reading through it and the story was interesting and compelling. The transition between angel and human and demon is so captivating that I could not put it down. That is only the middle/beginning though. (...) I am telling you to read this book because it will be a life changing experience of a book.

All i can say is WOW! There is nothing like a book about spiritual warfare to snap you to attention! When i read this book , it made me realize how real evil is. It's incredible to me how one man's perspective can change another. My soul stirred when i read this, it gave me a wake up call on whose side i was working for. The characters in these books have so much to lose and even more they've lost, and yet, by the strenght of God they keep pushing. It's not only a testament to the power or prayer, but to the strength of endurance. I will say though, when i went to bed after reading that, i slept with my light on.

This novel is quite entertaining, although it presents such a good versus evil plotline that the characters are clearly on one side or the other. It seems as if the novel represents something Stephen King might write if he were a fundamentalist Christian, which might explain why I kept comparing it to THE STAND as I read it. While I quite enjoyed reading this book (it was difficult to put it down!), I think that "Satan" and "demons" would more likely influence humanity as portrayed in CS Lewis' THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS. That is to say, that the free will of humans would be more emphasized and that demons would tempt people more than possess them. I also found myself recalling Christ's words to "lover thy enemies" and wondering how this fit in with the angels slashing demons to shreds with swords. If the angels cannot love their enemies, how can we mere mortals hope to? While these criticisms may give the impression I don't like the story, I do. I just have some reservations, that's all.

Ok, I admit that this is the first book by Frank Peretti that I have read. I could not put it down. The story starts off with a bang and keeps the reader interested in this page-turning epic of a novel.

I've never been a big reader until recently, and I have read seveal books over the last month. From all the reviews I have read about this book, I knew it would be a great read. I was right. This book defines true Christian Story telling. The biblical themes are as real as the characters in this story. I look forward to reading Piercing The Darkness, Peretti's next novel!

I wish I had read this book when I became a Born-Again Christian. It's helped me understand better the meaning of the Bible Passage, "The fervent and effective prayer of a righteous man avails much". The book is a must have, it helps to understand the need for prayer in our Christian walk with God and to claim the Victory we have in JESUS when he died on the cross.

This is honestly one of the best books I have ever read. It does not get too preachy, which can turn off some readers, but it also reminds believers about the power of prayer. The book as a whole is amazing, with its tale of the ever-present battle of good vs. evil. It is the last 20 pages or so that really caught my breath. These last few pages are extremely powerful. I read this book for the first time a few years ago, and I can vividly recall reading the ending a thousand times, each time being captivated by Peretti's great story-telling techniques. A simply fabulous book. I recommend anyone and everyone to read this book.

Well, I absolutely loved this book, and its sequel, "Piercing the Darkness." What can I say? If you want an accurate drawing of just what the driving force behind the New Age movement and all of its different practices are, this is the book for you. Peretti shows the link between this world and the other, illustrating just what goes on all around us, usually without our even realizing it! I would have to say that Peretti always spins a great tale with an excellent world view. "This Present Darkness" only proves my point. I couldn't put this book down until the end, and you won't want to either!

STRENGTHS: This is just a fun book to read. It is part thriller and part detective story set against a Christian backdrop that emphasizes the struggled between good and evil and the power of prayer.

WEAKNESSES: This book is a work of fiction. The world Peretti creates is based on Scripture, but it is not necessarily theologically correct, any more than the worlds created by other Christians who write "Christian Fiction". This is an important distinction for those who base doctrinal beliefs on books such as these.

MY ADVICE: Read it for fun (I did). Discuss the ideas in it (I did), but if you really want something to sink your teeth in, stick to the biographies of Great Christians. Truth is sometimes stranger and more fascinating than fiction.