Customer Reviews

The Visitation

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Frank Peretti in his other books I've read usually takes awhile to actually get into his story but this book didn't really take off until page 300 something which really angered me because the whole book was only 511 pages. So about 2/3s of it was pretty much useless information.

Throughout the book there is this prophet in Antioch Washington, proclaiming to be Jesus but he actually has a lot of demonic influence, but fools the town through healing and miracles. The book shows his corruption and shows parallels he has to the main character in the book, Travis.

Peretti shows a lot of Travis's past to show the parallels, but thats the useless information. I think in this instance Peretti included all the extra information to merely make his book longer.

Although the ending of this book was good, the last 100 pages of so, overall the book wasn't that great because the first 300 or so pages were so boring. Also the book was entirely religious, so hence is not recomended to non-christian/catholic people.

I would not be surprised if this book is autobiographical, Peretti has so many stories to tell within the story of this book about being a young Pentecostal Christian, a struggling and poor new husband, and a founding pastor of a tiny church in the middle of nowhere. The main story arc--a man who seems to be Jesus performing miracles and drawing followers in a small town--is enriched by many of these stories that could be called "flashbacks" but truly they are the life of the novel. This is the perfect book for everyone who has held onto the truth when everything in life tells you to let go.

Often times, when I read a second book by the same author, I find that I've gotten my hopes up so high that I just didn't enjoy the story as much because I expected too much. It happens so often that I've finally come to expect it. However, Peretti always bashes those expectations, and this book is yet another example of that. His ability to weave a new story together is incredible. It seems that very little is the same from the other stories. It just comes with a strong Christian theme. In "The Visitation," I found an intriguing story of a false Christ, come to a town to show them how things could change for them if they would just embrace him. I think this book is an excellent reminder of all of the false Christs that are out there right now! The fact of the matter is, we need to be aware that there are many out there trying to mislead us. However, if we will stay in touch with Jesus, we are on the right path. Frank Peretti holds to that theme all throughout his different books. I, for one, applaud him for it, and can't wait to see what he has to offer next!

Frank Peretti had a novel idea for this book. He had a strong beginning of the book, having the characters and their lives seem so real, but yet a third of the way through he seemed to have gotten lost "chasing rabbits" and having many strange conflicts come to arise every few chapters. About two-thirds through he seemed to be "kicking a dead dog," and dragging the book out longer than he should have. He tried to tie in the life of a backslidden pastor, anciet religion, and contemporary situations that made the book come out as an interesting book, but then all of a sudden he adds evil spirits and mystic powers, which then made the book seem kind of silly in a way.
The whole adding of characters in the end of the book was very annoying, along with the fact that he kept switching from the present life of a backslidden pastor, to his young-adulthood.
What I did like about the book was the fact of that pastor's determination not to give up and the way he took charge of a very strange and unusual situation in his town. He showed leadership characteristics such as bravery and patience.
But if you enjoy a very good beginning, a 5-star beginning, and a very slow, dry ending, this is your book.

I am only reviewing the quality of the audio. I tried to listen to this book on tape through speakers while riding as a passenger in a Plymouth voyager. I could only recognize about 25% of the words. The man reading the book spoke in tones too low and without enough variation to be able to make out what he was saying. I and the driver had to give up listening after a while. I gave the book (not the audio) 4 stars on reputation. The audio gets only 1 star.

I have read The present Darkness, The Oath, and than The Visitation. I loved the Oath and liked the action packed Present Darkness. But the Visitation went in-depth with the protagorist character which was Brandon Nichols. Frank showed us flash backs and give us pictures of what drew him to the point he is at. He felt that God had let him down and he would take his place. For the times he wasn't there or he didn't come when he was asked. He was abused by his father and actually nailed like God was on the cross. The hitchhiker, Angel, and the other one can't remember where the demons motivation and powering him. If you remember this was shown in-depth in The Present Darkness but with Angels Vs. Demons match. Than this takes us to Antagonist charcter in the story which would be Travis Jordan. Travis know something wasn't right about this guy and what was going on with the town. So he collect information about Brandon finally finding his painful past. I think I could write a whole book about the book. But it was just great and excellent a must read.

In The Visitation, Frank Peretti gets real. Sort of. The protagonist is the most vivid, well-developed character I've ever read. Throughout the story, in flashbacks that are well integrated, we see this man's struggles to find himself and God. Peretti paints a wonderfully universal image, encapsulating wide-eyed optimism and idealism, heartache and embarrassment, love and loss, grief and embitterment. The Visitation is the story of an old, bitter preacher and his young, enthusiastic counterpart. The older of the two wants nothing to do with the younger, but a strange camaraderie emerges as a false messiah begins amassing a following from the congregations of the town's churches. Convinced that this messiah is leading the town astray, our protagonist and his young protégé embark to learn the history this messiah. Meanwhile, the false Christ is healing the sick and bringing the once-dead town back to life, creating a media circus and bringing lots of attention to this tiny town. Peretti shies away from the personified spiritual aspects of this story, relying instead on the emotional state of all involved. In each character, we see a roller coaster of ideas and experiences, and each character is easy to identify with and hard to forget. Though Peretti does revert to shades of his previous work, The Visitation is a standout in the genre. It's a shame that more Christian fiction isn't written to this standard. Peretti's work is a tapestry of spirituality, with characters drawn from every walk of Christian life. Unlike his previous work, some of the most evil works in The Visitation are performed by Christian characters. The story of the false messiah's early life is chilling in its plausibility, and Peretti's deft examination of the state of the American church is a haunting incitement of just how far we've strayed. All in all, The Visitation is a must read work that will leave you hungry for more of the same.

While Peretti's Piercing the Darkness, This Present Darkness, and the Prophet (his best), were fantastical, The Visitation is impossible. There are too many threads left unwoven. It's too fantasical, too choppy, a little too unbelievable. At the same time, one can guess what is going to happen.

The circus trip through the town, the chaos that breaks forth, reminds one of a cheap (very) version of The Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis, and that reminder helps one remember the difference between a great author, Lewis, and an author that needs to go back to school, Peretti.

The Visitation will keep you interested, somewhat, but does not compare to the far better and shorter book by Franklin Sanders, Heiland.

On the other hand, The Prophet, was believable and was down to earth in that it approached a very real problem, the slaughter of the unborn in America, and the battle that ensues around that topic.

Anyway, I was quite disappointed in this book and think Peretti may need spend more time on how to structure a book before cranking out another.

This book starts off a bit slow but it gets very good towards the end. As always, Frank Peretti's books deal with good vs. evil. God vs. Satan, angels vs. demons. His books are written smartly and they avoid cheesy Christian cliches. This time around, Frank Peretti decides not to give the reader a background view of angels vs. demons like in "This Present Darkness" and "Piercing the Darkness" series.

This time we only see the point of view from the human characters. Although its still a battle of good vs. evil.

The book focuses mainly on one character, Travis Jordan. He's resigned as pastor and he's kind of in a rut. Suddenly, a few strangers come into their small town. One in particular is Brandon Nichols, who performs miracles and healings and leads people to believe that he's Jesus Christ.

Other strange things include weeping crucifixes, and people acting out as if their characters from the Bible. Lots of weird stuff is happening. Most of the people in town are buying Brandon Nichols's act, and strangers from all over the country are visiting the small town.

But to a select few something is just not right. They don't really believe that Brandon is Jesus. Kyle is the first one to say that he's not fooled and that Brandon's power comes from demons.

Something has to be done to expose Brandon and to save their town from a lunatic. So Travis, Kyle and Morgan team up to find out who Brandon really is, and its quite a mystery as the book flashes back to Travis's history with his faith and in the church.

A lot of stuff here is exposed about the church that usually isn't discussed, and I like that honesty. Frank Peretti has written another great novel, although its much more slow paced.

There is some heavy violence towards the end in this novel, its revealed that a character has been "crucified" and no I'm not talking about Jesus. I would recommend it for older teens and adults. I really liked the conclusion of this book, its well written and Peretti is very imaginative. The book is funny, other times sad, and sometimes romantic while still avoiding the cheesiness factor.

I'm on my second reading of this book. It is so dead-on in its portrayal of spiritual burn-out, church politics, and small town life. It is at once creepy, inspiring, funny, and scary. I recommend this book!