Rating: 
Summary: Good page turner
Review: The Oath is perhaps Peretti's best work. While this book does not follow his Darkness sequels (no angel and demon confrontations), it paints a very vivid picture of what happens when people begin to try to hide their sins from the world and reject that God exists. Except that the sins of Hyde River are personified in a living being whose mere mention casts fear and anger into peoples minds and hearts. For this reason, the town of Hyde River has kept its past a secret from outsiders. It is a town controlled by sin and fear. And these two aspects of their lives are preyed upon by the descendent of the town founder Benjamin Hyde and the last living family member, Harold Bly. But when an outsider is killed by the town's greatest secret, the people find hiding their past extremely difficult. Especially since the death of the outsider was witnessed by his wife. And even more so when the victim's brother begins to pry into the lives of the town people, uncover their darkest secret, and solve the mystery of his brother's death.
What tale Peretti spins is not a confrontation in the spiritual realm with angels and demons battling for the souls of mortal men, but a very vivid picture of what can happen when people reject God and begin to think they can live how they want.
Rating: 
Summary: A little rougher than your usual Peretti work
Review: There's something nasty living in the town of Hyde River, and it ain't just a pack of redneck sinners either. When Wildlife Professor Steve Benson's brother is grotesquely killed in the mountains near Hyde River, Steve attempts to find out who - or what - killed him. But Hyde River doesn't want him prying around in their town, nor does the big man in town, Harold Bly. A descendant of the town's original founders, he carries a certain weight and authority in town. Before Steve knows it, he's gotten in way over his head, in more ways than one, and he must stay in town to discover how to get out of it. . . and the original speakers of The Oath.I've read all of Peretti's novels except "Tilly", and I didn't enjoy The Oath as much. There isn't the type of spiritual Angel-Demon combat such as in his Darkness novels, but there's still spiritual conflict to a certain degree. But this novel is so much more dark, the characters (especially the main character) a little more shady, and the whole book has a more secular feel to it. There's several implied sexual references: Steve watches a gal skinny dip in a lake, people in the town have affairs out the wazzoo, there's two minor characters who are implied prostitutes, and Steve and the gal eventually wake up in bed together...and we can safely assume from the following discussions that they went to sleep with each other too. The book is just a lot more carnal that the Peretti we're used to...especially since the protagonist isn't actually a good guy. The book also contains various and sundry amounts of creepiness, gore and violence. (Literally, people are devoured, killed, shot, blown up, etc) Now that I think about it, there's actually a case or two where bad characters take God's name in vain. The Oath has all the makings of a PG-13 Hollywood movie, but that's not always what we want in Christian suspense thrillers like Peretti writes. In summary, you'll probably want to read this book anyway, just because it's from Peretti, but if you do, try to read it BEFORE you read his best work, The Visitation.
Rating:
Summary: First One I Read, and Now I LOVE Frank's Books!
Review: This book was the first one I ever read of Peretti's. I am not phased by violence, and in fact I love all the scary mixes in the story. It made it interesting. I love Frank Peretti's writing because he's not hesitant to put "scary stuff" in his books. I love that about him! I love his books because they are a little freaky. His books show me every time, that no matter what, evil never prevails, and that out of evil can come much good! The frightfulness of his books draw people in. For example, when I was reading The Oath(and I read it in five days flat it was so exciting) a friend of mine asked me about it. They read the back and thought it looked awesome. It wasn't the "Christian Aspects" of the story that drew her to the story. It was the fact that it looked exciting, and Frank Peretti is indeed a great fiction writer. Non-Christians can enjoy this book to the fullest and be spoken to at the same time. The fact that Frank Peretti doesn't "Christianize" his books is AWESOME! Meaning, he doesn't push Christianity on people to the point a non-believer won't listen anymore. He draws you into an exciting and invigorating story that is hard to put down. And without knowing it, those stories speak to the people reading them in ways they didn't expect when they first opened it up. The Oath, This Present Darkness, Piercing The Darkness, Hangman's Curse, Nightmare Academy, and The Wounded Spirit are all the books I've read from him, and so far not one of them has disappointed me. Everyone spoke to me in some way, and I can't wait to read the rest of the books he's got out there!
Rating:
Summary: Definitely Not Your Ordinary Christian Novel
Review: "The Oath" begins with a very gruesome bear attack or so it seems at first glance in Hyde River, small mining town. As Steve Benson, investigates the death of his brother, Cliff, certain things don't add up about the presumed bear attack. The longer Steve stays, the more agitated the Hyde River town folk become with his questions. The town folks are obviously scared and have chosen to ignore the "evil" that has clung to the town since it's establishment. This "evil" is slowly revealed in an incredibly scary fashion! For those who have ever read the book of Revelation, Peretti brings one of the symbolic images to physical life. Peretti's description of the creature is top notch writing. Further use of graphical imagery brings home the message of how deep evil can penetrate one's heart. This novel will give you a lot to think about theogically as well as give you goose bumps. It's definitely not your ordinary Christian novel, but the themes of God's saving grace and evil's powerful attraction will not be missed either. --- reviewed by Ty ...
Rating: 
Summary: Don't even try to breathe . . .
Review: Typical of Peretti, this tale is all action, 550 pages of pure plot and tension. As always with his works, I could wish for more "round" character development, but the taut, graphic story line doesn't leave much room for character introspection. They're all too busy trying to stay alive! The blending of allegory (metaphor: dragon equals sin) and stated morality (the dragon literally fears Christians) makes categorizing the book a little difficult. It might be more powerful to leave the dragon's real meaning unstated, instead of having Levi spell everything out for Steve (and for us). However, that doesn't make this novel any less rewarding, as long as you're not looking for really deep characterization. It's a breath-stealing, terrifying ride through darkness to dawn . . . an intriguing combination of honest fiction, documentary (see the "documents" at the beginning of each chapter), and allegory that won't let you close the book until you've read the last word.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good Peretti!
Review: I'm starting to believe that Frank Peretti is incapable of writing a bad book. Everything I've read by him has been absolutely excellent. Mind you, I gave "The Oath" four stars instead of five simply because I didn't think it was as good as the other books of his I've read, but don't mistake that as saying this was in any way not a good book! I think it was absolutely excellent in many aspects of the word. This book will keep you on yours toes all the way 'til the end. It will make you think; it will make you understand just how desperate we are for Christ in our lives. It is an incredible book, and the sooner you read it, the better.
Rating:
Summary: Not His Best Work
Review: After reading "The Visitation", I eagerly anticipated reading "The Oath". I was disappointed and found myself skimming over many sections of the book that were repetitive and far too drawn out. It seems like the story could have been told in a few hundred pages less. There were brief moments of suspense, but most of the book was predictable. I would recommend reading other books by Peretti and not spend too much time on this particular one.
Rating:
Summary: Not His Best, But Good
Review: The Oath is a great work, but compared to The Visitation or Piercing The Darkness it doesn't hold up. Some of the battle scenes between the main character and the creature seem to drag on. The dialogue makes this book good. I think the book had about 75 to 100 pages too many.
Rating:
Summary: Christian Fiction With An Edge--A Dull Edge, But An Edge
Review: "This guy is the Stephen King of Christian fiction," a friend of mine excitedly exclaimed when he got his copy of The Oath. I calmly reminded him that a) I'd never heard of Frank Peretti before and b) I didn't exactly care for Stephen King in the first place. Though the first part of my response has since changed, I still see nothing in The Oath to get excited about. The story is set in modern times, in a backwoods town where people mysteriously die in rather grotesque ways. After loosing his brother, the protagonist goes to investigate and finds more than he bargained for. Basically, The Oath takes complex spiritual issues and simplifies them by personifying them. Even that description is more exciting than this book. I'm not trying to write a negative review, but I really didn't like the characters; they were bland, Christian fiction stereotypes. Now, that's not to say the book wasn't readable--it was highly readable--and the story was actually clever, just not as well executed as I had hoped. Peretti has mastered the art of moving a story along, something many writers in his genre haven't figured out yet. There's a lot going on in this book and you don't get bored. The Oath is a safe book. I'd let my children read it without hesitation. There's nothing truly offensive within its pages. It has a wonderful moral lesson about feeding (indulging) sin and how sin overtakes us--something non-Christians would probably find puritanical and ridiculously executed. Nevertheless, I find nothing to truly hate about The Oath. It is what it is--a bedrock work in a genre that lacks definition, leadership, or any clear direction. It is the quintessential Christian fiction title--murky at times, laughable at times, but mostly entertaining, wholesome, and definitely a professional presentation (unlike much of what passes as Christian fiction). So what if it's a moral play? For anyone interested in Christian fiction, this is a good book and one that won't sour your pallet.
Rating:
Summary: Stranger than fiction
Review: I'm an admirer of Piretti's work however I kept asking myself 'where is this book going'. This is a fascinating tale of a town that has kept a secret (Oath) for hundreds of years. Why Pieretti needed 550 pages to tell it may be the main secret here. It's a little bit more violent than normal for him but the violence plays a definite part in the main storyline. Small inconsistencies in the story and some unbelievable situations were easy to overlook since this is an unusual book anyway. Still, I'm glad I read it - it was entertaining and fun. Give it a try.
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