Rating: 
Summary: Loads of coolness pour off the page!
Review: If you read some of my other reviews, you know I'm a Peretti fan. This was one of the first novels I read, and I really enjoyed it.This book chronicles the small college town of Ashton, and its struggling pastor Hank Busche, and local journalist Marshall Hogan. Unseen by them is the whole cool part of the story: Tal, Captain of Hosts of the Armies of God is leading a defense of the town from an attempted take-over by head demon Rafar, and his cohorts. The plot is more complicated than that, but that's the gist of it. Many people disagree with the theology of this book: humans having direct impact on the angel-demon wars by rebuking the demons by name...names, by the way, such as Lust, Fear, and Hate. It does bring the spiritual warfare side a little closer, and make you want to prayer more, but not too many people believe in this kind of conflict. But the Bible does tell us that our struggle is against the powers of darkness in the heavenly realms. It's a great action-read, and is also full of spiritual insight and teaching.
Rating:
Summary: A Real Page-Turner
Review: With THIS PRESENT DARKNESS, Frank Peretti broke onto the scene by graphically tearing back the veil between our world and the spirit world. Descending upon the small town of Ashton, angels, demons, and strongmen engage in vivid spiritual battle and we, the reader, are able to see it all unfold. Ever wonder what exactly a guardian angel might do? Here's one possible scenario. While Peretti's theology on the subject may not be perfect (many of his ideas are pure speculation, but that's why it's "fiction"), he does most definitely give us a bold reason as to why prayer is so vital. Why prayer does, in fact, move mountains and can turn the tide in unseen spiritual battles that are taking place around us (as happens in the book of Daniel). For that reason alone, THIS PRESENT DARKNESS is worth reading. To be fair, this is not Peretti's best written book. THE OATH and THE VISITATION are both more sound, from a literary perspective (real character development, for example, isn't the best here). But before the LEFT BEHIND series, no other Christian novels were as widely read as this and its sequel. It is a true Christian fiction classic and a real page-turner that will have you burning the midnight oil. FOUR 1/2 STARS.
Rating:
Summary: A shot of reality through the heart!!!!
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Spiritual Battles Brought To Life
Review: This is a wonderful book! Frank Peretti writes in a style that is engaging and suspensful. He weaves together a plot involving both a human struggle of philosophical and political agendas, and the spiritual battle occuring at the same time between the spiritual forces of good (Angels) and evil (Demons). It is this weaving of the plot between everyday issues and spiritual long term agendas that is the most compelling reason to read this book. The spiritual battles come to life in such a vivid way, that you may never view your life in the same way again! The images of how the spiritual battles are waged between God's Angels and the principalities of darkness, and how people are used for purposes beyond thier personal agendas, are presented in a manner which turns the perception of current events into something perhaps more than they appear to be. The book starts a bit slow, seemingly the day in the life of a small town, but once the plotlines start coming together you won't be able to put it down. The main characters are developed well, and are presented as real people who could be our neighbors. It is fiction all the way, so don't expect an academic thesis on the supernatural and Biblical themes of spiritual realms, simply enjoy the story and the message. I have given copies of this book to dozens of people and have not had anyone, Christian or Athiest, not enjoy the story. I highly recommend this book, as well as it's sequel: "Piercing The Darkness".
Rating:
Summary: Powerful and Amazing
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining but....
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Writing and Gripping Story....
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: A must have for every Christians
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Peretti calls it like it is!
Review: 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!
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