A. You are in the mood to read something, anything, but the shelves are bare?
B. You have way too many books stacked by your nightstand, under the coffeetable, on the dining room table, on a shelf conveniently located near the bathtub?
I'm B, most of the time. Which means now. It's a delicious dilemma, trying to pick the next book to read, and I usually end up having a different book at the ready in nearly every room in my house. I have four books on my nightstand (I partake of each one every night), ten near my coffee table, and...none near my bathtub.
That's right. None near my favorite reading spot. Because I read it. In two days.
Frank Peretti's new novel, 'Illusion', is that book. Although I sometimes shy away from Christian-themed stories (I find that some of them pontificate a bit too much), I do read those that have a touch of the divine. I have read a few of Mr. Peretti's other novels, and I appreciate the way that he doesn't impose his beliefs on the reader. He seems to be a gentle type of person, someone I would like to meet.'Illusion' is the story of two magicians, Dane and Mandy. They have been together for forty years, famous for their creative feats of illusion. But they are more than a 'magic act'; they have been married for almost forty years and still very much in love. But when Mandy dies in a car accident, Dane's world is shattered and he turns his back on his career. While he is mourning in solitude, Mandy awakens in the present, but as the nineteen year-old she was in 1970. Amidst her confusion, she discovers the ability to perform impossible feats of magic.
Mr. Peretti has written a story that made me keep turning the pages. What will happen when Dane and Mandy finally meet? Why is she still alive, when he saw her die? So many questions, but the answers come quickly, and in a most unusual way.
While the characters are well-realized, the line separating good and evil was a bit smudged. But that's what made this story so interesting. Faith plays a huge role in this story of love, science, reconnection, and surprise.
'Illusion' will be released in March 2012 by Howard Books, a division of Simon & Schuster
1 comment:
It starts as a story of a mourning magician husband who lost his wife just as they were about to start a new chapter of their lives, retirement. From the very beginning you feel for this man as his heart is ripped from his chest as he watches his beautiful wife burn to death in a car wreck. Then suddenly you are involved in his wife's life 40 years earlier before she ever met her soul mate; who gets thrown into our decade through some time shift and all those she loved and cared about are gone. While trying to make sense of it all she finds that she can move through time somehow and escapes the mental hospital she has been kept captive at. She has always loved magic and with her new found abilities, starts a little magic show at a local coffee house.
As luck would have it, Dane, the magician who is still mourning his wife finds the girl and has his heart broken all over again as he gets to know her, realizes that it is his beloved wife and comes to understand that she doesn't know him or any of their life together. He also finds out that she is in trouble and that he needs to do anything he can to help her escape those that intend to use her powers for the wrong reasons, and cause her and others harm.
This story kept me intrigued the entire time. Just when I thought I knew the answer to one question it threw me for a loop. The writing was phenomenal and the story was something that I had never seen before. It was original and fascinating. I loved that a good story can still be told without the swearing, sex and shock gore that is in so many best sellers today. I would recommend this book to anyone.
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