Book Review: Illusion

Illusion by Frank Peretti

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Although I don't read much fiction, I've been a fan of Frank Peretti since the late 1980s, so when I heard he had a new book out, I was very excited to read it.

Peretti's style changes.  I never know what to expect.  In Illusion, a government experiment and a couple magicians converge to create time travel.  Mandy is wheeled away, presumably dead, but the story picks up as young Mandy goes from 1970 with her friends at the fair to present day.

The story seems to drag a little in places. We know she is a magician, but the same tricks each time in detail could be skipped over as she does similar things with the tennis balls, hula hoops, etc. in each consecutive show.  The first time she does each trick would be enough to describe it.

I think this book would lend itself to a movie -- perhaps even better than the book as it is a very visual based book with lots of descriptions that run through this volume.  I watched the movie made from Peretti's book The Visitation, and that film fell short of my expectations as that was my favorite book of his, but unlike that one, this one I could picture very easily on the big screen.

The last hundred pages I read straight through, which is usually typical of me with any Peretti novel.  I need to finish it and find out what happens. 

My biggest complaint about this book isn't even something I would have said last time Peretti published a novel.  If you are going to buy this, I highly recommend it as an eBook.  Being a hardcover novel, it's just big at 495 pages, bulky, and at 1 pound 8 ounces, a bit heavy to hold for extended periods.

I very much enjoyed this book.  I think Peretti is a genius storyteller, and although it's not my favorite, it's still an excellent read and I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys Christian fantasy.