This Present Darkness

Normally I avoid Christian fiction. I have read some well-received Christian novels in the past, and felt them to be too preachy, as if the authors felt they had to show how pious or prayerful they were. As a Christian myself (though one whose beliefs are less - shall we say - strict than those who gave me the other books) I felt like those authors were preaching to the choir. So I was a little leery when my boyfriend recommended Peretti.

However, I needn't have worried. Yes, prayer and God were prevalent in the book. It wouldn't really have been a Christian novel if they weren't. But it was prayer as a part of certain characters' personality and beliefs. Prayer for the sake of other characters, not because the reader necessarily needed show more saving. Many times, it felt as if I was reading one of the paranormal books I'm fond of, only instead of good magic vs. bad magic, you have good spirits vs. bad. Instead of normal humans fighting off magic-induced possession, the possession is demonic. It often read very like a religious-based paranormal book, and I enjoyed it very much.

One thing that I found especially appropriate was the way swearing was handled. Some of the characters swore. They are humans, and humans do that. But the profanity wasn't actually written in the book, just spoken of. It was well done, and it took me a little while before I even realized it.

People who are anti-Christian will probably not appreciate this book. But for those who are Christian, or who are willing to give something different a try, this might be a good one to pick up. show less

This gets as high a rating as it does because I have to acknowledge it does have its merits when contrasted to the books in the genre I've read, even if this is emphatically not a book for me. I tried this because I'm working through a list of recommended reading, "The Ultimate Reading List" and decided not to skip the "Inspirational Fiction" section of Christian fiction despite not being a believer. After all, I do love CS Lewis, so I thought there might be one gem on the list. This did well in presenting a community, that of small town Ashton, in displaying a sense of humor, and gets points for imagination.

In this novel, dark forces are gathering in the town--a battle of good and evil, with two chosen humans, the young pastor Henry show more Busch and the weary, cynical publisher of the small town newspaper, Marshall Hogan. Demons hover over both trying to break them or at least wear them down--demons with names like Complacency, Deception, Lawlessness and Jealousy. Also gathering are an Angelic host, but they need "prayer cover" from believers to have the strength to defeat the evil.

What kills this novel for me is what Peretti sets as his forces of darkness. The Reverend Olive Young is one of those personifications of evil--because, after all, he cares about "saving the whales" and his congregation is described as "different, liberal, even bizarre." But the most venom goes into the descriptions of Professor Langstrat, a woman who actually teaches her psychology students to ask difficult philosophical questions of ontology and metaphysics, but worst of all, promotes such New Age ideas as goddess worship.

Sorry--I've known too many wonderful people who consider themselves part of the New Age movement or even Pagans--kind, compassionate honest and wise, to put up with this bigoted demonization of them for the purposes of fiction. show less

The basic plot is that some strange and disturbing things are happening in a small American town called Ashton. Underlying this is some dramatic spiritual warfare - angels against demons, good vs evil in the ultimate sense. The one person standing against the rise of evil in Ashton is the pastor Hank Busche, well-supported by his wife Mary and a few faithful members of the congregation.

It's a thriller with an element of fantasy thrown in, probably closest in genre to CS Lewis's 'That Hideous Strength', although nowhere near as well written. The style is terse and exciting; in places rather gratingly informal. There's not much character development, the conversations seem stilted at times, and the plot is rather far-fetched. All in all, show more not my kind of book - yet I've just read it for the third time, and found it difficult to put down. No doubt I'll read it again in a few years. show less

A Christian book about a small town that balances a story of demons and people affected by the demons trying to take over the town. It helped me consider spiritual forces more than I do and how they are affecting us.

It's a Christian thriller/conspiracy theory sort of book. It's a bit dated and that is distracting. But if you can get past the dated-ness of the story, it's definitely entertaining. I might recommend reading it more quickly than I did (it was dragged out for me over a couple months, so I think I lost some of the momentum that might otherwise have built). :)

Briefly, it's about a small town that has big problems developing, with its university, the local newspaper, and a small church at the center of the conflict. Families are torn apart, lives are ruined and ended, and nothing is at it initially seems. The pastor of the local small church (there is also a big church) and the owner of the paper, separately and in their own lives, try to show more get to the center of what is happening that is ripping the small town of Ashton completely apart, and both find their own families, jobs, and lives in danger.

I liked a lot of the imagery of demons and angels, and I thought the spiritual group was well written and interesting (spiritual in the sort of new-agey, collective consciousness sense). It is certainly thought provoking, if nothing else. show less

The first novel I've read from Peretti, and let me tell you I was NOT disappointed! What amazing insight the author has into a realm that could and probably does exist all around us. It really pushes you to think outside of the box as well as your own comfort zone. This book and it's sequel are absolutely incredible and life changing!

Kind of hokey but solid in its content. Interesting and important for consideration of spiritual warfare. I've read it several times.