Illusion: A Novel

For 40 years Las Vegas magicians, Dane and Mandy Collins, had awed crowds with their spectacular illusions and fantastic performances. Off stage, they had shared 40 wonderful years as husband and wife. However, one moment changed everything and a deadly car crash took the life of Mandy Collins. Grief stricken, Dane decides to continue their plan to buy a farm in Mandy's native Idaho and move to the small town of Coeur d' Alene which is near her childhood home.Though she didn't remember falling asleep, Mandy awoke to find herself in a hospital gown at the local county fair. Believing the year is 1971, Mandy goes in search of her father, where she expects to find him caring for their llamas. Much to her surprise, the fairgrounds have changed drastically and her father is nowhere to be found. Furthermore, she soon learns it's not 1971, but rather 2010. With all she knows gone, she turns to the one mysterious talent she possesses--magic. Not just magic based on illusions though, but the ability to levitate and manipulate objects in ways no one else can. Inevitably, Dane and Mandy's paths cross, but with each questioning their sanity, neither are willing to accept the possibility that Mandy might just be who each think she is. In a beautiful story with plenty of twists and turns, Illusion is a remarkable book and very rewarding, especially for long-time Peretti fans who may have begun to wonder if they'd ever get another novel from this masterful storyteller.I started Illusion at my kid's karate class and became so engrossed in the story I forgot where I was. For the first few chapters I was swept into a story of grief and confusion, longing and searching. The phrase, "This might be Peretti's best book" even popped out of my mouth. The opening to Illusion is incredibly gripping and needless to say, I was hooked early.However, about 100 pages in, I began to struggle. At first I found the magic shows fun and fascinating, easily identifying with Mandy's wonder. Unfortunately, with three shows back to back, they began to feel long and not nearly as captivating. To be fair, each show has a purpose within the book, but I think they could have been condensed a little.There are also some seemingly random scenes, which I never doubted would play a part in the story. At the time though, they accentuate the story's slow pace. Combined with these random scenes is an overwhelming desire for Dane and Mandy to simply talk to each other. Granted there is a lot of tension and suspense built through their silence, much could have been accomplished in a shorter period of time with basic communication.Additionally, during this portion of the book, I had difficulty keeping the timeline. It felt as though weeks or months had passed, when in actuality, it was only a few days. For about 150 pages, the plot came to a screeching halt and though the story was being filled out, I couldn't figure out how or what was being set up. However, once the plot began to progress again, it blossomed into a beautiful, engaging novel that captured my heart.This is far from a simple novel. It's multifaceted, with numerous storylines and some complex technical information to process. Peretti does a very nice job of simplifying many aspects of this book so that it's understandable to the average reader. However, he doesn't skimp on answering questions and filling in gaps in his theory. Instead, he creates a scenario that's easy to understand and plausible sounding to the reader. As with most books where the line between progress and morality becomes blurred, I enjoyed contemplating what these characters achieved and whether the cost outweighed the benefits. At one point, Dr. Ian Malcolm's line from Juarasic Park came to mind--"Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could that they didn't stop to think if they should."Illusion is rich with symbolism and subtle spiritual themes. But one aspect that cannot go unmentioned is the stunning love between Dane and Mandy. I adore stories that portray, deep, devoted love; a love that endures past death. That to me is true romance and I find it a joy to read about.So much more to say, but I must wrap up. In summary, despite the slow parts, Illusion is a remarkable story. From moral dilemmas to tight suspense to a beautiful depiction of love, this novel is outstanding, capturing the reader and making them feel a part of the story. It may take 7 years between Peretti novels, but when a new one finally arrives, it's well worth the wait.

You may well have heard that this is not typical Peretti. I would agree that, plot-wise, this is not about spiritual warfare or monsters; neither does it have a male protagonist. There are two central characters, one male and one female, and I'm not sure what the exact breakdown is between whose perspective is featured more, but I came away from it feeling more of a connection to Mandy, the female lead, and feeling she was the main character. It seems to me that most previous Peretti novels are primarily from a male point of view.So, from that standpoint, this is not typical Peretti. What does this share with his previous work then? The greatest similarity for me is the fact that I couldn't put it down. While not as action-oriented as the Darkness series or as theologically thrilling as Visitation, I found the very human drama quite compelling. I was emotionally invested in the characters, especially Mandy, and the story never lost my interest. There is a supernatural element here (and it actually turns to sci-fi) but I think it would be a mistake to try to force a master storyteller like Peretti into too stringent genres or categories.The story begins with tragedy: a car accident has left magician Dane Collins without his wife and partner Mandy. We flash back to 1970 with young Mandy Whitacre at a county fair. A bit of a bump later, and she finds herself in a hospital gown at the same county fair but in 2010. Mandy and Dane soon find each other in modern days (he's 60 and she's 19) and the resemblance to his dead wife (but forty years younger) is undeniable. The plot is sometimes confusing but the central characters are real and their relationship and personal journeys compelling.It's not a perfect book. I feel like the sci-fi elements, which keep taking a larger role in the story after the halfway mark, actually distracted a bit from the real appeal of the novel. The author seems to feel a need to explain away the central mystery of the plot with psuedo-science and sci-fi technobabble. For all the ground level explanation, it never feels plausible and never really makes sense to me. It doesn't need to for the enjoyment of the story, so I feel like the explanations simply detract. I'm a fan of science fiction but it all feels just a little shoehorned in here.I also was a bit disappointed that the spiritual themes weren't a bit more pronounced. The faith of the main characters is almost incidental. There is an afterword by the author that spells out the main themes that the book contains; the problem is that the afterword comes across as a bit optimistic to me. The themes listed sound very good indeed, but the author shouldn't have tell the reader what the themes of the book are. They should come across clearly in the text itself. I don't think that Christian fiction needs to be preachy - please no - but I do like when something of substance is added to the conversation. These characters don't swear and they go to church (at least sometimes). When things get bleak, they offer up a prayer. So this is a novel about Christian characters but I feel like it would go a little far to suggest that their faith made much difference in their lives, or that it had much impact on the story. Take away their faith and the story remains pretty much the same. Some (most?) readers this won't bother at all.This is a five-star review because I enjoyed the story immensely. Whenever I put it down, I looked forward to picking it up again. What we have here is a beautiful portrayal of human love wrapped in a compelling story with sympathetic characters. It's well-written, and I think it's quite good.

Good read

This is easily my favorite Frank Peretti novel that doesn't include the supernatural (This Present Darkness wins in that category). Categorizing Illusion into a particular genre would act as a spoiler. It was the first novel to completely grip me from the second chapter onwards. Superbly written by an author who is obviously at his artistic prime.

There is something special about this book - love, but it is sublime, with you only realising it at the end.

Peretti as usual, is fascinating in this story about lost love refound not because of betrayal repented for, but because of death that was not as final as it appeared to be. The story moves through time in a way that defies time as such, intricately weaving themes of magic, relationships, & character development of the main characters, within the context of a sort of science fiction of the Lewisian type, thus which departing from the purely secular Sci Fi in notable ways. Peretti, like C.S. Lewis, moves imaginatively through a larger paradigm of reality than most writers show themselves capable of doing, drawing upon things not done and keeping it within a framework of today's world. Because of the solid foundation Peretti (and Lewis) have based upon biblical concepts of good and evil, the storyline is one of success, not failure; of redemption, not despair, despite extraordinary conflicts en route. It's invigorating to say the least. Entertaining? Absolutely.

Peretti n'écrit que des bestsellers. C'est est encore un. Des personnages vraies, une intrigue bien ficelée, des surprises… Ce n'est pas seulement que les héros sont un couple de magiciens que c'est magique. Je l'ai lu (presque) d'un seul trait.