Frank Peretti's last published novel (not including House, co-written with Ted Dekker) was Monster, published in 2005. Peretti's novels are dark, filled with demons and monsters, and most often deal with spiritual warfare. When I learned that Peretti was releasing another novel after seven years of publishing silence, I was ecstatic. However, Illusion is a different side of Peretti that I had not seen before.
Illusion, on the surface, is a love story. Dane and Mandy were a popular magic act until Mandy is tragically killed in a car accident... or so Dane thinks until he meets a talented young magician in a coffee shop... Two magicians are separated by death, space, and time. But they still manage to find each other.
I really did enjoy this lighter side of Peretti. I didn't have a hard time accepting the theory that Peretti uses to explain how Mandy is brought back as a younger version of herself (though I won't give away any spoilers!). However, when it came to the end, I did have a hard time with it. I felt like the ending was too forced, too fantastic to believe. Of course, reading fiction is all about suspending belief, but I felt that the ending, Mandy's final illusion, was too odd, and I was lost.
That said, what came before the ending makes up for it. Peretti's writing is engaging, as always, and he easily draws you into the lives of his characters.
I truly hope Peretti doesn't take another seven years to write another book!
