(#33) / This Present Darkness / by Frank Peretti / (Book)

Opening

Bibliographic Information:

This Present Darkness / by Frank Peretti

ISBN-13: 978-1581345285 / Crossway Books

p. 384 / $10.08 (Amazon)

1986

Body of Content

Summary: This Present Darkness is the first in a series that numbers two titles.  The story follows the residents of a fictional town, Ashton – and how their lives are a part of a larger supernatural story.  Marshall Hogan is a local newspaper editor who teams up with a local clergyman, Hank Busche.  They both become aware of a developing conspiracy, where a New Age group plots a scheme.  But the story has two layers – as the human-level of events is overshadowed by the spiritual realm – as demonic (evil) angels fight in an eternal struggle against heaven’s (good) angels.  The seamless storytelling follows the narratives of angels interacting with humans – filled with supernatural fights between warring angels – and humans trying to uncover seditious plots of conspiracy – not completely aware of all the angelic action that surrounds them.    

Critique (150-300 words): This Present Darkness is a fictional novel – but it does a great job at creating a full-fledge, literary universe – where the existence of angels not only acts as a premise – but actually propels the story forward.  The author tells his story on two fronts – on the human level of affairs – and on the spiritual level through a myriad of angel characters.  The author sidesteps the issue of deity – for the most part – as God or Jesus is not a character within the novel.  Now, the righteous angels do refer to their actions as serving the wishes of “The Lamb” – but Peretti does provide some literary space for himself – as the angels’ actions are not immutable. 

Peretti creates story arches – where backstories are created – which heighten the suspense elements of the story – as some evil angels have fought righteous angels in past historical contexts.  The reader has the vantage point of witnessing both stories simultaneously.  The character dramas played out among human characters are augmented by angelic hosts battling each other – swords drawn – sweeping through the air and through buildings. 

The novel is an extrapolation of passages from the Bible – and although it is not meant as a theological treaty on systematics, Peretti does create a universe believable if the reader allows for a few base assumptions.  And in that way, Peretti creates a thriller – based upon a human conspiracy mixed with angelic battles that tower above.          

Teaser: A writer and a pastor find themselves in the midst of a political and supernatural thriller.

Information about the Author: Peretti has sold a total of 15 million novels to date – with the two-part Darkness series (This Present Darkness & Piercing the Darkness) accounting for 3.5 million sold copies (Peretti, 2011).  Peretti followed these two titles with other titles in the thriller genre – including Prophet, The Oath, The Visitation, and The Monster.  However, the writer also penned a children series, The Cooper Kids Adventure Series along with a pastoral, nonfiction work titled The Wounded Spirit.

In his personal life, Peretti married his wife at the age of 22.  He performed some touring with a music ministry band in the 1970s.  He later enrolled at UCLA – with interests in English and film writing.  At one point, Peretti helped his father pastor a small church affiliated with the Assembly of God denomination.  In 1983, he began working construction jobs – writing the manuscript for his first novel (This Present Darkness) while working in a ski factory (Peretti, 2011).   

Supplemental Material

Genre: Thriller / Christian Fiction / Adult Crossover

Curriculum Ties: Religion – fundamentalism, angelology

Booktalking Ideas: 1) What biblical passages make the framework for Peretti’s angel-filled universe? 

Reading Level:  While the book mostly falls to Christian markets, adults represent the chief audience.  Many Christian teens, though, certainly enjoyed Peretti’s thriller – though, again, older teens – aged 16-19 – comprise a better audience than younger teens. 

Challenge Issues and Defense: Like the Left Behind novels, Piercing the Darkness has some religious and political overtones that might not treat liberal or multicultural ideals fairly or representatively.  Ultimately, the book is fictional – and consistent within the framework of the universe it creates.  This is another title – with a fair amount of violence and suspense-type horror – that is not meant for younger ages.  Some parents might object to this title residing in a YA collection – and librarians (particularly in the public school system because of the religious overtones) need to be prepared for such confrontations.

Personal Reasons for Inclusion: In an age of Twilight, this title represents a title that many supernatural titles owe homage to – as it literally and (almost unilaterally) created mainstream options for the Christian thriller genre. I read this book when I was 18 years old – and it represents one of my favorite novels.

Last Thoughts

References:

Peretti, F. (2011). Frank Peretti: About [Webpage]. Retrieved from

http://frankperetti.com/?page_id=13

Listening to (Music):

Artist – FM Static / Album – “Dear Diary”