I have recently reread Daniel’s story from the Bible. Allow me to say that Daniel was my favorite Bible character when I was growing up. He was a prayerful man who did not bent to any pagan rule, even if it meant being fed to the lions on a pit. He was a man miraculously saved by an angel. He was guided by God, not only to see visions but interpret them as well. His book was, for me, the first evidence there was of spiritual warfare. Although angels appeared many times in the Bible, their battles were never mentioned as it was in Daniel’s vision (v.10:13). Beyond what the Scriptures revealed regarding the spiritual warfare is mere conjecture. “There, kneeling in earnest prayer, his head resting on the hard wooden bench, and his hands clenched with fervency, was a young man, very young, the blond man thought at first: young and vulnerable. It all showed in his countenance, now the very picture of pain, grief, and love. His lips moved without sound as names, petition, and praises poured forth with passion and tears.”Like Daniel, Frank E. Peretti’s main character Hank Busche is a prayerful man, a pastor, protected by angels and chosen to fulfill a mission for the small college town of Ashton. He faced discouragements every day, including a sexual scandal to stain his character. But Hank, and his wife Mary, knows that there is a stronger force gripping their small church and town; which can only be defeated through God’s intervention.The Strongman’s cloud of demons is looming towards Ashton. Victory will be theirs to claim through the global tyrant Alexander Kaseph, owner of Omni Corporations. Possessing demons have wormed into the lives of the townspeople and started ejecting possible threats to their sinister plan. But Hank Busche and Marshall Hogan, editor of Ashton Clarion, are the two biggest threats of them all. "I'm sorry, we cannot allow any more demons into the church this morning."God has equal plans for Ashton. The captain of the hosts, Tal, was sent to derail the enemy’s plan. One by one, the angels came and strengthened as more and more “Remanants” started praying and praising God.This Present Darkness is a very engaging fantasy. It has the charisma that drew me into the lives and battles of the characters. I cannot help but root for the heroes of the story. It was greatly entertaining to read some of the angels’ punk and swag. The good blend of intense action, drama, mystery and humor have to be mentioned, too. I have to commend Peretti for giving “the Power of Prayer” great emphasis. Let us be reminded, though, that our prayer life is far more effective through the knowledge of God’s Word and solemn worship. The Bible is the most powerful text book I’ve ever known. Confronted with evil influences, teachings or temptations, we fight with the truth – the Living Word of God. Needless to say, for me, Peretti’s mystical approach of admonishing demons is rather off. Believing and living according to God’s Word is the best way in keeping the enemy away.Furthermore, prayer and worship brings us into the presence of God. Prayer is an open communication that empowers and comforts us. Contrary to the book’s suggestion, our prayers do not empower angels. Not once was it ever mentioned in the Scriptures. It is God who empowers them according to their purpose; the same thing may be said with us.Please, understand that it is not my intention to discourage anyone from reading this book. It is a well-written and captivating story. I just wanted to point out that this is a fantasy based on the creative conjectures of a best-selling author.
Review by Jill WilliamsonBernice Krueger, reporter for the Ashton Chronicle, finds herself in jail after being in the wrong place at the wrong time. She came to Ashton to investigate the supposed suicide of her sister. Now, she and her boss, Marshall Hogan, start investigating some strange occurrences in town.Hank Busche is a small town pastor who is trying to keep his argumentative congregation from falling apart. Little does he know, there are dark forces in town that are set on seeing him fail. As demons characters carry out their assignments, Marshall and Hank become more determined to discover the truth. But can two men fight a host of demons they cannot see? And why is the host of heaven standing around and watching? Aren’t they going to do anything to stop this evil plot from taking over the town?Wow. This book has changed the way I think of angels and demons. There are many references in the Bible that lead me to believe there is a spiritual war going on around us that we can’t see. But never have I read anything to give me such a clear picture of how that might look. In Daniel 10, Daniel has a vision of an angel coming to speak to him. The angel says in verses 12-14, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.”This has always amazed me. That God told this angel to come and talk to Daniel, but the angel got held up fighting some demon over in Persia. In the Bible, angels are sometimes referred to as princes. I believe this angel was talking about how he was fighting with the prince of the Persian kingdom, who was a fallen angel, or demon, since he was resisting one of the host of heaven. It’s this idea that Peretti builds his story around. The idea that there are angels and demons waging war around us in a dimension that we cannot see. They can see us, but we can’t see them. And in Peretti’s story, the demons want to rule Ashton and the angels are there to make sure God’s plan prevails.This Present Darkness is an awesome story. Marshall, Bernice, and Hank slowly stumble onto the truth and have to work together to save Ashton. I love how Peretti showed the angels as mighty warriors interacting with one another. I also loved how Peretti showed the power of prayer. I kept rooting for the characters to pray, already! This book was thrilling, scary, amazing, and brilliant. I can’t say enough wonderful things about it. Everyone should read this book at least once in their life, if not over and over again.
What do You think about This Present Darkness (2003)?
Okay ... I did what everyone told me to do:1. Keep in mind that it's written from the viewpoint of the fundamental religious right.2. At the height of the Reagan era.and, I still almost couldn't finish it. I'll be the first to admit that I don't agree with Peretti's agenda, but I'll also say that I imagine that there's pleanty of "normal" Evangelicals, just as there are Republicans. But, Peretti, I hope is just blinded by his faith, and just not flat out retarded.The Cons:For some reason, I don't think Mr. Peretti buys into any religion except Christianity, the Liberal left, higher eductation, women's rights, and philosophy.His characters were pretty thin, and cookie cutter.The end is pretty Scooby-Doo. ZOINKS!The Pros:Marshall Hogan as an everyman. He was pretty much the best character in the book.I dunno. You really know what I think the best religious book out there is, and a true testament of what it means to have Faith? The Excorcist. No lie.
—Matt Piechocinski
I read this book when I was a preteen and have been dealing with symptoms of brainwash ever since. Of course it was not this book alone that was responsible for the inner conflicts I have had so much trouble kicking all these years but I know for certain that it contributed a great deal to them. I have not read it since but from what I remember, it basically brainwashes you into thinking that anything other than the specific type of Christianity it condones is in fact a lie of the Devil.. it brainwashes you into believing everything else is brainwashing you (or at least that's what it attempts to do). I would hope that most adults could see right through it's cheesy attempts of manipulation by means of making you think everyone else is manipulating you. I was smart enough to be critical of the book even at my young age, but not emotionally mature enough yet to be able to shrug it off. Looking back I have to say I feel as if I was gaslighted. The only thing positive I can imagine about this book, is how it certainly did open my mind to the thought of a possibility of a sort of abstract power-play behind the scenes of what we are aware of with our common senses. I could have, however, achieved that by reading any of a number of better- suited books.
—Cassie
How do I review a book like this? I asked myself this question many times as I got further and further in, close and closer to the end.How can I write a review worthy of this novel?Now we must pause, and we must reflect…tWhat made it so good?tHow can you even explain what made it so good?There are no normal, straightforward words that can convey what this book really is. So I’ll go into descriptive/comparative mode now…This book is dark, it’s frightening, maybe even slightly gritty. Kind of gave me that creepy feeling that The Screwtape Letters successfully conveyed, but it wasn’t stifling because it wasn’t told exclusively from a demon’s perspective. This novel is sort of, I guess, like walking down a long black tunnel all by yourself, alone and afraid, and then suddenly hearing a friend’s voice. Or, more appropriately, it’s like when you’re driving home in a storm, the sky so dark that it feels like nighttime, and suddenly the sunlight starts seeping through the clouds, and the rain stops. You feel safer, and you don’t really know why. I once read a quote in another book that said, “You live through the night, knowing dawn is coming.” And I guess that’s sort of how this book felt. And see? I’m banging my head against a wall because I just didn’t get that right at all. It’s impossible to review this book well. It just is. I think the overall message of this book is that we need to pray more. I know I don’t pray enough. I’m a Christian, and this is a very Christian book…and as I read it, I felt like this is real. We can’t see it, certainly, but we can feel it. And that’s the point of this book. We’re not dealing with flesh and blood, we’re dealing with the world rulers of this present darkness… The spiritual goes along with the physical. You can’t really separate the two, they’re inexplicably connected in ways that we’ll never fully know. This book gives you a glimpse of that, and it’s unbelievably creepy.Aside from the beautiful Christian themes (yes, beautiful), this story is gripping. Remember it’s a mystery/thriller and do yourself the favor of not peeking ahead! As you read, a certain amount of “WHAT THE HECK?!” dread will be building up inside of you. It’s ominous because you’re absolutely certain that there’s going to be a train wreck but you’re not exactly sure how it’s going to come about, or if it will even happen at all in the end. I’m not going to tell you.I always feel, after I write a review, that I didn’t write it very well. Or that I did a terrible job of conveying the meaning of the story. But honestly, this is probably the best I can do. When I read the last sentence and closed the book, I smiled to myself. For once, I had nothing to say right after finishing a story…I was speechless.This novel is about angels and demons, good and evil. It’s about miracles. It’s about spiritual and physical struggles. It’s about redemption.…It’s about finding the light when you’d been lost in the darkness. And I can’t recommend it more.
—Hope
