Illusion: A Novel Kindle Edition

Illusion is the title of the book, and it is so appropriate. Sometimes things seem to be illusions but it is real, and sometimes things seem real but it is illusions. "The studio audience cheered and applauded as the Man strode boldly into the floodlights, white mane shining, face pleasant, eyes steely. "Good evening. The art of magic is built upon a covenant between the performer and his audience: he will attempt to fool them, and they will let themselves be fooled in the full knowledge that the magician is only an actor pretending to be a magician, performing the impossible, but through trickery and illusion."Illusion grips the reader from the first page where Dane Collins loses the love of his life Mandy Collins, until the last sentence on the last page.Dane and Mandy Collins was a couple who worked together for almost thirty years. Their act was very popular and they were very good. Then the tragedy happened, and Dane loses his love and partner, Mandy. He is warned that due to his grief his imagination could play tricks on him -seeing Mandy as if she was still alive -an illusion.Dane's grief for the loss of his wife, and Eloise's questions about her life is an interesting combination that enhances the mystery that needs to be solved.Dane meets the nineteen year old Eloise who is in every respect a young Mandy. She also does illusion acts and use doves in her acts, like Mandy did. From the beginning he is presented with the puzzle of who is Eloise? "Roger was busy behind the counter, but she held his attention the moment he saw her. "Oh, what's this?" All she could say was, "I thought I'd try being myself tonight."Is she real or is it his imagination? Is the spirit world real? Is God and our relationship with Him a reality to us, or do we perceive the worldly illusions as more real to us than our Creator?Illusion illustrates our relationship with the Holy Spirit beautifully. The love story portrayed reminds me of our love story with our Saviour Jesus Christ. How He pursues us as Song of Songs describes it, and our yearning to be united with Jesus.Illusion is more than a love story and it is more than a mystery. I enjoyed the book tremendously.

When half of a famous, married magical duo dies, the other half (Dane) is left to carry on in whatever way he can. When the wife that died (Mandy) wakes up alive and well, but thinking she’s only 19 and year is 1970, she has to figure out what’s real and what’s imaginary. Then these two meet, and Mandy doesn’t know Dane, while Dane thinks he’s going crazy. What follows is a tale of intrigue, as Dane helps Mandy with a solo magic act, and Mandy tries to understand a mysterious power she seems to have, which makes her magic much more real.I enjoyed watching Mandy’s abilities develop and the mystery surrounding them unfold. The shows she puts on get more and more spectacular, and I’ll admit, I wish I could see the illusions, rather than read about them, but Peretti does a good job of explaining what’s going on, both from the audience’s perspective and from Mandy’s.The cause of Mandy’s abilities is not left unexplained, and while it gets a bit convoluted for my mind, I still thought it all played together nicely. There are some sci-fi elements that came together in such a way that I really liked (but can’t say more to avoid spoilers).The ending was exactly what I wanted it to be and then some! I was just so happy when I finished this book. I would definitely recommend it for anyone who enjoys Christian mystery, suspense, or general fiction. Also, the book definitely has a Christian bent, but it’s more in the main characters clearly being Christian and looking to God for help and comfort, then anything preachy.

Although some people may believe that Mr. Peretti has deviated from previous novels and basically left God out of this story, I saw the Lord mentioned many times and the faith of the two main characters to be strong. Even though the story had a predictable ending, I still found the journey getting there to be fascinating, and the whole idea of alternating timelines in a person's life and how it impacted that person and others around her drew me in. I, for one, had trouble putting this book down.Thank you, Mr. Peretti, for writing another good read!

Frank Peretti never disappoints me. I know when I pick up one of his books I will be entertained by the quality of his writing and his ability to tell a story at the perfect pace that will keep me Interested right up to the last page.Illusions deals with magic and the space time continuum. Dane and Mandy Collins have been headliners for many years. Some say they are the best magic act they've ever seen. They are ready to retire when a terrible car accident kills Mandy and leaves Dane alone in their new home to grieve for the love of his life. What follows is a strange tale of a young woman who is just starting out as a magician. She has talent that stops people in their tracks as they see her perform. When Dane catches her show he can't believe what he's seeing. It's like his wife has returned but she's forty years younger.This book left me wondering what is possible when science tampers with reality. Is magic really possible or is it all smoke and mirrors? You can decide for yourself after reading Illusion.

This is one of the best novels I have ever read! This gripped me from the get-go and at times I almost couldn’t take the tension / suspense and wanted to be able to read faster than I am able to. I read my first Peretti book in 1992 (The Prophet) and I’ve loved all of his novels since then. Illusion is a very well-crafted story that really makes me feel connected to and empathize with the chief characters. I liked the love story that is the foundation for the whole story but the very imaginative and thought-provoking plot involving alternate timelines / time travel is fantastic!

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.

I used to be a big fan of Peretti's adult books. He then switched to children's books which weren't bad either.Now he's back to adult novels and ... I'm ambivalent about this one. On the plus side, it's a well-written and fast-paced novel which combines sci-fi with a love story. On the minus side, I'm not personally a fan of fiction about magicians (it's too easy to make the magic tricks superb), nor do I really like plots where the reader knows what's happened but (some of) the characters take nearly the whole book to find out. But my biggest complaint is that Peretti's other books were grounded in real life (assuming you accept the reality of divine intervention and related concepts); even "The Oath" which portrayed impossible events turned out to be one long allegory for reality. "Illusion" is firmly in the realms of sci-fi rather than reality -- oh, and while some characters believe in God, He doesn't get any active role in the story.It's okay, and it scores pretty well amongst time travel books on whether the author has thought through the implications of time travel properly. But if you haven't read Peretti before and wonder why everyone got so excited about him, I'd read "This Present Darkness" instead.

I'm a huge fan of Peretti. Read probably everything he's written. The last few years offerings have been disappointing, as the school kid adventures don't get my juices flowing. After the Darkness epics it was always going to be a tough act to follow. I admit it - I like the super natural aspect of Peretti's pen.Illusion gives a kind of nod to that aspect, although the Back to the Futures and HG Wells technobabble will absolutely freak most FP fans.It's an engaging and compelling story, albeit a lot of pages! The outcome was anticipated, and even predictable with enough twists to create doubt. I wish FP had majored more on the spiritual instead of dropping goddy words like breadcrumbs in Hansel and Gretel.A good read. A book for holidays and early to bed nights.

I found this book compelling yet disturbing. The characters are believable but at the same time paragons. The theme is the stuff of nightmares and I almost felt that I was travelling through the madness as well. The end is twofold; the resolution of the lives of the main characters, and at the same time, the posing of some very profound question for which, at this moment, I have no answers. Perhaps someone does.

Great writers convince you that the impossible they are describing is possible. Frank Perettti is just such a writer. Amazing!

I really enjoyed it.it was exciting,thrilling and also had suspense just my type of book God bless you Frank perretti

Although a departure from his usual material, which I have to be honest stopped me buying it for a while, this is an excellent novel that keeps you turning the page, which is after all why we read books. This is a love story with an original twist. I`d recommend it to anyone who loves a good read.

Ok, so I am a fan but am real enough to say that I have found some Peretti books less engrossing than others. Illusion is up there with the very best however. Once I had started to read I found myself becoming quite unsociable until I had finished it. In fact as I have been wondering how to review it I have wondered if it is in fact better than the darkness books. Not sure, but a definite contender I feel. I hope you feel the same when you read it!

Well written and a great story. The authors note at the end of the book sheds light on the reasoning behind this love story and is thought provoking to say the least.Another immensely entertaining read by Peretti.

I loved this story. Frank Peretti again has written an intriguing book that captures your interest from the first page! Highly recommended!!

I've read all Frank Peretti's books now and they're all different. He paints the characters well and keeps the plot going nicely. I wish he wrote more books!

i love all his books and this one too .the characters seem like real people i would highly recommend any of his books

This is another brilliant book from a wonderful author. A good plot and imaginative story. Go back and read some of Frank Peretti's earlier books - gripping!

I loved the story of a love that would not give up. As he put at the end, a love story of Christ and His church... I love his details and i could not put the book down!!!

I really enjoyed this book. The plot was interesting and the final out come surprising. The best of Christian fiction.