my life | article


Illusion by Frank Peretti Introduction


Superstar magician Dane Collins has just lost his beloved wife and fellow performer Mandy in a fiery car accident. While Dane retreats to a new home in Idaho to mourn his loss, the young girl that Mandy was in 1970 suddenly finds herself alone and without identity in the year 2010. A chance encounter reunites Mandy and Dane, but now she is a girl who has never met him and he thinks he’s having a delusion. As love that never died draws them into a relationship that cannot be, they are left to uncover the mysterious circumstances of their meeting, the seemingly supernatural bent to Mandy’s magic, and the threatening presence following them.


A Conversation with Frank Peretti


What was new and different about this work from your other books? Did you learn anything new about yourself while writing Illusion?


Looking back, I notice that my prior novels, from the Darkness books up through The Visitation, all carried a supernatural element, from such things as angels, demons, and spiritual warfare to prophets of God, a dragon of sin, and a false Christ with weird, devilish powers. A break came with Monster; that story was all sci-fi action adventure with no blatant supernatural element. Illusion follows suit, I suppose. Though Mandy’s powers may seem supernatural, tantamount to real magic, we learn through the course of the book that there is a scientific, or “science fiction” explanation.


Just like all my novels, Illusion is a good way to observe where Frank Peretti was in his life when he wrote it. In this case I was approaching sixty myself and reflecting on my love for my wife, Barbara, and just what it means to be married and in love for almost forty years. What did I learn? Well, when you turn sixty and you’ve walked with the Lord all your life and loved one precious woman since you were nineteen, you’ll know.


While themes of love, God, faith, and devotion are central to Illusion, there are also some interesting issues having to do with science and the nature of man within the narrative. Why did you choose science as the antagonist in this story, and is there any room in your mind to reconcile such things as love and faith with scientific thought and progress?


I have nothing against science, but there have been many stories before mine that have warned about misusing science in the absence of moral principles. As I have said in my other books


36 • Easter Sale and public presentations, while science can


provide myriad answers on the nature of things, it cannot show us the right way to live, and science unguided by an overarching moral value system can only run amok. It’s man’s nature to abuse knowledge and power, be it in the realm of science, government, or Wall Street. Take God out of the picture and you have real trouble.


love and fait


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side scientific knowledge


I believe love and faith can dwell on this planet alongside scientific knowledge with no conflict. Just tell that to the academics out there who don’t think so.


The two settings of the book—Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and Las Vegas, Nevada—are two very different locales. Each must carry a particular thematic meaning.


I wouldn’t say that Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, or any town for that matter, is heaven on earth and free of problems, or that Las Vegas is hell on earth and no good people could possibly live there, but for what it’s worth, one can consider the symbolism of the two towns on several levels:


Heaven compared to Hell. Honesty compared to Deception.


Simple, Righteous Living compared to Avarice and Self-indulgence. Truth compared to Falsehood.


Redemption and Forgiveness compared to Lostness and Sin.


The Promised Land compared to Egypt. And the list can go on.


Bear in mind that Mandy’s struggle involves estrangement from Dane who is actually her husband. We can compare that to our estrangement from God and from Jesus our Bridegroom. Vegas is a confused and sin-stained town, a perfect place to illustrate separation from God, while a peaceful ranch in a lovely setting is a great place to illustrate reconciliation and


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