Unfortunately I didn't like this one at all - and unlike the claim on the back of the book "Prophet has all the hallmarks of Peretti's fast paced blockbuster fiction" I couldn't disagree more. This was nothing like a Peretti book. I was long winded, dry, lacking in suspense, slow to unfold the story, predictable and very much locking in terms of any supernatural elements. If you've read any other Peretti books, I strongly recommend you give this one a miss.

John Barrett in Frank E. Peretti’s “Prophet” is the star anchor man on NewsSix, but his father has developed a reputation among the masses as a religious pro-life nut. Even Governor Hiram Slater wishes the elder John Barrett would just leave him and his campaign alone. What seems to be a case of religion against politics soon turns into a possible murder case and medical malpractice.

This story dares to delve into a controversial topic, but does so from the anchor desk of a top notch media center. It’s a fly on the wall view of what counts as news and what doesn’t. How these every day decisions affect the personal lives of the characters gradually become apparent as the story winds its way through the media maze.

After reading my way through the initial development, the characters placed a hold on me and didn’t let go until I read the last word. Although the third book in the series, the story stands alone as a masterful telling of a heart wrenching story.

Frank Peretti’s books always make me pay more attention to the spiritual warfare going and it encourages me to pray more. While this book is fiction, it is also very eerily relevant to the times today. A news anchor’s eyes are opened and with the prodding of both his father and God he becomes both a better father and a truth speaker.

I don't read a lot of (any) thrillers, so I can't judge this in comparison to others of the genre, but it was pretty good.
I really loved that finding Truth, understanding what it was, and learning to defend it was such a big part of the book. It does make you think, and wonder if in that situation you would do the same. The thing that made this book great, though, were the side characters– especially Carl and Leslie. I was glad the author fleshed them out so well and showed how they were coming to the same deeper decisions as John was regarding truth and how that relates to God, though at slightly different rates and with slightly different implications.
But at the same time, I didn't really connect with the book. I was invested in it, once I got a little farther in, and I wanted justice for the girls, but I think I could have put it down and forgotten about it after a few months. And I probably won't think about it for long after writing this; it was good, and I'm glad I read it, but I doubt it'll stick with me.

Secret high school sanctioned abortions, performed too quickly, for profit, and legally done without parental consent. A governor running for re-election, stuck on the wrong side, trying to hide secrets of his own. Three generations of men, not without their own issues, coming together to battle the press, politics, anti-religious factions, right-to-lifers, murder, and a grand coverup. Throw in some "special" sight and hearing abilities of self-proclaimed prophets to confuse the story, and you have a typical Peretti novel. A very long novel. The debates were handled fairly well, but it was hard not to skim much of the commentary.

I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this book. As per his style, Peretti grabs you from the first page. Even though it was written in 1992, it uncovers the corruption in the media and in the government. There were many times I wanted to share a story of something that had happened with someone, only to remember it was in this book I was reading. To me, that’s the best kind of book: you feel like it’s reality.

Peretti's work can be uneven or it can be outstanding. For every This Present Darkness or Monster, there's an Illusion. The first two so powerfully dramatize Christian spiritual warfare that they almost come to seem like doctrine. The last is so bad, so cheesey, I could barely make it to page 100. Prophet gets back to the power of the spiritual warfare, but with much less in the way of magical realist tropes.

John Barrett, Jr. is a famous, well-known anchor for the evening news. John Barrett, Sr., run a plumbing warehouse and spends his free time as a street corner prophet. He is drawn to the governor, a very successful politician, who is as gleefully pro-abortion as our current political candidates. When Barrett, Sr., is found dead in his warehouse, Barrett, Jr., thinks little of it until mailed a package indicating that there might be more to the story.

The pacing was decent and the mystery okay. Peretti's nod to magical realist tropes come in the form of both father and son being able to hear the cries of agonized souls. There were some weird little flubs that you expect from Christian literature "Mom Barrett" was just that-- no other characterization needed. And the successfully evil Governor's name was "Hiram." Because I guess there's some unspoken pact in Christian fiction where you have to use old-timey names for the sake of it. Four stars for the book itself, one star for Jesus.

Not a bad read, just not one I'd care to read a second time.
The descriptive details grew repetitive and irksome. I began skimming them to get to the action of the story. It was very predictable. I literally had thought "oh, I bet person x did __ to person y," and two sentences later it was revealed that's exactly what happened. I responded, "really, you couldn't have stretched that out for a bit longer?!" And it just felt heavy-handed, much like Monster. Maybe it's the subject matter, the specific social and moral issues, that leads to this style which feels so overbearing. But This Present Darkness and The Oath do not leave me with the same preached-at impression. I agree with his foundational premise, but the writing style makes me hurry to the end of the book so I can move on.

I read this many, many years ago and was amazed. I was still amazed that it was still so... relevant. That being said, being more widely read, this book was just too long and descriptive. Though, part of the story necessitated describing the preparing of news stories, but there was too much of it. The premise was intriguing, though it doesn't follow at least my view of Christian theology, and, especially in a post-roe America, doesn't compute that even a corrupt official would go to such great lengths to hide an abortion. But it's fiction. It was compelling enough. I felt like the ending was somewhat incomplete and anticlimactic. Can't say I don't recommend it, but I was also disappointed from what I remember it being.

It was a good book. Took me longer than usual to get through it. But i think it had alot to do with the writing style than the story itself. I had a hard time connecting the charters and remembering them until about half way through. And the constant news layout was a bit hard on the head but it worked and in glad i stuck through it. Because i did enjoy the story as a whole.

I read this book many years ago, but I remember zipping through it - I loved the suspense and intrigue. But what I remember best is that it is a very realistic book, in the sense that in this world when someone does the right thing, sometimes the only immediate reward they get is knowing that they did the right thing. And for the Christian, this is (or should be) enough. Our actions do have consequences and bear fruit, but much of the fruit we won't know about in this life, which is why we should "not be weary in well doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest, if we do not faint." (Galatians 6:9) So, for this reason this book was a great encouragement to me.

After reading this book, one will never watch the "news" the same way again. This is a look at the deception in the television news industry and how it can manipulate the viewers by what is "allowed" to be considered news. The author takes on a sensitive topic: abortion, actually minor abortion without parental consent. The author also handles the relationship between father and son and then the son's son. Very moving. It was also very impactful when the main character, John Jr., would know what others were thinking.