Customer Reviews

Monster

5 star:		(62)
4 star:		(54)
3 star:		(40)
2 star:		(24)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

Frank Peretti has written some really remarkable books, including "This Present Darkness", and his writing style is always enjoyable to read. That said, this book is not as deep nor profound as some of his other works, but because it is a book that is fun to read and hard to put down, I recommend it as the kind of light reading we like to enjoy in the summer months at the beach.

The book starts with a couple out for a long trek in the wilderness, with the husband pushing his shy wife, who has a stuttering problem, out to strengthen and test her. The book never really explains how this wilderness trek is supposed to do this, but it's a believable premise anyway. The two are attacked by creatures in the forest they think are bears, or perhaps "Bigfoot"?

Now, when the book starts out by creating a situation about "Bigfoot" I was very unsure of where it would go. Typical for Peretti though, all is not what it seems. The wife, "Beck", is captured by these creatures and the rest of the book centers on her rescue, as well as some discoveries of how these creatures came to be.

The writing is good, not great, but as I mentioned it flows along and the story unfolds in a way that keeps you engaged. There are some bigger issues tackled here, but not to the extent of his other work. In fact, for those who may read the book for its "Christian" content, there just isn't much there.

Overall, a good effort and a fun light read, although not up to his best work.

I wanted desperately to love this book...as I have all the other Peretti books geared for adults. Instead, it was likeable. The tremendously detailed descriptions of setting harken to a writing era long gone--one that I frankly do not enjoy. The author is a master a description--writing with vibrancy and clarity. However, like many TV-generation readers, I get a feel for a book's backdrop, and fill in the blanks myself. Thus, during particularly wordy passages, I found myself skimming through.

The professional reviewers were correct to fault Monster's overly crowded field of supporting characters. I read this book in spurts (preschoolers in the house), and found myself occasionally wondering who I was reading about. This factor was particularly disappointing when the turncoats were revealed. I had figured for some time that there were bad guys in the mix of rescuers, and frankly did not care much which ones they were--since there were so many to choose from.

The plot could be very simple, or extremely complicated--depending on whether the reader tries to keep all the details clear, or simply concentrates on how the story is flowing. Either way, there was some disappointment. The details were overwhelming, but the overarching plot seemed to amount to Beck spending a long time being moved about the woods, while rescuing kept getting thwarted.

Yes, there was a fair amount of tension, there were some twists, some surprises. However, the most interesting character was Beck--the woman captured by some interesting creatures. She uses intuitive "intercultural" communication skills to figure out how to survive and even work her new "family."

On Evolution--a saving grace of this work is that Peretti mainly tackled one issue--do mutations work? Scientists committed to the theory might scoff at the simplistic and perhaps paranoid approach the author seems to take. Committed Creationists will be disappointed if they were looking for a persuasive tract. However for the vast majority of readers--myself included--the simple reality that mutations bring drawbacks, rather than improvements, offers a powerful question mark to Darwin's doctrine.

Bottom-line: This is a decent read, but not Peretti's best. Comparisons to The Oath are apt. Peretti does better when he tackles spiritual warfare, or faulty Christian practice. I recommend the two Darkness books and the Visitation, by the same author, instead of Monster.

I must say first...I am not necessarily a fan of Christian fiction. Nothing against it, just not something I read. So when I picked this book up, and then got home I was a tad wary to find that Peretti is somewhat known for jsut that. But I was surprised. I didn't find that book waxing poetic about the evils of evolution or being completely against the theory itself.

One of the supporting characters Mike Capella, is/was a biologist who was against the theory of evolution. (Unless, I read it wrong) but more importantly he was against tampering with what is already here. And I beleive that was the heart of the book. I do think that FP has his own beliefs inserted in the book, and why not, he is the author, and he makes a compelling argument.

I must say that the monster in the book isn't the real monster here, but then I suppose that was the point. The book can get a little wordy, but I enjoyed the premise of the book very much.

A few, even the author himself, sited Crichton as an inspiration, ok, but I must say I find Peretti's writing style simply and that isn't a bad thing here. Crichton can be a bit verbose, almost like he is trying to make a deep, thought provoking book when all you want to read about is the monster. For the most part Peretti did just that, and in a book like this, that is what I want.

I am a Frank Peretti fan. I loved both Darkness books, the Oath, and the Visitation. (Never read his teen books). But I didn't particularly care for Prophet, and I didn't really like Monster either - for similar reasons. Both had plots that were too easy to figure out, and poor characterization. Monster actually starts out pretty suspenseful. However, by the middle of the book, when Cap starts meeting with his former university colleagues, the direction of the plot became easy to foresee and the suspense died.

The other big problem was poor characterization. First, way too many members of the search and rescue teams were introduced, and it was hard to keep them straight. (There turned out to be a reason for all these characters, but it didn't make the reading easier to follow). Second, almost none of the central characters was developed enough to really care about them, Beck being the sole exception. Ironically, the non-human characters were better developed, and therefore, more interesting.

Despite not being Peretti's best, I did truly have fun reading the novel and eagerly finished it within a few days. Most helpful was the "map" just before each chapter, which aided the reader to keep track of precisely where things happened. (It can be done with words, but given the escalating number of events a map is just plain easier.)

I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that some of Publisher Weekly's criticisms (found near the top of the main page) were unfair. One is the "agenda against evolution" and the accusation that it "eclipses the story." To be fair, the book does contain a single criticism regarding evolution: the paucity of observed beneficial mutations. But this grew organically out of the story and led directly to the cause of the main conflict (it has to do with the origin of the monster, which I won't give away here). The accusation that it "eclipses the story" is thus misplaced and somewhat puzzling, as is the accusation that it leads "to an unsatisfying and somewhat confusing end." The evolutionary element is part of why the ending is more satisfying and less confusing. Of course, someone who is an avid adherent of evolution would likely be turned off by the criticism the book proffered. And finally, "As in Peretti's previous novels, those who hold conservative views are portrayed as heroic and those who disagree as evil." This is a terrible overgeneralization (a reverse overgeneralization holds for conservative Christians criticizing the move "Saved"), but one that is nonetheless easy to make. Still, it is worth pointing out that not all who disagreed were evil.

One criticism of Publisher's Weekly was right on. The novel does probably have too many supporting characters (enough to become almost confusing), and the characters are not greatly developed. This is what primarily caused my rating of only three stars out of five, and is also the leading cause of why this novel does not rise to the level of solid quality of some other Peretti novels. Nonetheless, it was a book I found difficult to put down and had me captivated to the end.

Frank Peretti's _Monster_ finds the Stephen King of Christian fiction exploring the eerie depths of the Pacific Northwest with a walk into Bigfoot's backyard. Unfortunately, _Monster_ has Bigfoot-sized shoes to fill, and its author only writes a size 8.

Gung-ho cop Reed Shelton and his stuttering, artistic wife Beck take a backpacking trip to help Beck move beyond the inner sanctum she's locked herself in. Never a social butterfly, Beck's further retreated from the world only a few years into their marriage.

When she's abducted by a pack of hulking monstrosities, Beck uses every ounce of her survival skills to stay alive. Reed and a large group of trackers, plus the couple they were supposed to camp with (a discredited college prof and his forensic scientist wife) help out. And yes, there's a happy ending.

Remember those size 8 feet in Bigfoot's shoes? Well, _Monster_ is burdened with misses that render it highly unsatisfying:

* Too many characters. Peretti has so many interchangeable, one-dimensional characters in this book that it's tough to follow the action. Readers will quickly lose track of who's who once the tracking parties form up. Complicating the issue, not everyone is who he or she seems--yes, characters use aliases. (Trust me, if you decide to read this, make a cheat sheet for the characters when Peretti introduces them.)

* Too long. The book consists of one set piece after another that follows this pattern: monsters move around, Beck learns one more new thing about them, trackers track, and something bad happens. Lather, rinse, repeat ad nauseum. Chop a hundred pages of that repetition and this novel might get better. But as it stands at 452 pages, the reader feels every repetitious dead-end, literally muddling along with the characters as they slog through the forest. Yawn.

* Sledgehammer moral. All the Peretti I've read over the years suffers from this problem. In this book, he pounds the reader over the head with an anti-evolution, anti-genetic-engineering message telegraphed so far in advance readers can sense it coming on the first page. When the final confrontation between good and evil hits, readers will just want to get it over with to escape the preachiness of it all.

* No payoff. Ever read a story that ends with a whimper and not a bang? _Monster_ could be the poster child for that disease. The real monster is not all that interesting. And if Beck losing a stutter and gaining a minor bit of self-revelation makes for a great read, then I suspect we all need to read a broader selection of novels!

Honestly, this book should garner one star. I'll give Peretti another one for trying to push the envelope in the Christian fiction market. Peretti's taken a chance with his readership by avoiding an explicitly Christian storyline or characters; this doesn't read like a Sunday morning in church. Whether that's a good or bad direction is left up to the reader.

But overall, a poor book from a decent writer.

After waiting 6 years to read another Peretti book, I couldn't help but stay up all night to absorb the whole 400+ pages.

When I finished, I had a lot going on in my mind. Was it my favorite book of Peretti's? No. But after reading what he said in the interview regarding one of his favorite authors (Crichton), I understood a little better the book's intent. If you read Crichton's books (especially 'Prey' and 'State of Fear') you understand that Crichton wants us to think about the things that we generally just considered fact. In addition, we should also think about whether the actions we take are the ones that truly show that we are good stewards of God's resources.

Don't get me wrong. I truly enjoyed the book, and I couldn't put it down. It was captivating. While I wished some of the characters would have been developed more (Cap and Sing), I did enjoy the story.

Like many others, I couldn't wait to get my hands on Peretti's latest novel. The cover and write-up increased my expectations. Although it sounded a bit like "The Oath" (probably my favorite Peretti book), I knew it would explore new territory. I was sure of it.

I was right, and I was wrong.

The story starts with an eerie attack at night. The main characters, Beck and Reed, are on a hike that is supposed to challenge them physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It does all three, but not in the ways they expect. When Beck is carried off into the darkness by an unknown creature, her husband's emotions are put to the test. Peretti creates a wonderful opportunity to explore issues of faith in the face of heartache. Instead, he churns out a fast-paced story that rarely flags, but gives little character development. In fact, the deepest development goes to his cast of forest-dwelling monsters. In this aspect, he does a marvelous job.

Yes, Peretti tackles the issue of evolution in a creative way. No, he doesn't give us much to chew on. Creationist readers will find only one or two arguments on which to hang their hats; evolutionist readers will endure only a stab or two at their foundational thinking. In other words: You'll see what you want to see. And maybe that's all Peretti intended.

"Monster" is a very quick read, with lots of entertainment and plenty of scenes for a movie. Maybe it's only me, but I was still hoping for something more.

I really enjoyed this book, it is a fast read. There are some suspensful moments and a few scarey ones but I would not put this book in the horror catigory.
The only thing that bothered me about this book is the fact that you don't know what or who the monster is for a long time. I guess that was intentional, trying to draw out the suspense.
Frank Peretti is a Christian and this is a Christian book. Needless to say any critisism about his main theme evolution, is rediculous. Needless to say, if you want a fun, fast and entertaining read this is the one!

I'm compelled to write this in part due to the generally lower ratings this book has compared to other Peretti novels. But the more motivating fact is that I want to eventually write my opinion on most of my favorite things in this world.

As I led to, this is one of my favorite books, if not my favorite. The Circle Trilogy and The Lost Books, by Dekker are in stringent competition for the helm. These are all novels the entwine Christian beliefs, re-imaginings of stories from the Bible and explanations of morals as-well as the lessons and value of life. And of course they're written by Christian authors. Something even more interesting is that I don't necessarily define myself a Christian, even if its beliefs is what I most closely identify myself with. I've only read part of the Bible and been to Church very few times. I love science and learning how things work, I think Evolution makes sense and I have a obsession to theorize and philosophize. So from where I stand, you may assume I wouldn't care for books ultimately about Christian beliefs or the path to understanding. And yet, I love, love, love these stories and they have kindled my interest in reading and my faith in life.

Perreti is a rather unconventional Christian author compared to most, Ted Dekker seems to have the closest writing style. I've read many condemning comments as their novels are much darker, sometimes disturbing and always push the envelope. But I strongly believe the stories are much more effective, and sometimes utterly beautiful, emotional.. thrilling. They're down to earth: stories about real people, real opinions mixed in an expansive story that require an open and theoretical way of thinking. And these stories are made even better when they constantly question and challenge Christian beliefs.

"Monster" is quite an elusive story for good portions of it and for good reason. It's best to read it knowing very little or nothing about it. There's seamless introduction to characters and the setting, which is an art in itself (Dekker is rather good at this too). There's not much compass leading into the story, and the story is best when you feel a little lost. In short time the story follows along Reed and Beck, a married couple, closing in on their camping/survival vacation. Or maybe less of a vacation and more of a challenge. Reed is a rough-n-tough guy and policeman by profession, that is "forcing" his wife on this wilderness expedition, because he strongly believes it will be good for her. Beck is quite the opposite from him, she's a home-girl and doesn't socialize much, and most easily identifies with her conveniences and luxuries. She's can be rather unlikeable in that respect, but her uncontrollable stuttering makes her kind of adorable. As anyone can guess this wilderness experience eventually turns out very bad. The story turns itself upside down and pulls out all the stops. It's downright terrifying at times, always interesting and the characters emotions are translated very well and draw you in.

The only annoying nuance later in the book, is it's hard-push for Creationism in a portion of the book. I'm sure part of the reason I felt edgy was due to my understanding of evolution being mainly fact. I mean I was brought up with the idea through school, I never thought to question it much. But I was quick to realize it is a theory in itself. Of course creationism could have been explained more elegantly, but the context of the "evolution bashing" was true to the character it was portraying, so is excusable. I believe it is healthy to question your beliefs, for it will steer you on a path to the truth, strengthen your faith (whatever it be in) and make you much more interesting to talk to. It's hard to talk with someone that either won't reason or open their mind. I've seen lots of situations where religion is used for argument, rather then collaboration. And also in reason to hate or exclude someone, rather than love and embrace. It's a shame.

The originality of the story will surprise you. The person who ended up being my favorite character wasn't who I thought it would be. The ending was really satisfying. The story lacked stereotypes, conventionalism and assumption. And I will say no more.