This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness!

My cousins told me about the first, but my parents said it was too dark...of course, that was when i was like, eight, soooooo...

Ask them now I\'m telling you these books are incredible!

My mom read them in college and had nightmares, so she didn\'t let me read them untill a few months ago. I agree they are good, but they also did creep me out a bit.

Well it\'s true that the Devil really exsists so...

Hi All! \'m old and read this series when they came out and I was charismatic. They are very powerful in their depiction of the constant struggle between God and satan for dominance on this earth, as in this verse: Ephesians 6:12 (New American Standard Bible) 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Cross references: 1. Ephesians 6:12 : 1 Cor 9:25 2. Ephesians 6:12 : Matt 16:17 3. Ephesians 6:12 : Eph 1:21; 2:2; 3:10 4. Ephesians 6:12 : John 12:31 5. Ephesians 6:12 : Acts 26:18; Col 1:13 6. Ephesians 6:12 : Eph 3:10 7. Ephesians 6:12 : Eph 1:3 However, if you are going to read this kind of powerful book, I would advise you to first let your priest or youth leader read over them. They are full of Protestant concepts that are often not only erroneous, but against Orthodox beliefs. In dealing with any literature or teaching you must first consider the source, then study it in the context of that information. As I recall, these books were rather sensational even in charismatic circles back when they came out. Peretti also wrote a series of books for kids, but even they should be culled for false teachings. I actually saw the books you referred to on my library shelf at home the other day and thought about reading them again, as I felt that there was some good insight there, so I\'m not saying that they are inherently evil or anything, I just plead with you to have an ongoing dialogue with someone who is a spiritual authority in your life about them, even if you have already read them and think you have understood them. Remember the warning of the books themselves, that satan comes to destroy us and he\'s good at it. Don\'t allow yourself to be deceived. A good book to read that I believe would be approved by your priest is \"The Screwtape Letters\" be C.S. Lewis. It is a dialogue between....well, I\'ll just let you read it for yourself and find out. Just remember that you must always protect your heart and mind against the assaults of the evil one. Pray yourself the prayer that the priest says just before the reading of the Gospel during the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. Shine within our hearts, loving Master, the pure light of Your divine knowledge and open the eyes of our minds that we may comprehend the message of your Gospel. Instill in us, also, reverence for Your blessed commandments, so that having conquered sinful desires, we may pursue a spiritual life, thinking and doing all those things that are pleasing to You. For You, Christ our God, are the light of our souls and bodies, and to You we give glory together with Your Father who is without beginning and Your all holy, good, and life giving Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen. Be Blessed, Lucy

I read these books in my early teen years. They are decent novels, I suppose, but I don\'t remember them as being particular spectacular, or even particularly horrifying. I agree with the advice, though, about talking to your priest about it before beginning reading them--or, for that matter, any book from a writer that has an explicit protestant viewpoint. Our theology shapes us in profound, subtle ways...and a guy like Frank Peretti, who is deeply a part of Pentacostalism, has a definite and decidedly non-Orthodox viewpoint on many, many things.

i started to read that after reading The Wormwood Files (same thing except about Wormwood emailing his \"apprentice\" or whatever, and it\'s more about modern things...it is not written by C.S. Lewis, however), but got bored, because it was kind of the same.