This was a good story that is definitely showing its age; but that's the problem nowadays with writing about technology---things become outdated fast. Written in 1992 and full of lots of "technical terms", this one was a very slow starter for me. However, the mood the author is trying to create by describing the fast-paced atmosphere of a newsroom/studio is an important theme that I realized once I got into the story a little bit.

This isn't my favorite Peretti work, for sure, but it was still fun to read and be reminded of all the "vintage stuff". The description of the email mailbox icon, what it means, how it doesn't mean one has actual, physical, paper mail, etc. cracked me right up, but I didn't really embrace email myself until about 2003 so I guess this would have been uncommon knowledge a decade earlier. In this story, "email" wasn't even a term yet and the mail system was only the local computers within the news agency.

The entire storyline of this book would fall apart if it were written as is with today's laws in place. Most of everyone's arguments and evidence were based on access to medical records, doctors who shared lots and lots of personal info on their patients, and a public that would be outraged at the idea that abortion could actually kill the mother too. In short, there were no HIPAA laws in 1992.

Other elements that seem crazy but were really a thing in those days are things like recording people's phone calls without permission, schools giving out dorm room phone numbers, buying phone cards to make a long distance call (that was SOO techy!!!), use of the word "retarded" as a joke. I do remember these things but being so far away from that time, it made the story seem contrived and weird. It did have a good ending, even if it was a little too 1990s-Christian-Fictiony.

One thing I came away with: I definitely want to be "a prophet who can't help but speak." ( )

News anchor John Barrett just wants to live his life in peace, without his over-zealous Christian dad causing problems. Or his estranged son making him feel guilty for how he does his job. Or his co-workers skewing the news to promote their worldviews. But all of these things come to a head when his dad dies under mysterious circumstances. With the help of a fellow reporter, his own son, and a number of other people along the way, John is determined to get to the truth.

This is a classic Peretti book that I had never read before. I was a little hesitant going into it, because as much as I love Peretti, I know that some of his theology in the past has been a bit questionable to me as I've gotten older. And while I'm not sure that modern prophets exist, it was still a very interesting take on what it might be like if they did. I really liked the way that the different threads came together, in true Peretti fashion, but to be honest, in the end, I'm not sure the prophet angle was necessary.

A lot of behind-the-scenes views were shown of the news station, as well as political ads for the state's governor who was running for re-election. I thought I might find some of that tedious, but for me, they really added to the feel of the story. I did listen to the audiobook, though, so I don't know what it would have been like if I'd been reading (maybe no different). I also appreciated the way that John often saw real life through the lens of making the news show, because it's his whole life and how he relates even to his own son.

Though the book was published in 1992, it was very timely to what's going on in our world, proving that the question of truth in politics and in the media is nothing new. Some of it was a little disturbing, to be honest, because I fully believe that this kind of thing does happen in real life. I'm really glad I took the time to read this book and didn't just pass it off as old and outdated, like I thought about doing. ( )

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I loved the dialogue and the opening paragraph . ( )

A forties something news anchor must deal with God. His father is a prophet, who is killed. He is given the mantle and must confront the current governor about lies about abortion and the death of the governor's oldest daughter. A bit fluffy. The thing I really didn't like was how characters were thrown together without any apparent intro. I had to reread parts several times to make sure I hadn't missed something. I'd buy it hardover if I could find it cheap. ( )