A Dissapointment
If you've read Peretti's early works, (Darkness novels) this will be a dissapointing read for you. It has none of the suspense and anticipation of the former entries. I suppose we have a certain expectation of Peretti based on those early works, but it just isn't met in The Visitation. It starts slow, introduces a LOT of characters for you to keep track of, has an underwhelming lead character and antagonist, and ends rather frustratingly. The narrative is first person... sort of. Sometimes it's tough to tell how the narrator got the information about the other characters as he describes their experiences. He obviously wasn't there at the time of the incident he's describing, but he has knowledge of the details of the incident. It's often pretty irritating, and you have to go back and re-read paragraphs to figure out who's speaking at some points. I hate that in a book.
I haven't read "Monster" yet, but after "Visitation", I think I may check it out from the library rather than purchase it... just in case of another lackluster plot line. I've always enjoyed Peretti's work, until now - I mean, it's a read, but in my opinion, not one I couldn't put down fairly easily.