''The Oath'' is an

allegorical As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory th ...

1995 horror/

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

Frank E. Peretti Frank Edward Peretti (born January 13, 1951) is a ''New York Times'' best-selling author of Christian fiction, whose novels primarily focus on the supernatural. , his works have sold over 15 million copies worldwide. He has been described by the ' ...

. The recipient of the 1996

ECPA Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 (ECPA) was enacted by the United States Congress to extend restrictions on government wire taps of telephone calls to include transmissions of electronic data by computer ( ''et seq.''), added new pro ...

Gold Medallion Book Award The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) is an international non-profit trade association whose member companies are involved in the publishing and distribution of Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to ...

for Best Fiction, the story centers on the fictional

mining town A mining community, also known as a mining town or a mining camp, is a community that houses miners. Mining communities are usually created around a mine or a quarry. Historic mining communities Australia * Ballarat, Victoria * Bendigo, ...

of Hyde River, the gruesome deaths of many of the townspeople, and an "

oath Traditionally an oath (from Anglo-Saxon ', also called plight) is either a statement of fact or a promise taken by a sacrality as a sign of verity. A common legal substitute for those who conscientiously object to making sacred oaths is to ...

" that the residents of Hyde River have taken up to hide the secret behind them.

Plot

Nature photographer Cliff Benson is found dead in the woods near the town of Hyde River, with his head and torso missing. His wife, Evelyn, is found covered with blood and half-crazed on a logging road and taken to a hospital, where she only has vague recollections of the events that transpired. Sheriff Les Collins is quick to pin the blame on a rogue bear. Cliff's brother Steve quickly finds holes in the theory and teams up with local

sheriff's deputy A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

Tracy Ellis. At the same time, several residents of the town are afflicted with a mysterious black

rash A rash is a change of the human skin which affects its color, appearance, or texture. A rash may be localized in one part of the body, or affect all the skin. Rashes may cause the skin to change color, itch, become warm, bumpy, chapped, dry, cr ...

which spreads over their bodies. Benson and Ellis discover that a giant

dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

is responsible for the deaths and that Harold Bly has the ability to control it. Through reading old letters and diaries provided to him by Levi Cobb, Benson learns that the town was purged of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

in the late 19th century, and any Christians taking residence in the town were either martyred or driven out. Those remaining reestablished Hyde River after signing a charter which gave the dragon free rein of the town. The town's founder and Harold Bly's ancestor, Benjamin Hyde, was believed to have control over the dragon. Benson arranges to meet Bly at the bar to make peace. There, he learns that Harold Bly and all of his henchmen have the rash and that Harold never did control the dragon at all. Both the dragon and the rash are physical manifestations of unrepented

sin In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...

. Bly drugs Benson's beer and takes him prisoner in an attempt to purge the town of Christianity as their ancestors did years ago. Benson escapes, but Ellis is eaten by the dragon. Filled with grief, Steve vows to destroy the dragon. He then puts one of Levi Cobb's plans into action and confronts the dragon using a makeshift

spear A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fasten ...

constructed by Cobb. As Harold Bly and his followers watch in awe, the dragon attacks Benson with its fiery breath, but he does not suffer any burns. Frightened by the power of God, the dragon backs into the spear until it slides between its scales and into its heart. As the dragon's dying act, it bites Bly in half and dematerializes in a bright flash. The other townsfolk swear revenge on Benson for killing their dragon. Benson points to their hearts and tells them that they still have their dragon inside of them.

Main characters

* Steve Benson * Officer Tracy Ellis * Levi Cobb * Harold Bly * Maggie Bly * Elmer McCoy * Rev. Ron Woods * Vic Moore * Charlie Mack * Cliff Benson * Evelyn Benson * Sheriff Lester Collins

References

External links

Entry in FrankPeretti.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oath, The American horror novels 1995 American novels American fantasy novels Novels by Frank E. Peretti Fiction about invisibility