Archives: Testimonials

Mr. Davis,

You probably knew this was coming. And, just a warning, this is going to be a really long email. You’ve told me so many incredible stories through your books, but now I would like to tell you a story.

Deep in a tiny corner of the United States lived a young fourth grade girl. She had been raised in a Christian home and was attending a Christian school. Her faith in God was sound, but she didn’t quite understand what it meant to live a life of sacrifice for Him. Her knowledge of her relationship with God really only went as far as what people told her it was, and she was content with that.

One day, this girl found that her school was holding a special event for the fourth graders. Her friend told her that she knew the man who was coming to talk to the class: an author who wrote stories about dragons. The girl was intrigued, as her older siblings’ love for Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia had brought her to love fantasy worlds from a young age. She listened to the author with interest, and begged her friend if she could borrow the first book in his series the next day.

Sure enough, the very next day, Raising Dragons was in her hands. It looked a little daunting at first, with its big pages and thick spine, but the girl loved to read, and she was ready for this challenge. However, it proved not to be a challenge at all. The girl devoured the book, finishing it within a day or two. It was the best book she had ever read, and she could hardly put it down.

The girl eagerly awaited each book that came after in the series. She would zip through each book, cover to cover, each time in only a few days or less. In The Candlestone, she especially felt close to Bonnie, who would from then on be her hero. Often at night, when she was alone and frightened of the dark, she would fall asleep singing Bonnie’s prayers. She admired Bonnie’s never-ceasing trust in God, and wanted to be able to trust God with everything. She began to realize that there was more to her life as a Christian than just believing in God, and she admired the examples of sacrifice she found all throughout the Dragons in our Midst series.

The girl grew into a young woman in middle school. Still in a Christian school, her faith in God remained firm. But oftentimes, sadness overtook her. She wasn’t quite sure why, but despite the waves of depression she tried to remain strong and still shine her light. The Oracles of Fire series began, and the young woman found another role model in Sapphira Adi, a girl who had been through so much suffering and pain and didn’t think that she was worthy to know Elohim. And yet, she danced with Him, a scene which made the young woman cry as she read. It was then that she realized that God was near, and always had been. The young woman clung to Him, and her light grew brighter.

Then the young woman entered high school, a time that would bring many good memories but also many hardships. She still looked forward to each new Oracle of Fire book that would come out, staying up until the early hours of the morning to finish each book and then send an email about how much she loved it to her favorite author. These books began to show her how strong the love of God really is; she began to realize that she should live her life as a living sacrifice to God. She began to understand more about her Creator and her relationship with Him became more intimate.

One day, sitting on her bed, the young woman cried as she closed The Bones of Makaidos. She couldn’t believe that these wonderful stories were at an end, the stories which had literally helped shape who she was, the stories that she had grown up with. Though she read and loved Bryan Davis’ other fantastic works, the ending of the Dragons in our Midst story world was like closing a chapter on her own life. But she decided that it wasn’t an end. It was a beginning.

The stories had inspired her in more ways than just spiritual. She realized that she loved to create stories, and began filling notebooks upon notebooks with stories that almost all centered around dragons. Soon she transferred the notes on paper to Microsoft Word, and her stories expanded until she had too many ideas to keep up with.

On a normal day, on her way home from school, the young woman got an email on her phone. When she saw that it was the Bryan Davis newsletter, she eagerly clicked her email app and read the first headline in the email. She screamed and her brother and mother turned, instantly worried. But then the young woman laughed and couldn’t stop smiling. Her favorite story world was coming back. All her favorite characters: Bonnie, Billy, Ashley, Walter, Sapphira, and all the others…they were coming back. She counted the days until The Song of the Ovulum was released, and when it was, she was so excited that she stayed up into the night to finish it after she got it. She loved how music was a big part of the storyline, as she was musician herself.

It was around this time that the young woman went to go see Bryan Davis speak to a small gathering of fans for the umpteenth time. Even if he told the same stories or shared the same knowledge several times, she never got tired of it. She listened to his personal story about the dime and two pennies, loving the story just as much as she had loved it the first time she had heard it. But this time, something resonated inside of her at the end of the story. Mr. Davis went on to talk about Ashley’s sacrifice and about her “two pennies.” And then he asked the group, “What are your two pennies?” The words stuck in the girl’s mind, words that she would never forget.

As obvious as it seemed, the girl had never thought about this before. Yet, as soon as Mr. Davis asked the question, the answer became obvious, like the Holy Spirit was speaking it into her heart: music and writing. Two gifts that God had given her that she loved and that she could use to transform other people’s lives. She no longer had to ponder the dreaded question, “What will you major in when you’re in college?” She knew.

The other Children of the Bard books were fantastic, as the books always were, and the young woman was still amazed at the examples of sacrifice, love, and faith that her favorite characters displayed. They continued to inspire her as she enrolled at a college and graduated from high school. She matured into a woman, ready to face the world.

The woman went through her first semester at college firm in her faith. She knew who she was in Christ, and she didn’t waver. But, on the inside, her faith remained stagnant. From being raised be Christians and being in a Christian school her whole life, she wondered if there was really anything else to learn about God. She found herself devoting time to other trivial things and spending little time with God.

Then Omega Dragon arrived. The woman was afraid to open it because she knew once she started, she wouldn’t be able to stop. And she didn’t want to get to the end. She didn’t think she was ready for that.

But she couldn’t resist. She began, and found herself dragged into an incredible story, the culmination of all 12 books in the story world. She couldn’t believe how masterfully it had all been brought together. Like usual, she laughed out loud and cried as well, especially when Sapphira and Elam sacrificed themselves. She remembered how much Sapphira’s character had meant to her in those dark middle school times, and was sad that she was gone.

However, the woman was overjoyed at the ending of the book. She thought of the song “After the Last Tear Falls” by Andrew Peterson as she read about all the characters being joyful in Second Eden. All the references to the story’s beginnings made her begin to tear up. It was absolutely perfect, and she was touched by Bonnie’s last words, which made her feel as if her favorite character was speaking to her. She was already crying buckets when she read “Amen,” and she hasn’t really stopped crying since.

This is the story of how your books made an impact on my life, and let me tell you, it has been huge. Even now, after finishing that book, I know what I have to do. Once again, your characters have reminded me that my life is a living sacrifice to God and that I need to live a life of love. I’ve been living my life for myself for a while, but I’ve realized again that it’s not about me. It’s about others. It’s about unconditional love. And I know that I still have a long way to go before I have enough faith to completely trust God with everything.

I wish I knew exactly how to thank you for these books that have made up my entire life so far and that have been such a huge part of me. They will always be very dear to my heart, and I know I’ll read them over and over again for the rest of my life. I can only hope that this email shows at least a little bit of how much gratitude I have for you and your decision to write these books. God has used you in such an incredible way. Thank you for listening to Him.

As you keep writing, I’ll keep reading, and I pray that God blesses you as you continue to follow Him.

-Elisabeth R.

Dear Mr. Davis,

I have recently finished Omega Dragon.

WELL DONE! This has the most satisfying ends anyone could ask for. I am sad that there will be no more books but you have done well!

I hope you keep writing in general.

Thank you for your AMAZING books

Mary

P.S I can start all the books over now!

Dear Mr. Davis,

Mr. Davis,

I just completed Omega Dragon. What an absolutely wonderful book. The story was amazing and the characters were as spectacular as ever.

I also want to thank you for providing my childhood and young adult years with stories of adventure, love and Christ. When I began reading the Dragon’s in our Midst series I was not a believer. Reading about Bonnie’s faith in the first book lead me to search after God. I believe that Billy, Walter and Matt were some of the best examples of chivalry I could have asked for.

So thank you again Mr. Davis. Finishing this book and series is bittersweet, but I am ever so thankful for everything that I have learned from this series.

God Bless,

Benjamin V.

Mr. Davis,

“Once upon a time, there was a girl. She was tall in size, strong in faith, and loved to read. One day when her 15-year old brother was home, he asked her if she wanted to hear a story. A story about life, death, true love, sacrifices, adventure, Christianity, and dragons. Eagerly she said yes, and he picked up “Raising Dragons” and started to read. As soon as he put the book down, she picked it up and finished it in a day. And as she read the first page, and her friends began to speak, all she could say, all she could think of was, ‘thank you’.”

From when my brother first picked up “Raising Dragons” to read to me, I have loved the words you have written. In fact, the whole “Dragons in our Midst” series captured me, and I could read the whole series in a week. I have read all three series, and you have not left me disappointed as you continued to again and again lift me up with Biblical words of encouragement and to inspire with my walk with God. And you have always left me wanting to read the next amazing book in the series.

And as most all things do, the final series, came to an end. I had waited for “Omega Dragon” for about a year. I finally received it for my 13th birthday a couple days ago from my best friend who shares interest in these books as well. I admit, I was scared to read the last one, and knowing I was a fast reader, I had to read the book in parts so I would not rush through it. And when I finally picked it up, all I could say was, “good bye reality, see you soon,” and I sat down to read the words that had captured me so long before. Mr. Davis, as I turned the last page, and my friends said their final words, all I could say, all I could think of was ‘thank you’.

And now I say it to you, thank you, thank you for the words, sentences, books, series, that have changed my life. Although all your series are amazing, I enjoyed the “Dragon in our Midst” the best. But, I thank you for finishing the book so well, with the characters to whom it all began. I am sad to see the characters and lives that have influenced me so much come to an end, but, I am also so happy to see that our beloved friends may not be written about again, but that their memories and walks through life and faith, will influence us all, and have influenced me, me personally.

I do not mean to get all fan girl on you, for truly, again, I do not have much to say. But except for thank you. Thank you again. Bryan Davis, you have created a legacy, and though the books have ended, that legacy will NEVER die.

Since I was 11 I have loved these books, I have re-read each of them about 5 times. And though I am already 13, I will never grow out of them, and I will love these books forever still.

I pray that God will bless you for blessing so many lives.

Thank you again,
Sincerely,
Victoria M.

In my last post, I hinted that I would be talking about a series which is my absolute favorite and is, sadly, coming to an end. If you have never heard of Bryan Davis, then I suggest you stop reading this post, and go find some of his stories to read. He is by far the best fantasy author I have read to date. But before I forget where I’m going with this, let me tell you about this particular series that has become my second home (for those of you who regularly escape to the worlds between pages, you know what I am talking about 🙂 ). I will be waxing poetic about this story, so there is a good chance this can get lengthy, so grab a mug of something hot to drink and get comfortable. Even so, I will do my best not to give any important spoilers. 😉

This story actually takes place over the course of three different series, with four books each, but each series is a continuation of the last. The first series, Dragons in Our Midst, opens up with a young teen named Billy. He is your average teen living the life of a normal American high schooler: he has a best friend, he is picked on my the school bully, and is very talented. Only, his life is not very normal. He learns an age old secret that his parents, specifically his father, have kept from him. He discovers that he has an unusual trait that belongs to the descendants of a species long thought to be extinct: dragons. But, obviously, this race of creatures has indeed lived for centuries, since the days of Noah, in fact, and Billy’s father is one of them, preserved in human form by the great wizard Merlin himself. There are only a few of the original dragons left alive, and an old enemy is still hot on their trail. The children of these dragons are called anthrozils, since they are part human and part dragon. Another anthrozil, named Bonnie, also a teenager, is searching for the son of the great dragon Clefspeare, following her mother’s final request. Unlike Billy, she has known about her heritage most of her life. She has what she describes to others a deformity on her back. So as to not give spoilers, I won’t tell you what the deformity is, but I will say it saves her life, and the lives of others, many times. Eventually, Billy and Bonnie meet, and together they fight off the dragon slayer. Throughout this first series they must join with friends, both old and new, family, and even a supercomputer to save the world from a powerful force that has been terrorizing the world since Creation. Their adventures take them everywhere from the foothills of West Virginia to the mountains of Montana to England to other dimensions. Together, this team of heroes must rely on each other, steel, dragon fire, and, most importantly, faith in order to forgive, heal wounds both on the heart and on the skin, and save the world and each other.

The second series, Oracles of Fire, actually begins centuries before Dragons in Our Midst. Eye of the Oracle, the first book in this series, introduces Mara, an underborn who has lived underground her entire life and is curious about the world; Acacia, Mara’s twin sister; Elam, the son of Shem, who was taken from his family as a young child; and Mardon, an evil genius and the son of King Nimrod and Semiramis, a sorceress. This book begins in the days leading up to the great Flood of Noah. Morgan and her sister Naamah are scheming to gain passage on Noah’s ark in order to survive the coming deluge and to complete the evil work set for them by Samyaza, a fallen angel and Morgan’s husband. It is in this book that we are introduced to the first dragon, Arramos, and the two dragons chosen to sail on the ark with Noah, Makaidos and Thigocia. The story takes us throughout history from the days following the Flood and the fall of the Tower of Babel, to Joseph of Arimathea, to the days of King Arthur and Camelot, to the present day. Along the way, these new characters experience the changing of the times, Mara chooses a new name for herself and becomes Sapphira Adi, dragons find a new purpose, Elam realizes where he needs to be to fulfill his destiny; all of this comes together and brings us to the end of the book and the end of Dragons in Our Midst. From the second book onward, we see familiar faces mixing with new faces: Billy and a few of our friends meet Sapphira, Makaidos finds his long lost father in a new form, Bonnie is guided by the prophet Enoch to know where she should go, and all of our characters join forces in a place called Second Eden to battle Satan and his army from hell and keep them from penetrating Heaven’s door. This adventure concludes with a climactic battle that quite literally leaves your heart pounding in your chest as if you are standing right there with Billy, Bonnie, Sapphira, and the others. And the ending is exactly as you would expect it to be, and all of our characters live happily ever after.

That is, until the third and final *sniff* series, Children of the Bard. Song of the Ovulum, the beginning of the end, is set fifteen years after Bones of Makaidos, the final book in Oracles of Fire and my favorite of the entire story world. Billy, Bonnie, and Ashley, another anthrozil, are imprisoned in a military compound; their children have been stripped from them and raised apart, never knowing their identity or heritage. Matt, their son, grew up in foster care, and has spent the last few years in military training; he also has unique traits. He is withdrawn from training by a stranger who seems to know everything there is to know about him, plus things that not even he knew. The stranger, who turns out to be Walter, his father’s best friend, takes him on a mission to rescue his parents. Lauren, Matt’s twin sister, was raised by loving foster parents; she, too has an unusual trait, one which gives the catty girls at her school ammunition to cruelly tease her. Her world is turned upside down when a demon named Tamiel kills her best friend and foster parents and sends her to places unknown. Before long she stumbles upon a military compound and two men, Walter and Matt. Together they stage a rescue mission to break the teens’ parents and Walter’s wife Ashley out of the compound. Along the way they meet a few unexpected allies, as well as a few enemies. They are successful in getting all three captives out, only to have Bonnie abducted by Tamiel, who then exploits her gentle and compassionate nature to force her to help him achieve his goal. Eventually she finds Matt and, with his help, heals the people of Second Eden. Lauren is reunited with her father and sets out with him to find her mother in Second Eden. Along the way, however, they are separated, and she alone can find Second Eden. She finds the portal only to find that a terrible disease has struck the former dragons, leaving them weak and threatening to kill them. They have been transported to Second Eden where they can receive as much care as is possible. A cure has been found but can only be administered with extreme heat, and the only source of heat that extreme is the volcano just outside the village. But, the only way this particular volcano will erupt is if someone falls into its mouth. Lauren knows what she must do, but before she gets a chance to carry out her sacrificial act, a Second Edener named Eagle takes her place and gives his life in place of hers. Lauren is left to flee the oncoming lava, and is saved in the nick of time by Walter and Ashley. In the end, the former dragons and Lauren are saved, Billy is captured by military thugs, and Matt and Bonnie are once again in the clutches of Tamiel, and are sent on a long journey with Matt’s former foster sister Darcy to find seven keys. Each key is located at a “door”, or a location that is permeated with evil. This journey is designed to kill Bonnie’s salvation song, the song of the ovulum. They find all seven keys, but not without mishaps along the way. Bonnie is captured by Satan and forced to watch Matt struggle through one of the doors on his own, without her wisdom to guide him. However, through circumstances that are of the supernatural and are the culmination of faith, she is able to break her bonds and fly to meet Matt at the final door. It is while she is en route that she meets Lauren and Roxil, one of the dragons still in dragon form. Together they make their way toward the seventh door, where they find Billy, Walter, Ashley, Matt, Darcy, and Tamiel. All of our friends must face down the devil himself and try to save humanity. Despite their best efforts, a catastrophic force is unleashed, and Matt, Lauren, and Darcy are plunged into yet another adventure that will bring them even closer to the end of the world as they know it. The third book ends with our heroes preparing themselves for one final epic battle between the forces of good and evil.

I will have the final book in this amazing story world in my hands within the next few days. This will be the most emotional, heart pounding, gut wrenching adventure I have been on in this world. There are so many conflicting emotions that I cannot begin to describe exactly how I feel about it. The characters have been my friends throughout these eleven books, and it will be hard to let them go and to know there will be no new adventures to experience with them. All the same, I am anxiously awaiting this final chapter, the final showdown between the army of God, and the army of hell. It will be one of courage, faith, friendship, humility, and sacrifice. There will be no turning back. As dramatic as that sounds, it is true. Once I have read the final word in this book, and have had time to process the journey I will have completed, I will do my best to describe my thoughts and feelings about it. For now, though, go find a Bryan Davis book to read!

Whew. That has almost left me breathless. I told you it would be lengthy. 😉 I can’t really help it though, I absolutely love these books, and cannot say enough about them.

If you are familiar with Bryan Davis, I want to know your thoughts on his works. Let me know what they are in the comments! If not, I encourage you to check his books out and see if you like them or not.

From – http://thescooponbookscag.blogspot.com/2015/03/a-wonderful-adventure.html

Dear Mr.Davis