Circles of Seven (Dragons in Our Midst #3)
Summary
Dragons in Our Midst: Circles of Seven is the third book of Bryan Davis’ Christian epic fantasy series. Featuring all the beloved (and less beloved) characters from the first two books, plus some new allies and foes, the adventure descends into an even deeper level of myth and symbolism as the heroes navigate the seven circles of the underworld.
Assessment
Circles of Seven takes Billy Bannister, Bonnie Silver, and their gang of friends, mentors, and parents on a strenuous adventure into the afterlife — or, more scientifically, an alternate dimension where lost souls are kept, as explained in the book. In a story where myth, science, and faith collide, this tale deals with every topic under the sun from temptation to self-sacrifice to resurrection and hope.
Overall, the story still holds the same excellent qualities of the previous two Dragons in Our Midst books, although it is definitely the most complex. In terms of writing style and characters, the story continues the series exceptionally well, adding onto the canon of the previous ones without straying too far from what the reader is already familiar with.
The weakest area of this book is its plot, which, while interesting with strong Christian messages, was a bit confusing. The core concept of the book is interdimensional travel to a dimension that, in turn, kind of has smaller dimensions inside of it, each corresponding to a different temptation. The concept is solid, however, the execution seemed a little wobbly with incredibly vague transitions between some of the circles. There was no definite end and beginning between a few of the dimensions.
Light-o-Meter
Writing Style: 6 out of 7 Little Lights
Plot: 4 out of 7 Little Lights
Worldbuilding: 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Characters: 6 out of 7 Little Lights
Theological Message: 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Overall: 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Talk
In terms of messaging, I think this is one of my favorite books of the Dragons in Our Midst series, particularly because it did not shy away from the topic of temptation and how to deal with it. I really like the fact that [minor spoilers ahead] it dealt with sexual temptation. Few books geared towards teenagers actually address this kind of temptation or address it well. There is still some lingering cultural modesty in western Christianity that, I think in this case does a serious disservice to the teenagers in the church. They are not properly taught how to deal with these kinds of temptations nor is it really explained what they are and what they look like. This book did a really great job of presenting this kind of temptation in a way that was realistic, but not explicit or secretly encouraging that kind of behavior.
My biggest complaint about the book is that the plot did not seem as cohesive as the previous two, but that could very well be me not being able to keep track of all the interdimensional hopping. Like The Candlestone, this book fuses the scientific and the mythical in this sort of chocolate-and-vanilla swirl, keeping each part fairly distinct but cooperative and complimentary. There is the mind-bending, symbolic nature of the afterlife (from what I can tell in the book, it’s not true, biblical hell, but kind of a pocket dimension lost souls either fall into or are imprisoned in) and the sassy AI with light-bending gadgetry of the ‘real world’. Both work together to convey the story’s overall messages of heroism and self-sacrifice.
The story does lose a point for the worldbuilding because it borrows heavily from the Book of Enoch, which felt a bit out of place among all the Arthurian legends. It was all tied together neatly and in a way that actually made sense, but I personally have some issues with Enoch (one of which is that it tends to be way overused in modern Christian fantasy), so it gets a small ding. Other than that, however, I really enjoyed the Dante’s Inferno/Pilgrim’s Progress type of worldbuilding and adventure that was being told!
Wrap-up
Circles of Seven is the third book of Bryan Davis’ epic Christian fantasy Dragons in Our Midst. This novel carries the precepts of the first two books (Raising Dragons and The Candlestone) with effortless ease, while standing out as a unique adventure that dove deeper into the theological core of the series than ever before.
Where to Enjoy
Amazon: Circles of Seven (Dragons in Our Midst): 9781496451705: Davis, Bryan: Books
Audible: Circles of Seven by Bryan Davis - Audiobook
Barnes & Noble: Circles of Seven by Bryan Davis, Paperback
Christianbook.com: Circles of Seven, Softcover, #3: Bryan Davis: 9781496451705
Tyndale: Tyndale | Circles of Seven
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