Eye of the Oracle is a prequel to the Dragons in our Midst series and starts out just before "Noah's" Flood. When Mr. Davis feels the need to backup and tell a story from the beginning, he really backs up!

We see the origins of some characters from the first books (the original books that come later – it’s so hard to write about prequels) and are introduced to some new ones specific to this series. No, not a series of prequels. Eye is the first novel of the series Oracles of Fire. The other novels will take place AFTER DIOM. Don’t understand? Here’s the short answer: Buy them all.

I have to admit I have a knee-jerk reaction to stories that take place “in between the lines” of Biblical passages. I immediately say “That’s not Scriptural!” and I’m one hundred percent correct. But that doesn’t make it Anti-Scriptural. Mr. Davis has successfully pulled together several legends and possibilities to create an interesting backdrop to his fantasy world. Fiction books are not the place to look for doctrine and I doubt Mr. Davis expects us to believe the events in the book are what actually took place. I think the line is safely drawn between Scriptural facts and Mr. Davis’ fiction and these books can be thoroughly enjoyed.

The target audience for these books is the young adult reader yet they are written well enough for adults. Eye, however, is just a bit darker than the DIOM novels and should probably be reserved for the twelve and over crowd. You still won’t find any graphic violence and language – that doesn’t appear to ever be a problem with Mr. Davis. In fact, all his descriptions of the dark and evil are as raunchy as the Bible itself, which is to say, not very much at all.

The Bible mentions some pretty gruesome acts by despicable individuals: cannibalism, infant sacrifice, murder, etc, without glorifying them. Mr. Davis also includes acts of evil with reveling in them. So while the language and imagery are acceptable, the idea of infant sacrifice may not be suitable for younger readers. Please understand this is a very fine line and should be up to parents to know the limitations of their child’s understanding. I’m not going to read the book of Judges to my 2 year old, for example.

I’ve spent too much time on this one little point. Just remember that parents should always know what their children are reading and should not be afraid to say, “I think you should wait before reading this,” no matter the author.

Once again Mr. Davis has created excellent characters that have unique abilities and struggles. Each must make a decision in their relationship to God. I continue to be impressed with Mr. Davis’ commitment to portraying teenagers with the ability to choose righteousness when presented with the temptation to sin.

I was rather upset when the narrative jumped forward several thousand years. I won’t give you the details but I was engrossed in the story and the life of the characters from the time of the Tower of Babel. I turned the page and started reading about King Arthur. “Ah! What happen? No fair!” I cried. Mumble grumble, Mr. Davis – taking away such interesting characters! The timeline jumps ahead in several areas, but who could expect one book to cover centuries in detail!

Mr. Davis has also avoided the temptation to use a prequel to rewrite the events of the first books. Very little time is devoted to the characters of DIOM and the events told in those stories remain intact.

And now for a bit of hypocrisy: I just finished saying the books are darker than the first four and now I’m saying Mr. Davis didn’t kill off enough characters. Just about everyone that you thought was dead turns up again. Perhaps it’s a problem with dimensional portals allowing you to jump to Dragon’s Rest – the temporary afterlife for dragons. Perhaps it’s a problem with Transillumination – people turn into light instead of just dying. I know these characters are preserved for a reason but the fact that they are brought back makes me think Mr. Davis is avoiding real sorrow for his characters and thus his audience. The tragedy of death is ultimately reversed and the characters can live “happily ever after.”

Overall, Eye of the Oracle is an excellent novel for young adults. I enjoy Mr. Davis’ writings and this one does not disappoint.

Should new readers pick up Eye of the Oracle before the four Dragons in our Midst novels? Eye certainly stands on it’s own but I suggest reading it after DIOM. I know, I know: C.S. Lewis wrote the Chronicles of Narnia while jumping back and forth across the timeline. Many devoted fans vote in favor of reading them in order of the timeline or in favor of published date. Having read DIOM first I have a hard time imaging reading Eye first.

Either way I think you’ll enjoy it.