Dragons In Our Midst

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Dragons In Our Midst is a Christian fantasy series written by Bryan Davis about two teenagers who are "anthrozils"- fully human, and yet somehow fully dragon at the same time. There are currently four books in the series:

Contents

[edit] Major Characters

Dragons/Anthrozils

  • Billy Bannister: One of the two central characters. Billy is an anthrozil: he is both fully human and fully dragon. In appearance he is an average teenage boy. He is amazingly talented as an artist, with some of his works selling for as much as $50 (but he only keeps enough for his art supplies, donating the rest to the local animal shelter). His talents are extremely diverse, and he can draw a serious portrait or a hilarious caricature with equal skill. His dragon power is his hot breath (see Raising Dragons, below), which starts as just scalding heat and later develops into an actual flame, and his ability to sense danger. He has only just learned of his dragon ancestry.
  • Jared Bannister: Billy's father. Jared is a dragon named Clefspeare in human form. He has no dragon powers as a human beyond the standard dragon longevity (he has lived as a human for some 1500 years or so), but he is a licensed pilot (no surprise there) and displays impressive skill in hand-to-hand combat, honed by literally centuries of living in fear that the slayers may find him or (more recently) his family. The daily wrestling matches with Billy probably have something to do with it, too.
  • Bonnie Silver: One of the two central characters, Bonnie is an anthrozil who has known of her dragon side for years. She constantly wears a backpack to cover up the two wings on her back. The wings allow her to fly, and they are extremely flexible (how else could she fit them in a backpack?). They are resistant to cold, and sometimes when she has to sleep outside she forms her wings into a cocoon to keep warm. When pressed for information, she elusively calls her wings a deformity. Contrasting with this is the fact that most people who have seen her wings think she looks like an angel, despite the lack of feathers.
  • Hartanna: Bonnie Silver's mother, a dragon in human form. Taking on human flesh was a sacrifice for her, especially since as a dragon, she was in line to be the next Queen of The Dragons (of course since all the remaining good dragons had agreed to become human, how could she do otherwise?). It was a sacrifice for her in another way as well: while they were dragons Hartanna and Clefspeare were betrothed to marry, but Merlin told them that by taking on human form they would no longer be able to procreate with other dragons, even if those dragons were in human form too (undoubtedly this was needed to make the anthrozils a possibility, and their existence was vital to the future). But she became human, taking the name Irene Silver. Centuries passed, and at some point she married Dr. Matthew Conner, and they had Bonnie (who, ironically, will one day marry Billy, who is Clefspeare's son). Bonnie last saw her with a gaping sword wound, leaving little hope for her future. Miraculously, though, it seems she is still alive, as is discovered in the Candlestone.
  • Ashley Stalworth: A laboratory assistant to Doctor Connor (Bonnie's father) and an expert in physics and light frequencies. She also has a special knack for figuring out what other people are going to say and finishing their sentences ahead of them, to the extent that many people she went to school with thought she was a mutant that could read minds. This ability provides for some very amusing interactions between her and Walter. It seems likely that Ashley's brilliant mind owes at least in part to the fact that she is an anthrozil. Her mother was a dragon- to be specific, Thigocia, an expert war dragon and healer. There is little doubt that chemistry exists between Ashley and Walter-especially in light of how much Walter gets on her nerves, and even though Walter is fifteen in the last book, "Tears of a Dragon" while Ashley is eighteen (Born in 1986). Of course, it is noted, in X number of years that won't be a problem anymore. Her dragon traits are smarts and healing.
  • Thigocia: One of the dragons Billy brought back to life in Circles of Seven, Thigocia is a valiant war dragon as well as a gifted healer. She is also the mother of Ashley Stalworth, a fact first implied by her similar ability to "read minds" by following what someone says to a logical conclusion. Thigocia was once the queen of the dragons, the mother of the entire dragon race after the Great Flood. Her husband is/was Makaidos, also known as Timothy, as well as Valcor (Sir Patrick) and Hartanna's mother, and Clefspeare's grandmother. Transformed at Bald Top at the same time as Hartanna, Clefspeare, and Valcor, she took on the human name of Hannah, thus living by the title for centuries, until her human death in 1988.

Human Characters

  • Marilyn Bannister: Billy Bannister's mom. She has no dragon blood in her, but she has often been endangered as well by the slayers because she is married to a dragon and her son is an anthrozil. She's up to the task, though, and not at all squeamish about self-defense- she once remarked that if the slayers tried anything they'd find out that Billy wasn't the only one "packing heat".
  • Walter: Billy's best pal. Although dangerous when food is involved (See the "Hamburger incident" in the first book), Walter is a staunch friend. He is fairly tough in his own right, and well capable of thinking on his feet. He is not repulsed or horrified to learn about the whole dragon thing-on the contrary, he thinks it's cool (rather strange in light of Billy's breath). Interestingly, Walter is a direct biological descendant of King Arthur, as revealed in Tears of A Dragon. Despite this, in The Candlestone he was unable to pull Excalibur from the stone. Evidently Billy, despite his more distant relation to Arthur, was the one God wanted to lead. In other news (as you humans say) there exists indisputable evidence of some chemistry between Walter and Ashley.
  • Professor Hamilton: Billy, Walter, and Bonnie's history teacher, and a former Oxford professor who recently moved in from England. (He had been teaching at Castlewood Middle School for about a year before meeting up with Billy.) Deeply religious, a "Christian of the old school" as he calls himself, he specializes in Arthurian legends (actually, it's hard to find anything he's not an expert in). Amazingly, it is revealed in The Candlestone that Professor Hamilton is a direct descendant of Merlin, whom he resembles so closely that when they were first introduced, Clefspeare actually mistook the Professor for Merlin himself.
  • Sir Devin: A dragon slayer with a list of aliases a mile long. He is bent on destroying every anthrozil and dragon in existence in order to thwart Merlin's prophecies. He is completely allied with the forces of darkness, and it is probably more than coincidence that his name is one letter away from Devil. He has lived since the time of King Arthur because he is able to draw youthful energy from the Candlestone he possesses, and from infusions of the blood of the dragons that he slays. He also allied with Morgan Le Fay, who has given him this ability of long life.
  • Palin: Sir Devin's squire. Though he is also one of the bad guys, he is not as bad as Devin because he actually believes that he is doing the right thing.
  • Shiloh: No, not the dog. Shiloh is a girl who Bonnie found trapped in the Sixth Circle. She looks just like Bonnie minus the wings which makes sense because she is Bonnie's cousin. She is not an anthrozil, though, because her father, Valcor, found a way to become fully human before Shiloh was born. She has lived in the sixth circle for forty years, arriving there three days after her fifteenth birthday.
  • Sir Patrick: Once the dragon Valcor (Hartanna's brother), Sir Patrick (as he is now known) has found a way to become fully human. He is Shiloh's father, and was forced to let Morgan take her after Shiloh received a snakebite only Morgan could cure (no prizes for guessing who was responsible for the snakebite). He explicitly forbade Morgan, however, to use Shiloh as a hostiam viventium, or a living sacrifice.

Other Characters

  • Gandalf: Billy's cat. A minor character, but a good one. Gandalf offers readers a living connection of sorts to Billy's love of animals, as he came from the same shelter that Billy continues to donate his profits to. Gandalf is no doubt named after the wizard in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
  • Hambone: An old bloodhound belonging to an equally elderly "hillbilly" named Arlo Hatfield, Hambone's tracking skills are unmatched. He was called in to try to find Billy's dad after the plane went down, and later made it possible for Billy and his mother to find Clefspeare. Hambone took a bullet meant for Billy, so Billy took him in during the Candlestone until his health was restored, at which time he returned him to Arlo.
  • Larry: Ashley Stalworth's supercomputer, Larry shows up in Circles of Seven. Non-living he may be, but he is definitely a character. His most notable feature personality-wise is his unparallelled sarcasm, which is only made worse (from the viewpoint of his fellow characters) by his virtually unlimited sources of information and tendency to download the most annoying bits of info whenever he goes looking for a "snack", resulting in everything from incessant rhyming to constant quoting of Shakespeare with a southern accent. Some readers have noted that he has an attitude like Herbie, the famous smart-alec VW Beetle.
  • Morgan: More commonly known in the legends as Morgana Le Fay, Morgan used to be human. She was born some time before Noah's Flood as Lilith, and she was the wife of one of the Watchers (an exceptionally nasty group of fallen angels, the Watchers were the fathers of the Nephilim), Samyaza. She learned much dark magic from her husband, but she lost her humanity in the process. Time is short for her if she cannot regain her humanity, and the only way for her to do that is to find a willing "hostiam", a host she can possess (the same way a demon does). The requirements are strict: it must be a girl or a woman. The hostiam must willingly give herself to Morgan if she (the hostiam) is of age. If not, Morgan can only do it with the permission of the hostiam's legal guardian. And for some reason the hostiam must be kin to the king, either by blood or adoption. Morgan hopes to trick Billy into letting her have Bonnie, since Bonnie's dying father told Billy to take care of Bonnie, but Billy refuses, and she ends up with Walter's sister, Shelly Foley, as her hostiam for a time.
  • Samyaza: Morgan's husband and the leader of the fallen angels and demons, the Watchers. He is allied with Satan and commands some of the demons under Satan's control. He taught Morgan how to use black magic allowing her to become a powerful sorceress. He was imprisoned within the Depths of Tartarus in the Seventh Circle until Billy was forced to release him along with his army of fallen angels when Shiloh and Clefespeare also were imprisoned there.

[edit] Raising Dragons

A boy learns of his dragon past, a girl has known hers for years. They combine their faith, courage, and love to overcome evil, a slayer who seeks to bring an end to dragon heritage, forever.

The kids at school call Billy "Dragon Breath" for good reason. His breath is bad! It isn’t the normal, morning-mouth bad; it’s the hot-as-fire, "don’t-you-dare-get-near-me" bad. Trouble erupts when his hot breath sets off the fire sprinklers in the boys’ restroom at school, and his parents learn that they’ve kept their secret for too long.

Billy finally discovers the secret. His father was once a dragon! Now that’s a piece of news a guy doesn’t deal with every day! Billy feels betrayed, alien, lost. When the dragon slayer traps him on a cold mountaintop in West Virginia, Billy learns to battle with weapons of steel and spirit while relying on a power he doesn’t understand, a power that helps him learn to trust again.

Bonnie, an orphan, tries to find a home, someone to love her, even though she feels like a freak because of a body feature that she calls a deformity. But this unusual feature becomes a life-saving attribute as she discovers that her love for others and her faith in a creator hold the answers she’s looking for.

[edit] The Candlestone

Billy and Bonnie wonder about a number of unsolved mysteries. What was the strange book that the dragon slayers used to summon a dragon? Where is the magnificent sword that seemed to disintegrate the evil Devin? And what happened to The Candlestone, that strange gem, always absorbing light and with it the powers of dragons or dragon children within its sphere of influence?

The Candlestone not only absorbs light, it captures and holds encoded light, including transluminated humans, people who have been transformed into light energy by Excalibur, King Arthur’s great sword. When Bonnie enters the stone herself, she learns that many disembodied souls have fallen prey to the gems powers, but no one has ever escaped.

The two teens face their greatest fears, and they learn to use their strengths, both innate and newly found, as they battle powerful enemies, ancient fiends from times long past, and the horrors of the blackest of prisons, captivity with the walls of unearthly darkness, the crystalline tomb of The Candlestone.

[edit] Circles of Seven

The first book, Raising Dragons, plunged two teenagers, Billy Bannister and Bonnie Silver, into mind-boggling mysteries, life or death pursuits, and deadly sword-to-sword battles. In the second book, The Candlestone, Billy is led into mortal combat with a powerful dragon slayer. Separated from his friends and finding his dragon traits useless against this enemy, he has to rely on new weapons, a sword and shield he cannot even see.

Now in Circles of Seven, using their dragon traits and the wisdom they gained through their earlier adventures, Billy and Bonnie explore a multi-dimensional domain of evil. In this realm, they navigate seven perilous worlds, each one manifested in a circular plane of existence that leads them deeper into the domain of a powerful enemy.

The seventh circle holds a group of prisoners, captives of the evil mistress of the circles, and Billy has to find a way to set them free and give them new life. When tragedy strikes along the way, Billy has to face the most difficult decision of his life, whether to forsake Bonnie to rescue the prisoners or to find a way to save her, his best friend in the world.

Filled with action, danger, and suspense, Circles of Seven is sure to keep readers in their seats, following Billy and Bonnie to the exciting conclusion.

Circles of Seven is the third saga in a four book series entitled: Dragons in our Midst.

[edit] Tears of a Dragon

Tears of a Dragon is the fourth installment in the Dragons in our Midst series. This contemporary fantasy gives young readers all the adventure and excitement they love while opening their eyes to great themes such as faith, courage, wisdom, and redemption. Compared to The Chronicles of Narnia for its spiritual power and The Lord of the Rings for its depth of scope, this series has the makings of a classic.

Victory in the Circles of Seven came at a great cost to Billy Bannister and Bonnie Silver. A vicious evil was unleashed on the earth that only the dragons can defeat. With Billy’s father, the great Clefspeare, missing, Billy and Bonnie must lead the dragons into war against the Watchers—demonic beings as old as the earth itself. Masters at the art of deception, the Watchers gather most of humanity to their side. A remnant of wise humans, the friends of the dragons, unite in the struggle against the Watchers. With heart-stopping action, the final battle between dragons and their enemies comes to a climax. But in order to win the war, at least one of the dragons must die.

As the story ends, Billy and Bonnie are faced with the greatest decision of their lives. Will they keep the dragon traits that have cost them so much danger and heartache, or will they turn to normal human life and end the slayers’ lust for their blood forever?

Tears of a Dragon is the fourth and final saga in a four book series entitled: Dragons in our Midst.

[edit] Back Story

Here's a little history 101 regarding the series.

About 1,500 years ago, in the time of King Arthur, dragons ruled the skies. A rogue dragon named Goliath turned to the dark side, allying himself with Satan. Many others lost faith and followed in his footsteps, thus giving rise to the popular (yet incorrect) belief that all dragons were evil. King Arthur, unaware of the existence of good dragons, charged Sir Devin with the task of wiping out the species. Sir Devin did his job well, and soon only a few good dragons were left.

The prophet Merlin, at God's bidding, intervened and transformed the surviving dragons into human form in order to protect them. But one dragon, Gartrand, lacked faith, and so the transformation did not work on him. He fled in his shame and was captured by the slayers, who interrogated him and killed him. Before dying, he told them about the transformation in the foolish hope that they would spare his life. As a result, even the remnant were doomed to be pursued by Devin and his knights. But Merlin gave them a prophesy of hope, that one day dragons would live again.

[edit] Poems

This is an actual poem from Dragons In Our Midst, taken from the first book in the series, Raising Dragons. It seems to have been written before Merlin gave the dragons human form, since it does not mention the event.

Merlin's Riddle

   
“

When dragons flew in days of old

With valor in their wings,

One fell prey to evil's song

And learned what Satan sings.

Goliath, stained with Satan's words,

Made other dragons flee,

For songs like leaven spread decay

Corrupting souls born free.

Now Satan's scales coat dragon lore;

He hides between the lines.

He sings foul words in books corrupt

And dances on their spines

Are dragons vile? Are dragons tame?

Depends on whom you ask.

Do scales hide tricks of Satan when

He dons a fearful mask?

One man corrupted all his kin;

One dragon brought all shame.

One man redeemed his fallen race;

Will dragons find the same?

Yet dragons dwell in hearts of men,

From God and some from baals,

And some sing songs with angel's wings,

While most chant Satan's scales.

God redeems what man cannot

Forgives whate'er thou didst

Who else can save the men of earth

With dragons in our midst?
   
”

Merlin received this word from the Lord after the dragons became human.

Merlin's Prophecy

   
“

When hybrid meets the fallen seed

The virgin seedling flies

An orphaned waif shall call to me

When blossom meets the skies.

The child of doubt will find his rest

And meet his virgin bride.

A dragon shorn will live again

Rejecting Eden's pride.

A slayer comes and with his host

He fights the last of thee

But faith alone shall win the war

The test of those set free.

A king shall rise of Arthur's mold

The prophet's book in hand.

He takes the sword from mountain stone

To rescue captive bands.
   
”

[edit] Trivia

  • In Circles of Seven it is revealed that prior to the dragons' transformation into human form, Clefspeare and Hartanna had been betrothed. Alas, circumstances were against them-it just wasn't meant to be (read the book Raising Dragons to see why they didn't just marry anyway, since they were both turned into humans). However, in a bit of irony, one of Merlin's prophesies indicates that Billy and Bonnie will one day marry.
  • Although Tears of a Dragon marks the end of the series, there prequel to the series, "Eye of the Oracle" and the first book of the "Oracles of Fire", which in the other three books ("Enoch's Ghost", "Last of the Nephilim", and "Makaidos' Bones".) covers the adventures of Walter, Ashley, Thigocia, and Karen, as well as other characters introduced in "Eye of the Oracle". The title of this series is connected to a reference to "Oracles of Fire" in Tears of A Dragon while Billy and Bonnie were the resting place for dragons' soul called "Dragon's Rest".
  • Before becoming human, Hartanna was in line to be the next Queen of The Dragons. The loss of her birthright was compensated somewhat when King Arthur adopted her as his daughter, thereby making her a princess among humans.
  • Because King Arthur adopted Clefspeare and Hartanna, Billy and Bonnie are, in terms of law, cousins (of sorts). Thank The Maker they are only so in legal terms.
  • The term "anthrozil" was coined by Doctor Connor, Bonnie's father. It is a combination of the Latin "anthro" (meaning "human") and the name of the movie "dragon" Godzilla.
  • As is only fitting for someone who is a prince (of sorts) Billy's first name means "bold protector."
  • There is a very vague similarity between Dragons in Our Midst and the Sci-Fi Channel series "Anonymous Rex." Although both involve ancient reptiles in human form, the similarity pretty much ends there. It is, however obscure, a similarity.
  • In Merlin's prophecy, Billy is the "child of doubt." And in case it isn't obvious, Bonnie is the virgin bride. Clefspeare is the dragon shorn, and humanity is Eden's pride.
  • Bonnie's father subjected her to a unique brand of child abuse. He drew samples of her blood for experiments with the photoreceptors it contained, which are the source of a dragon or anthrozil's power, longevity, and healing abilities.

[edit] External links

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