Reading for me as a kid was really hard, so I gave up on it. I never read anything unless I had to. But only when I got into grade 8 did I really find an appreciation for reading. Since then I’ve been building my collection and finding the best books of the christian fiction library. As strange as that sounds, yes, there are more than just Amish romance books. Although it’s not well-known, there is quite a bit of outstanding christian fiction out there. Here are my favourites and why you need to pick up some of these books:
The “Dragons in our Midst” series:
This is the first of a three-part series containing four books: Raising Dragons, The Candlestone, Circles of Seven, and Tears of a Dragon. The story mostly follows the lives of Billy Bannister and Bonnie Silver, two kids who both have dragonic features. Billy, a boy who breathes fire, one day discovers a secret: His father was once a dragon! Bonnie, an orphan with dragon wings, is trying to find home. The two friends are chased across the country by a dragon slayer. To find out more, check out Bryan Davis’s, the author’s, website. It’s a wonderful series that will make you laugh, cry, and will keep you glued for four books of awesome. While reading these books, I was the same age as the characters, so I was going through some of the same issues and questions that they were going through. As well as opening my eyes to a different view of our Creator, this book widened my imagination and opened a whole new world of what fiction could be. I consider these characters to be my close friends, and I feel like I went through that entire adventure right beside them. I don’t think I’ve read any other series that reaches right to my heart with characters that live and breathe like this one. It brings you down to earth while you’re traveling right out of it! These pieces of fantasy are definitely some of the best in the world!
The “Oracles of Fire” Series: This is the second of the three-part series by Bryan Davis, containing four books: Eye of the Oracle, Enoch’s Ghost, Last of the Nephilim, and the Bones of Makaidos. This series contains my all-time favorite book: Eye of the Oracle. This series continues our story with Billy and Bonnie, in four books of incredible story-telling, amazing characters, and real life problems. It expands the world Mr. Davis first created in Dragons in our Midst by ten times! We discover what happened to dragons starting at Noah’s ark and go through history with Joseph of Arimathea, Merlin, and King Arthur, seeing the full history of their kind. The enemies they face have grown beyond just dragon slayers, and you will be plunged into a fantasized biblical history with God’s salvation at the forefront. That’s only book one. After book one, you are to read through the Dragons in our Midst series, and then continue with book two on Oracles of Fire, where we continue the story of Billy and Bonnie. This series is by far my favourite. I can hardly put into words how much I love it. Each book opened my eyes to so much of what fiction could be, and helped me through my own spiritual battles as I read them. God has used these books in my life in more ways than I could count. Like in the previous series, I was the same ages as the characters as the story went on. But in the last books, they also gave me a glimpse of my future. The characters we meet in this series I also consider my friends. They’re so life-like, I can almost see them in front of me. You’ve got to read them! (the last series in this long line is Children of Bard, which I have not read yet, but am really excited to!)
“The Sword of he Dragon” Series:
This series is another one of my top favorites. It contains Three books so far: Swords of the Six, Offspring, Key of Living Fire, and The Phantom Blade (coming this fall). I have only read the first two books so far, but this series is amazing. Six humanoid daughters of a dragon king, set out to face traitors from a war a thousand years ago, armed with the rusted swords of these traitors. The way the author looks at this new world is unlike anything I’ve ever read. There’s fantasy, romance, tragedy, adventure, mystery, and it’s packed with imagination and biblical truth. This series is one of my favorites, coming as a close second to Oracles of Fire. Read the books. Seriously. They’re so good.
The Chronicles of Narnia:
Most people have read these books countless times, but I can’t help stress how amazing these books are. Every time I read or listen to them, I see something different, and the symbolism behind the allegory broadens. I’ve learned so much about God and my faith from those books. Not only that, but the imagination and thought put into these stories is unbelievable, especially since they’re all around 100 pages. But personally, I prefer to listen to the books. Most people hate stuff that is based off of books, and yet Focus on the Family made an audio drama of the whole series that is almost word for word and everything you wanted out of the movies. In fact, I would say they’re better than the books. They took out a couple of words that don’t make sense to us now, and replace narrators by dialogue, but other than that, they hardly touch the script. It actually deepens the wonder of the stories. If you haven’t already read them, please do so! They made be intended for kids, but the books are for all ages!
I, Saul:
This book is historical fiction that switches between the stories of the last days of Paul the Apostle, and Augustine Knox in the 21st century who is attempting to find Paul’s lost letters. It’s full of action, adventure, mystery, romance, with all the spying, antiques, and political intrigue you could want! It’s a hard book to put down. There’s not much more I can say about the book, it’s just so good; you’ll just have to read it. It’s one of the best christian fiction books I’ve read, for sure! There is a sequel called, Empire’s End. I haven’t read it yet, but I reaaally want to.
Precisely Terminated:
This book was written by Bryan Davis’ Daughter, Amanda L. Davis. We follow the story of a slave named Monica, who’s the only chipless slave among them. She must find a way to free them from the oppression of the Nobles by destroying the computer that keeps them from running, rebelling, and hiding. The fate of all the slave rests on Monica’s shoulders, and she must act before the nobles decide to use the ultimate punishment: death of all the slaves. This dystopian fantasy is a great read and taught me a lot about perseverance. There’s so much this girl goes through, and the way it’s written, you feel like you’re right there with her in the slave tunnels. But the great part is, this dystopian story has hope at the end, which is true for us as Christians. The Cantral series has two other books: Noble Imposter, and Viral Execution. Check out her website for more info!
King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table:
I don’t know if this technically counts as Christian Fiction, but it’s a fantastic book. People don’t always think about the book, they feel like they already know enough about King Arthur. Wrong. I originally read this book so I could understand some things in Oracles of Fire better, but I got so lost in this book, I almost forgot about it. It follows the story of King Arthur, yes, but we also follow the story of his knights. They all had amazing adventures, with romance, swords, betrayal, mysterious creatures, battles, jousts, evil witches, God’s will, and so much more! It goes WAY beyond the sword in the stone. Roger Lancelyn Green, good friend of C.S. Lewis, wrote an amazing tale based of the many legends of King Arthur and his knights. You got to pick up a copy of this book and read it
Those are pretty much all my favourite books. There’s more than just Amish romances if you take the time to dig a bit. Or you could just look at my list here to get you started. These books mean so much to me, more than I can say. They’ve helped me in my spiritual walk in some ways I never imagined fiction could. But fiction doesn’t take me away from reality, but helps me relate to it. If you happen to check out some of these books, let me know what you thought! Happy reading!
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