Dear Friends,

Thanks so much for your incredible notes regarding Lion of Babylon; it really has meant the world. I am hard at work completing the edits on the sequel to Lion, entitled Rare Earth and due out in May 2012. Hearing your enthusiasm really meant a lot at a tiring point in the process.

Warmest regards,

Davis

Gary writes:

I loaned Lion of Babylon to my church treasurer. Wednesday night she asked if I had another Davis Bunn book, she was almost finished with this one. She said she couldn’t put it down at all, and she hated me because she had so much to do. I told her I did have another great Davis Bunn book, his latest one, Book of Dreams. I assured her she would hate me even more when I give her that book to read.

You didn’t realize that your writing would cause people to hate me, did you? I can handle it, just keep writing.

Dear Gary,

What a hoot. Thank you so much for the wonderful news. Please apologize to your treasurer for me, I hate to stand between anyone and all the stuff that can’t be put off!

Jocelin writes: 

I am avid reader and many years ago, I had read some of Davis Bunn’s books. My local library had just gotten a copy of Lion of Babylon in and was displaying it on their new book shelf, so I picked it up to read.

I could NOT put it down! It was a superb read! I almost felt like I was in Iraq right there with Marc fighting with him to rescue Alex. And even the most minute details were accurate, such as mentioning the breaking of bread and sharing of salt as a sign of friendship. It was not a typical Americanized read, but a book of a well-studied author who truly knew his characters, subject, and setting. A definite must read for all believers!

Judy writes:

Loving it!! Got it for Christmas!

Sid writes:

It is a great book. My book club is discussing it in March.

Gwen writes:

This is such a great book. I hated to put it down to go to bed, work, and anything else that took me away from it.

Michael writes:

I am an avid reader, a preacher, a writer, and an Army veteran. I admit that the title caught my attention because I am an avid prophecy freak.

What I found was not prophecy, but was a wonderful peace of work. The characters are rich, and complicated. The settings are written in a way that transports the reader into the scene. The deep undercurrents of character relationships nearly force the reader to care about each “person” in the story.

Then there are the rich contrasts and mixing of cultures that are done so well as to make us understand both that there are many differences in our lands, and that we are all truly humans made in the image of God. In short, this work is one of the very finest works of fiction I have ever read. My compliments to the author indeed.

Donald writes:

This is one of my wife’s favorite books as well. We are both excitedly waiting the next one in the series. It is a “DON’T MISS” book!

Dorothy writes:

Once again, Bunn has written another great novel/ thriller…this time set in modern day Iraq. It is abundantly obvious that he has done his homework on life in war-torn Iraq and it shows on every page. What a difficult situation it is…both politically and in everyday life.

I heartily recommend this book to you and it will be in the church library and probably in the public library now. It is a ripping good story and well worth reading for both men or women. Just read it!

Alicia writes:

Just wanted you to know how much my whole family enjoys your books. We hope you will write more with Marc Royce as your “hero”!  Also, will soon pick up Book of Dreams.

Jinger writes: 

Lion of Babylon is an awesome book. Thanks for the reminder to just be a servant of Jesus.

Dear Jinger,

It remains a steadfast dream of mine to foster hope where only God can reveal it, and because of this aim, Lion holds a very special place in my heart.

Mary writes:

I just finished reading Book of Dreams and I want to thank you so much for writing it! It clarifies what happened with the 2008 meltdown that still affects so many people, not to say the whole US & EU economy, and also the way dreams are used and can be interpreted.

That is so interesting – something we have thought of and have heard that some psychologists use, but Elena, in The Book of Dreams is like Joseph or Daniel in the Bible. The Lord speaking to man in dreams and visions! So little has been explored in that area.

I am quite sure I have read all of your books and after reading each one, it becomes my favorite, but I am very sure Book of Dreams will remain at the top of the list. I love the spiritual insight, the integrity of the people, the healing of past hurts and, of course, the work of the spirit in and through the people in the story.

I’m looking forward to more and am very sorry I finished it so soon but, thankfully a clear schedule today, allowed me to indulge the time to finish reading it!

The Lord Bless you and Isabella.

Dear Mary,

I cannot tell you how much it means to know you have connected with the story as you did. You actually summarized my own fervent hopes for readers, that they would see this mystery of dreams become just another potential means through which God might connect with us in the here and now. Thank you so much for writing.

Carolyn writes: 

Book of Dreams is, primarily, the story of a psychologist’s journey from a comfortable and relatively secluded personal life, after the death of her spouse, to a wholehearted embrace of the will of God and a life serving others.

The author has done it again–he has provided a rich spiritual experience for his readers mainly through a variety of characters who really grab and hold our attention. One doesn’t have to understand clinical psychology, international banking, the place of dreams, or even the effect of antiquities on modern-day individuals to appreciate and benefit from this book.

What comes through loud and clear is the certainty of the Holy Spirit’s leading–individually and corporately–to any believer open to Him and His will. This book is just filled with memorable persons, and is certainly a commentary on the difficult times in which we live.

Dear Carolyn,

What a truly thrilling moment it has been reading your response to the Book of Dreams. You have pinpointed a very important issue that I hoped to raise with this story, how God’s urging can and will often take us far from our comfort zones.

But this love-filled act is often the only way He can communicate with us in fullness, and help us to grow beyond self-imposed restrictions. We can become mired in so much without even realizing it.

Beyond the spiritual gift of foretelling and prophecy that Elena experiences in this story lies the real issue, the core truth for her, that it is time to move on.

I have felt this call so often in my own walk. I hope it resonates for many other readers as well.

Don writes:

What if there was a Christian novel that had a true hero who already has a full and complete understanding of his relationship with God through Christ?

I remember years ago as a young teenager, reading a true story of a spy during WWII who, after retirement, remarked that because of his relationship with Christ, he took what he called “necessary chances” whenever he was on mission because he felt he could not be killed until God said it was time. Obviously, God kept him alive throughout all his “adventures.”

The “hero” I’m talking about could evolve into something like the following:

“What if” a troubled young man, in whom a judge sees something worth saving, is faced with prison or the army?

“What if” this young man eventually becomes a sharpshooter with the army rangers?

“What if,” while with the rangers, he is able to accumulate at least 10 confirmed kills to his record?

“What if” he is tapped for a single-person special ops to go into Iran and retrieve plans for a nuclear device that had been stolen by some offshoot Al Queda outfit?

“What if,” by this point in his career, this ranger just happens to have become a committed Christian who felt that as long as he remained in the center of God’s will he could take whatever chances “necessary” to retrieve those plans without worrying about being killed himself?

“What if,” during his “adventures” he encounters Iranian believers who are able to help him carry out his mission, but in the process one of them is captured and tortured to make them reveal the name and whereabouts of the “hero.”

“What if” the hero decides it’s worth the risk going in for the captured believer and, though successful, has to take lives in doing so?

And “what if” this hero has at least a trilogy, or more, in him?

Just a question.

Now to try and “boil” down my question into one sentence.  Are there any authors willing to write (or publishers willing to publish) a novel in the tradition of Allistair Maclean, but with a main character who is also a committed Christian?

After reading Lion of Babylon, Don followed up with this note:

I just finished reading Lion of Babylon. I received it in the mail right after I had written of my desire of a “what if,” about a gutsy Christian hero.

The thing that amazes me most is that the idea I was trying to ask you  to develop concerning a “gutsy Christian hero,” had already been put to print and I didn’t even realize it!

It was an amazing book. Sorry about the word, “amazing,” it just seems to fit. You fulfilled a desire I’ve had for quite a while.

Dear Don,

It certainly was a delight to read both your initial ‘what if’, and your response to Lion.

Our desire from the very beginning, both my own and that of Bethany House Publishers, was to construct a story that competed head-on with the best of contemporary thrillers, and yet was built around a character who lived his faith.

There are so many direct and immediate examples of this in real life, as you and I both know. And yet too often the contemporary story creates an atmosphere of doubt, of questioning of the eternal. Why not make this the core issue that is the conduit through which a deeper and more complex moral can be expressed?

It is so good to know that this story resonated for you.

Ken writes: 

Lion of Babylon is the best book I have read in a good amount of time. Marc Royce is a great central character. This is one that is hard to put down. Real life events based on current times in the world. Has a very good message to it also about how we view other nations and their citizens.

 Jeffrey writes:

 I’m recovering from heart surgery. A friend of my wife loaned me Lion of Babylon. It’s extraordinary. Congratulations. Who knew Christians could write?  Please, could I have some more, sir?

 Dear Ken and Jeffrey,

 I have to tell you, there have been a lot of reactions from women readers, and it was just great to receive this notice from another guy. Thanks again for taking the time to write. Your enthusiasm means the world.

Side Note:

Library Journal named Lion of Babylon one of their top six best Christian fiction novels for 2011.

Jessica writes:

I just finished The Warning and am fascinated by your ability to draw me into a character I would otherwise not “get.” Buddy was so passive and uninteresting (to me at first) but I couldn’t put it down!

Love your talent at making a reader care and stick with the story for the stronger person they will discover at the end.

Dear Jessica,

It’s very true, Buddy was intended to be the typical low-key banker, everything of interest stored deep inside, the all-round-edges sort of fellow, who is drawn into his own. So glad you ‘stuck with it’, and were pleased with the end.