Working undercover for the state department, Marc Royce is flying into Africa as an audit accountant for a firm that ships medical supplies to refugee camps. His true mission is to find a young relief worker who has been kidnapped and the reasons he has disappeared. He arrives into the utter chaos of a refugee camp that is straining to provide medical care and food for an ever increasing stream of refugees fleeing the eruption of a volcano. Marc works with the tribal chiefs and the medical administrators to restore order and get the needed supplies distributed. He tries to make contact with the sister of the young man who has been kidnapped but she believes he is one of the same company of men responsible for kidnapping her brother. The dangers increase as Marc searches for the answers he needs to uncover who is behind the takeover of entire villages, displacing the people into the camps and what their ulterior motives are. He finds that these lands are rich in valuable minerals Known as “rare earth” used in current technologies and coveted by the world. Marc races against time and traditions to gather a group of warriors to expose the wrongdoers and reclaim the land for the African tribes.
Davis Bunn has created a novel rich in the sights, sounds and smells of Africa. The reader feels as if he is fighting alongside the characters experiencing all that they are experiencing. You feel and see the poverty the hunger, the hopelessness of the people and the strength and the faith of the believers who can work together to overcome the strife and corruption that he has made Africa come alive with his words. There are true to life people in authentic situations that react with strength and faith and perseverance. There is a glorious reference to the battle of Jericho in the Bible that will thrill your heart!
I heartily recommend “Rare Earth”; it is truly a valuable story. The book is a sequel using the same character, Marc Royce, as the author’s book “Lion of Babylon”, however both books are great stand-alone reads.
Davis Bunn
I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from Bethany
House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I
have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal
Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.
Marc Royce stares out of the helicopter, a sense of
foreboding rising with the volcanic cloud. Below, the Rift Valley slashes
across Africa like a scar. Decades of conflicts, droughts, and natural
disasters have left their mark.
Dispatched to audit a relief organization, Royce is
thrust into the squalor and chaos of Kenyan refugee camps. But his true mission
focuses on the area's reserves of once-obscure minerals now indispensable to
high-tech industries. These strategic elements—called rare earth—have inflamed
tensions on the world's stage and stoked tribal rivalries. As Royce prepares to
report back to Washington, he seizes on a bold and risky venture for restoring
justice to this troubled land.
Davis
Bunn is an award-winning novelist whose audience
spans reading genres from high drama and action thrillers to heartwarming
relationship stories, in both contemporary and historical settings. He and his
wife, Isabella, make their home in Florida for some of each year, and spend the
rest near Oxford, England, where they each teach and write. Visit Davis at www.davisbunn.com.
Q & A with Davis Bunn
When you finished
writing Lion of Babylon (book 1 in the Marc Royce series), did you just
keep going with the storyline and wrote Rare Earth at the same time? Or
was there a time gap in between?
Normally by the time I complete a
story, I have been living with the characters and the tale for about a year.
What I need more than anything just then is a break. I don’t need to stop writing;
I just need to write about something else. The emotions for a new book have to
be fresh. The characters are not just continuing on. They are starting over. The emotions and the
concepts and the tension and the theme are all brand new. The names stay the
same. The rest of the universe shifts on its axis.
Marc Royce is not your typical hero. Where
did you find your inspiration for his character?
As I started researching the first book in this series, Lion of Babylon, I took a flight where I
was seated next to this very remarkable woman, an amazing combination of hard
intelligence and great gentleness. She was reading a pocket New Testament. We
started talking, and it turned out that she was a special operative, formerly
with the State Department intelligence division, and now working with the
Department of Defense Intel. I found myself drawn by this incredible paradox of
ruthless focus and very intense calm.
Soon after this flight, I had an opportunity to meet a senior figure
in the CIA. I had never had any contact with the intelligence community, and
all of a sudden I was finding one door after another being opened, because both
of these people—the DOD Intel officer and the CIA agent—took it upon themselves
to help introduce me to their worlds. I have found this happen on a number of
occasions, and these ongoing miracles humble and astound me. I drew on these
people as the basis for structuring my hero.
What can readers expect to find in Rare Earth?
All my books hold to one key aim—to create a story that carries a
moral, and together result in an impact or challenge or inspiration or
comforting assurance that remains long after the book is set down. That, to me,
defines a worthy effort.
What kind of character is Marc Royce?
He carries his faith into a world that
likes to think Jesus no longer plays a role. He sees himself as the ultimate
outsider, wounded by the loss of his wife, searching for a place he can call
home, and an ideal worth living for—or giving his life for.
Tell us about one or two other key characters.
Like the book that launched this series, Rare Earth is a story about the
missionary church. Many of the other characters are Kenyan, and reveal the
amazing role that believers play in this nation.
What type of research did you do for this series?
I worked in Africa for four years
early in my adult life. I was not a believer at that time. I came to faith four
years later. I taught in Kenya last year, the first time I had been back to
sub-Sahara Africa in almost twenty years. Going back to Africa now, as a
believer, has opened my eyes to many things. Seeing with the compassion of
sharing faith and seeking to serve means that I do not merely observe, I share
with them. I hope this comes across in my story.
Research is a huge component of all
of my stories. But with Lion of Babylon
and Rare Earth, the situation was
quite different. In both these Royce novels, I was combining knowledge gained
in my previous business life with the perspective gained from my walk in faith.
It has been quite a fulfilling experience, personally, to revisit these lands
and see them through the eyes of our compassionate God.
Which
character in Rare Earth do you
connect to the most?
This is the second book starring Marc Royce. He is a complex individual
with a lot of amazing traits. I feel like I am finally coming to terms with the
depths of this man.
Which
character was the most difficult to write?
There is a Luo chief in Nairobi, a strong leader who has had everything
stripped from him except his faith. He is the uncle of another great man,
another leader. To have two people from the same tribe, and create individuals
that stood out as unique portraits, was very challenging. I feel that I have
done a solid job with them. I look forward to hearing what my readers think.
What
was your favorite scene to write in Rare
Earth?
It is very rare that a first
scene holds such a powerful connection for me. Generally it is one where there
is a revelation between characters, or a defining moment when a person’s eyes
are truly opened to the eternal for the first time.
But in Rare Earth, when I shut my eyes and envision the story, it is that
first scene that blazes into light. Travelling on the UN chopper from Nairobi,
watching the volcano take shape upon the horizon. Marc Royce has been sent out
there to fail. And to die. I really am pleased with that opening sequence.
What’s
next in your writing pipeline?
The film project Unlimited,
for which I wrote the screenplay, has now ‘wrapped’, that is, filming has been
completed. The producer and director are now deep into the editing process.
Meanwhile, I must get busy and write the novel.
I had the whole thing backwards here, doing the script first, but it
has been a lot of fun, and the concept remains very fresh. So hopefully it will
come alive on the page as well as the screen. Both the film and the story are titled
Unlimited, and are slated for release
in September 2013.
I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from Bethany
House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I
have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal
Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.
Continuing a character he introduced in his novel "Book Of Dreams", Davis Bunn has created a new thriller dealing with the aspects of the financial crisis around the globe.
In "Book of Dreams" we met Elena Burroughs a psychiatrist who specialized in dream interpretation. She is a confident, professional, a prayerful believer. She is approached by the wife of a government official about a recurring dream. It comes to light that several other people are having the same dream. The group works and prays together to solve the callings of God through these dreams. Through no real fault of her own, Elena’s interpretation and actions cause her house to be burned down, her office ransacked and the loss of her job. This is the point where we meet Elena in the sequel “Hidden in Dreams”. Elena has moved from Oxford, England to Florida and accepted a teaching position at a small Christian University. Because of her published book on dream interpretation, an executive of a pharmaceutical company contacts her to ask about a recurring dream that one of their test trial patients is having. The executive is hoping that the dream has nothing to do with a new drug for ADD they are developing and testing with the hope of bringing it to the market soon. Elena agrees to help, but begins to experience the same dream and finds that several people around the world are experiencing the dream as well. In this fast paced thriller we see Elena resort to prayer with trusted friends and other methods of investigation to find the clues behind these dreams. But these dreams are somehow different and she feels her prayers are unanswered.
Even though “Hidden in Dreams” is a sequel the two books can be read alone, the main character is the only carry over. I thoroughly enjoyed “Book of Dreams” finding it interesting, spiritual and exciting. I believed in the characters and while the dreams and the Christian interpretation of dreams was a new subject to me, I thoroughly believed that the group was able to work through the problems they faced through prayer and working together. In “Hidden in Dreams” the story seems rushed, with lots of loose ends that are never tied up such as the hurricane that seems a threat but never seems to get there or the budding love story between Elena and the college president that seems too quick. The book becomes more of a rushed thriller, with the characters rushing on planes from here to there and never really accomplishing anything. It rushes to a thriller typ ending that leaves the reader wanting more. The whole story feels more like a good outline for a good book.
If anything "Hidden in Dreams" debuncts all the good spiritual build up from the first book. It is almost as if Mr. Bunn is refuting everything he got you to believe in in the first book of the series. As thrillers go, “Hidden in Dreams” is a good, if short thriller as a read alone. I ,however, was really disappointed with the outcomes of this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from Howard Books, a division of Simon & Schuster. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.
Release: July
3, 2012 from Howard Books, a Division of Simon & Schuster
About Hidden
in Dreams
Just when the world’s foremost expert on dream analysis,
Dr. Elena Burroughs, thinks she is getting her life back under control after
losing her position at Oxford University and the man she hoped to fall in love
with, she is approached by Rachel Lamprey, the product manager of an innovative
new ADHD treatment about to hit the market.
Rachel asks for Elena’s help with a clinical trial
participant who has had a disturbing dream foretelling a cataclysmic global
financial collapse. But even more alarming is the fact that fifteen people
scattered across the globe—including Elena herself—begin to experience the same
repetitive, devastating dreams of economic ruin just as one bank crisis follows
another, suggesting that these aren’t merely dreams.
As Elena searches for answers in her professional networks, she is forced to
form an unlikely alliance with her most vehement critic and is drawn back into
the spotlight as the public face of the so-called dreamers. As Elena and her
collaborators attempt to discover the dreams’ source, the clock
ticks down to devastation. Suddenly, it’s no longer just about the dreams. It’s
about survival.
Davis Bunn
is an award-winning novelist whose audience spans reading genres from high
drama and action thrillers to heartwarming relationship stories, in both
contemporary and historical settings. He and his wife, Isabella, make their
home in Florida for some of each year, and spend the rest near Oxford, England,
where they each teach and write. Visit Davis at www.davisbunn.com.
A Conversation with Davis Bunn
Q: How much research did you have to
conduct to write this intriguing story?
A:In a way, I suppose you could say I’ve been researching this story all my
adult life. I did my studies in international economics and finance. Observing
the difficulties our nation and economy has faced over the past three years, as
well as what we personally have endured, has been tough. It really was great to
have this chance to give voice to what we increasingly hear, that the people at
fault need to be brought to justice, and the risk of another economic collapse
needs to be halted.
Q: Why
is it important for you to write about such timely themes?
A: Economic uncertainty defines the
world we live in. I feel it is important to show how the timeless and eternal
messages are applicable to every aspect of our world and our lives. And how the
gift of peace and wisdom can be used in every circumstance we face.
Q: When you wrote Book of Dreams, did you
have plans for this sequel, Hidden in
Dreams?
A:Two
months after Book of Dreams was
released, I had the call every author dreams about and yearns for—a vice
president of NBC/Universal suggested we discuss the possibility of turning it
into a television series. I was put in touch with one of their producers and
over the next six months began working up the basic structure of what this
program might look like. One of the ideas I found most appealing became the
basis for Hidden in Dreams. There is as yet no firm decision about the television project. But it has
been a blast to even be considered.
Q: In writing a sequel it’s always a
challenge to include enough back story to satisfy those who haven’t read the
first book while still making sure the book stands alone. How do you approach
this dilemma?
A:You’re right, it can indeed be troublesome, but this time it all fell
together very easily. The structure just flowed. That sometimes happens, where
the story seems to create itself. I wish it was true all the time. I can’t even
say why it was such a smooth process with Hidden in
Dreams. But there was a sense of
impatience about the back story, as though I needed to fit in just a few
paragraphs, but I couldn’t allow myself or the reader to be drawn too far from
this new story’s flow.
Q: Why did you choose to end Elena's relationship with Antonio? They
seemed like a good couple.
A:For this story to work, Elena needed to enter into
the dilemma as vulnerable as all the other people who shared the recurring
dreams. She was isolated in a new place and forced to be dependent upon her
faith and newfound friends.
Antonio (from Book of Dreams) belonged to a different
universe, far from what was happening here. I had to make a choice at the
outset. Would she remain with Antonio, and the two of them experience this
together? Or would she be isolated?
Writing a new story
is all about two things: facing the empty page, and choices. It is kind of fun
to go back and revisit decisions I made eighteen months ago, when first
outlining this concept.
Q: You’re writing about two women in this
novel. Is it ever a challenge to write from the female point of view?
A:Learning to write from a woman’s point of view is very difficult for a
male writer, as it usually is for a woman author writing a man’s story. Before
I was published, I became friends with a husband and wife team who were both
opera stars. The woman often sang a male role in a Mozart opera that was
originally designed for a young boy, but which nowadays is usually sung by a
woman with a slightly lower range, called a coloratura.
I
discussed my difficulty with her, of trying to make my women sound real. She
told me that my trouble stemmed from working on a woman character from the
outside. It wasn’t about making women ’sound’ anything. It was all about making
the character live from the inside-out.
As I
worked on the point of view issue, trying to put my friend’s challenge into
practice, I also began going into any meeting with a woman carrying a secret
tape recorder, and taping everything that was said. I then went back and wrote
out every word. It was perhaps the most boring month of my entire writing
career.
But
gradually I found that I could ‘hear’ the speech patterns of these women, and
reshape them into structures that fitted around what was happening in my
stories. And through this exercise, the emotional content that lay behind the
dialogue, the person who was expressing herself, became more real, more solid.
And then I
met my wife, Isabella. And the process of instruction at the intimate level of
a God-centered marriage began to unfold.
Q: In Hidden, Elena and her colleagues are
attacked in Miami. After the attack, why did Elena not take more
precautions?
A: Elena had a choice
to make, and so did I. Either she could play the delicate flower – fearing
everything and going nowhere – or she could go on the hunt. I liked the balance
between her internal fears and uncertainties, and her quest as a professional
psychologist. She is, in effect, trained to look for clues – to go on the
quest of drawing out the hidden. I felt the actions she took, despite the
dangers, to be her natural response.
Q: Is there another Elena Burroughs book planned?
A: I have another idea.
The question is, what do the readers want, and how positive is the reaction to
this story?
Q:Why
do you write fiction?
A:I became a believer at age 28. Up to that time, ever since graduating, I
had been working in international business. I came to faith while working as a
consultant in Germany. I started writing two weeks later. Up to that point, I
had never picked up a pen in my life to write anything longer than a business
report. But I had always been an avid reader. And the moment I started, that
very first instant, I had the sense of invitation. It was the first time I had ever experienced that incredible sense of
being drawn in a new, divinely inspired direction.
I wrote
for nine years and finished seven novels before my first was accepted for
publication. Simply because I had received a sense of calling did not mean I
was ready to serve. First the diamond had to be polished. Hard and painful as
that was.
Q:While
you are a prolific writer, you also get out there and live too! What’s been
your most exciting real life adventure?
A:It would probably be better to ask, what has been the most exciting
real-life event so far this year.
Undoubtedly that would be working on the set of a film being shot from a
screenplay I wrote last year.
Unlimitedhas now
‘wrapped’, that is, filming has been completed. The producer and director are
now deep into the editing process. The film is due for release in September, 2013. I am
currently working on the novel, which comes out a couple of months before then.
I had the whole thing backwards here, doing the script first, but it
has been a lot of fun, and the concept remains very fresh. So hopefully Unlimited will come alive on the page as
well as the screen.
Q: What is your goal as a novelist?
A:I want to combine a truly entertaining read with a powerful after-effect.
My dream is that long after the book is set down with a satisfied sigh, there
are still images that surface, lessons that can be drawn, genuine hope and
healing and challenges and inspirations. I want my writing to be worthy of the
gift.
I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from Howard
Books, a division of Simon & Schuster. I was not required to write a
positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this
in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.
Coming up next post: My review of "Hidden in Dreams" by Davis Bunn
Working undercover for the state department, Marc Royce is flying into Africa as an audit accountant for a firm that ships medical supplies to refugee camps. His true mission is to find a young relief worker who has been kidnapped and the reasons he has disappeared. He arrives into the utter chaos of a refugee camp that is straining to provide medical care and food for an ever increasing stream of refugees fleeing the eruption of a volcano. Marc works with the tribal chiefs and the medical administrators to restore order and get the needed supplies distributed. He tries to make contact with the sister of the young man who has been kidnapped but she believes he is one of the same company of men responsible for kidnapping her brother. The dangers increase as Marc searches for the answers he needs to uncover who is behind the takeover of entire villages, displacing the people into the camps and what their ulterior motives are. He finds that these lands are rich in valuable minerals Known as “rare earth” used in current technologies and coveted by the world. Marc races against time and traditions to gather a group of warriors to expose the wrongdoers and reclaim the land for the African tribes.
