It’s here, the third book in the Oculus Gate Series, My Soul to Take!
Written by Bryan Davis, author of the Dragons in Our Midst series, another chapter has been written in what’s actually been a long story. But, I’m getting ahead of myself. My Soul to Take is a dystopian fantasy novel, story, book? I don’t know, but what I do know is that it’s one of the best books I’ve ever read. Although I’ll say that about every Bryan Davis book. With guns, tanks, drones, fighter jets, technology you’ve never heard of, etc. The story is placed on earth, although you don’t stay on earth. You go to hell and to another world he’s named “Viridi” which is filled with man eating giants. Well, at least, it was until this book. 

 

Your main characters are split up almost the whole book, split between hell, earth and Viridi. Your characters are not only fighting to save the world but each other. The antagonist, Alexandria, you might remember. If you’ve read Bryan Davis’ Reapers Trilogy, you know that Alexandria was the main enemy in that series. She is a reaper of the highest ability, known as an owl. She has the ability to perceive thoughts by simply looking people in the eye. Combine that ability with a ruthless, trained, strategist-type woman and you have one terrible enemy.

 

At the end of the Reapers Trilogy, Phoenix, who’s your main character, manages to beat her with brute force and a mirror; he couldn’t beat her by out scheming or planning her. Well, for fans of Bryan Davis it’s no surprise he brought back this enemy. In the Dragons in our Midst and Oracles of Fire series he brought back both Devin and Morgan. Davis clearly doesn’t like coming up with new bad guys. Although he has no problem giving them random henchmen. 

 

Davis decided he wanted to beat Alex by actually out playing, planning, scheming – in other words, beat her with a better brain. So, he created the most dynamic duo he’s ever written. Davis is great at creating dynamic duos! Walter and Ashley come to mind, but these two characters – Benjamin Garrison and his wife Katherine, or Ben and Kat – they’re arguably that most capable duo he’s created.

 

Ben is the perfect warrior, truly skilled in combat, willing to give his life for anyone, and often accomplishes feats worthy of a movie. Kat is the technical genius that Davis throws in most of his books. Skilled with computers, technology, she is the Ashley of this series for sure. But also a trained warrior, quite capable of killing anybody in the blink of an eye. Together these two are probably smarter than Einstein.

 

I don’t want to give away too much of the story, but I do have mention just how incredible it is how Davis intertwines his books. He has managed to connect three series together in one book. The Time Echoes Trilogy, a murder mystery that ends up having your characters save three earths in different spatial times set for an earth shattering collision with a violin and mirror. The Reapers Trilogy, where your main characters reap the souls of the dead and save the world by killing Alex with a mirror. And now the Oculus Gate Series, where you characters battle fallen angels, a destructive vaccine, go through hell, and get turned into disembodied souls.

 

In this single book, My Soul to Take, he brings back the Reapers, the violin, and the mirror. All three of these series happen in the same world/timeline. First the Time Echoes Trilogy, then the Reapers Trilogy, and, two centuries after that, the Oculus Gate Series. He’s managed to connect all these series in a way that makes the book even more exciting to read! And part of that comes from having read the other books first, you know more than your heroes, which is super exciting!

 

I find myself waiting to read their reactions when they discover the abilities of the mirror and violin. Or what a reaper’s capable of.

 

In the Oculus Gate Series, Alex found out how to escape hell, and, after your heroes put her back in hell, she figured out how to get out a second time. This time she uses the body of one of your heroes, which she then uses to reunite her spirit to her body. Yes, the Alex from the Reapers Trilogy comes back in full force. 

 

And then, the book ends. Again, Bryan Davis gets to the climax of the story at the end of the book…and now you have to wait for the next. Which means, the story isn’t anywhere near over. We’re left with characters going to meet satan himself, while also believing that Kat and Ben are dead. No, I’m not going to tell you whether or not they actually died. To find out, you’re going to have to read the book.

 

At this point in the series, there isn’t much to talk about unless you’ve read the other books in the series. There aren’t any excess characters. There are some major plot twists, but I’m trying to keep this short and not give away their book…or the series. 

 

I highly recommend you read this book (and the ones before it), they are really good!