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Bright Empires #4
The Shadow Lamp
The quest for answers—and ultimate survival—hinges on finding the cosmic link between the Skin Map, the Shadow Lamp, and the Spirit Well.
The search for the map of blue symbols began in a rainy alley in London but has since expanded through space and time and includes more seekers.
Kit, Mina, Gianni, Cass, Haven, and Giles have gathered in Mina’s 16th-century coffee house and are united in their determination to find a path back to the Spirit Well. Yet, with their shadow lamps destroyed and key pieces of the map still missing, the journey will be far more difficult than they imagine. And when one of their own disappears with Sir Henry’s cryptic Green Book, they no longer know who to trust.
At the same time, the Zetetic Society has uncovered a terrifying secret which, if proven, will rock the very foundations of Creation. The quest for answers is no longer limited to recovering an unknown treasure. The fate of the universe depends on unraveling the riddle of the Skin Map.
The search for the map of blue symbols began in a rainy alley in London but has since expanded through space and time and includes more seekers.
Kit, Mina, Gianni, Cass, Haven, and Giles have gathered in Mina’s 16th-century coffee house and are united in their determination to find a path back to the Spirit Well. Yet, with their shadow lamps destroyed and key pieces of the map still missing, the journey will be far more difficult than they imagine. And when one of their own disappears with Sir Henry’s cryptic Green Book, they no longer know who to trust.
At the same time, the Zetetic Society has uncovered a terrifying secret which, if proven, will rock the very foundations of Creation. The quest for answers is no longer limited to recovering an unknown treasure. The fate of the universe depends on unraveling the riddle of the Skin Map.
388 pages, Hardcover
First published September 3, 2013
67 people are currently reading
1390 people want to read
About the author
Stephen R. Lawhead
103 books2,701 followersStephen R. Lawhead is an internationally acclaimed author of mythic history and imaginative fiction. His works include Byzantium, Patrick, and the series The Pendragon Cycle, The Celtic Crusades, and The Song of Albion.
Also see his fanpage at Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/stephenlawhead...
Stephen was born in 1950, in Nebraska in the USA. Most of his early life was spent in America where he earned a university degree in Fine Arts and attended theological college for two years. His first professional writing was done at Campus Life magazine in Chicago, where he was an editor and staff writer. During his five years at Campus Life he wrote hundreds of articles and several non-fiction books.
After a brief foray into the music business—as president of his own record company—he began full-time freelance writing in 1981. He moved to England in order to research Celtic legend and history. His first novel, In the Hall of the Dragon King, became the first in a series of three books (The Dragon King Trilogy) and was followed by the two-volume Empyrion saga, Dream Thief and then the Pendragon Cycle, now in five volumes: Taliesin, Merlin, Arthur, Pendragon, and Grail. This was followed by the award-winning Song of Albion series which consists of The Paradise War, The Silver Hand, and The Endless Knot.
He has written nine children's books, many of them originally offered to his two sons, Drake and Ross. He is married to Alice Slaikeu Lawhead, also a writer, with whom he has collaborated on some books and articles. They make their home in Oxford, England.
Stephen's non-fiction, fiction and children's titles have been published in twenty-one foreign languages. All of his novels have remained continuously in print in the United States and Britain since they were first published. He has won numereous industry awards for his novels and children's books, and in 2003 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by the University of Nebraska.
also write under the name Steve Lawhead
Also see his fanpage at Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/stephenlawhead...
Stephen was born in 1950, in Nebraska in the USA. Most of his early life was spent in America where he earned a university degree in Fine Arts and attended theological college for two years. His first professional writing was done at Campus Life magazine in Chicago, where he was an editor and staff writer. During his five years at Campus Life he wrote hundreds of articles and several non-fiction books.
After a brief foray into the music business—as president of his own record company—he began full-time freelance writing in 1981. He moved to England in order to research Celtic legend and history. His first novel, In the Hall of the Dragon King, became the first in a series of three books (The Dragon King Trilogy) and was followed by the two-volume Empyrion saga, Dream Thief and then the Pendragon Cycle, now in five volumes: Taliesin, Merlin, Arthur, Pendragon, and Grail. This was followed by the award-winning Song of Albion series which consists of The Paradise War, The Silver Hand, and The Endless Knot.
He has written nine children's books, many of them originally offered to his two sons, Drake and Ross. He is married to Alice Slaikeu Lawhead, also a writer, with whom he has collaborated on some books and articles. They make their home in Oxford, England.
Stephen's non-fiction, fiction and children's titles have been published in twenty-one foreign languages. All of his novels have remained continuously in print in the United States and Britain since they were first published. He has won numereous industry awards for his novels and children's books, and in 2003 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by the University of Nebraska.
also write under the name Steve Lawhead
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews
April 12, 2014
In recommending this book to series fans, I'm intending to underscore the fact that if you haven't read the previous installments, this is not the place to start; this series is one that absolutely needs to be read in order. Even for reading the Goodreads description (which sets up the premise pretty accurately), if you haven't read the first three books, the characters and things referred to will be mostly meaningless to you. How well you liked the previous three volumes will also be fairly predictive for how well you'll like this one; the quality and texture, strengths and weaknesses are very consistent across all four of the books that have been written so far. (The fifth one, The Fatal Tree, is expected to be published this fall.) A number of the observations in my reviews of the first three installments would be applicable here as well.
My Goodreads friend Jackie and I are buddy reading this series; again, she rated it a star higher than I did, and noted that compared to the previous books, this one has more plot progression and more interesting scientific speculation. Both points are true. The ultimate threat to the universe, which will reach the crisis point in the last book, is now taking clear shape; and it's a threat integrally involved with cutting-edge speculation in quantum physics.
Ley-travel neophyte Cass Clarke had a vision, in the preceding book (The Spirit Well), of the total annihilation of the multiverse. At the time, I attributed this threat to the agenda of a personal entity opposed to God's creative purposes. The threat to these, it turns out, is very real, as Lawhead explains through the mouth of his ley-traveling Roman Catholic priest and astronomer, Gianni. But we're not dealing with a malevolent personal entity; the cause of the danger is more prosaic and "natural," though not fully understood yet by our characters. Without spoilers, what is clear is that it involves "a threat to the future," closely related to the theory that time flows from the future to the past, rather than the other way around. Personally, I find this idea, and a lot of the rest of the underlying "science" or pseudo-science, to be implausible, and that's a major factor that gets in the way of suspension of disbelief.
As usual for this series, there are a lot of vivid scenes of events across a variety of alternate-world dimensions, though none of these worlds are explored very fully. Some of our key characters are developed a bit more here, in fascinating ways. The excitement and suspense quotient is high, with such plot elements as a running sea battle with pirates, a life-threatening sudden flood, flight from marauding invaders, the search for an Egyptian tomb, and the vicious skull-duggery of top series villain Burleigh and his "Burley Men." A valuable bonus is Lawhead's appended short essay "The Great Divide," probing the supposed opposition between science and religion, and occasioned by the author's visit to the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli at Rome, with its monument to Galileo. His recounting of the real story behind Galileo's clash with the Inquisition will likely provide you with factual information you didn't know, whether you're a serious student of history (like me), or someone whose only knowledge of the affair comes from the essentially cartoon version purveyed by the history-as-propaganda school of historiography.
Not Lawhead's best work (by far), but still a crucial installment of an entertaining series --and a serious appetite-whetter for book five!
My Goodreads friend Jackie and I are buddy reading this series; again, she rated it a star higher than I did, and noted that compared to the previous books, this one has more plot progression and more interesting scientific speculation. Both points are true. The ultimate threat to the universe, which will reach the crisis point in the last book, is now taking clear shape; and it's a threat integrally involved with cutting-edge speculation in quantum physics.
Ley-travel neophyte Cass Clarke had a vision, in the preceding book (The Spirit Well), of the total annihilation of the multiverse. At the time, I attributed this threat to the agenda of a personal entity opposed to God's creative purposes. The threat to these, it turns out, is very real, as Lawhead explains through the mouth of his ley-traveling Roman Catholic priest and astronomer, Gianni. But we're not dealing with a malevolent personal entity; the cause of the danger is more prosaic and "natural," though not fully understood yet by our characters. Without spoilers, what is clear is that it involves "a threat to the future," closely related to the theory that time flows from the future to the past, rather than the other way around. Personally, I find this idea, and a lot of the rest of the underlying "science" or pseudo-science, to be implausible, and that's a major factor that gets in the way of suspension of disbelief.
As usual for this series, there are a lot of vivid scenes of events across a variety of alternate-world dimensions, though none of these worlds are explored very fully. Some of our key characters are developed a bit more here, in fascinating ways. The excitement and suspense quotient is high, with such plot elements as a running sea battle with pirates, a life-threatening sudden flood, flight from marauding invaders, the search for an Egyptian tomb, and the vicious skull-duggery of top series villain Burleigh and his "Burley Men." A valuable bonus is Lawhead's appended short essay "The Great Divide," probing the supposed opposition between science and religion, and occasioned by the author's visit to the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli at Rome, with its monument to Galileo. His recounting of the real story behind Galileo's clash with the Inquisition will likely provide you with factual information you didn't know, whether you're a serious student of history (like me), or someone whose only knowledge of the affair comes from the essentially cartoon version purveyed by the history-as-propaganda school of historiography.
Not Lawhead's best work (by far), but still a crucial installment of an entertaining series --and a serious appetite-whetter for book five!
April 22, 2017
Firstly, THIS MAY BE MY FAVORITE BOOK OF THE SERIES YET. Hard to say, because they’re so good, but you know. Just so much is HAPPENING in this! (Speaking of which, it’s increasingly difficult to review these books as the series goes on, without spoilers, but I’m continuing to do my best.)
Questing, beloved characters who are so fun to read about, adventures on the high seas and across many times and places, and something about the end of the world... all make an excellent, gripping adventure. Like I said, possibly my favorite in the series yet!
THERE IS SO MUCH GOING ON AND IT’S SO EXCITING. Things have been happening through the entire series, of course, but I feel somehow that there was MORE, and there’s a lot coming to a head in this one. It’s positively thrilling. :D
One of the things I was very excited about, was various of the characters finally meeting up! I simply love it when a story follows several people on their own journeys and then they start meeting and... it’s the best. I’m not going to say WHO is meeting up, because that may range into spoiler territory? BUT IT’S FABULOUS.
Speaking of characters, I’m so attached to these! Even the ones I started out disliking, or being wary of, I like now. (Villains aside. *cough*) Kit (so funny and British and... and... KIT-like!), Mina (I want to be her), Etzel (his food, though!), Giles (his new part in the story—HE IS THE BEST), Cass (new heroine, who’s growing on me), Haven (wow. So hard to figure out), Gianni (Italian hand-gestures when he talks!), and all the rest of the cast, old friends and new. One of my favorite things is seeing these characters interact. <3 Especially in CERTAIN PAIRS. *cough*spoilers*cough* Anyways, they’re all great and I love them. :D
The dialog in this book. Gold. GOLD. It’s clever, funny, or thoughtful in turn. And the writing as a whole is so enjoyable to read. (I still love the chapter and part titles too. “In Which Tomb Robbing Is Encouraged.” “Many Unhappy Returns.” “The End of Everything” [okay then]. “In Which Time Is of the Essence.”)
Two random fun moments I loved: When Kit eats so much he vows he’ll never eat again—until smelling Etzel’s honey-and-walnut rolls. XD And when Kit is teasing Cass about the Brothers Grimm living around the corner and she almost falls for it—priceless. :D There are so many fun incidents.
What the villains are up to, as well . . . So much going on and all quite fascinating. O_O Not saying anything about them but EEK. THINGS.
Also: nautical adventures and pirate attacks and THINGS. Whenever Captain Farrell is mentioned, I can’t help thinking of a certain song. (And, for the matter of that, I love names like Smollet and the Black Spot sneaking in and reminding me of other beloved high-seas adventures...) It just makes the book feel like an even richer tapestry, filled with all manner of references for the attentive eye to pick out. It was so rewarding to read closely.
England, Prague, Egypt, and other fascinating places are back in this one, the Zetetic society is working to figure things out, and the plot is slowly but surely making new twists and turns and taking new shapes. I really wonder how they’re going to get out of this one!
I want to go to Prague and eat pastries at Mina and Etzel’s Kaffeehaus, and to have tea with the Zetetic society, please and thank you.
This book used the word “eucatastrophe.” It made me very happy.
The final scene before the epilogue. SLOW MOTION. That scene is sticking with me. These books have a way of ending at these amazing, chill-inducing, vivid scenes. I love it.
THE EPILOGUE. OH MY GOODNESS. I CAN SAY NOTHING ELSE. BUT. THINGS. O_O
I’m finally reviewing this book because I’m about to start the final book and I’m so. excited. And have some slight trepidation. (How can this finish?? What’s going to happen??) But mostly excited. I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS. I can’t wait to see how the series wraps up!
Some favorite quotes
(Review originally posted on The Page Dreamer: https://thepagedreamer.wordpress.com/...)
Questing, beloved characters who are so fun to read about, adventures on the high seas and across many times and places, and something about the end of the world... all make an excellent, gripping adventure. Like I said, possibly my favorite in the series yet!
THERE IS SO MUCH GOING ON AND IT’S SO EXCITING. Things have been happening through the entire series, of course, but I feel somehow that there was MORE, and there’s a lot coming to a head in this one. It’s positively thrilling. :D
One of the things I was very excited about, was various of the characters finally meeting up! I simply love it when a story follows several people on their own journeys and then they start meeting and... it’s the best. I’m not going to say WHO is meeting up, because that may range into spoiler territory? BUT IT’S FABULOUS.
Speaking of characters, I’m so attached to these! Even the ones I started out disliking, or being wary of, I like now. (Villains aside. *cough*) Kit (so funny and British and... and... KIT-like!), Mina (I want to be her), Etzel (his food, though!), Giles (his new part in the story—HE IS THE BEST), Cass (new heroine, who’s growing on me), Haven (wow. So hard to figure out), Gianni (Italian hand-gestures when he talks!), and all the rest of the cast, old friends and new. One of my favorite things is seeing these characters interact. <3 Especially in CERTAIN PAIRS. *cough*spoilers*cough* Anyways, they’re all great and I love them. :D
The dialog in this book. Gold. GOLD. It’s clever, funny, or thoughtful in turn. And the writing as a whole is so enjoyable to read. (I still love the chapter and part titles too. “In Which Tomb Robbing Is Encouraged.” “Many Unhappy Returns.” “The End of Everything” [okay then]. “In Which Time Is of the Essence.”)
Two random fun moments I loved: When Kit eats so much he vows he’ll never eat again—until smelling Etzel’s honey-and-walnut rolls. XD And when Kit is teasing Cass about the Brothers Grimm living around the corner and she almost falls for it—priceless. :D There are so many fun incidents.
What the villains are up to, as well . . . So much going on and all quite fascinating. O_O Not saying anything about them but EEK. THINGS.
Also: nautical adventures and pirate attacks and THINGS. Whenever Captain Farrell is mentioned, I can’t help thinking of a certain song. (And, for the matter of that, I love names like Smollet and the Black Spot sneaking in and reminding me of other beloved high-seas adventures...) It just makes the book feel like an even richer tapestry, filled with all manner of references for the attentive eye to pick out. It was so rewarding to read closely.
England, Prague, Egypt, and other fascinating places are back in this one, the Zetetic society is working to figure things out, and the plot is slowly but surely making new twists and turns and taking new shapes. I really wonder how they’re going to get out of this one!
I want to go to Prague and eat pastries at Mina and Etzel’s Kaffeehaus, and to have tea with the Zetetic society, please and thank you.
This book used the word “eucatastrophe.” It made me very happy.
The final scene before the epilogue. SLOW MOTION. That scene is sticking with me. These books have a way of ending at these amazing, chill-inducing, vivid scenes. I love it.
THE EPILOGUE. OH MY GOODNESS. I CAN SAY NOTHING ELSE. BUT. THINGS. O_O
I’m finally reviewing this book because I’m about to start the final book and I’m so. excited. And have some slight trepidation. (How can this finish?? What’s going to happen??) But mostly excited. I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS. I can’t wait to see how the series wraps up!
Some favorite quotes
“Good afternoon,” she said, pausing to cast a critical eye over him. “Are you among the living at last?”
“Hi, yourself,” replied Kit.
...
“Ley leaping?”
“The man who showed me called it ‘crossing the Coyote Bridge.’”
“That’s a new one.”
...
“He’s the Lord High Alchemist and, just so you know, he takes his position very seriously. If we see him, a bow and curtsey are in order. And whatever you do, do not mention the Turks. Oh, and be sure to call him Herr Docktor. He insists.”
Cass gave Kit a look that said, Pinch me, I’m in a dream, and Kit returned it with a glance that said, You cannot make this stuff up.
...
“Then, by all means, tell me about the Zetetic Society—if that is allowed.”
“No need to be snarky, Mr. Clarke,” chided the woman.
...
“Forgive me for being—what was it?”
“Snarky.”
...
Gianni paced to the other side of the room, hitting his stride as he warmed to his thesis, his hands describing complex Italianate gestures in the air.
...
[Page 283 (hardcover edition), last six lines, end of chapter 27. I’m not typing it here for reasons of semi-spoilers, BUT SO CUTE.]
...
“Cassandra, my dear,” said Kit, mimicking the old-fashioned, elevated tone of his late great-grandfather, “we should all very well know by now that there is no such thing as coincidence.”
(Review originally posted on The Page Dreamer: https://thepagedreamer.wordpress.com/...)
July 18, 2016
Absolutely fabulous! This book really raised the stakes, and I must get my hands on the final instalment ASAP.
December 9, 2013
As a longtime Lawhead fan, it is with a heavy heart that I check only two stars on the ShadowLamp. The fourth (I believe) book in the Bright Empires series, it became rather painfully clear in this installment that Stephen has bitten off more than he can chew. The cast of characters has become so large as to be unwieldy, with insufficient time spent with anyone to form a connection or investment as a reader. And there is a terribly large amount of exposition in Shadowlamp, with characters rambling on and on for pages at a time about the nature of the universe and time and God. It's all very prettily written, with expert prose as always, and the sentiments are quite positive and, IMO, valid. But so much time is spent discussing these things that the characters hardly go anywhere. Nothing much happens until near the end, and then it happens to our antagonist. By that point, we are so starved to see the story move forward, that we quickly grow rather fond of the only character in the giant cast we are really meant to dislike. All in all, it's just a bit of a mess, and I can't wait for Mr. Lawhead to find his way to another project altogether.
August 8, 2020
3.75 ⭐️
I found this one to be a lot more boring and seemed to have a lot more scientific jargon that went past me.
The part I did like about this book is that, with each book, the faith/Christian/God aspect seems to be increasing! 👍🏻
I found this one to be a lot more boring and seemed to have a lot more scientific jargon that went past me.
The part I did like about this book is that, with each book, the faith/Christian/God aspect seems to be increasing! 👍🏻
June 1, 2022
Another 5 stars for the 4th book on this series! I love all the adventures and characters.
February 21, 2024
4.5 ⭐️
June 15, 2021
Initial Response
These...just keep getting more and more intense... O__o
High Lights
- OH. MY. WORD.
- I don't have words. Really.
- Kit and Cass are a thing. And I loves it. A LOT.
- Mina is MY FAVORITE. :D She's just so take-charge and awesome.
- There are some BIG stakes that get raised in this book. And I'm slightly terrified. Just slightly. I may or may not be afraid to read the last book...
- Gianni is hilarious. I don't even know why, I just love him so much. I mean,
- I'm suuuuper curious about Burleigh now.
- Also, Etzel is so sweet and adorable and yes.
- Also, PLOT TWIIIIIIST.
- Intensity, basically.
- And Tony Clarke. (Which sounds very much like Tony Stark , which may explain a lot.)
Low Lights
- Some of the characters, *cough*DOUGLAS*cough* are super jerky and I dislike them abundantly. But, that's naturally what I'm supposed to feel about them. But still.
- The ending was a little weird. I'm still dying to know what happens, but still.
Conclusion
I NEED TO READ THE LAST BOOK. But...I'm too scared. Help. We're talking the end of the universe at stake here. I need a looooot of closure. Just saying. But all in all, IT WAS REALLY GOOD.
5/5.
These...just keep getting more and more intense... O__o
High Lights
- OH. MY. WORD.
- I don't have words. Really.
- Kit and Cass are a thing. And I loves it. A LOT.
- Mina is MY FAVORITE. :D She's just so take-charge and awesome.
- There are some BIG stakes that get raised in this book. And I'm slightly terrified. Just slightly. I may or may not be afraid to read the last book...
- Gianni is hilarious. I don't even know why, I just love him so much. I mean,
- I'm suuuuper curious about Burleigh now.
- Also, Etzel is so sweet and adorable and yes.
- Also, PLOT TWIIIIIIST.
- Intensity, basically.
- And Tony Clarke. (Which sounds very much like Tony Stark , which may explain a lot.)
Low Lights
- Some of the characters, *cough*DOUGLAS*cough* are super jerky and I dislike them abundantly. But, that's naturally what I'm supposed to feel about them. But still.
- The ending was a little weird. I'm still dying to know what happens, but still.
Conclusion
I NEED TO READ THE LAST BOOK. But...I'm too scared. Help. We're talking the end of the universe at stake here. I need a looooot of closure. Just saying. But all in all, IT WAS REALLY GOOD.
5/5.
September 27, 2017
I was enjoying this book. until there was a massive philosophical semi-religious rant half way through. That just went on far too long.
I care about the characters and the continuing of the story plot. Without getting the authors views forced on me.
I care about the characters and the continuing of the story plot. Without getting the authors views forced on me.
February 4, 2025
Oof! Okay, this is now my least favorite entry in the series so far. It left me very conflicted because there are several chapters where it's really awesome and I'm digging the story. Unfortunately, more than a few times these were followed by a chapter that is basically just what I'm going to call a Quantum Theology infodump. I get why these are here but they are tedious and boring to listen to, and they also bring the story to a grinding halt every time the happen.
I suppose if you're into the religious aspects of this story or are deeply into theological debate as it relates to science or history, they might be interesting passages, but for me personally they just aren't doing much to add to the experience. Quite the contrary, in fact. Unless they somehow tie into the ending of the series, I'm going to treat them as wasted space in the book, which is a shame because this is an intriguing and thought provoking series at times.
I suppose if you're into the religious aspects of this story or are deeply into theological debate as it relates to science or history, they might be interesting passages, but for me personally they just aren't doing much to add to the experience. Quite the contrary, in fact. Unless they somehow tie into the ending of the series, I'm going to treat them as wasted space in the book, which is a shame because this is an intriguing and thought provoking series at times.
July 12, 2014
Seeing that this is book four, I'm not even going to try to do this without spoilers. I'm not sure there's a good way to even try. I will, though, be as general as possible, so any spoilers may not make sense anyway. Except for one, which will be a huge spoiler, so, if you even think you might want to read this series, when I get to the part where I'm talking about the new conflict, well, you'll probably not want to read that part.]
The elapsed time span in this novel seems to be much shorter than the previous books, at least as it passes with the central characters. There is still all kinds of back story as it relates to the Flinders-Petrie family and Burleigh, which is all interesting, but I'm not certain exactly how much of it pertains to the "present day" story. Well, I think that the stuff to do with the map is at least quasi-important, because the map (the skin map) is very important, so how it ended up in pieces is probably going to end up being important. But, still, the advancement of the main plot, the story around Kit, doesn't make much progress.
However, that doesn't mean there are no significant events.
We're introduced to another new character, and I'm not sure how vital he will end up being to the overall story, but he was at least vital in one area in this book. Still, it's kind of weird to me that Lawhead has continued to introduce major characters this far into the series. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing; it's just not usual. Generally speaking, series like this give us the whole cast of characters right up front and, if not, certainly by the end of the second book, but Lawhead gave us two major characters in book three and at least one in book four (and possibly a second, I'm not sure, yet), so that aspect is interesting to me.
The other thing of interest to me is the conflict (and, yes, this is where the major spoiler comes in). During the first three books, the conflict is really just over the skin map itself. Kit and his group (the Zetetic Society, even though Kit didn't know that) on one side and Burleigh on the other. The skin map is a twofold prize: 1. The obvious one, it provides a map to travelling the leys, and there is a lot of profit in ley travelling if that's your motivation. 2. There is a secret hidden the map. There is speculation that the secret is the Spirit Well, but no one is quite sure if that's it or not. Of course, the Spirit Well, all by itself, is a prize beyond compare.
So for three books we're going with that as the conflict, but The Shadow Lamp introduces a new character, Tony Clarke, and, through him, we discover that there is something much worse going on, something that could lead to the actual destruction of not just the universe but the entire multiverse. Of course, getting the skin map may be the only way to stop the threat. All of it leaves one wondering how in the world he will wrap all of this up in the fifth (and final) book, which is something I started wondering in book three, actually.
Now, here's my problem:
Bright Empires is not really a time travel story even though it has time travel, of a sorts, in it. However, this book develops a time travel issue, and I'm not sure, yet, how I feel about it. [This continues the spoiler warning, because I'm going to get kind of detailed with this conflict.] There's a lot of theoretical talk in the book about multiple dimensions and how time works and all of that kind of stuff, and I'm okay with that. On the whole, it all deals with current ideas, so it's not wild speculation by the author [Which I would probably be okay with, too, but I do want to point out Lawhead has not just made up all of the theory stuff in this series. There's science that goes with it.]. However, there is one theoretical position that I have not read about [So it could be made up? I haven't tried looking it up, yet, to see if it's something that's being said out there in SCIENCE.], and the logic with which Lawhead uses it kind of baffles me.
The idea is that time flows... well, it flows backwards. Instead of flowing from the past to the future, as we experience it, the idea in the book is that time flows from the future to the past. Okay, interesting thought, but what does it have to do with anything? Well, because of this reverse time flow, if something happens to mess up the future, that error gets carried back into the past and wipes everything out. In the book, this will result in the collapse of the multiverse and it will be as if it never existed. Time itself will cease to exist.
And here's my problem with that:
If such a thing happened and time actually ceased to exist, then nothing would ever have happened to begin with. There would be no story, because it never would have existed. Which may not make sense, and would also negate the, well, telling of the story, but, what I guess I'm saying, is why make it so that nothing, not even time, would exist, because then there was nothing to begin with. And I may be getting to metaphysical for this discussion, so I'll just say that that one logic hole bothers me. Probably not enough to run the series for me but enough to put me back to reserving judgment till the next book.
That said, I like Lawhead. He's one of the few authors whose books I will just pick up and read whenever he has a new book out. He gets to go to the front of the line, so to speak, which is not so figurative as it may sound. Also, I've really enjoyed this series, especially after what I felt was a lackluster start to it (see my review of the first book). Even though I'm having ambivalence about his whole "utter annihilation of the entire multiverse" thing, I'm sure I'll enjoy the last book. At least, I hope so. I suppose I'll let you know whenever the paperback is released.
The elapsed time span in this novel seems to be much shorter than the previous books, at least as it passes with the central characters. There is still all kinds of back story as it relates to the Flinders-Petrie family and Burleigh, which is all interesting, but I'm not certain exactly how much of it pertains to the "present day" story. Well, I think that the stuff to do with the map is at least quasi-important, because the map (the skin map) is very important, so how it ended up in pieces is probably going to end up being important. But, still, the advancement of the main plot, the story around Kit, doesn't make much progress.
However, that doesn't mean there are no significant events.
We're introduced to another new character, and I'm not sure how vital he will end up being to the overall story, but he was at least vital in one area in this book. Still, it's kind of weird to me that Lawhead has continued to introduce major characters this far into the series. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing; it's just not usual. Generally speaking, series like this give us the whole cast of characters right up front and, if not, certainly by the end of the second book, but Lawhead gave us two major characters in book three and at least one in book four (and possibly a second, I'm not sure, yet), so that aspect is interesting to me.
The other thing of interest to me is the conflict (and, yes, this is where the major spoiler comes in). During the first three books, the conflict is really just over the skin map itself. Kit and his group (the Zetetic Society, even though Kit didn't know that) on one side and Burleigh on the other. The skin map is a twofold prize: 1. The obvious one, it provides a map to travelling the leys, and there is a lot of profit in ley travelling if that's your motivation. 2. There is a secret hidden the map. There is speculation that the secret is the Spirit Well, but no one is quite sure if that's it or not. Of course, the Spirit Well, all by itself, is a prize beyond compare.
So for three books we're going with that as the conflict, but The Shadow Lamp introduces a new character, Tony Clarke, and, through him, we discover that there is something much worse going on, something that could lead to the actual destruction of not just the universe but the entire multiverse. Of course, getting the skin map may be the only way to stop the threat. All of it leaves one wondering how in the world he will wrap all of this up in the fifth (and final) book, which is something I started wondering in book three, actually.
Now, here's my problem:
Bright Empires is not really a time travel story even though it has time travel, of a sorts, in it. However, this book develops a time travel issue, and I'm not sure, yet, how I feel about it. [This continues the spoiler warning, because I'm going to get kind of detailed with this conflict.] There's a lot of theoretical talk in the book about multiple dimensions and how time works and all of that kind of stuff, and I'm okay with that. On the whole, it all deals with current ideas, so it's not wild speculation by the author [Which I would probably be okay with, too, but I do want to point out Lawhead has not just made up all of the theory stuff in this series. There's science that goes with it.]. However, there is one theoretical position that I have not read about [So it could be made up? I haven't tried looking it up, yet, to see if it's something that's being said out there in SCIENCE.], and the logic with which Lawhead uses it kind of baffles me.
The idea is that time flows... well, it flows backwards. Instead of flowing from the past to the future, as we experience it, the idea in the book is that time flows from the future to the past. Okay, interesting thought, but what does it have to do with anything? Well, because of this reverse time flow, if something happens to mess up the future, that error gets carried back into the past and wipes everything out. In the book, this will result in the collapse of the multiverse and it will be as if it never existed. Time itself will cease to exist.
And here's my problem with that:
If such a thing happened and time actually ceased to exist, then nothing would ever have happened to begin with. There would be no story, because it never would have existed. Which may not make sense, and would also negate the, well, telling of the story, but, what I guess I'm saying, is why make it so that nothing, not even time, would exist, because then there was nothing to begin with. And I may be getting to metaphysical for this discussion, so I'll just say that that one logic hole bothers me. Probably not enough to run the series for me but enough to put me back to reserving judgment till the next book.
That said, I like Lawhead. He's one of the few authors whose books I will just pick up and read whenever he has a new book out. He gets to go to the front of the line, so to speak, which is not so figurative as it may sound. Also, I've really enjoyed this series, especially after what I felt was a lackluster start to it (see my review of the first book). Even though I'm having ambivalence about his whole "utter annihilation of the entire multiverse" thing, I'm sure I'll enjoy the last book. At least, I hope so. I suppose I'll let you know whenever the paperback is released.
November 6, 2021
I was drawn to this series because of the irresistible allure of adventure through space and time with a large cast of characters from various time periods.
Unfortunately, this installment felt a little lacking in that regard and it felt like it dragged on quite a bit in some parts.
The religious philosophical babble from the previous installment was just a taste of what was to come. It feels like there was a full-length sermon in this one. I wouldn't have minded spirituality so much if it didn't feel like an awkwardly placed sermon or lecture.
I feel less excited for the next book in the series, but I still want to know how the story ends.
Unfortunately, this installment felt a little lacking in that regard and it felt like it dragged on quite a bit in some parts.
The religious philosophical babble from the previous installment was just a taste of what was to come. It feels like there was a full-length sermon in this one. I wouldn't have minded spirituality so much if it didn't feel like an awkwardly placed sermon or lecture.
I feel less excited for the next book in the series, but I still want to know how the story ends.
October 30, 2017
Book 4 of 5, and still going strong. The disparate timelines are beginning to converge, and meetings between the various players mean that important information can finally be shared. A couple of small twists took me by surprise (always nice as a reader), and I'm eager to read the final installment. Onward!
September 8, 2014
A diverse cast of characters assembled from various times and places on Earth, a mysterious quest, powerful enemies, inter-dimensional travel to multiple Earths... The Shadow Lamp is an intriguing tale of adventure where even the smallest detail can have great significance.
This is a novel where the objective omniscient point of view works very well. There are too many plot threads for readers to benefit from a more intimate, deeper point of view, and somehow the omniscient approach gives the feel that we're seeing the whole picture. There are even occasional moments where the narrator points to something the characters should have seen.
If you prefer tidy, self-contained fiction, you might want to give this one a miss. But if you enjoy the chance to explore a sprawling, multi-novel series with diverse and exotic settings, dive in.
You may want to start at the beginning with The Skin Map, but it didn't take me long to orient myself in The Shadow Lamp with no previous experience. (It's Book 4 in the Bright Empires Series.) The book opens with a list of key characters and a recap.
Some of the character descriptions, as well as the tone of the recap and the chapter titles, hint at a light-hearted touch to the narrative, and while it didn't turn out to be as funny as I'd hoped, I didn't mind. The story itself kept my interest. I didn't find it particularly tense, but I always wanted to see what would happen next.
Although there are some deep concepts in this novel, readers don't have to be scientists or intellectually-inclined. Characters travel between dimensions along something known as "ley lines," which readers learn about by watching the characters learn. Multiple universes are touched on in the same non-threatening way.
The Shadow Lamp comes from a Christian publisher, but it feels like the sort of novel to please mainstream audiences as well. There are Christian characters, agnostics, and even an ancient priest of the Egyptian gods. Faith (or lack thereof) gives the characters their worldviews, but they don't spend much time talking about it.
The most significant faith-talk comes in philosophical and scientific contexts: free will, and the effects of Jesus' resurrection on the past/present/future. Toward the end, they talk more about science, generally accepting the Big Bang (or Alpha Point) theory and the measured expansion of the universe. Readers don't need to agree with the characters' opinions to enjoy the novel. It is, after all, speculative fiction.
Stephen R. Lawhead is perhaps best known for his mythic history novels about Arthurian times, and the Bright Empires series continues to bring to life richly-imagined settings from the past. To learn more about this internationally-acclaimed author and his books, visit his website: stephenlawhead.com.
[A review copy was received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.]
This is a novel where the objective omniscient point of view works very well. There are too many plot threads for readers to benefit from a more intimate, deeper point of view, and somehow the omniscient approach gives the feel that we're seeing the whole picture. There are even occasional moments where the narrator points to something the characters should have seen.
If you prefer tidy, self-contained fiction, you might want to give this one a miss. But if you enjoy the chance to explore a sprawling, multi-novel series with diverse and exotic settings, dive in.
You may want to start at the beginning with The Skin Map, but it didn't take me long to orient myself in The Shadow Lamp with no previous experience. (It's Book 4 in the Bright Empires Series.) The book opens with a list of key characters and a recap.
Some of the character descriptions, as well as the tone of the recap and the chapter titles, hint at a light-hearted touch to the narrative, and while it didn't turn out to be as funny as I'd hoped, I didn't mind. The story itself kept my interest. I didn't find it particularly tense, but I always wanted to see what would happen next.
Although there are some deep concepts in this novel, readers don't have to be scientists or intellectually-inclined. Characters travel between dimensions along something known as "ley lines," which readers learn about by watching the characters learn. Multiple universes are touched on in the same non-threatening way.
The Shadow Lamp comes from a Christian publisher, but it feels like the sort of novel to please mainstream audiences as well. There are Christian characters, agnostics, and even an ancient priest of the Egyptian gods. Faith (or lack thereof) gives the characters their worldviews, but they don't spend much time talking about it.
The most significant faith-talk comes in philosophical and scientific contexts: free will, and the effects of Jesus' resurrection on the past/present/future. Toward the end, they talk more about science, generally accepting the Big Bang (or Alpha Point) theory and the measured expansion of the universe. Readers don't need to agree with the characters' opinions to enjoy the novel. It is, after all, speculative fiction.
Stephen R. Lawhead is perhaps best known for his mythic history novels about Arthurian times, and the Bright Empires series continues to bring to life richly-imagined settings from the past. To learn more about this internationally-acclaimed author and his books, visit his website: stephenlawhead.com.
[A review copy was received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.]
October 16, 2023
The series continues to plod along. I'm losing hope that it will get better, but I'm stubbornly sticking with it only because I just want to know where the whole thing is going.
November 3, 2013
"Our very bodies are made of the elements forged in stars that were born and lived and died in far distant galaxies billions of years ago. We are, literally, stardust."
"Truly, there was no chance, no coincidence. From the lowliest atom in a grain of sand at the bottom of the deepest sea to the most far-flung galaxy, the universe, the entire created cosmos, was a seamless, unified, and interwoven whole."
First of all I want to just say how grateful I am for the five page summary at the start of this novel of what happened in the previous books. Not that I forgot everything but having a nice recap for a series that you last read a little over a year ago is always a good thing. Sometimes I read so many books each year that when the next one in a series comes out I have that moment of confusion as I try to quickly recollect what came before. I think we probably all have that problem from time to time, eh my book friends? :)
In this, the fourth installment of the Bright Empires series, our heroes have all found one another again (Kil, Mina, Cass, Giles, Haven, and Gianni) and work towards once again finding the Spirit Well. Meanwhile Buerleigh continues to try and thwart them. Friendships and loyalties and courage will be tested in this book. The fate of all the universes may count on it.
In any case, I have always loved Stephen Lawhead. His writing captures a perfect blend of fantastic and fiction and he weaves it together so seamlessly that it just never fails to blow me away every time. Also even though it is obviously a novel and not a true story, the author includes so much historical and mythological accuracy that you can't help but fall in love with the book and with his writing style. Every place that the characters journey to are just crafted so beautifully and descriptively. And This is a story about ley lines and physics and time travel. But it is also about friendship and family. About finding one's own place and purpose in the universe.
This is a wonderful fantasy series and I would recommend it whole heartedly to anyone who enjoys stories about time travel.
"Truly, there was no chance, no coincidence. From the lowliest atom in a grain of sand at the bottom of the deepest sea to the most far-flung galaxy, the universe, the entire created cosmos, was a seamless, unified, and interwoven whole."
First of all I want to just say how grateful I am for the five page summary at the start of this novel of what happened in the previous books. Not that I forgot everything but having a nice recap for a series that you last read a little over a year ago is always a good thing. Sometimes I read so many books each year that when the next one in a series comes out I have that moment of confusion as I try to quickly recollect what came before. I think we probably all have that problem from time to time, eh my book friends? :)
In this, the fourth installment of the Bright Empires series, our heroes have all found one another again (Kil, Mina, Cass, Giles, Haven, and Gianni) and work towards once again finding the Spirit Well. Meanwhile Buerleigh continues to try and thwart them. Friendships and loyalties and courage will be tested in this book. The fate of all the universes may count on it.
In any case, I have always loved Stephen Lawhead. His writing captures a perfect blend of fantastic and fiction and he weaves it together so seamlessly that it just never fails to blow me away every time. Also even though it is obviously a novel and not a true story, the author includes so much historical and mythological accuracy that you can't help but fall in love with the book and with his writing style. Every place that the characters journey to are just crafted so beautifully and descriptively. And This is a story about ley lines and physics and time travel. But it is also about friendship and family. About finding one's own place and purpose in the universe.
This is a wonderful fantasy series and I would recommend it whole heartedly to anyone who enjoys stories about time travel.
September 3, 2013
Stephen R. Lawhead returns in fine style with his fourth installment to the "Bright Empires" series. Written with his usual dramatic flair and vivid descriptions, "The Shadow Lamp" is an action-packed adventure of the best kind. Kit and Mina return along with fellow ley travelers Gianni, Cass, Haven and Giles, continuing their search for the skin map and the path to the Spirit Well that Kit observed. I have enjoyed the whole series so far, and love how this book finds good continuing its clash with evil, as Burleigh and his men seek to obtain the map for themselves and end Kit and Mina's own quest. However, I felt that this book advanced the entire series more than any prior book, as a secret is uncovered that really serves to tie everything together that has occurred thus far, and gives a new focus to the next title in the series. Although there are many characters to keep track of, I found that the brief list of characters at the beginning, along with the first section entitled "previously" did an excellent job at reminding me of what was covered in prior books in the series. After that, I plunged head first into the fantastic world that Lawhead has created, where people can travel through time and space, and the mysteries of the universe are explored in a fascinating manner. I always appreciate reading books by Lawhead, for his grasp of the English language is unparalleled, and he manages to combine wonderful descriptions, unique concepts, interesting characters, and elements of faith into a wonderful read.
Those readers who have joined in on Kit and Mina's quest from the beginning will be thrilled at this latest addition to the series. I strongly recommend this book and award it 4.5 out of 5 stars.
A review copy was received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.
Those readers who have joined in on Kit and Mina's quest from the beginning will be thrilled at this latest addition to the series. I strongly recommend this book and award it 4.5 out of 5 stars.
A review copy was received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.
July 8, 2023
It took me four books to find out what I don't like about this series. As I was reading, I found myself getting bored, having to force myself to continue. Don't get me wrong; it's a great and well-developed plot. Lawhead put a lot of effort into it, I can tell.
However, the characters have little development. In my review of The Skin Map, I said the characters have good personalities. But I realised that is as far as it goes. The author shows us what the character's intentions are but not what they are thinking. Not any emotion, almost. They don't seem real. I don't care what happens to them. And that's the reason why I was forcing myself to read this series. I almost didn't finish it, and I'm not sure I will read the last book. I've come this far in the series, and it's a shame to stop now, so there is a possibility I will read The Fatal Tree - especially with that beautiful cover.
However, the characters have little development. In my review of The Skin Map, I said the characters have good personalities. But I realised that is as far as it goes. The author shows us what the character's intentions are but not what they are thinking. Not any emotion, almost. They don't seem real. I don't care what happens to them. And that's the reason why I was forcing myself to read this series. I almost didn't finish it, and I'm not sure I will read the last book. I've come this far in the series, and it's a shame to stop now, so there is a possibility I will read The Fatal Tree - especially with that beautiful cover.
October 28, 2015
Well. I thought this was the last book in the series. Apparently the fifth one comes out this coming September, and that will be the last book.
I only forced myself to finish this series because I thought I would at least get to find out what happened in the end, but i was wrong. Sadly.
The characters are two dimensional at best, and there is absolutely no character development from anyone at any point in the series. Plus there are more characters and plot lines going on than the author can seem to keep track of.
The covers are beautiful and intriguing, and a friend of mine recommended the author. I guess he typically writes Arthurian-time stories and perhaps this was an experimental type of series? Who knows, I'm going to give him another fair chance in the future and read another book by him, however I cannot force myself to any time soon.
All in all, if you're thinking of starting this series, I advise you to please save yourself and do not.
I only forced myself to finish this series because I thought I would at least get to find out what happened in the end, but i was wrong. Sadly.
The characters are two dimensional at best, and there is absolutely no character development from anyone at any point in the series. Plus there are more characters and plot lines going on than the author can seem to keep track of.
The covers are beautiful and intriguing, and a friend of mine recommended the author. I guess he typically writes Arthurian-time stories and perhaps this was an experimental type of series? Who knows, I'm going to give him another fair chance in the future and read another book by him, however I cannot force myself to any time soon.
All in all, if you're thinking of starting this series, I advise you to please save yourself and do not.
January 27, 2015
Another fantastic entry in this series. I absolutely love how Lawhead weaves spiritual with science and discusses some really deep, scientific issues (which I'm fascinated with). But that isn't to say the plot doesn't move (it does!) and the characters engage (they do!). I enjoyed this jaunt through the dimensions with all the characters we've come to love. Now I'm itching for the finale, Book 5, to release next year.
July 30, 2017
I enjoyed anytime the overall plot progressed, but thought that the multiple story lines were not clearly linked and at times unnecessary. The increasing number of characters makes me feel less connected to any of them and it's hard to develop much sympathy. But now that I'm into the series, I want to finish it, even though it's not my favorite series by Lawhead.
February 5, 2018
This series is dragging. As the author keeps adding new charcters, and continues to juggle all the old ones, it has become clunky and unwieldy. Some new "theories " are introduced, which are interesting, but I keep hoping that some progress will be made on the skin map....there's not even a hint of that as we move into the fifth book.
September 6, 2016
More story progression, more interesting ideas/theories than the last 3 books of the series.
December 8, 2017
(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)
The search for the map of blue symbols began in a rainy alley in London but has since expanded through space and time and includes more seekers.
Kit, Mina, Gianni, Cass, Haven, and Giles have gathered in Mina’s 16th-century coffee house and are united in their determination to find a path back to the Spirit Well. Yet, with their shadow lamps destroyed and key pieces of the map still missing, the journey will be far more difficult than they imagine. And when one of their own disappears with Sir Henry’s cryptic Green Book, they no longer know who to trust.
At the same time, the Zetetic Society has uncovered a terrifying secret which, if proven, will rock the very foundations of Creation. The quest for answers is no longer limited to recovering an unknown treasure. The fate of the universe depends on unraveling the riddle of the Skin Map.
I wish I had known this was the fourth book in the series (yes, I know, that's all on me) but I think that completely ruined my experience of this book. So many things that I didn't understand, people and places that were foreign as I didn't know their historical relevance to the story...
So, I am going to go back and read the whole series from the start then come back and do a complete review for it...
Paul
ARH
The search for the map of blue symbols began in a rainy alley in London but has since expanded through space and time and includes more seekers.
Kit, Mina, Gianni, Cass, Haven, and Giles have gathered in Mina’s 16th-century coffee house and are united in their determination to find a path back to the Spirit Well. Yet, with their shadow lamps destroyed and key pieces of the map still missing, the journey will be far more difficult than they imagine. And when one of their own disappears with Sir Henry’s cryptic Green Book, they no longer know who to trust.
At the same time, the Zetetic Society has uncovered a terrifying secret which, if proven, will rock the very foundations of Creation. The quest for answers is no longer limited to recovering an unknown treasure. The fate of the universe depends on unraveling the riddle of the Skin Map.
I wish I had known this was the fourth book in the series (yes, I know, that's all on me) but I think that completely ruined my experience of this book. So many things that I didn't understand, people and places that were foreign as I didn't know their historical relevance to the story...
So, I am going to go back and read the whole series from the start then come back and do a complete review for it...
Paul
ARH
March 7, 2024
This was enjoyable enough, although this one more than others in the series started to feel a little 'on the nose' when talking about matters relating to faith. (Not that I object to him including matters of faith, I just wish it had been handled with more... I don't know, maybe 'finesse' is the word I'm looking for.) I also found some of the more speculative pieces of the science the wrong kind of unconvincing. (Unlike, say, Star Trek, which isn't particularly convincing, but it's also not trying to be.) Up to this point in the series, I got the impression that Lawhead wanted to keep the science mostly within the realm of the plausible, at least when he explained something with any depth. But for this one, he touches so closely with modern physics in a way that seems pretty farfetched to me, that he doesn't seem to fall either within hard sci-fi or soft sci-fi. On another note, he is still jumping around a lot between different branches within the story from one chapter to the next, but it wasn't as unsettling to me this time as with the previous installment in the series. Perhaps that's because this one felt more like there was a main thread to follow, while other characters' adventures were clearly subplots (though often important nonetheless). This gave the book more of a sense of stability. All told, this was entertaining enough, and I'm looking forward to the last one.
December 26, 2024
The story was okay, but I’m getting tired of jumping around with what seems like no resolution. I don’t really care about many of these characters, except maybe Arthur (and his wife), who apparently committed the unpardonable sin that’s going to unravel the world. A bit too violent again in the death of one character and torture of another.
But the big reason I docked this a star was for Lawhead’s “scientific,” or is it “historical,” article at the end, in which he waves a dismissive hand at the Catholic church’s nonsense and bad judgment in the past, suggests that Galileo’s hubris was as bad as the Catholic church’s judgment on him, and haughtily scolds all of us fundamental Christians who believe in “impossible” young-earth creationists as being unscientific and as stupid as the new atheists who don’t believe in God; not realizing how he’s the foolish one for his incompatible and contradictory beliefs. This article explains why the books aren’t holding together well: he’s trying to mesh “science” with “spiritual,” but he’s not always choosing the correct parts of each category to uphold. Yet another example why “fundamentalists” hold to sola Scriptura, because once you start allowing all these other authorities with their interpretations, it becomes untenable and stupid.
But the big reason I docked this a star was for Lawhead’s “scientific,” or is it “historical,” article at the end, in which he waves a dismissive hand at the Catholic church’s nonsense and bad judgment in the past, suggests that Galileo’s hubris was as bad as the Catholic church’s judgment on him, and haughtily scolds all of us fundamental Christians who believe in “impossible” young-earth creationists as being unscientific and as stupid as the new atheists who don’t believe in God; not realizing how he’s the foolish one for his incompatible and contradictory beliefs. This article explains why the books aren’t holding together well: he’s trying to mesh “science” with “spiritual,” but he’s not always choosing the correct parts of each category to uphold. Yet another example why “fundamentalists” hold to sola Scriptura, because once you start allowing all these other authorities with their interpretations, it becomes untenable and stupid.
August 20, 2023
The five books in this series should be seen as one overall book divided into five equal parts. Given the complexity of the storyline and the plethora of characters to keep track of, it’s best to read all five books at once. In this book, we continue to follow the adventures of the various characters and near the end the Zetetic Society makes a startling discovery about the nature of the universe. I like the lead characters n the story. I do think that Lawhead would have been smart to have simplified this series by cutting out some of the characters and storylines (there really are too many) and shortening the books. He’s a good storyteller but it really is difficult to keep track of the minor characters. Overall this is just too busy, and the busyness is compounded by the pseudo-scientific/sci-fi explanations for the plot devices. The books are enjoyable to read but they require a bigger commitment than they should - this is really one 55+ hour story, and I think it would be much better and digestible if it were a 20 hour story.
July 26, 2020
While other reviewers have already mentioned, this book takes a bit of a turn. However, in my humble opinion, the road doesn't lead us far from our original destination, the skin map.
The search continues but another harrowing catastrophe is on the brink. The destruction of the universe. The two, in my medically addled brain, are not so separate. (I'm on meds for a sinus infection). One must have one to grasp the other, or so it would seem. If Kit had not had ley travel to witness AFP (the man who is map), he never would have seen this sudden turn in the growth of the universe to its utter destruction. The balance of good and evil were tipped when AFP used the spirit well to resurrect his beloved Xian-Li. This set into motion the collapse of the ever expansion. Consciousnesses ceased to expand and now is plummeting. We now have to wait to see how our band of brave travelers intend to fix this serious issue!
On to the next!!
The search continues but another harrowing catastrophe is on the brink. The destruction of the universe. The two, in my medically addled brain, are not so separate. (I'm on meds for a sinus infection). One must have one to grasp the other, or so it would seem. If Kit had not had ley travel to witness AFP (the man who is map), he never would have seen this sudden turn in the growth of the universe to its utter destruction. The balance of good and evil were tipped when AFP used the spirit well to resurrect his beloved Xian-Li. This set into motion the collapse of the ever expansion. Consciousnesses ceased to expand and now is plummeting. We now have to wait to see how our band of brave travelers intend to fix this serious issue!
On to the next!!
April 22, 2018
Book 4 of the Bright Empires series, The Shadow Lamp continues to weave an intricate plot through time and space and the multi-verse. Lawhead skilfully fills in some gaps and brings the main characters together, while introducing a couple of new ones. Some interesting theology/philosophy/cosmology is discussed concerning the nature of the reality and expansion of the multiverse. And just when I thought the pace was flagging, the stakes are significantly raised. The cosmos itself is in imminent danger, can the Zetetic society, including Kit, Mina, Cass and the others, act in time. I enjoyed this fourth book for the same reasons as the last three, the characters, the interesting and vividly described settings, the intricate plot and curiosity of how the many threads of this baroque story will come together in the end.
June 9, 2018
p. 323 "We believe that the universe was created in order to produce conscious agents who can share in the apprehension and appreciation of Divine goodness, which is the nature of God: Divine beauty, which is the delight of God; and Divine truth, which is the wisdom of God....p. 325, He desires the perfected, harmonious, and joyful unity of all Creation in Him for the purpose of engaging in the ongoing creative activity of a redeemed and transformed universe forever."
p. 328 "The future exists to allow the created order to achieve the highest expression of goodness, beauty, and truth, in harmonious and joyful unity with the Creator. And while the Creator intends our free and willing participation in the ongoing realization of His desires, and aids us in bringing about His purposes, He does not control the results of our participation."
p. 328 "The future exists to allow the created order to achieve the highest expression of goodness, beauty, and truth, in harmonious and joyful unity with the Creator. And while the Creator intends our free and willing participation in the ongoing realization of His desires, and aids us in bringing about His purposes, He does not control the results of our participation."
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