The Shadow Lamp (Bright Empires)

by Stephen Lawhead

Paperback, 2014

Status

Available

Call number

813.54

Publication

Thomas Nelson (2014), Edition: Reprint, 400 pages

Description

Fantasy. Fiction. Science Fiction. Science Fiction & Fantasy. HTML: 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. "Anything but ordinary . . . Dynamic settings are mixed with unpredictable adventures [and] parallel worlds." �BookPage review of The Skin Map.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member vintagebeckie
First off, you must read books 1-3 in the Bright Empires series before you read The Shadow Lamp. Lawhead does a good job of catching the reader up in each successive book, but it is good only for reminding us what is going on. Don’t skip the first books or you could become as hopelessly clueless
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as Kit in his early ley travel.

Now then, I loved books one and three. Thought book two was just ok. Well, I am afraid that is my opinion of The Shadow Lamp. There are new and interesting characters, the focus of the quest narrows, and the characters unite behind their cause. But there are still some threads that Lawhead puts into the story that seem to go nowhere. I hope that in the fifth and final book, The Fatal Tree, we will finally figure out where all this is going.

There is also a good bit of discussion about the science and purpose of all the time or ley travel that is going on. I tend to glaze over when this occurs. I know some love this, but I had a difficult time discerning between actual scientific theories and what the author is dreaming up. I don’t know if I am just not smart enough or maybe just too impatient.

I did notice that as the characters become more and more concerned about the End of Everything, the annihilation of all things created, the book becomes darker. Ley travelers encounter pirate attacks, invading armies, and severe weather events. And one of the sweetest characters is brutally attacked, though his loving response may be the redemption we are looking for.

So should you read The Shadow Lamp? By all means. The good outshines the just ok. But I think it is helpful to keep a few scripture verses in mind –

He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. Colossians 1:17 (NASB)

The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9 (NASB)

(Thanks to Thomas Nelson for my review copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
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LibraryThing member Vinbert
I've read the rest of this series, and even for me, the beginning was a bit slow and confusing. It picks up though, and the rest of the story was just as mesmerizing as the rest of the series has been. I enjoy the original plot, which is something we don't see a lot of these days. I believe Mr
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Lawhead has definitely improved as an author, as I didn't really enjoy his first works, but I have enjoyed this series and also the King Raven series. Anticipating the next one!
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LibraryThing member Vinbert
I've read the rest of this series, and even for me, the beginning was a bit slow and confusing. It picks up though, and the rest of the story was just as mesmerizing as the rest of the series has been. I enjoy the original plot, which is something we don't see a lot of these days. I believe Mr
Show More
Lawhead has definitely improved as an author, as I didn't really enjoy his first works, but I have enjoyed this series and also the King Raven series. Anticipating the next one!
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Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2013-09-03

Physical description

8.39 inches

ISBN

1595549382 / 9781595549389
Page: 0.245 seconds