Going Greene: Stephen R. Lawhead

Showing posts with label Stephen R. Lawhead. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

CSFF: The Bone House

It’s been a while since I’ve had the chance to do a blog tour, but I knew I had to jump in on this one: The Bone House, by Stephen Lawhead. It’s the second in his Bright Empires series, and last year I reviewed the first installment, The Skin Map, here.

*Warning: Minor Spoilers Ahead*

This second installment begins where the first left off, following Kit’s unexpected rescue by his old flame, Mina. And like the first book, The Bone House definitely has a lot going on to keep the story moving. There are treasure hunts, desperate chases, amazing discoveries and, of course, subterfuge.

The one problem I had was determining where all of the excitement was supposed to be leading to. I know ultimately that there is a search for the Well of Souls, and that finding the pieces of the Skin Map are the key, but it wasn’t always clear to me how the various events in the book were leading towards these ends. And the title object, the Bone House, didn’t even come into being until late in the story. As I reflected on the issue, I decided it was probably more a result of this being the second installment in a series – and therefore far from a resolution – than any flaw in the story or writing. The writing was certainly as good as in The Skin Map.

I would definitely recommend reading The Bone House, as long as you’ve read The Skin Map first. I’ll be looking forward to the rest of the series as well.

Check out the rest of the tour:

Noah Arsenault - Red Bissell - Thomas Clayton Booher - Beckie Burnham - Morgan L. Busse - CSFF Blog Tour - Jeff Chapman - Carol Bruce Collett - Karri Compton - D. G. D. Davidson - Theresa Dunlap - April Erwin - Victor Gentile - Tori Greene - Ryan Heart - Bruce Hennigan - Timothy Hicks - Christopher Hopper - Janeen Ippolito - Becca Johnson - Jason Joyner - Julie - Carol Keen - Krystine Kercher - Marzabeth - Katie McCurdy - Shannon McDermott - Rebecca LuElla Miller - Joan Nienhuis - Chawna Schroeder - Kathleen Smith - Donna Swanson - Rachel Starr Thomson - Robert Treskillard - Steve Trower - Fred Warren - Phyllis Wheeler - Nicole White - Rachel Wyant

Disclaimer: In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

CSFF: The Skin Map, Day 3

Talk about waiting until the last minute! I finally was able to finish the book last night, so here is my review. In three words: I loved it! From the very beginning I found the book exciting, engaging and very well written. It was a treat to read and I am eagerly looking forward to the next.

As soon as I began reading The Skin Map, it drew me in. The action started right away with Kit’s series of unfortunate delays on his way across London. It continued throughout the story, and even though some parts were slower than others, there was always something happening to drive the story forward. While it’s easy to keep momentum going through exciting chases, fights and the like, sometimes it can be difficult when there isn’t as much physical movement. But Stephen Lawhead keeps the story moving very well, and I found it all exciting from the conversations between Kit and his grandfather to the shrewd negotiations of Mina as she acclimated to the new world she found herself in.

In the moments that I had to set the book down, I was always looking forward impatiently to when I could pick it up again. This was true from the very first line. Like John Otte said in his post yesterday, The Skin Map has an opening that immediately grabs the reader and draws them in. And then it doesn’t let go. The momentum is part of that, but I also found myself invested in the characters and where they were going to end up. It’s difficult for me to read books in which I don’t care much for the characters, but I had no problem here. I especially liked how both Kit and Mina begin feeling that they are in a dead-end relationship – and each thinks that the other is definitely the cause – but develop throughout the story to become better people. Finally, being a science nerd my entire life, I really liked the incorporation of ley lines into something science fictiony like time travel. I think it turned out to be a great vehicle for explanation of how the characters are able to pass from one universe to another.

While there are many other things I liked about the book, the final thing I want to touch upon is the quality of Stephen Lawhead’s writing. In the midst of the great story I continually found myself pleased with word choice, phrasing and the like. There can be a fine line between overly simplistic and needlessly complicated, and while for some it may seem trivial amidst an exciting story, writing quality does make a difference in how much I enjoy a book. How can you enjoy the action if you don’t understand what’s going on? And on the other side, I definitely get distracted if the same words and phrases are used over and over again. The Skin Map finds the happy medium between the two ends of the spectrum.

I would highly recommend this book, and in fact I plan on giving this book as a gift at Christmas. And I’ll definitely be reading the next when it is available.

Check out what others are talking about:

Red Bissell - Thomas Clayton Booher - Keanan Brand - Grace Bridges - Beckie Burnham - Morgan L. Busse - Jeff Chapman - Christian Fiction Book Reviews - Valerie Comer - Karri Compton - Amy Cruson - CSFF Blog Tour - Stacey Dale - D. G. D. Davidson - George Duncan - April Erwin - Tori Greene - Ryan Heart - Bruce Hennigan - Timothy Hicks - Christopher Hopper - Becky Jesse - Cris Jesse - Becca Johnson - Jason Joyner - Julie - Carol Keen - Krystine Kercher - Shannon McDermott - Allen McGraw - Matt Mikalatos - Rebecca LuElla Miller - Nissa - John W. Otte - Gavin Patchett - Sarah Sawyer - Chawna Schroeder - Kathleen Smith - Rachel Starr Thomson - Donna Swanson - Robert Treskillard - Steve Trower - Fred Warren - Dona Watson - Phyllis Wheeler - Nicole White - Elizabeth Williams - Dave Wilson

Disclaimer: In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

CSFF: The Skin Map, Day 2

Well life has thwarted my attempts at finishing the book yet again. My older child caught the bug that the baby had over the weekend, which made the day less fun than it could have been. I’m so close to being finished…but I don’t think I’ll still have time to write a review tonight. And I’m going to keep this short so I can get back to the book! Like I said, so close. I’m excited to finish!

Check out the rest of the tour:

Disclaimer: In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

Monday, November 1, 2010

CSFF: The Skin Map, Day 1

A weekend full of events, family in town and a sick baby means I haven’t quite finished reading Stephen Lawhead’s The Skin Map yet. But I certainly love what I’ve read so far. Exciting from the start, this engaging story about time travel has drawn me in and I am looking forward to curling up on the couch today to finish the book. Until then, see what everyone else is blogging about: