The Bright Empires series
By Stephen R. Lawhead
Read by Simon Bubb
In a change of pace, I'm doing a look back at one of my favorite series. This time instead of reading the books I went the audiobook route, which I borrowed from my local library.
(And you have to read the books in order to fully enjoy and understand everything!)
The Universe is vast- more vast than most people can possibly fathom. There are billions of galaxies in our Universe alone. In addition there an unknown number of dimensions as equally vast as our own Universe. If you don't believe me just ask Kit Livingstone (if you can find him, that is!)
The Bright Empire series by Stephen R Lawhead opens with The Skin Map. In this we are introduced to Cosimo "Kit" Christopher Livingstone who is about to begin the adventure of a lifetime. Kit is about to follow his great-grandfather Cosimo Livingstone on a search for the Skin Map, a search that will span centuries and dimensions. A search that could destroy everything in the omniverse if they accidentally change history in just one dimension.
But what is this Skin Map and why is it so sought after? The skin map was created by Arthur Flinders-Petrie as a series of various symbols tattooed upon his body that were turned into parchment upon his death. The greatest of his various mapped symbols leads to the greatest of treasures - the Well of Souls.
But nothing is ever easy and Kit, his great-grandfather and the Questors are not the only ones seeking the map. Burley and his men are seeking it too and he plans to use the power he would gain in untold evil.
But due to his inexperience Kit, Cosimo and Sir Henry have a secondary quest, to rescue Kit's girlfriend Wilhelmina "Mina" from whatever time/dimension she was pulled into. But nothing ever goes as planned and the three are separated. The Skin Map is filled with unexpected twists and turns up until the very end so that you are left wondering what comes next in The Bone House book 2.
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The Bright Empire series by Stephen R Lawhead continues with The Bone House.
With the unexpected deaths of Cosimo Livingstone and Sir Henry at the hands of Archelaeus Burleigh, Kit must rely on the Ley traveling skills that Mina has developed since she was transported to 17th century Prague.
But with time/dimensional travel there are a variety of trips covered in The Bone House including Kit's visit to Egypt in 1822 where he meets up with Doctor Thomas Young who are both on a mission that was brought about by Mina. While Kit is in Egypt with Dr. Young, Mina and Giles are with Dr. Young in Edinburgh.
Arthur Flinders-Petrie's life is further revealed as are the exploits of his great-grandson Douglas Flinders-Petrie to obtain the Skin Map that Arthur created.
When Mina, Kit, and Giles finally arrive at Mina's new home in Prague, they are shocked to discover the one man that they are trying to avoid is there! Burleigh is in Prague and all too soon discovers that Kit and Giles did not die in the Egyptian tomb they were imprisoned in. In their attempt to escape Burleigh, Giles is injured and Kit manages to make it to the Ley line that Mina had directed them to. But Kit finds himself in the Stone Age where he makes a discovery he was not expecting the Bone House.
The Bone House is filled with trips that span the centuries and the globe will leave you anticipating what will come next in The Spirit Well book 3.
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The Bright Empire series by Stephen R Lawhead continues with The Spirit Well.
The Bone House left us with Kit having discovered what he believes to be the Spirit Well, a conclusion he came to after observing Arthur Flinders-Petrie enter a deep water-filled environment with a dead woman who is restored to life.
Mina, after being warned by Haven of Burleigh's suspicions, has left Prague in the hopes of somehow locating Kit. When she can find no sign of him, Mina goes to Spain in the hopes that Brother Lazarus can help her in her quest.
Meanwhile, we are introduced to Cassandra Clarke who, while on a dig in Arizona, discovers by accident the Ghost Walk. But when she determines to study this phenomenon she jumps to other places and becomes lost to her time and place, ending up in 1950s Damascus. There she finds the Zetetic Society who are seeking to achieve God's purpose for His creation - unity and harmony as the Creator intended and to be fully realized at "the end of time and the beginning of eternity.
In the Spirit Well we discover the circumstances that resulted in the creation of the Skin Map and its separation as well as Burleigh's discovery of the ley lines.
The Zetetic Society is searching for Sir Henry, Cosimo, and Kit who have disappeared along with Sir Henry's portion of the map. The society feels that discovering them is of the highest priority and assign this task to Cassandra.
Treachery and betrayals abound as many search for the greatest discovery of Arthur Flinders-Petrie. A discovery that Kit has discovered, but can he find his way back?
As is often mentioned by various characters throughout the series There are no coincidences. There is a purpose behind everything that happens in our lives though we may not be able to ascertain it at the time.
The Spirit Well is filled with trips that span the centuries and the globe will leave you anticipating what will come next in book 4 The Shadow Lamp.
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The Bright Empire series by Stephen R Lawhead continues with The Shadow Lamp.
Ley travel is imprecise, but it can be done to within a few days of when one wants to arrive unless something goes wrong. And as is often the case something does go wrong for several of our ley travelers. But this is all part of the journey. The journey to reach the Spirit Well that Kit discovered by accident when he was misdirected into the Stone Age. But the Bone House is no longer accessible and a large tree is in its place. And the gargantuan yew is channeling an enormous amount of energy from the ley in which it is growing.
Cassandra points out an amazing coincidence to Kit in that the yew tree is a symbol of immortality and eternity and in a sense that is what they are searching for in the Spirit Well. But little does Kit know that he may hold the answer to saving the Omniverse, the known and unknown, from complete and total annihilation!
Time from the first moments of Creation is at stake if the event that caused the imbalance is not found. The ever-expanding universe is beginning to retract upon itself and time is growing short. An act of Arthur Flinders-Petrie may destroy everything, and we will be alive to witness our own obliteration!
The Shadow Lamp will span centuries and dimensions and if you are very observant you just may see the beginning of the end or the end of the beginning in book 5 The Fatal Tree.
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The Bright Empire series by Stephen R Lawhead concludes with The Fatal Tree.
It starts with odd little wrinkles in reality and when the anomalies accumulate to a level that a dimension can no longer sustain - that dimension along with all those living in it will be extinguished as if they had never existed... THE END OF EVERYTHING is here and we are about to slip over a cosmic cliff.
Our questors have been separated by both time and space. The ley lines have become unreliable as the anomalies increase. And the physical side effects are increasing with each jump making each trip increasingly dangerous. But the Spirit Well must be reached and they have to discover a way around the Fatal Tree which now guards that which they seek.
One man may have the knowledge they seek, but can they trust the man who has sought to destroy them? And what ulterior motives could Archelaeus Burleigh be hiding? Kit knows that the man responsible for his great grandfather's death can't be trusted but Mina, Cass, and Gianni feel that the preservation of the Omniverse is worth the risk.
In this the final book we revisit scenes from the previous books but from the viewpoint of other characters who were part of the original scene. A true merging of past, present, and future.
One man may have the knowledge they seek, but can they trust the man who has sought to destroy them? And what ulterior motives could Archelaeus Burleigh be hiding? Kit knows that the man responsible for his great grandfather's death can't be trusted but Mina, Cass, and Gianni feel that the preservation of the Omniverse is worth the risk.
In this the final book we revisit scenes from the previous books but from the viewpoint of other characters who were part of the original scene. A true merging of past, present, and future.
Get ready to go on an adventure that will test your ability to adapt and prepare to grow your mind! Paradoxes, Time loops, and Quantum mechanics, oh my! The unknown is greater than you ever imagined and one misstep or decision can destroy it all!
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