The Shadow Lamp

The Shadow Lamp by Stephen R. Lawhead is the fourth book in the Bright Empires series. I have previously read The Skin Map, The Bone House, and The Spirit Well. So far my favorite of the series is the Bone House. Just to recap,Kit, Mina, Gianni, Cass, Haven, and Giles all travel through time via Ley lines. They use Shadow Lamps to help them detect Ley lines. There is some kind of unknown cosmic link between the shadow lamps, the skin map and the spirit well. Add to the mix, the Zetetic society discovers something that could unravel everything.

I must confess, I read this book quite a while ago and I'm just now getting around to writing up the review. In general, I've liked nearly everything that Stephen R. Lawhead has written. This series confused me with the time travel and Ley lines. It had great adventure and esprit de corps, but it lacked something cohesive. The shifts in time are a little jarring. One minute you are in the Middle Ages Europe, the next, ancient Egypt and then back in modern time. As I said, I really loved the Bone House. For whatever reason, that story has stuck in my head. Large parts of the Bone House take place in one time and location. The Shadow Lamp did not stay in my memory, and so I guess it was a bit forgettable. I can't really remember what the big reveal was with the Zetetic society - I didn't get it the first time either - nor what the deal was between the shadow lamps, skin map, and spirit well.

This series was hit and miss for me. I liked Stephen R. Lawhead's other books so much better.