Product Description
It is the ultimate quest for the ultimate treasure. Chasing a map tattooed on human skin. Across an omniverse of intereing realities. To unravel the future of the future. Kit Livingston’s great-grandfather appears to him in a deserted alley during a tumultuous storm. He reveals an unbelievable story: that the ley lines throughout Britain are not merely the stuff of legend or the weekend hobby of deluded cranks, but pathways to other worlds. To those who know how to use them, they grant the ability to travel the multi-layered universe of which we ordinarily inhabit only a tiny part. One explorer knew more than most. Braving every danger, he toured both time and space on voyages of heroic discovery. Ever on his guard, and fearful of becoming lost in the cosmos, he developed an intricate code–a roadmap of symbols–that he tattooed onto his own body. This Skin Map has since been lost in time. Now the race is on to recover all the pieces and discover its secrets. But the Skin Map itself is not the ultimate goal. It is merely the beginning of a vast and marvelous quest for a prize beyond imagining. The Bright Empires series–from acclaimed author Stephen Lawhead–is a unique blending of epic treasure hunt, ancient history, alternate realities, cutting-edge physics, philosophy, and mystery. The result is a page-turning, fantastical adventure like no other.
C.J. Darlington @ 6:05 pm
Sci-fi or fantasy? Adventure or suspense? The Skin Map is one of those special books that crosses genres. In a way, it’s all of the above, which makes for a delightful reading stew. A novel that’s been cooking in Stephen Lawhead’s mind for over fifteen years, it was well worth the wait. Chapter One wastes no time in introducing us to main character Kit Livingstone, a man living a mundane existence who in the span of a few minutes finds himself embarking on the adventure of a lifetime. Make that multiple lifetimes. And dimensions. And countries.
From the moment he meets his long dead great-grandfather Cosimo (clearly alive and well) in a strange London alley, Kit is thrust into a web of intrigue that sets his mind spinning. Apparently Cosimo has discovered a way to travel through space, time, and alternate universes using ley lines, forces of energy that are intersections between worlds. But there are enemies of Cosimo and his cause that are bent on bringing him and his fellow Questors to ruin. All because one brave traveler tattooed on his body a map of these ley lines for future adventurers. It’s this skin map everyone’s after (yes, it was made from his skin after he died), and it’s what Kit and Cosimo must find at all costs.
Mix in a detailed sub plot featuring Kit’s girlfriend Wilhelmina who accidentally lands in 17th Century Austria, and there’s something in The Skin Map for just about everyone. The adventure elements draw comparisons to Matt Bronleewe’s August Adams series, minus the rare books. Aside from a few British swear words, Lawhead keeps things clean and in the vein of the great books and movies of yesteryear. Think National Treasure with a lot more depth and even some philosophical references to ponder.
Some Lawhead fans could find themselves missing his straight fantasy since the fantastical elements are limited to time travel, but I recommend having a little faith in Mr. Lawhead to spin a yarn worth reading no matter the genre. For those who enjoy tales of intrigue and who wonder how much changing the past can affect the future (a literal grandfather paradox in this book!), there’s much to enjoy. Holding just enough clues close to his vest without frustrating the reader, Lawhead has penned an exhilarating start to an exciting new series.
–Reviewed by C.J. Darlington for TitleTrakk
Andrew Demoline @ 7:29 pm
Disclosure: This book was provided by Thomas Nelson for review purposes.
The Skin Map begins the story of Kit Livingstone’s odd travels. His great-grandfather appears to him and tells him that all throughout Britian are ‘ley-lines’ which allow individuals to travel through both time and space. Kit is then invited to join in the quest to find the skin map, a parchment made from the skin of a man who learned much about these ley-lines, mapped them, and tatooed that information onto his body. Naturally, Kit and his great-grandfather are not the only ones looking for this map, so the race is on.
I have read Lawhead before and enjoyed his work. This book was no different. It was suspenseful and engaging, and with Lawhead’s typical ability to write characters that are human and easy to relate to. The idea behind this story is interesting, and I found Lawhead’s descriptions of the various ages/places visited to be quite well done. Lawhead also does very well in writing the confusion and displacement his characters experience in an easy-to-sympathize with manner. Unfortunately, in this particular book, you should not be surprised if you yourself become somewhat confused or displaced. His chapters jump erratically in terms of the character focus, place, and time with very few cues to inform the reader of where they are.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. I will look forward to the next one in the series. 4 of 5 Stars, Conditionally Recommended (do you like historical fiction/fantasy?).
Peter J. Story @ 8:31 pm
This fast-paced book – the first of a three-part series – is sure to be another hit for Stephen Lawhead. As with the rest of his books, this one is well researched and put together in such a way that you are immediately drawn into the story. From the clever opening lines to the last sentence, this book kept me hooked. I’m reading it to my husband now!
The story is based around Kit Livingstone – a character with no life and less personality – who runs into his great-grandfather, Cosimo, during a freak thunderstorm. The old man appears, then promptly sweeps Kit into a world of ley lines, alternate universes, and a hunt for the “skin map” – the guide to the roads between worlds.
One explorer of these alternate worlds had discovered the secrets to traveling through the ley lines. Because of his fear of being unable to find his way, he tattooed a coded map into his skin. The map was eventually lost, and now there is a desperate competition to find it.
Think Narnia meets Wheel of Time and you’ll have an idea of what this book consists of. Perhaps as a loyal Stephen Lawhead fan, I’m a little prejudiced, but I would highly recommend this book to others. It’s a fascinating, thought-provoking read. My only complaint is that I have to wait a year for the next book!
Disclaimer: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their [...] book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
Jen-L @ 9:34 pm
When I heard Stephen Lawhead was writing a new book, I was thrilled. When I learned the title of the new book was “The Skin Map,” I was confused. It didn’t sound very … well… Lawhead-y. However, as I began reading this beginning to a brand new series, I swiftly became engrossed in the story.
Filled with descriptions that beguile all five senses and all the beauty and charm of the language I have come to expect from Lawhead, this book is a fascinating blend of fantasy and sci-fi. In the world of The Skin Map, there is an Omni-verse, a universe filled with alternate realities that are easily accessible to those who know where to look via roads known as “ley lines.” These alternate realities are also located in different “time zones” as it were, and thus jumping from one reality to the next also inevitably includes a certain amount of time travel.
The book follows the stories of several different characters: Kit Livingstone a young man from modern-day London, who encounters his great grandfather and is shown how to ley travel; Wilhelmina, Kit’s girlfriend, who, when Kit tries to prove to her that ley travel is real, gets trapped in 17th century Prague; Cosimo (Kit’s great grandfather) and Sir Henry, ley line adventurers who wish to use the ley lines for the betterment of science and humanity; Lord Burleigh, the villain of the story, whose motivations seem to stem from greed; and Arthur Flinders-Petrie, the “Ernest Shackleton” of the ley line adventurers who mapped out the ley lines and had them tattooed on his body so they could never be stolen or lost.
Something I love about this book is the masterful way Lawhead subtly uses his characters to point to Christ. He never beats his audience about the head with his beliefs, despite publishing with a Christian publishing house. Instead, he allows his books to unfold the message of his faith – either through characters whose faith is an integral part of who they are (such as Etzel), or through characters who don’t know what they believe and the conversations they have with other characters about questions they have (such as Kit and Lady Faythe). As always, Lawhead is unique in that he is not a writer of Christian Fiction. Rather, he is a Christian Author who writes Fiction.
On the flip side of this rave review I do have a couple of negatives to mention. First, is that I have to wait until next September to read the second book in the series. Second, don’t read this book expecting to have any questions answered. I was about 10 pages from the end when I realized that the book was leading me to a cliff-hanger ending, and I was going to have to wait for the rest of the series to find out what happens. Since Lawhead is delving back into sci-fi with this series, this first book was mainly an introduction to the characters, the concept of ley travel, and a tantalizing glimpse at the story this series will become.
Overall, I would say I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone who likes a good blend of sci-fi, fantasy, and history as well as the idea of time travel and being able to mess with historical events.
Mindy @ 10:30 pm
Kit Livingstone has been invited on the journey of his lifetime – of any lifetime. A quest to find a map that turns into a greater treasure quest than anyone can imagine. The Skin Map is the first book of The Bright Empires Novels, a new fiction series from Stephen R. Lawhead, author of the King Raven trilogy, the Song of Albion trilogy, the Dragon King trilogy, and the Pendragon Cycle series. This book was a fantastic journey that was hard to put down. It combines science, history, mystery, and alternate realities. The first sentence of the first chapter draws you in:
“Had he but known that before the day was over he would discover the hidden dimensions of the universe, Kit might have been better prepared. At least he would have brought an umbrella.”
The day that Kit meets his great-grandfather, his world is turned upside down. Or inside out. Or maybe sideways. Lawhead is able to weave a story that draws you in and takes you on a journey. This particular journey leads you in imagining the possibility of “ley lines” that allow you to travel from one reality to another – from one world to another. What would happen if there were streets that you could walk down and travel from your world into another world? Dropping you into a reality that is slightly different from your reality – or a reality that occurred in ancient history? And imagine that there was a map, a Skin Map, that had the directions to take you back home. But you had to find that map in the various realities – and before the thugs find it.
This book was wonderfully written. The scientific explanations were written to be easy to understand, and the descriptions of ancient history brought this alive. This left me wanting to read The Bone House, the next book in the series, but I’ll have to wait until September 2011!
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.