Wednesday, November 03, 2010



The Skin Map:
The Bright Empires Series - Book One
by
Stephen R Lawhead

Blog Tour - Day 3

It's Not Just Skins versus Shirts in the Grand Scheme of Things




(click image for Amazon link or click link below)

The Skin Map - available from:
Author Webpage:
Stephen R Lawhead – http://www.stephenlawhead.com/


I received a review copy from Thomas Nelson of The Skin Map
for this blog tour


On the third and final day of the Skin Map Blog Tour I wanted to mention some of the little details Mr. Lawhead included that helped bring the settings to life. One of the most painful chapters to read concerns when the original Skin Map owner, Arthur Flinders-Petrie travels to China during the early days of Chinese-British trade. Arthur returns to the House of Wu, the most gifted tattoo artist in China, to render on Arthur's chest the most important location yet found. Until reading the tattoo scene I had never realized the pain suffered through to gain the tattoo. This chapter is aptly named "In Which an Honorable Skin is Notably Inscribed."

Another chapter title I liked is, "In Which Wilheminia Changes History Much for the Better." As mentioned in yesterday's blog, one of the themes, or lessons, I liked is that things work out for a reason. In Wilhemina's case, her terrible plight is instead the best thing that might have happened to her. How she turned the tables on the businessmen in 1600s Prague reminded me of Mark Twain's book, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. She used her modern knowledge to level the playing field for her and Etzell.

A small detail I appreciated about the Skin Map layout are the inclusion of the swirls and marks appearing at the top of each chapter, and alluded to on the Skin Map. The symbols helped me visualize how the Skin Map may have been marked in like manner. I even wondered if the symbols in some way point to the locations of each chapter.


In closing, I want to say how well I enjoyed reading the book. When the book arrived in the mail Friday afternoon I was afraid I might have too short a time to do the story justice. Instead, I finished the book by the next evening and hated to close the cover as the last chapter ended. Fans of Sliders and The Time Tunnel will appreciate the rich storytelling and scenes found in The Skin Map. I wish the sequel released early next year, but craftsmanship takes time and makes it worth the wait.

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Tuesday, November 02, 2010



The Skin Map:
The Bright Empires Series - Book One
by
Stephen R Lawhead

Blog Tour - Day 2

Grow Where You Are Planted or
Things Happen Because of a Grand Plan




(click image for Amazon link or click link below)

The Skin Map - available from:
Author Webpage:
Stephen R Lawhead – http://www.stephenlawhead.com/


I received a review copy from Thomas Nelson of The Skin Map
for this blog tour


One of the spiritual themes I liked in the Skin Map is the concept that everything works according to a celestial plan. When Kit's former girlfriend, Wilhelmina, is dropped into a strange world and time she thinks everything is horrible thanks to Kit sending her to a such a cold, muddy place. In her time she was a baker's assistant and endured the work as best she could.
She meets Englebert Stifflebeam, or Etzel as he prefers, who is on his way to Prague in 1606 to open a bakery. When Etzel finds out she knows how to bake, he tells Mina - her nickname - that God's providence brought them together at that time. She scoffs at first, but finds in Etzel a strong faith in God and patience that she needs, and Etzel finds the business sense and baking skills he needs. Over time, Mina admits to herself that she is far happier than she ever was in London, even without modern conveniences.
Kit the Questor-in-training learns from his great-grandfather that all things work with a purpose toward a final goal. Through harrowing experiences Kit also gains a faith in God as he learns to trust in a higher power, rather than believe his life existed at the whim of fate. The Skin Map shows but a small portion of this great causeway though space and time, and the reader will gain a idea of Creation's vastness. Kit also learns that the choices we make can have far reaching consequences. A kind gift of bread by Cosmo, Kit's great-grandfather, to a poor lady may have averted the Great London Fire. But Kit is warned that Wilhelmina may inadvertently grave affect another time stream.


Our lives are like Kit's interactions with the past. Our choices and actions do ripple out like a stone cast into a quiet pond, influencing everything we come into contact with; directly or indirectly. When we chose to follow the right path, our influences can provide a long term positive effect for others.

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Monday, November 01, 2010





The Skin Map:
The Bright Empires Series - Book One
by
Stephen R Lawhead


Blog Tour - Day 1
SLIDERS MEETS THE TIME TUNNEL


(click image for Amazon link or click link below)

The Skin Map - available from:




Author Webpage:
Stephen R Lawhead – http://www.stephenlawhead.com/





I received a review copy from Thomas Nelson of The Skin Map
for this blog tour


One of the things I've noticed from past books I've read by Mr. Lawhead is how richly he paints a setting. The Skin Map myriad settings surpassed his prior books as the characters are catapulted from modern-day London to a 19th Century sea-side town to 17th Century England to ancient Egypt. In his latest book, readers are treated to a mad journey through time and across the Globe to recover the elusive Skin Map. At first the title and idea of a map tattooed on someones skin brought back memories of old pirate movies, but I soon found myself getting into the story and rooting on the good guys.

The main character, Kit Livingstone, meets his great-grandfather after a series of London subway and bus mishaps. His ancestor convinces Kit to follow him down a misty London alleyway that opens on a fishing village on the coast. Kit thinks the village a quaint reenactment site, but finds he landed over a century in the past. Over a loaf of bread and fresh cheese, his great-grandfather explains that Kit has the gift of walking Ley lines - a naturally occuring energy source - and traveling to other places and othe times.

Cosmo, the great-grandfather, continues that not everyone can locate and travel these Ley lines. His small, close-knit group known as the Questors have travelled and recorded the more common paths, but are looking for the Skin Map; a vast compendium of paths and connections that is comparable to the London underground but vastly more conplex.

What's a good story without bad guys? That's where the Burleys come in. Henchmen for Lord Burliegh have trailed and almost cornered the Questors in an attempt to gain control of the Skin Map and control of the Ley lines. It's a race against time, for he that controls the Ley lines controls time itself.




Tomorrow: Grow Where You Are Planted or Things Happen Because of a Grand Plan


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