Thursday Titles: The Bone House

Working my way through my to-read pile and I finally got to pick up The Bone House by Stephen R. Lawhead, Book 2 of the Bright Empires series and the sequel to The Skin Map.

I was so eager to read this one, in fact, that I snatched it off my husband’s night table and added my own bookmark.  (I passed him in about a day.)  Here’s what I thought of it.

“The best kind of epic fairy tale” A review of “The Bone House” by Stephen R. Lawhead Click to Tweet

In this second instalment of the Bright Empires series, Stephen R. Lawhead continues the story of Kit Livingstone and Mina Klug, two accidental dimensional travellers caught up in a race through time and space that started centuries ago.  In this book, we find out how Mina was able to rescue Kit and what they do next in their hunt for the fabled Skin Map, and learn a little more about Arthur Flinders-Petrie: the Man who is Map, and his nemesis Archelaus Burleigh.  In true Kit fashion, he is constantly struggling to keep up.  In true Mina fashion, she hits the ground running and doesn’t stop.

I absolutely loved the complex, gripping story begun in The Skin Map, and The Bone House as a sequel did not disappoint.  Lawhead catches up the reader by tying some tantalizing loose ends, fleshing out some shadowy characters, and continuing with the fast-paced treasure hunt from book one.  He also brings in some new characters, fantastic settings, and layers of complexity.  The book reads like the best kind of epic fairy tale, satisfying a reader who wants a little meat to their books and enjoys a good hero quest.  As always, Stephen Lawhead has turned out another great read.