Review: The Shadow Lamp (CSFF Day 3)

Flash floods. Roman invaders. Tomb raiding. Pirate attacks. Betrayals. Getting lost in the multiverse … and discovering the greatest threat imaginable.

Ley leaping may be the journey of a lifetime, but no one ever said it was easy. Or safe.

THE SHADOW LAMP, Book 4 in Stephen R. Lawhead’s BRIGHT EMPIRES series, picks up the multiple journeys of its characters where (and when) they left off: be that 17th-century Prague, modern Arizona, Egypt of the Pharaohs, or Damascus in the 1930s. Kit and Mina, having come into their own as expert ley travellers, join the Zetetic Society–zetetic meaning “seeker”–while in other dimensions, Lord Burleigh assembles his infamous band of cutthroats and the Flinders-Petrie line search for the Skin Map, coming face-to-face with the unpleasant consequences of playing God while they do.

As storylines meet, merge, and diverge again, the Society makes a discovery that will reset the direction of their quest:

Someone, somewhere, has caused a breach that threatens to unravel the entire multiverse.

There are, indeed, consequences to playing God. But the Zetetic Society, in the service of the Sovereign Creator, are determined to do all they can to make things right.

With three books behind it, THE SHADOW LAMP is a story in full swing. I found myself engaged not only by the book’s events, but by characters I have grown fond of, places that are by now familiar–as far-ranging and initially foreign as they were–and concepts of science and philosophy that are thought-provoking and plain fun.

As a side note, I’ve quite enjoyed the author’s brief essays at the end of each volume. This book’s essay, on the history of religion and science and the current antagonism between the two, is worth reading.

As another side note, one which will only be meaningful to readers of the series thus far: I love Wilhelmina. She is far and away my favourite character–I’m just so proud of her. Okay, that’s enough about that.

For an intriguing, clean, and enjoyable read, I recommend BRIGHT EMPIRES.

Disclaimer: The publisher provided me with a copy of this book free of charge in exchange for a review.