The Bone House

This, the second book in a series of five, continues the adventures started in The Skin Map. This is a multifaceted story dealing with times and places that can become quickly tangled, much like a Doctor Who storyline. Much like Who, characters are introduced at times seem if little importance until the story develops. For those who enjoy such tales, this is series is a good one. This book individually may feel unsatisfactory to some because it is not a whole story on its own.

This review comes after reading the book for the third time, if I'm not mistaken. The book came alive in a new way this time round. Especially surprising to me was how I perceived Kit's sojourn into the Stone Age. Here I found Lawhead's description of Kit's introduction to En-Ul to be a fantastic description of my introduction to God. In short, a man's unexpected encounter with unconditional love.

What I liked: 1. The unfolding of time and strategy in the race to find the skin map and to understand the associated treasure it leads to. I especially like that Lawhead does not use a linear timeline to tell the story, much like a Doctor Who story. 2. I enjoyed seeing the development of the characters and how the quest brings a meaning to the previously meaningless lives.

What I didn't like: I love that Lawhead writes intelligently. However, it can sometimes feel academic and requires me to stay the course rather than to go along for the ride. The Stone Age section is one with little dialogue and a lot of description that gets a bit laborious for me to read at times.