The Skin Map by Stephen R. Lawhead

The Skin Map by Stephen R. Lawhead

From Book Sneeze:

Enter the ultimate treasure hunt--with a map made of skin, a playing field of alternate realities, and a prize that is the greatest mystery of all.

Kit Livingstone's great-grandfather has re-appeared with an unbelievable story--the ley lines throughout Britain are not merely the stuff of legends but truly are pathways to other worlds. So few people know how to use them, though, that doing so is fraught with danger.

But one explorer knew more than most. Because of his fear of being unable to find his way home, he developed an intricate code and tattooed his map onto his skin. But the map has since been lost and rival factions are in desperate competition to recover it. What none of them yet realize is that the skin map itself is not the prize at the end of this race . . . but merely the first goal of a vast and marvelous quest to regain Paradise.

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About The Author

Stephen R. Lawhead


Stephen Lawhead is an internationally acclaimed author of mythic history and imaginative fiction. He was born in 1950, in Nebraska in the USA. His early life was lived in America where he earned a university degree in Fine Arts and attended theological seminary for two years.

His first professional writing was done at Campus Life magazine in Chicago, where he was an editor and staff writer. During his five years at Campus Life he wrote hundreds of articles and several non-fiction books.

After a brief and unsuccessful foray into the music business—as president of his own record company—he launched his free-lance career in 1981. In the Hall of the Dragon King was his first novel.

In 1986 the Lawhead family moved to Britain so that Stephen could conduct research for the PENDRAGON CYCLE books. They settled there permanently in 1990, with some years spent living in Austria and a sabbatical in the United States.

In addition to his twenty-four novels, he has written nine children's books, many of them originally offered to his two sons, Drake and Ross. He is married to Alice Slaikeu Lawhead, with whom he has collaborated on books and articles. They make their home in Oxford, England.

Stephen's non-fiction, fiction and children's titles have variously been published in twenty-four foreign languages. He has won numerous industry awards, and in 2003 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by the University of Nebraska.

His middle name is ‘Ray’.

My Take:

I have only read (actually listened to) one other book by Stephen Lawhead (Hood). I really liked that book so I thought that I would give The Skin Map a try.  This is the first book in His series Bright Empires.  Most of this book it seemed like he was settting us up for the rest of the series.  We learn about Ley Lines taht are pathways between time and places.  Kit meets his great-grandfather, who disappeared one day, and he introduces Kit to these lines.  This whole other reality leads Kit to an adventure that is unlke anyother. 
I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. 
The Next one is named The Bone House and is suppose to come out in September 2011.

You can learn more about Stephen at http://www.stephenlawhead.com/ 

I received a cop of this bok for review purposes from Booksneeze.