Stephen R. Lawhead - Böcker

Kit Livingstone has been bequeathed by his great grandfather, Cosimo, an apparently impossible task: to piece together a 17th-century map whose fragments are scattered not just throughout this universe but other universes too. One piece of the skin map has been found. Now the race to unravel the future of the future turns deadly. Aided by his girlfriend, Mina, from her outpost in seventeenth-century Prague, Kit begins to make progress but realises that opponents, in the shape of the Burley Men, are equally determined to capture the map, and they have a crucial advantage: the ability to manipulate the will of historical figures for their own ends. Across time and space, through manifest and hidden worlds, those who know how to use ley lines to travel through astral planes have left their own world behind in this, the second quest: to unlock the mystery of The Bone House.

'Anything but ordinary . . . Dynamic settings are mixed with unpredictable adventures [and] parallel worlds.' BookPageIt is the ultimate quest for the ultimate treasure. Chasing a map tattooed on human skin. Across an omniverse of intersecting realities. To unravel the future of the future.Kit Livingstone’s great-grandfather appears to him in a deserted alley during a tumultuous storm. He reveals an unbelievable story: that the ley lines throughout Britain are not merely the stuff of legend or the weekend hobby of deluded cranks, but pathways to other worlds. To those who know how to use them, they grant the ability to travel the multi-layered universe of which we ordinarily inhabit only a tiny part.One explorer knew more than most. Braving every danger, he toured both time and space on voyages of heroic discovery. Ever on his guard and fearful of becoming lost in the cosmos, he developed an intricate code—a roadmap of symbols—that he tattooed onto his own body. This Skin Map has since been lost in time. Now the race is on to recover all the pieces and discover its secrets.But the Skin Map itself is not the ultimate goal. It is merely the beginning of a vast and marvelous quest for a prize beyond imagining.

'Lawhead’s intricately plotted, compelling tale continues to demonstrate his mastery of world building.' Library JournalThe Search for the Map-and the secret behind its cryptic code-intensifies in a quest across time, space, and multiple realities.But what if the true treasure isn’t the map at all . . . what if the map marks something far greater? Something one world cannot contain? Those who desire to unlock that mystery are in a race to possess the secret-for good or evil.Kit Livingstone is mastering the ability to travel across realities using ley lines and has forged a link from the Bone House, a sacred lodge made of animal bones, to the fabled Spirit Well, a place of profound power.His friend Mina is undercover in a Spanish monastery high in the Pyrenees, learning all she can from a monk named Brother Lazarus. Still determined to find Kit, she is beginning to experience a greater destiny than she can fathom.Cassandra Clarke is overseeing an archaeological dig in Arizona when a chance encounter transports her to 1950s Damascus. There, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to the Seekers-the last living remnants of the Zetetic Society who need her help to track down the missing Cosimo Livingstone and his grandson Kit.But there are darker forces at work in the universe whose agents always seem to be one step ahead of the rest-and they’re all desperate to gain the ultimate prize in this treasure hunt where the stakes increase at every turn. At the heart of the mystery lies the Spirit Well.

The quest for answers-and ultimate survival-hinges on finding the cosmic link between the Skin Map, the Shadow Lamp, and the Spirit Well.The search for the map of blue symbols began in a rainy alley in London but has since expanded through space and time and includes more seekers.Kit, Mina, Gianni, Cass, Haven, and Giles have gathered in Mina’s 16th-century coffee house and are united in their determination to find a path back to the Spirit Well. Yet, with their shadow lamps destroyed and key pieces of the map still missing, the journey will be far more difficult than they imagine. And when one of their own disappears with Sir Henry's cryptic Green Book, they no longer know who to trust.At the same time, the Zetetic Society has uncovered a terrifying secret which, if proven, will rock the very foundations of Creation. The quest for answers is no longer limited to recovering an unknown treasure. The fate of the universe depends on unraveling the riddle of the Skin Map.

'In the sweeping style of George R. R. Martin and J. R. Tolkien, Lawhead has created a diverse universe and rich cast of characters. Multiple story lines weave to form a satisfying ending to this mythological speculative series.' Library JournalKit stared at his fellow questors. "Is this it?"It started with small, seemingly insignificant wrinkles in time: A busy bridge suddenly disappears, spilling cars into the sea. A beast from another realm roams modern streets. Napoleon's army appears in 1930s Damascus ready for battle. But that's only the beginning as entire realities collide and collapse.The questors are spread throughout the universe. Mina is stuck on a plain of solid ice, her only companion an angry cave lion named Baby. Tony and Gianni are monitoring the cataclysmic reversal of the cosmic expansion-but coming up short on answers. And Burleigh is languishing in a dreary underground dungeon-his only hope of survival the very man he tried to kill.Kit and Cass are back in the Stone Age trying to reach the Spirit Well. But an enormous yew tree has grown over the portal, effectively cutting off any chance of return. Unless someone can find a solution-and fast-all Creation will be destroyed in the universal apocalypse known as The End of Everything.In the final volume of the fantastic Bright Empires series, Stephen R. Lawhead brings the multi-stranded tale to a stunning and immensely satisfying conclusion.

"Reminiscent of C. S. Lewis . . . Highly recommended." —Library JournalA magnificent epic of cataclysmic upheaval and heroic love in a breathless age of mythic wondersIt was a time of legend, when the last shadows of the mighty Roman conqueror faded from the captured Isle of Britain. While, across a vast sea, bloody war shattered a peace that had flourished for two thousand years in the doomed kingdom of Atlantis.From the award-winning author of THE DRAGON KING TRILOGY comes a majestic tale of breathtaking scope and haunting beauty. It is the remarkable adventure of Charis—the courageous princess from Atlantis who escapes the terrible devastation of her land—and of the fabled seer and druid prince Taliesin, singer at the dawn of the age. A story of an incomparable love that joins two astonishing worlds amid the fires of chaos, and spawns the miracles of Merlin . . . and Arthur the king!

Arthur is the third book of The Pendragon Cycle: a magnificent epic set against the backdrop of Roman Britain and the legends of Arthur and lost Atlantis. "It is the eve of Christ Mass, and the noblemen have come to Londinium to hold council - to essay who among them might become High King. Fifteen years have come and gone since the sword was first placed there. A young man stands grim-faced, gazing at the sword thrust deep into the stone... hesitant, uncertain. 'Take it, Arthur,' Merlin tells him..." So the story begins - a tale of high hope and bitter endeavour, of loyalty and treachery, of spiritual quest and the winning of a kingdom - a story whose end, as its beginning, is shrouded in mystery.

"Though Lawhead brilliantly creates an authentic and vivid Arthurian Britain, he never forsakes the sense of wonder that has graced the legend throughout the ages."—Publishers WeeklyAt the dawn of his reign, a young king confronts his destiny—and must prove his greatness . . . or lose a realm.Arthur is King—but treachery runs rampant throughout the beleaguered Isle of the Mighty. Darkest evil descends upon Britain’s shores in many guises. Fragile alliances fray and tear, threatening all the noble liege has won with his wisdom and his blood. His most trusted counselor—the warrior, bard and kingmaker whom legend will name Merlin—is himself to be tested on a mystical journey back through his own extraordinary past. So in a black time of plague and pestilence, it is Arthur who must stand alone against a great and terrible adversary. For only this way can he truly win immortality—and the name to treasure above all others.

"Suspenseful . . . soulful, philosophical . . . engagingly drawn . . . Arthurian Britain is invoked with robust verisimilitude." –Publishers WeeklyA great king faces the ultimate challenge: a dangerous quest through realms of magic and the undead toward a confrontation with his destinyDrought, plague, and war have left the Isle of the Mighty battered and its heart, the beloved Arthur, grievously injured—until a secret relic is brought before the dying King; a Holy Grail that heals his wounds and restores his vigor.But soon evil enters the royal court in the guise of a beautiful maiden; a soulless, malevolent force capable of seducing the King’s loyal champion, confounding the sage whom some call Merlin, and carrying the sacred Grail—and Arthur’s adored Queen—off into the dark unknown.

"Entertains and tantalizes . . . an exciting and thoughtful addition to the ranks of Arthurian fantasy." –LocusA stunning saga of courage and destiny in a legendary time of chaos and kingsHe was born to greatness, the son of a druid bard and a princess of lost Atlantis. A trained warrior, blessed with the gifts of prophecy and song, he grew to manhood in a land ravaged by the brutal greed of petty chieftains and barbarian invaders.MERLIN: Respected, feared and hated by many, he was to have a higher destiny. For it was he who prepared the way for the momentous event that would unite the Island of the Mighty—the coming of Arthur Pendragon, Lord of the Kingdom of Summer.

"Before Albion is one, the hero feat must be performed and Silver Hand must reign."The great king, Meldryn Mawr, is dead, and his kingdom lies in ruins. Treachery and brutality rule the land, and Albion is the scene of an epic struggle for the throne. The words of a prophetess foretell a coming king, but Lewis, as Albion's renowned champion, Llew, has a more immediate concern: retrieving the treacherous Siawn-Hy, who has eluded him in the doorway between worlds.Forced to flee for their lives, Llew and the bard Tegid find refuge deep in Albion's heartland. There Llew seeks the true meaning behind the mysterious prophecy, the making of a true king and the revealing of a long-awaited champion: Silver Hand. Under Llew and Tegid's leadership, a wilderness citadel arises, and the miraculous reign of Silver Hand begins.

"The balance is not restored. The knot--the endless knot--is still unraveling."Fires rage in Albion: strange, hidden fires, dark-flamed, invisible to the eye. Having ascended the throne as Albion's High King, Llew Silver Hand takes the beautiful Goewyn for his queen. But in the midst of their joyous union, treachery is in the making, forcing Llew to choose between the honor of his kingship and the desire of his heart. The Brazen Man has defied Llew's sovereignty, and Llew must journey to the Foul Land to redeem his greatest treasure. There, as the fabric of two worlds unravels, Llew hurtles headlong toward a final conflict with the Brazen Man. In the balance hangs not only the fate of Goewyn but also the very life-song of Albion, contained within the mystical Singing Stones.The ancient Celts admitted no separation between this world and the Otherworld: the two were delicately interwoven, each dependent on the other. The Endless Knot crosses the thin places between this world and that, as Lewis Gillies begins his ultimate quest, striking the final resounding chord in the Song of Albion.