The Bone House (Bright Empires Book 2) - Fantasy Adventure Novel for Adults | Perfect for Book Clubs & Sci-Fi Fans

In my review of The Skin Map, I expressed puzzlement (and, I'll admit, disappointment) that while the story was typically Lawheadian, the writing was sub-par. It felt like it was written in haste without that careful wordsmithing that has make Lawhead one of my favorite authors. I'm very happy to say that The Bone House is a vast improvement, and sees the erudite Lawhead at the top of his game once again.What will undoubtedly frustrate some readers is the fact that it is not a self-contained story, but rather a few more fragments of a much larger tapestry. If you think of The Bright Empires series, of which we now have two of who knows how many volumes, as a single, coherent sentence, this book (like the first one) is a few almost random words that will eventually fall into place. That being said, there is nothing actually random about it. While we do jump around in time quite a bit, and follow several storylines (some of them of the same characters at different points along their own personal timeline), the sequence in which the author chooses to reveal the story makes perfect logical sense. This is proving to be a very Big and Ambitious concept, even for Lawhead, who has never been one to do things on a small scale. There is a lot to follow here; some readers might find themselves lost or confused or frustrated by the non-linear approach. But those of us who appreciate complexity and riddles and very well-plotted, many-layered stories will truly revel in this. I read it in a single day, unable to put it down.Just a few small things that I liked about this book:Lawhead makes the many different times and places that we visit very real, so we can see them, feel them, and smell them.His characters, while still not as deep as I would like (but I believe we are early in the series and they will continue to be fleshed out) are at least very well-defined. The ones we're supposed to like, we like wholeheartedly, and the ones we're supposed to hate, we hate with delightful relish. And the ones we're not sure about continue to be complex and puzzling.I kept thinking I could predict what was going to happen next, and with very few exceptions I was way off. Especially towards the end - by that time I had given up trying to figure out where it was going, because it went places I would never have seen coming. This is something I highly enjoy, because as an author myself I'm rarely surprised.I really did enjoy all the jumping around in time and having to keep on my toes. Very enjoyable for me, and I was never lost or confused. To me it all made perfect sense as it unfolded.He is simply a spectacular writer and wordsmith. A rare quality these days, when people want everything dumbed down. Kudos to a brilliant writer who continues to be brilliant rather than catering to the lowest common denominator.The end of the last chapter left me staring at the page in dismay, wishing it continued. Now. This moment.Overall, a very entertaining and satisfying read that gives us a few more threads in the growing tapestry. Despite a slightly weak first volume, I suspect that by the end, if they maintain this level of quality and coherence, this will end up being my favorite of Lawhead's many series.