Bryan earned a bachelor’s degree in print journalism from the University of Tennessee as well as a master’s degree in historical theology at Dallas Theological Seminary. From there he went to the University of Virginia, taking a PhD in the field of ancient church history. He is currently professor of theology at Moody Bible Institute in downtown Chicago, where he has been since 2002. He teaches courses in theology, church history, and Western civilization from the ancient and medieval periods. He is the author of Getting to Know the Church Fathers: An Evangelical Introduction (Brazos, 2007), as well as several scholarly articles and essays. Bryan has always enjoyed epic adventure stories as well as historical fiction, but most of his reading these days is taken up by academia.
Today Bryan lives in downtown Wheaton in a Victorian house built in 1887. He and his wife Carolyn are parents to two children. For recreation Bryan enjoys basketball, traveling, and hiking anywhere there are mountains. The Litfins attend College Church in Wheaton, where Bryan has served on the Board of Missions and as a deacon. He also helped start Clapham School, a Christian primary school in Wheaton using the classical model of education.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Book Three in the Chiveis Trilogy
War and disease have destroyed the modern world. Centuries later, feudal societies have arisen across Europe. No one can remember the ancient religion of Christianity—until an army captain and a farmer’s daughter discover the Sacred Writing of the one true God.
As Teo and Ana encounter the forgotten words of the holy book, they realize its message is just what their kingdom needs. Though exiled from their homeland, they join their hearts in a quest to return. But now an ancient pact has united the enemies of the Christian faith into a dark alliance that threatens to consume the known world. Racing to stay one step ahead of their enemies, Teo and Ana must battle heinous villains, stormy seas, and the powers of the underworld itself. As armies begin to mass for a final battle, the odds favor the forces of evil. Can Teo and Ana bring divine truth to Chiveis—or will the Word of God fade from the earth forever?
If you would like to read the first chapter of The Kingdom, go HERE.
Anne Elisabeth Stengl makes her home in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she enjoys her profession as an art teacher, giving private lessons from her personal studio, and teaching group classes at the Apex Learning Center. She is married to the handsome man she met at fencing class and lives with him and a gaggle of cats. She studied illustration at Grace College and English literature at Campbell University. Heartless is her debut novel.
Anne Elisabeth is also the author of the Tales of Goldstone Wood, a series of fantasy adventure novels told in the classic Fairy Tale style.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Moonblood Draws Near, and Soon the Dragons Will Wake
Desperate to regain the trust of his kingdom, Prince Lionheart reluctantly banishes his faithful servant and only friend, Rose Red. Now she is lost in the hidden realm of Arpiar, held captive by her evil goblin father, King Vahe.
Vowing to redeem himself, Lionheart plunges into the mysterious Goldstone Wood, seeking Rose Red. In strange other worlds, Lionheart must face a lyrical yet lethal tiger, a fallen unicorn, and a goblin horde on his quest to rescue the girl he betrayed.
With the Night of Moonblood fast approaching when King Vahe seeks to wake the Dragon’s sleeping children, Lionheart must discover whether or not his heart contains courage before it’s too late for Rose Red . . . and all those he loves.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Moonblood, go HERE.
Learn more about Anne Elisabeth and her books on her Blog.
I first became acquainted with the books of Stephen Lawhead over twenty years ago when a church friend loaned me a copy of Taliesin, the first book in The Pendragon Cycle. Since that time I have read and/or own almost all of his books. And I in turn have been privileged to introduce Mr. Lawhead’s books to friends and family. I was so excited to have the opportunity to review The Bone House.
The Bone House is the second book in the Bright Empire series. This series is one that you definitely DO NOT want to read out of order. Each book should be read in sequence to keep from being thoroughly confused. I was relieved that I had recently taken advantage of an offer for a free Kindle copy of The Skin Map and made it a point to read it first. The very nature of these books cause them to be just a bit difficult to keep sorted out so you don’t want to miss the foundation that was laid in The Skin Map.
That being said, The Bone House continues the story that began in The Skin Map although not in the usual chronological manner. Each chapter features different characters in different settings and time periods. New characters have been introduced and more background has been laid so that the reader gradually begins to understand a bit of what is going on. Connections between seemingly unrelated people are beginning to be drawn.
The Bone House is what I might describe as an intellectual fantasy. It contains a mixture of science, history, and geography that is woven into a tale about an ominiverse that is connected by ley lines that allow those who know how to use them to travel between alternate lands and time periods. The Skin Map holds the secrets of the ley lines and is sought by several of the characters – each of whom have different reasons for their quest.
Now that you are as thoroughly confused as I am in trying to describe this book (and series) adequately, let me say that like all of Lawhead’s earlier books, The Bone House is so well written that it is a joy to read. His imagination continues to astound me. Although I have enjoyed the series thus far, I feel certain that once it is completed, the Bright Empire series is one that I will go back and read again. If you have never read a book by Stephen Lawhead, this series might be a good place to start. Just be sure to take heed of the warnings and read The Skin Map first.
This book was provided for review by BookSneeze.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
One piece of the Skin Map has been found. Now the race to unravel the future of the future turns deadly.
An avenue of Egyptian sphinxes, an Etruscan tufa tomb, a Bohemian coffee shop, and a Stone Age landscape where universes collide …
Kit Livingstone met his great grandfather Cosimo in a rainy alley in London where he discovered the reality of alternate realities.
Now he’s on the run – and on a quest, trying to understand the impossible mission he inherited from Cosimo: to restore a map that charts the hidden dimensions of the multiverse while staying one step ahead of the savage Burley Men.
The key is the Skin Map – but where it leads and what it means, Kit has no idea. The pieces have been scattered throughout this universe and beyond.
Mina, from her outpost in seventeenth-century Prague, is quickly gaining both the experience and the means to succeed in the quest. Yet so are those with evil intent, who from the shadows are manipulating great minds of history for their own malign purposes.
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.
Stephen R. Lawhead is an internationally acclaimed author of mythic history and imaginative fiction. He is the author of such epics as The Skin Map; The King Raven, Song of Albion, and Dragon King Trilogies. Lawhead makes his home in Oxford, England, with his wife. Twitter @StephenLawhead, facebook.com/StephenRLawhead
Breath of Angel, book one of The Angelaeon Circle series by Karyn Henley is a fantastical tale about angels, immortals, nephilim, shapeshifters, sylvans, dwarves, and the mere mortals who interact with them. Featuring Melaia, a chantress who witnesses a violent murder and soon finds herself pulled into the ancient blood feud between the evil immortal Rejius and his brother Benasin. Melaia soon learns that the legendary songs she has sung her entire life have more truth in them than she ever imagined and that everything she knew about herself was about to change.
While not an epic fantasy in the tradition of such greats as Lord of the Rings or Chronicles of Narnia, Breath of Angel is nevertheless an interesting and entertaining tale. I might have wished for a bit more description of the settings but I was nevertheless able to imagine them fairly well. More character development would also have been nice to help the reader become more invested in the story. Hopefully we will learn more about Trevin in Eye of the Sword.
A tale of loyalty, bravery, and sacrifice, Breath of Angel teaches some valuable lessons about life as it entertains. I would recommend it for most teens. It would probably be a great summer diversion.
This book was provided for review by Blogging for Books a service of the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
The stranger’s cloak had fallen back, and with it, a long, white, blood-stained wing.
When Melaia, a young priestess, witnesses the gruesome murder of a stranger in the temple courtyard, age-old legends recited in song suddenly come to life. She discovers wings on the stranger, and the murderer takes the shape of both a hawk and a man.
Angels. Shape-shifters. Myths and stories—until now.
Melaia finds herself in the middle of a blood feud between two immortal brothers who destroyed the stairway to heaven, stranding angels in the earthly realm. When Melaia becomes a target, she finds refuge with a band of angels attempting to restore the stairway. But the restoration is impossible without settling an ancient debt—the “breath of angel, blood of man,” a payment that involves Melaia’s heart, soul, and destiny.
“Karyn Henley spins a lyrical young-adult tale of mythical and legendary beings, of reimagined angels and terrifying malevolents, in a small kingdom where the world’s fate rests on a young priestess’s shoulders.” —Kathy Tyers, author of Shivering World and the Firebird series
“Karyn Henley’s novel starts with a jolt, grabs the reader by the collar, and doesn’t slow down one minute. This author infuses her text with imagery, suspense, and a cast that will appeal to all ages. In addition, it has a feeling that I can only describe as “folklorish,” with all the best elements that come with that—music, magic, and mystery. I think it’s destined to become a classic.” —Kathi Appelt, author of The Underneath, National Book Award finalist, Newbery Honor Book, PEN USA Award
“This lusciously written fantasy has it all: epic battles, earthbound angels, immortal humans, and a bright, engaging heroine. Henley’s young priestessturned-warrior is forced to put her past together like a jigsaw puzzle with pieces so sharp they cut. Her story is nearly impossible to forget, so readers will be eager for more!” —Louise Hawes, author of Black Pearls: a Faerie Strand, AAUW Juvenile Literature Award nominee; Gold Award, Hall of Fame, teensreadtoo.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Award-winning author Karyn Henley has written over 100 titles, which include a mix of children’s books and articles, parent-teacher books, articles, and curricula, and preschool musicals and CD’s/DVD’s of original music for children. An accomplished songwriter, Karyn has been a Dove Award nominee, and received a regional Emmy Award as Music Composer for a Christmas television special. She has traveled worldwide speaking to parents and teachers and entertaining children and their families in storytelling/active movement sessions and concerts.
A graduate of Abilene Christian University (BSEd), Karyn received a Master’s of Fine Arts degree in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts in 2004. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
Anne Elisabeth Stengl makes her home in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she enjoys her profession as an art teacher, giving private lessons from her personal studio, and teaching group classes at the Apex Learning Center. She studied illustration at Grace College and English literature at Campbell University. Heartless is her debut novel.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Rose Red trusts no one with her secret. She hides in the forest, her face veiled in rags, shunning the company of all save her old father and her nanny goat. Her life is bleak and lonely.
Until she meets a privileged young man sent to spend his summer in the mountains. Leo, a lonely lad, befriends Rose Red, and together they begin hunting for the Mountain Monster which, rumor says, stalks these lands.
But the hunt which began as a game holds greater risk than Leo supposes. Rose Red can scarcely guess at the consequences should he insist on continuing his search. Dare she trust him with her secret? Or tell him what dwells at the top of the mountain in the cave only she can find?
Above all, when Leo asks Rose Red to leave the mountain and follow him to the low country, dare she agree and risk the wrath of a Monster that is all too real?
If you would like to read the first chapter of Veiled Rose, go HERE.
Bryan earned a bachelor’s degree in print journalism from the University of Tennessee as well as a master’s degree in historical theology at Dallas Theological Seminary. From there he went to the University of Virginia, taking a PhD in the field of ancient church history. He is currently professor of theology at Moody Bible Institute in downtown Chicago, where he has been since 2002. He teaches courses in theology, church history, and Western civilization from the ancient and medieval periods. He is the author of Getting to Know the Church Fathers: An Evangelical Introduction (Brazos, 2007), as well as several scholarly articles and essays. Bryan has always enjoyed epic adventure stories as well as historical fiction, but most of his reading these days is taken up by academia.
Today Bryan lives in downtown Wheaton in a Victorian house built in 1887. He and his wife Carolyn are parents to two children. For recreation Bryan enjoys basketball, traveling, and hiking anywhere there are mountains. The Litfins attend College Church in Wheaton, where Bryan has served on the Board of Missions and as a deacon. He also helped start Clapham School, a Christian primary school in Wheaton using the classical model of education.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
The Chiveis Trilogy takes readers hundreds of years into the future. War and disease have destroyed civilization as we know it. Much technology has been discarded and history is largely forgotten. Slowly, the few survivors have begun to build new communities, and kingdoms now prosper in a kind of feudal order. But the Word of God has been lost for centuries.
After the finding of an Old Testament in book one of the trilogy, The Gift picks up the story of Teo and Ana. Exiled from their homeland and trying to survive in unknown and dangerous lands, they search for any record of the missing Testament.
Their journeys lead them into the region we know as Italy. An elite society welcomes Ana, who finds she must choose between her new life and her dream of returning to Chiveis. Will Teo and Ana’s relationship withstand the circumstances and new enemies pulling them apart? And can Teo keep ahead of a powerful and mysterious force opposing his search for the New Testament?
If you’d like to read the first chapter of The Gift, go HERE.
Watch the book trailer:
MY REVIEW:
When I first opened The Gift, I was afraid I would have a difficult time getting through it. You see, it doesn’t fall under any of my preferred genres of books. Happily, once I got into the story, I found that it pulled me right along as it gained momentum. Filled with interesting characters, plenty of action, suspense, and a plot that rarely slows down, The Gift also contains a great deal of spiritual insight and depth.
The Gift is the second novel in the Chiveis Trilogy but contains enough background information to keep the new reader from feeling lost. In this post-apocalyptic tale, Teo and Ana are on a quest to find the missing second part of the holy book they found in The Sword. Along the way they encounter those who are either opposed to their mission or those who have the same objective. In particular, the Exterminati (don’t you just love that title?) are determined to eliminate them and all other Christiani.
For those who are easily offended, I must add a word of warning. Although not explicit, there are several scenes that deal with decidedly “adult” topics and other scenes that are quite violent. I personally felt that these scenes were necessary to clarify the decadence of the societies. I would advise that parents read this book before giving it to their mature children.
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