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The Spirit Well
(Bright Empires #3)
by
Kit Livingstone is on a quest for the ultimate treasure---a tattooed map to an alternate universe! When he witnesses Arthur Flinders-Petrie carry his dead wife into a pool of light---and emerge with her alive---Kit wonders if The Spirit Well is the secret of the map. And if it is, can Arthur's ruthless great-grandson be far behind?
...more
Hardcover, 377 pages
Published
September 2012
by Thomas Nelson
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Showing 1-30

Start your review of The Spirit Well (Bright Empires, #3)

Dec 05, 2012
Werner
rated it
liked it
Recommends it for:
Fans of adventure-oriented science fiction
Shelves:
science-fiction
In style, texture, quality and content, this third installment of Lawhead's Bright Empires series is pretty consistent with its predecessors. I felt that the writing was arguably smoother, however (and the author's ability to describe physical settings has always been top-notch, here and elsewhere in the series and his corpus as a whole). The plot is definitely advanced, though, in ways both small and large. We have the introduction of a new major character, paleontologist Cassandra Clarke, who'
...more

Spoiler Alert:
Having read the first two books in the series, I was looking forward to a continuation of the plot-line. However, what I found was a rehashing of character situations that had been implied in the first two books with the consequences already revealed. The only truly new twist or development was the introduction of a new character, Dr. Cassandra Clarke, paleontologist. Some minor character development occurs in the first couple of Cassandra chapters, leading me to believe that she i ...more
Having read the first two books in the series, I was looking forward to a continuation of the plot-line. However, what I found was a rehashing of character situations that had been implied in the first two books with the consequences already revealed. The only truly new twist or development was the introduction of a new character, Dr. Cassandra Clarke, paleontologist. Some minor character development occurs in the first couple of Cassandra chapters, leading me to believe that she i ...more

Oct 20, 2016
Deborah O'Carroll
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
library,
5-stars-awesome,
christian,
epic-character-i-love,
muskets,
reviewed,
ya,
contemporary,
fantasy,
2016-reads
(Review originally posted on The Page Dreamer: https://thepagedreamer.wordpress.com/...)
The middle book in this 5-book series, The Spirit Well was another great addition to the Bright Empires novels. Enthralled, I sped through it in just a few days and can't wait to continue the saga. Once again, I'm in a hurry to review this one, in effect capturing my thoughts at this point, so I can scurry along to read book 4, The Shadow Lamp... I must find out what happens next!
Again, the character list, "p ...more
The middle book in this 5-book series, The Spirit Well was another great addition to the Bright Empires novels. Enthralled, I sped through it in just a few days and can't wait to continue the saga. Once again, I'm in a hurry to review this one, in effect capturing my thoughts at this point, so I can scurry along to read book 4, The Shadow Lamp... I must find out what happens next!
Again, the character list, "p ...more

Kit Livingstone is on a quest for the ultimate treasure—-a tattooed map to an alternate universe! When he witnesses Arthur Flinders-Petrie carry his dead wife into a pool of light—-and emerge with her alive—-Kit wonders if The Spirit Well is the secret of the map. And if it is, can Arthur’s ruthless great-grandson be far behind?
I have not read any of the other book’s in the Bright Empires series, but it was ok. The book started off with a synopsis of the past two books. There are several charact ...more
I have not read any of the other book’s in the Bright Empires series, but it was ok. The book started off with a synopsis of the past two books. There are several charact ...more

In The Spirit Well by Stephen R. Lawhead Kit, Mina and the others continue their adventures. Kit is lost in the stone-age, Mina enlists the help of Brother Lazarus to find him while both Lord Burleigh and the nefarious Douglas Petrie-Smith (great-grandson of Arthur) continues their attempts to find and interpret the Skin Map. Lawhead introduces some new characters, including Casandra - a palaeontologist from Arizona --- and we learn more back-story and find out more about the well of souls or Sp
...more

Book 3 of 5, and progress has been made. There's not much I can say about the actual plot without doling out spoilers at this point. Suffice to say, I'm still enjoying the unfolding quest/mystery/drama. And I've jumped straight into Book 4. Onward!
...more

Bit disapointed with this book. I dont know where he was going with the last half. Just shoved a new character in, then seem to go no where with the story for the rest of the book.
Felt like a book version of an 'anime filler.' ...more
Felt like a book version of an 'anime filler.' ...more

The Spirit Well is a great book that is part of the Bright Empires collection. This series is amazing and will keep you guessing and wondering what will come next. You really need to start at the beginning of the series though so if you haven't read the other books go back to The Skin Map and start there.
It is worth reading through this series as you travel through time and space exploring the world through traveling through and across ley lines that weave time and space together, yet are only o ...more
It is worth reading through this series as you travel through time and space exploring the world through traveling through and across ley lines that weave time and space together, yet are only o ...more

Initial Response
THIS IS MY FAVORITE BOOK SO FAR.
High Lights
- OH. Where do I begin? Like, for real?
- Kit is awesome. I love his relationship with the River City Clan. It's so great.
- Mina is awesome. She's basically the sensible, knows-it-all, person in this scenario and it works amazingly well. Plus she knows people from literally...everywhere.
- It all read so smoothly! It was like a movie playing in my head the whole time. I picture everything, the character's voices were clear, and it was SO ...more
THIS IS MY FAVORITE BOOK SO FAR.
High Lights
- OH. Where do I begin? Like, for real?
- Kit is awesome. I love his relationship with the River City Clan. It's so great.
- Mina is awesome. She's basically the sensible, knows-it-all, person in this scenario and it works amazingly well. Plus she knows people from literally...everywhere.
- It all read so smoothly! It was like a movie playing in my head the whole time. I picture everything, the character's voices were clear, and it was SO ...more

p. 347 "May this light be a symbol of the Great Light on which you may rely as you make passage through the darkness of ignorance, evil and death towards the never-ending light of eternity."
p. 349 "Prayer is our greatest and most salutary weapon in the eternal battle. No less than gravity, prayer is one of the elemental forces that moves the world. We underestimate it at our peril."
p. 372, "The road is a metaphor for change and transformation. The human race seems to love nothing more than a lon ...more
p. 349 "Prayer is our greatest and most salutary weapon in the eternal battle. No less than gravity, prayer is one of the elemental forces that moves the world. We underestimate it at our peril."
p. 372, "The road is a metaphor for change and transformation. The human race seems to love nothing more than a lon ...more

Lawhead exhibits his usual fine writing, but three books into the series, "The Spirit Well" has begun to run the storyline off the rails. The narrative meanders, and there is no real plot or confrontation moving the story forward. The characters (which we jump back and forth to without any real sense of organization or "moving forward") have lost most of their defining motivations and individual quirks that made them interesting in the first place. In other words, "the shine is off the apple" on
...more

Well, I certainly did like it! Maybe not loved it, but it was soooo interesting. Lawhead writes beautifully and descriptively, and I liked the fact that this book filled in the answers to so many questions -- consolation for the questions it introduced!! It was a little slower than the others but I didn't mind that. I can't lay my finger on anything that's wrong, other than that it's not completely my type of book. I think it's because I love heavier classics so much that I found it lacking. Mor
...more

I enjoyed both of the previous books in this series, but The Spirit Well is so far my favorite. I love how Lawhead weaves in spiritual elements into this installment while slowly pulling back the curtain on the complicated plotline. Enough questions are answered to make way for new ones. I have no idea where Lawhead is going with this series, but I'm looking forward to following the journey!
...more

Interesting premise. I read the first, skipped the second, now this is the third. Felt a little top heavy from time to time as I slogged through the various storylines and tried to keep up with the characters. But, the alternate realities and the idea of time jumping..that's intriguing....
...more

The story keeps growing and going in fascinating directions... of course, this is the middle volume of a five volume set, so Lawhead continues to add new twists & characters - thankfully, without reducing clarity or narrative drive.
Can't wait to read the next volume! ...more
Can't wait to read the next volume! ...more

I love this series. It's not anything that can be rushed. These books must be taken slowly and savored or you'll miss something important and very interesting. Mr. Lawhead's world is unlike anything else I've ever visited and some of his descriptions are so far beyond my comprehension that I need to stop and really think about them. I would love to seriously step into these books, and especially this one after reading it, to experience these things for myself.
To say that these books are about "t ...more
To say that these books are about "t ...more

Unlike many books, the hardest part of this review is summarizing the story. For one thing, it’s nearly impossible to talk about this one without referring to the previous two of the five-book Bright Empires series.
And secondly, the story is … not linear. I may as well give a SPOILER ALERT now. I don’t know how to do this review without referring to plot details, some critical.
The Story. Kit Livingston, having transported inadvertently along a ley line to the Stone Age at the end of The Bone ...more
And secondly, the story is … not linear. I may as well give a SPOILER ALERT now. I don’t know how to do this review without referring to plot details, some critical.
The Story. Kit Livingston, having transported inadvertently along a ley line to the Stone Age at the end of The Bone ...more

Another well narrated audio book. I have been enjoying this series and I look forward to how this story will ultimately end. My husband is also reading this series and is a bit farther along. On a recent long drive we plugged this one in so I could continue listening to it. He mentioned, "Ahh, this is when it gets goddy" I am not sure I would necessarily describe it as such but yes, this book does start to involve characters that see the act of traveling between worlds far more religiously. I do
...more

Book three of the "Bright Empires" series has a similar feel to the first two books. The big difference is that Lawhead really starts to theologise in this book. On one side I find it fascinating, because Christians are rarely portrayed in a positive light in works of fiction. On the other, the fantastic nature of this series means that the faith of the characters becomes a little confusing, the book itself sound more like a universalist in nature, or something that is suggesting that humans the
...more

This is where in the narrative thread the Christian lore starts to really come thru (I knew to expect it as I used to read Lawhead in my fundie/evangelical Christian days). I haven't entirely decided yet if it's C.S. Lewis kind of tolerable theological angle, or blergh level of bothersome preachy fundie Christian theologizing. Slightly leaning towards the latter enough that this one made me wrinkle my nose a bit but I'll probably pursue book #4 and hopefully I won't feel the need to throw my Kin
...more

And the saga continues.
In this book, our world-travelers, Kit & Mina join forces with Father Lazarus. Giles is working with Lady Fayth. Cass, an archaeologist joins the ley travelers and has yet to meet our initial team. We see Douglas' work continue & Charles' work end. And of course, the spirit well! Lots of adventure. Some action and a whole lot of vivid descriptions. I feel like the images are painted in my mind. It's marvelous!!
We traveled a lot in this one! I feel like I've been everywhere ...more
In this book, our world-travelers, Kit & Mina join forces with Father Lazarus. Giles is working with Lady Fayth. Cass, an archaeologist joins the ley travelers and has yet to meet our initial team. We see Douglas' work continue & Charles' work end. And of course, the spirit well! Lots of adventure. Some action and a whole lot of vivid descriptions. I feel like the images are painted in my mind. It's marvelous!!
We traveled a lot in this one! I feel like I've been everywhere ...more

Continuation of a great yarn.
While I know that Lawhead is an author who writes from his Christian world-view (something I personally appreciate), there were a couple of places where the "faith" aspect felt forced. My guess is it had something to do with an editor at Thomas Nelson publishers? Could be wrong.
In spite of that, I'm having fun with this series and will be picking up the next book forthwith. ...more
While I know that Lawhead is an author who writes from his Christian world-view (something I personally appreciate), there were a couple of places where the "faith" aspect felt forced. My guess is it had something to do with an editor at Thomas Nelson publishers? Could be wrong.
In spite of that, I'm having fun with this series and will be picking up the next book forthwith. ...more

The story of Kit, Mina, and company continues with new characters and new adventures in new dimensions. Can't wait to read the final book to see how the author brings all the story lines together to "save the world"
...more

didn't like it
...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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The Mina Arc | 1 | 8 | Jan 09, 2013 02:22PM |
Stephen R. Lawhead is an internationally acclaimed author of mythic history and imaginative fiction. His works include Byzantium, Patrick, and the series The Pendragon Cycle, The Celtic Crusades, and The Song of Albion.
Also see his fanpage at Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/stephenlawhead...
Stephen was born in 1950, in Nebraska in the USA. Most of his early life was spent in America where he earned ...more
Also see his fanpage at Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/stephenlawhead...
Stephen was born in 1950, in Nebraska in the USA. Most of his early life was spent in America where he earned ...more
Other books in the series
Bright Empires
(5 books)
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