Book Review of The Shadow Lamp by Stephen Lawhead – plus A GIVEAWAY! – Day 3

This is the last and final day for talking about the novel THE SHADOW LAMP by Stephen Lawhead. The fourth book in Stephen’s daring five part series which will conclude next year with THE FATAL TREE.

MY FAVORITE CHARACTER

Today, short on time, I want to talk about one character that I especially like:

Etzel (Engelbert) Stiffelbeam!

Yes, the pudgy baker, who always seems to be in the background, faithfully making pastries and bread to please his customers. Always there for Mina when she comes back from her adventures in ley-leaping.

And not only that, but he is shown in this novel as being kind to the poor (and also you know *who*, the very man who deserves it the least). In this he embodies sacrifice, and in a deeper way, perhaps he shows us a small portion of God’s character, always there with open arms, providing for us, forgiving, merciful.

We all need an Etzel in our lives. And when our Etzel’s pass on, we need to remember that then it is our job to become Etzel’s in other’s lives.

As you can tell, I really like Etzel.

Also, did anyone notice that his name rhymes with Pretzel? I wonder if Stephen Lawhead loves those soft, hot, and salty pretzels you find for sale? He certainly must love coffee to have such fun with it.

What is your favorite character from the series? Post it in the comments!

FINAL DAY OF THE GIVEAWAY!

What am I giving away? A FREE COPY of THE SHADOW LAMP. Not only that, but I have requested a signed book-plate that I will attach to the novel before I send it out. (The only gotcha is that you have to wait for the book-plate to arrive from Stephen.)

To be entered into this give-away, you must solve THREE RIDDLES! One on this blog post, one on yesterday’s, and one more on the day before’s!

For today’s riddle, I’m going to make it a bit easier. Simply complete the following sentence:

The quest for answers—and ultimate survival—hinges on finding the cosmic link between the Skin Map, ___ ______ ____, and the Spirit Well.

Your answer will be a three word phrase, which you should email to me through the following contact form.

AND NOTE: THE CONTEST ENDS ON FRIDAY AT MIDNIGHT. After that I’ll hold a random drawing for the winner!

THE OTHER TOUR MEMBERS

Make sure you visit the other tour members’ websits to read more reviews of THE SHADOW LAMP!