Will iconic images recorded in the grooves of an ancient vase unite the Holy Land or rip it further apart?

THE VASE

A novel by Mark M. DeRobertis

Muhsin Muhabi is a Palestinian potter, descended from a long line of potters. His business is run from the same shop owned by his ancestors since the day his forebears moved to Nazareth. The region's conflict saw the death of his oldest son, and rogue terrorists are in the process of recruiting his youngest in their plot to assassinate the Pope and Israeli prime minister.

Professor Hiram Weiss is an art historian at Nazareth’s Bethel University. He is also a Shin Bet operative on special assignment. With the help of fellow agent, Captain Benny Mathias, he plans to destroy the gang responsible for the death of his wife and only child. He puts a bomb in the ancient vase he takes on loan from Muhsin’s Pottery Shop.

Mary Levin, the charming assistant to the director of Shin Bet, has lost a husband and most of her extended family to recurring wars and never-ending terrorism. She dedicates her life to the preservation of Israel, but to whom will she dedicate her heart? The brilliant professor from Bethel University? Or the gallant captain who now leads Kidon?

Harvey Holmes, the Sherlock of Haunted Houses, is a Hollywood TV host whose reality show just flopped. When a Lebanese restaurant owner requests his ghost-hunting services, he believes the opportunity will resurrect his career. All he has to do is exorcise the ghosts that are haunting the restaurant. It happens to be located right across the street from Muhsin’s Pottery Shop.




Thursday, May 26, 2011

True Life Hero

I like a great story with a great hero. And I like to write stories that have great heroes. In KILLER OF KILLERS, Trent Smith is the ultimate hero. He's the world's greatest martial artist, after all, and he fights for justice. But he's a ficticious character. And so what? There's a lot of ficticious characters that are great heroes. I've talked about them. James Bond, Captain Kirk, and Conan, to name my top three ficticious heroes. And more recently, I've enjoyed the stories of Frank Martin and Jason Bourne, too.

But there are heroes who really lived in real life, and were real heroes. And I have to admit, a true story has just a little more merit. Why? Well, because it's a true story. History is full of them. David, Alexander, Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, Constantine, Charles Martel, George Washington, and Audie Murphy come to mind. These are men who fought in real battles in real wars, men who put their lives on the line, and made a difference. And many of them have had their stories told, either in books, or in movies.

But many of them haven't, and John Dunn is one of them. He was a real hero. He was known for his skill with a rifle as a hunter and a fighter. He was tall, muscular, daring, and courageous. You gotta figure living as the only white man amongst Zulu tribes has got to take some guts. He even calloused his feet instead of wearing shoes, like all Zulu warriors. And just to give a clue how special he was, he became the Zulu King Cetshwayo's best friend. I talked about how he was forced to fight on the side of the British, during the Anglo-Zulu War, but afterwards he saved Cetshwayo's life. How? When the British forces defeated the Zulus, the commanding British general was going to hang the Zulu king. But it was John Dunn who intervened by convincing the general that he couldn't execute Cetshwayo without a trial. The general couldn't deny the truth of it, so he sent Cetshwayo to England, where he became a celebrity. (And wasn't executed.)

Sadly, the two never saw each other again, and Cetshwayo never realized it was Dunn who saved his life, and he harbored a resentment for Dunn taking sides with the British. He had already forgiven him once for taking sides with his brother during the Zulu Civil War. Talk about angst. I already knew it was a great story. And I'm learning that there's even a lot more to it.

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