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.




Wednesday, March 27, 2013

What About Game of Thrones?

I talked about these special TV series, like Walking Dead and Spartacus. I liked them enough to watch them, but that doesn't mean they're without flaws. Walking Dead is for Zombie lovers, obviously, and I'm not really a zombie lover. I do like heavy drama, gritty action, and great characters. And that show has a little bit of all three. Daryl and Merle are great characters. After them, though, the greatness of the characters takes a serious hit. The action is gritty enough, and the drama is neverending, which is necessary to keep people watching it.

Spartacus has all of the above, as well, but my complaint about Spartacus is that it's too much. I love over the top stuff, but Spartacus has everything over the top. Violence, sex, drama, up the ying yang. It's waaaayyy over the top. For example, one person on that show can spurt enough blood to fill the veins of a dozen characters. And even though they are making the Romans into the bad guys, that doesn't mean Romans can't fight. It's one gladiator against a dozen Roman soldiers, and all 12 Romans will bite the dust, and the gladiator has no scratch. I won't even talk about the over the top sex That's a discussion that will take several blog posts. Suffice it to say that it's also waaayyy over the top.

So, whatever. But there is one show where I can't really think of anything to complain about. Game of Thrones. That's a really well thought out show. I heard the author of the books already had a serious connection to film and TV. He was already a somebody BEFORE he wrote the books. Is it any wonder, then, that he got his books made into the TV series. Connections or not, it's a great storyline, with great characters, and drama that matches or surpasses any other show. The third season is coming up pretty soon, and I'm primed to watch. I've never been a fantasy buff, but it's a well made show with production values that match anything Hollywood has ever done. It's definitely worth watching.  

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