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.




Monday, March 28, 2016

Walking Dead getting dead

For me, The Walking Dead show is dying. The show seems to believe that pretending to kill off its stars is going to keep it interesting. No. It's not. Imo, the "stars" include Darryl, Rick, Michonne, Abraham, Maggie, Glenn, Carol, Eugene, Sasha, Rosita, and maybe Carl.

Killing off Dennise last week, to me wasn't a bad thing. Dennise was not one of the stars. She was a later addition to the cast, and not a strong character. Meaning, she really didn't add much to the story line. But I must say that the way she was killed was unique, well-written and well performed. Maybe it was the best "killing" ever done on television. Maybe. If not the best, then it's up there.

But flirting with killing off any of the other above named characters may well ruin the show. I don't know how many more seasons this show is going to have. Since next week will wrap up the sixth season, it could be on its last leg. Meaning next season might be its last season. I say that because often shows deliberately stop after the seventh season. So next season could be it. But not all shows do that. Some shows just keep on going and going.

But another thing about this show that's bothering me is the captive thing. It's becoming a repeated story line at this point when characters are captured by a group of bad guys. And the plot becomes all about saving them. It's repeatedly happening, so much that it's tiring by now.

One thing I'm still waiting for is some intense "partner" scenes with Rick and Michonne. I want to see the two of them having some adventures where they prove to be the ultimate team. Like Kirk and Spock, James West and Artemus Gordon, Jonathan Steed and Emma Peele. But they're not doing that. Instead, Michonne and Rick are off on separate adventures, and guess what. Michonne is now captured. (Along with Darryl, Glenn, and Rosita.) Sigh.

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