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.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Stories Should Make Sense
For example, take that TV show Lost. The people called 'the Others" on that island were treating the survivors of the plane crash very cruelly. They tortured and murdered them, and all the while, the audience was never privy as to why.
And I'm watching this show, and thinking, well, they want us (the audience) to dislike these "others" but even still, I wanted to know why the "others" were being so downright mean to the survivors. I mean, when people survive a plane crash, it would be normal to want to help them, tend to their injuries, do whatever you could for them. But no, they were so mean and cruel, it just didn't make sense. And now that the show is over, they (the writers) never explained why! You can guess it was because they considered the plane crash survivors as rivals, but rivals for what? The affection of the island? I mean the survivors were obviously not there because they wanted to be there. It was a plane crash for goodness sakes.
Ultimately, the writers were going after tension, as that's something that keeps an audience watching, but there was just no reason for it in that circumstance, and yes, it did ruin the story for me. And for a lot of other people, I might add.
Now, I'm watching that show called The Walking Dead. It's in its third season now, and this community of people ruled by a dude called The Governor just wiped out some military guys, but for no apparent reason. They posed no threat to them, they weren't rovers or vagabonds, and with their knowledge and training, they would have made good additions to their community. But instead, the Governor has his men surround them and wipe them out. Why? Other than guessing, there was no reason for it.
Maybe it will be explained later, but I'm getting the feeling that, like in Lost, there won't be any explanation coming very soon. We'll see.
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