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, May 8, 2013

Speaking of Movies

Talked about the Star Trek movie yesterday, about how bad it was, but today I remembered all of the Star Trek movies sucked. Every one of them. I remember way back when they decided to make the first Star Trek movie. Star Trek, the Motion Picture, it was called. Sure I was excited about it. It was frustrating that they had to witness the phenomenal success of the Star Wars movies to convince them that they should do it. But they did. And I saw it. And it sucked.

The producers sucked, the story sucked, the writing sucked. It was great they got all the original actors, but every movie, right up to the reboot, sucked. If they could have hired Harlan Ellison, or someone who can actually write, it probably would have been great. But rehashing two of the original series episodes was a lousy idea. I'm talking about The Changeling, which was what the first movie was based on, and then Space Seed, which is what the second movie was based on. Both were horrid, and so was every Star Trek movie since.

Meanwhile, Star Wars finally came out with its second trilogy and it sucked, too. I'm not going o go into those, but after The Empire Strikes Back, which was the best, they have all sucked. And no, I'm not hard to please. But I'll call it like I see it. Star Wars one and two were great. Number 3 sucked, and so did all the rest. I'm not optimistic about what Disney's going to do. But I'll probably see them. And then I'll have more to complain about. But maybe not. Disney has a knack of making good movies. Usually.

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