Book Review: Murder in Absentia by Assaph Mehr

Murder in Absentia by Assaph Mehr

I had only to read this book's subheading,  "A story of Togas, Daggers and Magic", to know I would enjoy the blend of ancient history and magic, and sure enough, I could hardly put it down!

The ancient world has always fascinated me, and mankind's search for magic throughout the ages is even more rivetting.  Throw in many great characters with Latin names, and an excellent story told in the first person by Felix the Fox about the investigation he is hired to undertake, and you find yourself immersed in another world. 

And a very enjoyable world, at that.  You don't even need any knowledge of history to appreciate this well-told story because it has all the hallmarks of a great book with overall appeal to most readers.   In fact, the author explains in the notes that the setting is far from accurate, but rather a combination of many elements making up the Roman Empire.  Yet the descriptions of food, daily life of the people, the towns and cities as well as gladiator games combine to make a very authentic experience for the reader. 

Personally, I was hooked as soon as I read in the opening chapter that the son of a wealthy Roman had died, apparently from a black magic rite gone wrong.  There is nothing cliché about the magic, nor anything else in this book, for that matter, and I was pleasantly surprised by all the ideas and twists in the story. 

This book is the first in a series of books featuring Felix the Fox, the unconventional Roman sleuth, and needless to say, I'm looking forward to the next book!  In the meantime, I've written a more formal review for this book at amazon and Goodreads, and you simply must see the author's fabulous website.

Nuclear Warfare in the Ancient World

Could it be possible?  An atomic bomb exploding in Ancient India thousands of years ago?

When I first read about it somewhere many years ago, I was skeptical.  Like most people, I believed that mankind had reached the pinnacle of technological development in my own lifetime, not hundreds - and certainly not thousands of years ago.

But then I began to read and research various subjects that interested me, and I soon found myself confronted with discrepancies and doubts. 

I realized that the history we are taught in school and most books is full of holes and big gaps!

And the rest is mostly theory and guesswork!

Ancient Egypt is a fine example of how modern historians fall short miserably when trying to explain the highly advanced engineering techniques evident in the pyramids and other structures.  So it stands to reason that, if ancient Egyptians had ultrasonic drills and technology still ahead of our own, that they could also have discovered how to make hydrogen and nuclear weapons.

Is there any evidence of such weaponry, you ask. 

Yes!  Look at this:

They are skeletons with a very high radiation reading, found in the area where the atomic blast is believed to have occurred.  Nearby, sand had turned to green glass, which is only possible when sand is subjected to unnaturally high heat.

And if written records are any proof of historical events, then there is a clear description of a nuclear explosion in the Vedic/Ancient Indian holy book, the Mahabharata.  Here is just one webpage with further details:

Vedic Knowledge Online

So, in light of this new knowledge, I am going to use the setting of Ancient India for my fourth book in the Rhuna series, and the story will culminate in a nuclear explosion just as described in the Mahabharata, and according to archaeological evidence!

Astral Projection and OBE in Fantasy novels?

Have you come across Astral Projection or OBE (Out of Body Experience) in any Fantasy novels? 

I haven't.

In fact, I didn't even believe in such things until some years ago, when I began reading all kinds of New Age books to get ideas for my Fantasy series.

Then I remembered some people I knew who insisted they had an OBE under extreme circumstances (nearly drowned, in severe pain) and slowly the subject began to intrigue me more and more.

In the latest and 3rd book in my series - Rhuna, The Star Child - I decided to introduce Astral Projection, calling it by a different name, but describing it in the way some people do, who have experienced it.

In my story, the main character learns about Astral Projection from her long-lost father, who had been in exile in Tibet, where he learned Astral Projection along with other spiritual pursuits (like yoga and meditation).

It's a fascinating concept, if all humans can astral project, and if this is the case, why can only certain people master it?  The mind boggles!  But that is what Fantasy should be, in my opinion:  something that makes your mind boggle and churn with concepts that might be possible!

Let me know if you have any OBE or Astral Projection thoughts or experiences!

Ancient Anti-Gravity?!

Ancient Anti-Gravity?!

Look at this massive stone block with smooth sides and exact angles and measurements!  This is just one of thousands of "megaliths" around the world which defy modern-day explanations.  How were they made, and how on earth were they moved?!

This is one of the subjects that has fascinated me for most of my life, and for the past 20 years I have been reading anything on the subject, slowly gaining more knowledge and forming my own opinions.

If the Ancients had the technology to cut or form massive blocks (out of granite or other stone) to exact measurements and angles, then they would also have had the advanced technology to move and lift them.

So did they perhaps have knowledge of a branch of science or physics that has been lost in the passing of time?  A technology to defy gravity, if only temporarily?  

I have used these ideas in my Historical Fantasy book series, and you can read what professionals think about it in articles such as this: 

http://www.messagetoeagle.com/ancient-knowledge-of-levitation-and-antigravity/

What do you think?