Canaanite Origins of the Bible

The Epic of Baal by Stephen Andrew Missick
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thousands of years ago there was a conflict in the Middle East that in many ways changed the course of history. The battle was between a group of people called the Israelites and the Canaanites. More likely a war over a piece of land. The change was religious in nature.

It was Yahweh the god and El god of the Canaanites. Ultimately Yahweh one but did that mean the death of the Canaanite religion? No not all the religion lived on in many ways through the Bible. The early Israelites were practicing paganism along with the Pagans. For years they worshipped Ashera along side Yahweh. Ashera was God’s wife. At other time , like with the Judeans in the Elephantine, they worshiped the goddess Anattu along such de Yahweh. The world El which denotes god is used in many Hebrew name and it means god. The Israelites worshipped Canaanite God’s and practiced much the same customs as the Canaanites.

The book is written by Stephen Andrew Missick who is knowledgeable of the Bible and Middle Eastern cultures and he is a church official. He handles the material with much appreciation and respect. He is a deeply comitted Christian who has much love for the ancient culture of the Middle East.

Much of Canaanite lore was lost over the ages and only recently new discoveries have shed light as to who the Canaanites were. Most of their history was maligned by their neighbors which included the Israelites, Greeks and Romans.

The book consists of a retelling of Genesis infusing it with a Canaanite flavor, sometimes filling in the gap with other Near Eastern mythologies. Then he explains the Canaanite mythology from different perspectives .

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Rise of the Alien Vampires

Without by Brian Dennis Hartford
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Without
Here comes a new kind of vampire story. Every couple of years our genres begin to portray them differntly. Now adays they are seen in a rather positive light. In this new twist vampires are not the undead or the damned that cannot rest, rather they are an alien creature that came to our planet a long time ago when their planet died. They are like an organism that finds a host and houses in them taking them over and creating a new being. Vampires live forever and cannever die. They are the apex predator, the cullers of the herd. Vampire are sexy, seductive and long just to live life and enjoy everything. Sunlight does not harm them. Garlic makes them sick, does not kill them and they definitley do not sprkle in the sunlight thank God.
Ianthe Gold is one such vampire. She took her host and Egyptian Bedouin like a million years ago and has enjoyed earthly life ever since. A couple of other vamps are down here to. Now vamps cannot make other vamps it just does not happen. The host has to be taken oer by an organism. Ianthe enjoys earhtly lover as well as vampire lovers. She has had a host of lovers over the years. After all she is immortal and her earth lovers only last so long. The plot on this one is simple, Ianthe falls in love with Charlotte a human girl. They meet fall in love and then make plans to spend the rest of forever together. Only one problem, CHarlotte has cancer. The race is on to the find the cure for cancer in her human lover.
While she searches for a way to save her lover, Ianthe must trvel the world, make love to different vampires and fight one to the death. You can guess the ending and that there will be a cliffhager ending sort of. I thought over all it was a good book. Essential in giving the world a more realistic picture of the vamnpire. Defintiely original in conception. Yet a few things jump out at me. This alien parasite or organizsms has been talked abut by conspiracy theoritst and Stargate. THe dying girl to be saved while her father is in the dark reminds me of Twilight. This is not bad at all it is just my observations. My main criticism of the book deals with the last thirty percent of the book. I could not wait for it to end. The falling action should not go on for a fourth of the book. Condense it. I look forward to future writings in this series.

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The Early Life of Chin Siu Dek.

Jimmy H. Woo by Bernice Woo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The history of San Soo in China goes back a long way. Monks in the Buddhist monasteries before the introduction Kung Fu were vulnerable to the attack of bandits. In San Soo this changed when warriors from the various different armies went into the monastery and began to train the monks in Warrior techniques. This took place at the Kwan Yin Monastery in China.
Leong Kick was an orphan who went to the monastery to live while he was there he learned the fighting arts an when he left he took two training manual with him. This art stayed in the family until this day. The family would later open up kung Fu school and train people.
Jimmy’s real name was Chin Siu Dek. First name Dek family name Chin. Not only did Leong Kick bring San Soo to the outside world but the whole line of Chin were fighting stock and important people in China. His grandfather was a merchant who always had treats for Jimmy and he grew up in a family that nourished his young soul and gave him the confidence and strength to be the formidable fighter he was. His grandmother was a healer and a midwife. Her ability is evidenced by how she healed Jimmy’s hand when he injured it lighting a firework. Jimmy’s Uncle ran the main Kung Fu school in the area. All the other teachers paid homage to him. Jimmy got so good with his Kung Fu that his Uncle made him an enforcer. The enforcer’s job was to go about and settle dispute and make sure that Kung Fu schools were paying their dues. If someone wanted to over throw Jimmy’s Uncle they had to fight Li ti a death match. Jimmy’s uncle was too tough. Jimmy’s father would work in Hawaii and come home once a year bringing gifts and treat.
Jimmy was a brave colorful personality who would defend the week and give charity to the poor. The river was a favorite place for fishing and swimming. Jimmy would often catch a lot of fish and then give the extra fish to poor old people who did not have the ability. If someone tried to steal fish or was rude in asking for it, we’ll let us say that Jimmy taught them a lesson. Many bigger kids learned not to mess with Jimmy. Not only would Jimmy teach them a lesson if they were rude to him but if bigger kids were bullying weaker kids Jimmy would step up for them.

Jimmy had so much energy that one could never contain him. Despite being rather intelligent Jimmy never liked school and was often transferred to new schools for breaking the rules or getting into fights. Instructors were spared from Jimmy’s wrath. One teacher tried to hit Jimmy with bamboo cane, Jimmy taught him a painful lesson. Another teacher would make the mistake of knocking grapes out of Jimmy’s hand, he would regret that action.

I hope more books come out about Jimmy’s life an about San Soo. Chin Siu Dek lived a fast pace and exciting life would be great to see his biography turned into a movie. I also hope that Bernice write volume two and that it is longer. That is the problem with enjoyable books, they are too short.



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A Nightmare in Cairo

The Arabian Nightmare by Robert Irwin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Set in the era of 1406, Cairo Egypt, it is an intriguing time to be in the Middle East. European powers are watching events closely much like they do today and they are sending spies and emissaries to gather information. You also have your share of traveling merchants and religious pilgrims. Balian, from England is one such individual. Under the guise of being a pilgrim, he goes to Cairo in hope of taking a pilgrimage to Saint Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai desert. Gathering information and making travel plans in the Middle East has always been a challenge and it is no different in 1406. Between having to get a visa from the dawadar and getting struck by the Arabian nightmare our Balian finds it hard to move about and out of Cairo.
The Arabian Nightmare is a devastating illness of whose exact nature is not known. At night the person suffers from horrifying nightmare and the individual wakes up covered in blood, from a bloody nose of course. Eventually in a daze Balian leaves his caravanserai and wanders aimlessly in the streets of Cairo being unable to determine if he is awake or dreaming. In his dreams he is visited by Suleyka, a courtesan of sorts. He also meets Yoll the story teller and is pursued either in his sleep or in reality by The Father of Cats and his assistant Vane.
In the backdrop of al this is tons of political intrigue. The Ottomans and the Mamelukes are questing against each other for dominion in the Middle East. Foreign merchants are arrested and thrown in prison based on charges sometimes evolved from hear say. No one wants the Arabian Nightmare to spread so soon begins a hunt for Balian.

The Father of Cats owns a school for sleep and he is in cahoots with a Christians to bring about Armageddon. Over all good story and the writing was entertaining. I read the book easily in three days as much as it was loaded with intrigue it also had mentions of Arab philosophers and several jinn characters. There is a talking ape who appears in more than one section of the book and sometimes it is hard to tell if there were more apes.

The story was hard to follow at times as the author gets the reader lost in an endless description or a side story. I had to reread several passages. When Balian is traversing through Cairo it is hard to tell if he is dreaming or awake. I like to know what is what when I read my books. If you like Middle Eastern stories than this one is for you in typical fashion


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Refuge for the Jinn

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Nahri grew up in Cairo , Egypt almost dirt poor. Surviving by wits, she makes a living as a healer and a thief. She recently discovers Zar dancing as a way to Exorcise jinn. Her latest dance attracts the attention of the vile ifrit, evil demon like Jinn. Arriving at the city of the dead in Cairo and looking for way to escape the evil Ifrit she accidentally summons a warrior deva, who fought in the Jinn Deava wars of long ago.

At first Dara is rather disgusted to be dealing with a human, later he thinks she is shafit, half jinn and half human. Her Jinn blood is royal, descended from a line of strong Jinn healers her Dara vows to protect her but in order to protect her they must get to daevabad. There she will be safe from the jinn. There is but one problem, Dara is an outlaw there.

Arriving in the city after battling Ifrit and dragon in the desert they cross the Marid cursed lake. Once they get their the King of the city reveals that Nahri is full jinn. She is the last of healers. Once she gets to the city that is when the intrigue begins.

Daevabad is a city in turmoil. It used to belong to the Fire Worshipping Daeva but the Quatanis took it over. The remaining Daeva live in a state of privilege and discrimination at the same time. The other group is the shafit, half jinn half human they face constant discrimination and they live in poverty. The Tanzeem is an organization that’s helps them /but also plots terrorist attacks. Ali the King Ghassans youngest son from an Ayanle wife helps the shafit .Ayanle are another tribe of Jinn.

Plenty of conflict as King Ghassan tries to get Nahri to/marry Mutandir his oldest son. Yet Ali becomes friends with her and starts to develop a real affection for her. In the end crossed loyalties spark a confrontation of unreal proportion. THe Quatanis may have thee city but the Daeva want their city back and they are tired of being pushed around.

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Fiery Teachings of Orion Foxwood

The Faery Teachings by Orion Foxwood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There are two worlds meshed into one. Ours is the physical world while the faeries live in the underworld. Humans and fae used to dwell side by side but thanks to human excess the fae have retreated from our world and are rather loath to work with us. To repair the land we must start speaking with the denizens of the spiritual world.
The author of this work is a renowned faery seer Orion Foxwood. Have learned the art of conjure from his youth in West Virginia, near the Appalachian Mountains. His family were old conjure people and he himself was born with the caul. His tradition is culled from Native American, African and European sources that found their way to the south and mingled into a tradition.

The book itself has eight exercises and the rest is basically explanation of the paradigm. This spiritual tradition is not a religion or anything like Ceremonial Magic. Rather it is a down to earth spirituality that connects you to the faery forces that regulate our planet. There are no gods and goddesses per se in this.
Faeries exist in the underworld, which by the way is where the dead people go, but for the most part not the same place. We exist in the physical world while up above is the starry world. There are three parts to the soul’s anatomy or there are three souls. The first part is our “Dream walker” this is the part of our soul that walks in the underworld or the fae word. Our surface walker is us which we sue to guide ourselves in the physical world. The third part is the star walker and that is the part of us that walks about in the astral realms.

While there are no deities per se there are a few beings that you want to consider. The first being is the utterer, she spoke the world into being. Next is the dreamer, figurative he dwell in a tower at the center of the earth and it is from his dreams that we all spring. The next being is the “Star Father” who is he masculine being who is a giver of light. The Divine ancestor is the primordial ancestor of mankind. The weaver is an androgynous being who weaves the fibers of life, death and fate.

When one decide to embark upon the faery path or if one is called to it there are always trails, ordeal and prohibitions that must be adhered to. Ordeals are usually tests, challenges or difficulties that are designed to temp and temper the seeker. When one comes into a relationship with their faery guardian or partner they will be given prohibition or things they must do or those that they are not allowed to do. When the seeker makes that oath they must follow it or consequences must surely follow. The prohibitions are designed to make the seeker more spiritual fit to do spiritual work. Working with the fae ones soul has to separate from the body and the soul and body can and do exist separately.


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