SimplyMaggies

“You have something I want. You’re the only person on earth who knows where to find it. Go get. You have 72 hours. If I don’t hear from you, you will be childless.”

This little passage from the novel only gives you a morsel of what to expect. For those who love a mystery, suspense and a thriller, Steve Berry delivers yet again. This time with a story introducing for the second time the same group of main characters as his previous novel “The Templar Legacy”, especially former US government agent, Cotton Malone.

“The Alexandria Link” is a suspense novel full of political intrigue on a global scale as well as many historical details. The thriller starts with a kidnapping of Malone’s son, which triggers a line of events nobody could predict. There are forces at work here that include both American and foreign governments, a few centuries old society as well as an ancient group called the Guardians. And amongst all of them is a hired gun, a professional who is determined to get his own hands on a great prize; something all the organizations involved want for themselves. And the prize is the legendary lost Library of Alexandria, which vanished from the face of the earth 1500 years ago. Supposedly, among the documents within the vast collection lies a secret so great it could, if revealed, significantly alter the politics as well as world geography.

It is a really good read with a lot of twists and turns that unravel on nearly every page, some of which are quite unexpected. It will definitely keep you turning pages even in the middle of the night just to find out what happens next. And the combination of fact and fiction will make you wonder if any of it is possible. What is quite interesting are some of the questions and dilemmas the novel puts forward, for instance what if the Old Testament was drastically changed from its original? What if the real Jewish biblical places were not where we were taught to believe? What would happen if the three major religions of our times were all wrong?

So if you’d like a glimpse into these issues and more pick up a copy of “The Alexandria Link” and find out for yourself. It will only make you wonder…

These notorious words are attributed to Pope Leo X, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in the first half of the 16th century. A bit unusual for a Pope, wouldn’t you say? And it made me think there must be something to it…

My toying with the idea that Christ is a product of a group of men with grand agendas in the 4th century began when I read “The da Vinci Code”. Of course my indoctrinated Catholic mind wouldn’t even allow the slightest thought that any of the book’s claims could be true. It so happened that at the time I was in the process of getting my Master’s degree in English and I had to write my Master theses. Since the book was fresh in my mind and still quite controversial, I decided it would be a good idea to make it a subject of my paper. So the decision was made to dedicate my theses to the issues “The da Vinci Code” put forward.

My resolve was to prove Dan Brown wrong. Never did it cross my mind that he could be on to something. How surprised was I when my research produced only answers supporting some of his claims! And thus the journey that began simply as researching the theses brought me to some serious dilemmas and forced me to answer some uncomfortable questions. It wasn’t easy for me, this process. Even though I never considered myself a devout Catholic and haven’t quite frequented the church for years, I didn’t realize how deep the indoctrination process ran. Until then, that is… And no matter how difficult the issues, I eventually had to face them.

Thus, after reading a great many books (some of them completely not connected to “The da Vinci Code” in any way, other than the subject matter, which is what convinced me in the end) I couldn’t hide from the glaring facts any longer. Jesus was a man! A great man, but a man nonetheless. And the whole divinity issue was created in the 4th century by a bunch of cardinals and bishops, together with Constantine the Great, to further their own agendas and make this fairly new Christian religion, with a great number of varying churches, into one uniformed (catholic) religion. And for that they all needed Jesus to be not only a Messiah, but a god as well. Thus the myth began…

My biggest regret (and I am convinced I’m only one of many) is that so many writings about Jesus the man were destroyed (by the same Church fathers that made him god and in the interest to protect that image they needed to obliterate everything contrary to Jesus the God). As a result, we may never know who he really was… And that is the biggest loss for me because Jesus must have been an extraordinary man and I would love to know more about him. More of the truth, that is, and not some men’s version of it.

If you’re looking for an entertaining film, this should definitely find a way to your list. “Charlie Wilson’s War” is a movie about how one man can change the course of history with a bit of determination, the right friends and a whole lot of money. It shows the Afghan conflict in the 80s from the perspective of one of the American congressmen.

 And what makes this movie entertaining are witty dialogues, interesting storyline and an excellent cast, including Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. You really can’t go wrong with these two. And I must say they do not disappoint.  But then I am totally bias, because I do admire a good actor/actress.

What is particularly interesting to me, however, is how the movie portrays the workings of the American government. Granted, it takes place in the 80s and a lot has changed since then, but I don’t quite believe the ways of its operating have changed much over the years…For some it could be a bit eye-opening, for others simply a confirmation of their suspicions…But I leave the final judgment to you.

So if you like a good performance with a slice of humor, you will definitely enjoy the nearly two hours of “Charlie Wilson’s War”.