SimplyMaggies

This is one of these novels that on the one hand irritate the heck out of you (and I’ll explain why later on) and on the other entertain and engage you enough to make you want to read more…

The novel is an interesting combination of fantasy and reality, in which the author uses Greek mythology in a most unusual way. “The Dream-Hunter” is the first book in a new series by Sherrilyn Kenyon, and it takes place in the late 90’s on the Greek island of Santorini.

Dr. Megeara Kafieri grew up watching her family disintegrate while searching for the illusive Atlantis and swore that it would never be her life. However, on his deathbed her father begs her to continue his life’s work and find Atlantis. He leaves behind a strange old box with an even older coin with strange writing on it for Megeara, which finally convinces her that perhaps Atlantis really exists somewhere at the bottom of the Aegean Sea. And one day she fishes an attractive stranger out of the sea; one she has seen many times before… in her dreams.

However, Arikos is not an ordinary man; he’s a dream god who made a pact with Hades so he can spend two weeks as a human with the woman that so enticed him in her dreams. But the price they both will have to pay for his impulsive act may be too high for them both.

What makes this story quite interesting is the way the author weaves mythological figures and makes them walk among humans, bringing a new and appealing class of characters. However, that’s the only positive thing I can say about it. I mentioned above that at times the book gets really irritating and the reason for it is the language. First of all, there are many mistakes; grammatical, stylistic and lexical. Ok, so some of them are pure typos but at some point you say to yourself: what the heck? What were the editors doing? Sleeping through it? At times it simply gets too annoying.

Secondly, the characters are a mixture of Americans of obscure backgrounds (however, they are mainly scientists) and Greeks, which I assume have some kind of higher education since they speak perfect English (or American, I should say). Putting that thought aside, the rest are the gods, goddesses, demigods and dark hunters, who also speak American perfectly, as well as ancient Greek and some other languages. It’s only natural since they are gods after all, right?

Anyway, what I have a problem with is the fact that the language the characters use (and I mean all of them, Greek and American alike) is not adequate to the circumstances and the environment the story takes place in. No Greek, or any European for that matter, even the most educated one, would speak English loaded with southern American phrases and dialect typical to a white southern person. And it takes me back again to the fact that the editors working for this publisher should either do their jobs better or be fired.

Moreover, the characters aren’t well developed, a bit one-dimensional, actually. There really is not depth to them, and their reactions are almost predictable. However, even so combined with the event of the story, they somehow manage to draw your attention. And once you get past the language and the fact that no European or otherworldly creature would speak in a certain fashion, you may actually enjoy yourself…

Yes, I do. Even though some people claim Lublin (it’s the name of my hometown) is somewhat of a province. Well, obviously they haven’t recently been there. Oh, and for those of you who never heard of it, it is in Poland (hope you know where that country lies… and if not, check on the map).

Lublin has a very long history. The first settlement was founded in the 6th century and the town that developed from it received its city rights in 1317. And it’s been growing in importance ever since. I am not going to bore you here with all the details of Lublin’s history since it really is quite long and colorful (and you can always find that out on the net if interested). I am, however, going to tell you that it’s called “Polish Oxford” and the reason for it—its five public universities, which bring a number of students not only from other areas in Poland but abroad as well.

The town has a magnificent architecture (especially the Old Town and the areas around it) and a captivating, unique atmosphere, which is why some call it “little Cracow”. There are many places worth seeing here and there is a bit of everything for every one to find something they like. The Old Town’s cobbled streets and winding lanes are an interesting addition to the picturesque buildings as well as many pubs, bars and restaurants with their garden tables. The newly renovated castle prides itself on an incredible Trinity Chapel with 15th century Russian-Byzantine frescoes (quite exceptional and, according to some, the most beautiful in Poland). And on the outskirts of the city, you will find Majdanek—the Nazi concentration camp, which requires a bit of courage to see as it will bring the WWII history close to home in an abrupt and compelling way.

In addition to all this enchanting architecture, Lublin has an astonishing number of bars, pubs, clubs, cafes and restaurants, serving fresh local specialties as well as international cuisine. Not bad for a province, huh? Moreover, because of the large number of students, the city offers a vibrant music and nightclub scene alongside many theatres, philharmonic orchestras and museums.

 And if you’re looking for something totally different, there are horseback riding schools, old forests (good for mushroom picking or simply strolling), and you can kayak and cycle around the Bystrzyca river. There is also a large man-made lake, Zemborzycki Zalew, where you can water ski, wind surf, canoe, fish and enjoy other lake activities, e.g. swimming, sailing and sunbathing. A bit of everything, I’d say…

So there it is—a jewel in the rough. The city I was born and grew up in and hope one day to return to.

Today I watched an episode of “Nova” dealing, among other things, with embryonic stem cell research. The science behind it is incredibly interesting but the controversy surrounding it seems to stop all kinds of real progress. A number of people have various ethical and moral issues with the whole idea of embryonic stem cells. Something I must say I find extremely difficult to understand…

According to The National Institutes of Health, embryonic stem cells are cells “derived from embryos that develop from eggs that have been fertilized in vitro […] and then donated for research purposes with informed consent of the donors. They are not derived from eggs fertilized in a woman’s body. The embryos from which human embryonic stem cells are derived are typically four or five days old”. After that, the needed cells are removed from the embryo and the embryo itself is destroyed.

I guess that is where the problem lies. Many people say it is murdering embryos, which in their eyes are early human beings. However, an embryo is really just a bunch of cells that started to grow and develop together and it is a far cry to a human being, for God’s sake! How can anyone put ‘murder’ and ‘embryo’ in the same sentence is simply beyond me.

And to think that some of the amazing possibilities in developing healthy cells that could fight incurable diseases are thwarted by narrow-minded people, afraid of the change and the science that would bring it about. Unfortunately, various churches and religions have been known (for centuries) for their zeal in stopping the progress of science (remember the Great Inquisition?). And those circles seem to be the main force behind this whole controversy surrounding the embryonic stem cell research.

I, for one, am not opposed to it, quite contrary, even though I am not quite sure as far as cloning is concerned (although even with this field of science all I probably need is a bit more information to make the picture clearer)… So the next few years will most likely be quite interesting to watch.

Oh, yes! We live in fascinating times….

I am a huge fan of “Grey’s Anatomy”; have been from the very first episode. I love the ambiguity of the title, its dry humor and the element of drama taking place in the hospital and the private lives of the characters. It is like the improved version of “ER”…

So when I heard about the spin-off, “Private Practice” (starring Kate Walsh, Tim Daly and Taye Diggs), I wasn’t quite sure whether I was going to like it… Usually, such enterprises don’t work too well. Besides, I quite liked Addison as a part of the crew on “Grey’s Anatomy”. But then there was this one episode when the cast of the new show were introduced and I found myself laughing at their affairs. And I thought to myself: ‘perhaps I should at least give it a chance and see where it takes me’.

I did. And even though I still prefer “Grey’s Anatomy” (it may simply be loyalty to the original), I must admit that “Private Practice” is quite enjoyable. It brings in new energy, different dynamics between the characters and, most importantly, the same type of humor. And the fact that both Tim Daly (doesn’t he look better now than ever before? The man is like a good wine: better with age!) and Taye Diggs (yum!!! I do love chocolate…) are starring in the series doesn’t hurt. Quite the contrary, I’d say.

So even if you won’t find anything interesting in the show, at least you’ll have something to look at, right?