Monday, February 18, 2013

A Political Game

By David Gelber (Guest Blogger)

It was all politics. The Labyrinth, the terror, the Minotaur. Minos, King of Crete, needed to maintain order in his ancient realm; revolution was always lurking in the shadows. Pasiphae, his oft neglected wife provides him with the perfect vehicle, a half bull/half man monster, supposedly the offspring of her illicit affair with a sacred bull. It doesn’t matter if the beast is gentle and sensitive, call him vicious, have your minions paint him as a fiend capable of devouring any man, woman or child.

And, a myth is born. The monstrous Minotaur. The terror of the ancient world. Fact? Fiction? In my latest book, “Minotaur Revisited” the reader learns that the Minotaur truly lived, but the stories surrounding him are mere propaganda, a product of politics. He is truly a sensitive soul who has been locked away in the Labyrinth. Is there any hope for this poor monster? Enter “noble” Theseus, another product of political misinformation. Sent to slay the vicious Minotaur, a drunken Theseus passes out at the Minotaur’s feet. While our pacifist hero debates what to do with his would be assassin Theseus offers a deal. Theseus tells the world he has slain the terrible monster while the Minotaur slips away.

For thousands of years our hero lives in the background, shaping history from the shadows. Learn the truth about Moses and Pharoah, find out who pushed the stone away from Jesus’ tomb or why vampires live forever. All this and more is revealed by the Minotaur himself, in his own words.

Martin Luther, Jack the Ripper, the Holocaust and so much more are part of the Minotaur’s immortal life. This Minotaur lives a life as god, king, sage, mother, father, husband, midwife and so much more. And, in the end, the reader will stop and think about this world we live in, about humanity, the good and the bad, while considering who are the real monsters.

The Minotaur proves himself to be the true mover and shaker of history. Read of his exploits and, when finished, stop and think about what it is that makes any being good and noble and true. More than likely readers of “Minotaur Revisited” will stop and shake their head, perhaps look at history and question what is truly important.
 
Blurb  

Legend states that the Minotaur was confined to the Labyrinth, slain by Theseus and then laid to rest by thousands of years of Greek mythology. But, the truth is far different. Read the Minotaur’s own words as he recounts his full life as god, king, warrior, matchmaker, midwife, monk, sage, father, mother, husband and, most of all, witness. The fierce Minotaur lived to see and be a part of the best and worst of humanity during a life spanning thousands of years. Part bull, part human, the Minotaur struggled to find his place in this world and, in the end, left his unique mark on history.


About the Author
David Gelber, a New York native, is the seventh of nine sons and one of three to pursue medicine. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1980 and went on to graduate medical school in 1984 from the University of Rochester.
He completed his residency at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, followed by three years as attending surgeon at Nassau County Medical Center in Long Island, N.Y. Gelber has since joined Coastal Surgical Group in Houston, Texas.
Gelber has been a surgeon for more than 20 years, but over the last few years he began to pursue his passion for writing, initially with his debut novel, Future Hope (Emerald Book Company, January 2010). The novel speculates about future Earth and what the world might have been like if man had not succumbed to temptation in the Garden of Eden. Joshua and Aaron is a sequel to Future Hope and follows the battle of wills that transpires between unsung hero Joshua Smith and satanic Aaron Diblonski.
Dr. Gelber has added two books about surgery, Behind the Mask and Under the Drapes, both of which provide the reader with a view of the world of surgery rarely seen by those outside the medical professions.
Last Light is an apocalyptic short story which starts off asking the question: "What would happen if nobody ever was sick or injured?"
Minotaur Revisited is an entertaining romp through history seen through the eyes of Quint, the famed half bull half man monster of Greek Mythology. It was released in October 2012.
Gelber was raised in reformed Judaism, but joined the Presbyterian Church 15 years ago. He is married with three teenage children, four dogs and 24 birds of various species. His interests include horse racing, mechanical Swiss watches and, of course, writing.

This post is part of David Gelber's blog tour for Minotaur Revisited. David is giving away a $100 Amazon gift certificate to one person who comments during his tour. Visit  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/12/virtual-book-tour-minotaur-revisited-by.html to find out the other stops on the tour.
 

23 comments:

Catherine Lee said...

What an imaginative and interesting story premise. Do your colleagues at work know that you write fiction? Have they read your novels?
catherinelee100 at gmail dot com

Ami said...

The excerpt was great! What inspires you to write?

shadowrunner1987 at gmail dot com

Rita Wray said...

Wow, what a great story. You must have a wonderful imagination.

Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com

Anonymous said...

I've always found the Minotaur to be a really intriguing figure...this looks great!

vitajex(at)aol(dot)com

Tameka said...

I've always loved Greek mythology. Thanks for the contest.
rasco630@yahoo.com

Lyra L7 said...

Really interesting excerpt, I hope there will be more!

lyra.lucky7(at)gmail(dot)com

Gala said...

I like books that involve mythology.

galaschick78(at)gmail(dot)com

Urb said...

That is an amazing adaptation of a Greek myth. I would love to read the Minotaur's real story, thank you!

brendurbanist at gmail dot com

Lena said...

Fascinating interpretation of the Greek myth!


lennascloud AT gmail DOT com

MomJane said...

I imagine the Minotaur wasn't the first (or last) being to be victimized in the name of politics. An interesting twist on the story!

david gelber md said...

Most of the people I work with know that I am a writer also. They are sometimes worried that something they say or do will show up on my blog or in a story. Many of them have read my work, particularly my two books about surgery.
I started writing because I had an idea for a character, Joshua Smith, who appears in my two science fiction novels, Future Hope and Joshua and Aaron. then I kept getting ideas and so I started my blog heardintheor. Now ai am always thinking about or writing something.

Lisabet Sarai said...

Greetings, David!

I'm sorry I wasn't around yesterday to welcome you to Beyond Romance - my real life intervened!

Minotaur Revisited sounds fascinating. I hope the tour brings you lots of readers.

Suz de said...

What an extremely cool premise. May you enjoy many sales and ginormous royalty checks!

david gelber md said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
david gelber md said...

That would be nice

david gelber md said...

I have to find a second line of work with Obamacare coming. Surgery just won't cut it anymore

Lasha said...

Last Light sounds fascinating. Very Logan's Run-ish. I love that stuff!

Lasha
mslasha@gmail.com

bn100 said...

Nice premise.

bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

Anonymous said...

Your book sounds fantastic - I love books that bring sympathy to monsters. (I'm thinking of John Gardner's "Grendel" right now) although it's clear your minotaur has a lot of complexity and world history, too. I'm intrigued by the surgeon books as well. Congratulations!

Mary Preston said...

WOW!! How fascinating.

marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

Andra Lyn said...

Sounds great! Minotaurs were the one thing that totally freaked me out when I was into greet mythology!

thanks for the chance to win

andralynn7 AT gmail DOT com

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the chance to win!

hense1kk@cmich.edu

BookLady said...

What an exciting book! Love mythology. Thanks for the giveaway.
bhometchko(at)hotmail(dot)com

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