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The Dagger Of Apollonia
A single dagger has the power to change the course of history
Georgios, a young Roman man, receives an unexpected gift from his father, a mysterious dagger acquired during his travels to faraway lands. The weapon sparks his untamable curiosity and sets him off on an extraordinary journey, full of surprising revelations.
Georgios accidentally finds himself amid political intrigues, messianic machinations, and supernatural powers, which threaten to disrupt the existing order of life.
1800 years later, Tal, a young university student, during a walk along the Israeli coast, discovers a mysterious new reality. Soon, he becomes the leader of an ancient order, responsible for preserving the delicate balance of powers in the Middle East.
Would Georgios and Tal accomplish the mission of a lifetime and defend everything they discovered, or is the entire region on the brink of entering a new, dangerous reality?
355 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 1, 2020
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31 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 28, 2019
A wonderfully written story by a very talented author...
The Dagger Of Apollonia by Oren Hefetz is a wonderfully written and richly descriptive novel with brilliantly drawn settings and characters. The author weaves a well-crafted historical fantasy that will captivate the reader’s attention from the start. Skillfully constructed, this fantasy will have you turning the pages from beginning to end. There’s plenty of imagery in the writing style that makes you feel like you are right there in the story, and that’s something I really look for in a good book.
The book description gives a sneak preview: ‘Georgios, a young Roman man, receives an unexpected gift from his father, a mysterious dagger acquired during his travels to faraway lands. The weapon sparks his untamable curiosity and sets him off on an extraordinary journey, full of surprising revelations.
Georgios accidentally finds himself amid political intrigues, messianic machinations, and supernatural powers, which threaten to disrupt the existing order of life.
1800 years later, Tal, a young university student, during a walk along the Israeli coast, discovers a mysterious new reality. Soon, he becomes the leader of an ancient order, responsible for preserving the delicate balance of powers in the Middle East.
Would Georgios and Tal accomplish the mission of a lifetime and defend everything they discovered, or is the entire region on the brink of entering a new, dangerous reality?’
Now, if that’s not enough to get your curiosity juices flowing, I don’t know what will. But if you want to find out what happens, you’ll just have to turn the pages for yourself! However, I will say it was well worth the read. It’s my first time reading this author and I was very impressed.
This was a captivating read that had me engrossed from the beginning. The story flowed from scene to scene with ease, and the author shows exceptional ability when it comes to storytelling. I enjoyed the story, character development, and dialogue. There were plenty of intriguing moments that I didn’t see coming and that added to the book’s mystique. When I stopped reading to work, I found myself wondering what happened in the book, and replaying parts of the novel in my head to see if I could figure more out. It has been a while since I enjoyed a book this much.
It’s one of those stories that come along occasionally that makes you want to read it non-stop until you get to the end. I’m giving nothing further away here. And this, I hope, will only add to the mystery and enjoyment for the reader.
I’m a big fan of historical fiction, so this for me was a phenomenal read. It’s one of those books that stayed with me for several days after I finished reading. The vivid descriptions of the settings, situations, and the people were stunning and realistic. The author’s use of genuine dialogue further added to the overall atmosphere of authenticity.
I’ll be looking forward to reading more from Oren Hefetz in the future. I would recommend this book and would add that it has a distinctly cinematic feel to it. Highly recommended reading and a well-deserved five stars from me.
The Dagger Of Apollonia by Oren Hefetz is a wonderfully written and richly descriptive novel with brilliantly drawn settings and characters. The author weaves a well-crafted historical fantasy that will captivate the reader’s attention from the start. Skillfully constructed, this fantasy will have you turning the pages from beginning to end. There’s plenty of imagery in the writing style that makes you feel like you are right there in the story, and that’s something I really look for in a good book.
The book description gives a sneak preview: ‘Georgios, a young Roman man, receives an unexpected gift from his father, a mysterious dagger acquired during his travels to faraway lands. The weapon sparks his untamable curiosity and sets him off on an extraordinary journey, full of surprising revelations.
Georgios accidentally finds himself amid political intrigues, messianic machinations, and supernatural powers, which threaten to disrupt the existing order of life.
1800 years later, Tal, a young university student, during a walk along the Israeli coast, discovers a mysterious new reality. Soon, he becomes the leader of an ancient order, responsible for preserving the delicate balance of powers in the Middle East.
Would Georgios and Tal accomplish the mission of a lifetime and defend everything they discovered, or is the entire region on the brink of entering a new, dangerous reality?’
Now, if that’s not enough to get your curiosity juices flowing, I don’t know what will. But if you want to find out what happens, you’ll just have to turn the pages for yourself! However, I will say it was well worth the read. It’s my first time reading this author and I was very impressed.
This was a captivating read that had me engrossed from the beginning. The story flowed from scene to scene with ease, and the author shows exceptional ability when it comes to storytelling. I enjoyed the story, character development, and dialogue. There were plenty of intriguing moments that I didn’t see coming and that added to the book’s mystique. When I stopped reading to work, I found myself wondering what happened in the book, and replaying parts of the novel in my head to see if I could figure more out. It has been a while since I enjoyed a book this much.
It’s one of those stories that come along occasionally that makes you want to read it non-stop until you get to the end. I’m giving nothing further away here. And this, I hope, will only add to the mystery and enjoyment for the reader.
I’m a big fan of historical fiction, so this for me was a phenomenal read. It’s one of those books that stayed with me for several days after I finished reading. The vivid descriptions of the settings, situations, and the people were stunning and realistic. The author’s use of genuine dialogue further added to the overall atmosphere of authenticity.
I’ll be looking forward to reading more from Oren Hefetz in the future. I would recommend this book and would add that it has a distinctly cinematic feel to it. Highly recommended reading and a well-deserved five stars from me.
May 28, 2020
not my thing.. not at all. i dont do historical.. so i am reviewing on the writing and the plot.. it was well written... good plot.. good writing.. and for those who enjoy historical i totally recommend it because it was an interesting topic and very good writing.
June 3, 2020
I liked this book more than I thought I would so I am glad I gave it a chance. I found there was a good mix of history and fiction weaved into this tale. The plot moved along at a steady pace and kept me riveted to the pages. I thought there was good character development and they were not flat. I liked ratio of drama and building the plot. Most of the characters were likable while other not so much. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading this genre.
December 25, 2019
‘This dagger has been wielded by many great people in the past’
Israeli author Oren Hefetz earned his degree in the History of the Middle East from the Tel Aviv University and has an impressive career as an Internet veteran, having served in significant roles with Google – Director of Export & Startups for Google Israel’s business relationships with his country’s technology companies and start-ups as well as in Google media products and solutions! THE DAGGER OF APOLLONIA is his debut novel.
In a manner that elucidates the author’s approach to writing his first novel, Oren states – ‘In the space between reality and fiction, between historical recordkeeping and future prophecy, between dream and lucidity, between truth and conspiracy, between the existential fears and traditions of my people, between the secular, pleasure-seeking daily life and three thousand years of faith and yearning for redemption, as a Jew who agonizes and feels the pain of a long line of generations aspiring for freedom, under the constant threat of death and destruction – it was from this in-between space that I chose to write my first book.’ With those inviting words Oren Hefetz enters our minds with welcome.
Able to approach his story with elegant prose, Oren first offers a map of ancient Jerusalem, an incident in 1992, and then rhapsodizes the atmosphere of Apollonia in 128 CE – ‘The sun had begun to set in the west. Its rays broke upon the waves of the sea in thousands of glittering sparkles. Georgios, who sat on the roof of his home gazing at the sea, noted sails approaching the shoreline. The boy tried to shade his eyes from the glaring sun, hoping to identify his father’s ship. He had been yearning for the return of his father, Aurelius, for weeks now. He had embarked on his voyage nine months ago, and every ship approaching the small harbor of Apollonia reignited hope in the boy’s heart – was this his father’s ship or just another of the merchant ships coming for its weekly trade in his city?... The atmosphere and tone of Part One of this fine novel is set.
The plot is well paced – yes, even over a time jump of nearly 2000 years – and is condensed as follows: ‘Georgios, a young Roman man, receives an unexpected gift from his father, a mysterious dagger acquired during his travels to faraway lands. The weapon sparks his untamable curiosity and sets him off on an extraordinary journey, full of surprising revelations. Georgios accidentally finds himself amid political intrigues, messianic machinations, and supernatural powers, which threaten to disrupt the existing order of life. 1800 years later, Tal, a young university student, during a walk along the Israeli coast, discovers a mysterious new reality. Soon, he becomes the leader of an ancient order, responsible for preserving the delicate balance of powers in the Middle East. Would Georgios and Tal accomplish the mission of a lifetime and defend everything they discovered, or is the entire region on the brink of entering a new, dangerous reality?’
This is one very fine literary debut from an author whose future bears watching closely. Highly recommended.
Israeli author Oren Hefetz earned his degree in the History of the Middle East from the Tel Aviv University and has an impressive career as an Internet veteran, having served in significant roles with Google – Director of Export & Startups for Google Israel’s business relationships with his country’s technology companies and start-ups as well as in Google media products and solutions! THE DAGGER OF APOLLONIA is his debut novel.
In a manner that elucidates the author’s approach to writing his first novel, Oren states – ‘In the space between reality and fiction, between historical recordkeeping and future prophecy, between dream and lucidity, between truth and conspiracy, between the existential fears and traditions of my people, between the secular, pleasure-seeking daily life and three thousand years of faith and yearning for redemption, as a Jew who agonizes and feels the pain of a long line of generations aspiring for freedom, under the constant threat of death and destruction – it was from this in-between space that I chose to write my first book.’ With those inviting words Oren Hefetz enters our minds with welcome.
Able to approach his story with elegant prose, Oren first offers a map of ancient Jerusalem, an incident in 1992, and then rhapsodizes the atmosphere of Apollonia in 128 CE – ‘The sun had begun to set in the west. Its rays broke upon the waves of the sea in thousands of glittering sparkles. Georgios, who sat on the roof of his home gazing at the sea, noted sails approaching the shoreline. The boy tried to shade his eyes from the glaring sun, hoping to identify his father’s ship. He had been yearning for the return of his father, Aurelius, for weeks now. He had embarked on his voyage nine months ago, and every ship approaching the small harbor of Apollonia reignited hope in the boy’s heart – was this his father’s ship or just another of the merchant ships coming for its weekly trade in his city?... The atmosphere and tone of Part One of this fine novel is set.
The plot is well paced – yes, even over a time jump of nearly 2000 years – and is condensed as follows: ‘Georgios, a young Roman man, receives an unexpected gift from his father, a mysterious dagger acquired during his travels to faraway lands. The weapon sparks his untamable curiosity and sets him off on an extraordinary journey, full of surprising revelations. Georgios accidentally finds himself amid political intrigues, messianic machinations, and supernatural powers, which threaten to disrupt the existing order of life. 1800 years later, Tal, a young university student, during a walk along the Israeli coast, discovers a mysterious new reality. Soon, he becomes the leader of an ancient order, responsible for preserving the delicate balance of powers in the Middle East. Would Georgios and Tal accomplish the mission of a lifetime and defend everything they discovered, or is the entire region on the brink of entering a new, dangerous reality?’
This is one very fine literary debut from an author whose future bears watching closely. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews