Other books:
Heads You Lose
In Search of Wholeness
The Light from Dead Stars
Our Haven and Our Strength
Sefer Ha'ikarim
Travels on the Private Zodiac
Travels on the Road Not Taken
The Truth about Marvin Kalish
Tombstones made of ice cream, an ancient curse, a mysterious underground realm, a dazzling dance which elevates and alters those who join the circle... these are a few of the tantalizing riddles that Martin S. Cohen unravels in The Sword of Goliath, a comic/cosmic mystery that proves that even the most ordinary things can hide the most unexpected mysteries.
Comments about The Sword of Goliath
Martin S. Cohen fiddles a lilting tune as he spins a song to which his lively characters dance over the rooftops from New York to Prague and back again. Overflowing with yiddishkeit, the tale he spins brims with warmth, humour and urbanity. A mixture of Chagall and Sherlock Holms gets interwoven with Holocaust lore and Jewish social history. It’s not to be missed.—Howard Engel, author of the Benny Cooperman
mystery series and Arthur Ellis Award winner
Employing humour and wit reminiscent of Woody Allen in his younger days, mixed with the quirkiness of the X-Files, Cohen’s wonderful storytelling will make it impossible for readers to put down The Sword of Goliath until they have reached the final page.
—Allan Levine, author of The Blood Libel
This literally marvelous novel has a seductive power, combining erudtion, wit and imaginative writing that recalls Mikhail Bulgakov’s masterpiece, The Master and Margarita, Kafka in his rare playful moods, or a script collaboration between Isaac Bashevis Singer and Woody Allen….Like Robertson Davies, Cohen has the gift of combining scholarly depth with popular writing. The Sword of Goliath is the most intelligent and entertaining mystery to appear in decades.
—John Moore in The Vancouver Sun
The Sword of Goliath is a humble-looking, paperback small-press mystery. It’s also a rare find: a hugely entertaining and highly original mystery that bucks the serial-killer, hard-core-gore trend….Suffice it to say that The Sword of Goliath is an unusual mystery. It’s well written, scholarly and a surprising page-turner.
—Anna Asimakopulos in The Montreal Gazette
For those who enjoy Jewish history and perhaps biblical interpretation mingled with a host of unusual characters and plot twists, The Sword of Goliath is an entertaining book to take to the beach.
—Michelle Gumprich in The Western Jewish Bulletin
I was kept awake by this book, not wanting to close it before the next twist in the story. It is intelligent and challenging for most readers. You must suspend belief in the logical, concrete facts of everyday life and allow yourself to be carried deep into the world of Jewish mysticism,as it might exist in our cynical,modern world. Prague and New York come alive and the characters are as real as the guy down at the newstand or your friend's mother. Non-Jewish readers may have to do a little research, or ask a few questions of a Jewish friend in order to fully appreciate the humour and the full ramifications of the plot. If you liked "Snow in August", you will really like this. It is better-written and goes deeper into the wonders of Jewish mysticism.
—amazon.com reader review
I really enjoyed this book--it's a funny, charming…little story of ancient Jewish mysticism in a modern world--if you like golem or dybbuk stories, or "what-if" stories about ancient texts and lost secrets, you'll have a great time with this. Reminded me of a Jewish Terry Pratchett.