What You’ll Love:
A high-stakes space opera adventure
Deadly alien worlds and first-contact mysteries
Dark matter, cosmic secrets, and ancient truths
A courageous captain facing impossible odds
Science fiction infused with spiritual and philosophical depth
About the Book:
Stranded on a hostile alien world, Captain Lucy Howard is running out of time. Her crew is under attack, Earth is marked for extinction, and the billionaire funding her mission may be humanity’s most dangerous enemy.
As allies fall and escape slips away, Lucy uncovers a mystery hidden in dark matter itself—a path that leads beyond science and into the spiritual heart of the Universe.
THE DARK FOREVER: OPENING CHAPTER
9 Lyar, 5789 A.M. (Jewish Calendar); April 24, 2029 C.E.
The End
Slatsky and what remained of the crew stayed in the control room, where they watched Captain Lucy Howard take her stand in front of their stranded spaceship. They were trapped on this world.
Lucy faced an alien army, which had suddenly sprung up from what they thought was a dead planet. Leading the army was her most trusted crew member, her friend, who handed Lucy on behalf of the alien race a gift package, a small metal cube, and an offer of assistance to get back to her world.
The cube seemed incredibly dense, almost too heavy to hold. The weight did not surprise her—it held a power sufficient to devastate her world.
Lucy now faced two unacceptable choices: turn down this “gift”, the alien’s offer, and remain trapped on this planet, where she and her remaining crew, with limited ship supplies and power, could only survive for a short time; or accept the offer, save her crew, but return to Earth like a plague.
With no acceptable path forward, Lucy froze.
It was the end.
The Dark Forever: Booklife review 1.
Plot: This action-packed odyssey takes readers on a long journey in which each character is forced to face their biggest fears – their own regrets. While a bit daunting, it still has a solid plot that capably carries readers through its many twists and turns.
Prose: Gorsky writes in a clear and unassuming tone, paying meticulous care to dates and settings as he unfolds the intricate details of the story.
Originality: At times it feels as though Gorsky has thrown the entire kitchen sink of sci-fi themes and ideas into the book, making for a sometimes dizzying, yet greatly exciting, story. The central premise–a crew encounters dark matter that impacts them each on a profound emotional and psychological level–is a fantastic hook.
Character/Execution: Gorsky does an admirable job of fleshing out the backstories and personalities of each character. The diverse and well-rounded supporting cast goes a long way toward making this a rich and psychologically complex story.
The Dark Forever: Booklife review2
Plot/Idea: The Dark Forever is a mysterious sci-fi novel set in the near future with various characters forced to reevaluate their life choices. Gorsky excellently coordinates the team’s expedition to The Hive planet, enabling a tense and gripping atmosphere to permeate as the plot unfolds.
Prose: Gorsky’s text is clearly written in an accessible and straightforward manner, The Dark Forever‘s simplicity and sharp attention to detail work in its favor, allowing the tense and thrilling story to unravel naturally.
Originality: The Dark Forever is a fairly conventional sci-fi thriller, but strong writing and an intriguing exploration of concepts in physics make the reading experience consistently engaging. The characters in the crew, who are from various ethnic backgrounds, are expertly observed and presented.
Character/Execution: Lucy Howard is The Dark Forever‘s enigmatic protagonist, spearheading an eclectic range of characters. The characters are all well rounded with interesting and detailed backstories that enhance the overall arc of the plot.
Blurb: A tense and well orchestrated sci-fi thriller.
About the Book
The dramatic one-thousand-year history of Jews in Spain comes to life in Exiles in Sepharad. Jeffrey Gorsky vividly relates this colorful period of Jewish history, from the era when Jewish culture was at its height in Muslim Spain to the horrors of the Inquisition and the Expulsion.
Twenty percent of Jews today are descended from Sephardic Jews, who created significant works in religion, literature, science, and philosophy. They flourished under both Muslim and Christian rule, enjoying prosperity and power unsurpassed in Europe. Their cultural contributions include important poets; the great Jewish philosopher Moses Maimonides; and Moses de Leon, author of the Zohar, the core text of the Kabbalah.
But these Jews also endured considerable hardship. Fundamentalist Islamic tribes drove them from Muslim to Christian Spain. In 1391 thousands were killed and more than a third were forced to convert by anti-Jewish rioters. A century later the Spanish Inquisition began, accusing thousands of these converts of heresy. By the end of the fifteenth century Jews had been expelled from Spain and forcibly converted in Portugal and Navarre. After almost a millennium of harmonious existence, what had been the most populous and prosperous Jewish community in Europe ceased to exist on the Iberian Peninsula.
Praise
A personal and accessible narrative that tells a remarkable story yet is grounded in solid scholarship.
—Rabbi Daniel Bouskila, Sephardic Educational Center
With a broad scope that will appeal to a wide readership, this work will be useful as a comprehensive resource on the history of the Spanish Jews.
—Gregory B. Kaplan, author of Marginal Voices: Studies in Converso Literature of Medieval and Golden Age Spain
A lucid, readable summary . . . that brings the key personalities to life and explores the intricate relationship between religious hatred, politics, and economics.
—Rabbi Hayyim Angel, National Scholar at the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals and professor of Bible at Yeshiva University
Reviews for Exiles in Sepharad:
Jerusalem Post:
https://www.jpost.com/magazine/promise-and-pain-434665
Times of Israel:
Other books published on Kindle Direct
A historical novel, it tells a story set during the Spanish Inquisition, told from the perspective of a Jewish physician and a Christian of Jewish origin who becomes an Inquisitor.
BOOKLIFE Review:
Plot/Idea: Acts of Faith is a richly told and well-researched historical novel about two Jewish men, Juan and Isaac, and the events of their lives as they face persecution, the expulsion of Jews from Spain, and the Inquisition.
Prose: Gorsky’s prose is specific, highly detailed, and doesn’t shy away from vivid descriptions of unsettling events and circumstances; the plague in particular is described in fascinating, gory detail.
Originality: Acts Of Faith is unique in that it depicts two very different Jewish men enduring persecution and prejudice, and how they deal with (or deny) their faith, set against the backdrop of the expulsion of Jews and the Spanish Inquisition.
Character/Execution: The men are sympathetic characters, particularly Isaac, a physician who only wants to help people and practice his faith openly. Juan, however, is more layered and problematic; he’s a self-hating Jew raised as a Christian, and his shame, confusion, and self-loathing only grow over time; he ultimately emerges as more a figure of pity than a hero.
Young adult fantasy, a contemporary sequel to Shakespeare’s The Tempest. 14 year old Miranda is trapped on an island, her father bewitched. She is caught up in a struggle over control of a magic book between her ancestor, the magician Peter Prosper, and the witch Sycorax. The spirit Ariel and the monster Caliban join in the battle, as Miranda works with Prosper to battle the witch and save her father.
Booklife review:
Plot: Gorsky creates an often vivid and vibrant YA sequel to Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Despite its many fine qualities (the Mermaid Tavern is particularly refreshing), the worldbuilding and structure of the story can be somewhat chaotic and uneven in its execution.
Prose: Gorksy has a lovely prose style that is abundantly fitting for the magical source material.
Originality: The Tempest is an infrequent contender for modern restagings. Gorsky has a clear grasp on what makes the play unique and delightful and echoes these qualities throughout Rough Magic.
Character/Execution: The author puts a fresh twist on the original characters from The Tempest, making them somewhat more transparent in their actions and behaviors, without reducing their mystique.
A US consular officer serving in a Latin American country plagued by drug lords and terrorists is called in to assist in cases of US citizens murdered by a serial killer. The killer marks each death site with quotes from “Humpty Dumpty”. Upon learning that the murders are linked to the US government, the officer has to flee from government killers to find a truth buried in his own past.
Booklife review:
Plot: Gorsky novel tackles multiple complex plotlines that are interconnected in a whiplash of twists and turns that will have readers strapped to their seats. From narcotics to serial killers, Gorsky doesn’t shy away from all the themes of a great thriller.
Prose: Jeffrey Gorsky moves a complex and multi-layered story effortlessly from start to finish without missing a beat in a fast-paced prose rich with details.
Originality: Gorsky relied heavily on common thriller story themes like CIA conspiracies and serial killers but the connection to a well-known children’s rhyme loved by many was a nice and original touch.
Character/Execution: Gorsky skillfully develops a somewhat stereotypical protagonist-hero that readers will love to root for as his line of work forces him from being compliant with the government into becoming a disrupter of the status quo.
