BOOK REVIEWS

Ancient Egyptian Time Travel , February 7, 2008
M. Ball "Book lover"
In Across Time, O. J. Harp has carved a picture of ancient Egypt that began before history was written. This adventurous story starts out with Imhotep, Mutshat Maat,and the brothers Bekele, and Paki sailing down the Azure Sea . The travelers encounter a Supercroc and from that point on their journey sails uphill. Imhotep uses an ancient relic to save the group from certain death. Use of this relic thrusts them forward in time. Most of the time travelers are left without memories of whom they are, and they must assume present day lives. Bekele becomes Dr. Steele, a Psychologist who works with people that have memory problems. Dr. Steele also becomes a counselor at a school for troubled students, who also have memory problems. The school has reported mysterious sightings of shadow people appearing and frightening the students. The police are called in when a teacher and student disappear. Officer Mutshat Maat is instantly attracted to Dr. Steel as he is to she; they feel as though they have always known each other.

A team of psychics is called in to exercise the spirits. To unwind after the problem is seemingly solved, Dr. Steele decides to take a Bermuda cruise and take along some of his patients that have memory problems. While on the cruise the shadow people reappear and when a mummy is being shown the Shadow people steal the Mummy and passengers disappear.

I enjoyed reading this book as I enjoy stories about time travel. This story took many twists and turns and at times became a bit confusing. It has a huge cast of characters and this was awkward for this reader. However the author provides a nice glossary for those not familiar with Egyptian history. My copy of this book was an uncorrected proof but this did not stop my enjoyment of the book. I really hope that this becomes a series because I will read everyone of them.

Reviewed by Margaret Ball
APOOO BookClub

Guest Reviewer Swaggie Coleman of The RAWSISTAZ™, November 27, 2007
RAW Rating: 4.5

Time Waits for No One

O. J. HARP, III, in a most intellectually imaginative way, takes the mind of his patients, the characters, on a spiritual and subconscious voyage into the past based on ancient pre-Egyptian history. In doing so, HARP brilliantly tells two stories simultaneously.

First, HARP guides the reader in the spiritual, mythical, magical, subconscious realm of ACROSS TIME through the specialized techniques of the character Dr. John Steele, an African-American psychologist. The second story runs parallel to that as the voyage continues in the carnal realm with the characters in the story unknowingly transporting the Kemots and the Anu and the Heka and other mythical, sci-fi characters from early Egyptian history in their dreams. In order to help bring closure to what is a battle of the pre-Egyptian ancestral spirits, Dr. Steele teaches his patients to overcome their fearful nightmares or end their disturbing, re-occurring dreams through age-regression techniques. Understanding they all have key roles in ACROSS TIME, the patients learn to look around their dreams for clues, messages, and supporting details. This allows the characters to become active in their dreams which is a genius element of the story and subconscious. They are also empowered. Certainly, readers will be dreaming differently after reading this exceptional mastermind story. Awesome!

With brief historical accounts at the outset of the story, the reader is benefited to understand and learn enough about prehistoric Egyptian ancestors to see the significance of the characters in the carnal story over time. The plot unfolds in a sci-fi way to recreate unfinished business of love and power, good and evil, and wisdom and destiny. The characters develop to perform their pre-assigned roles of the past for the future. You will meet Mutshat Ma'at, the beautiful patient/lover of psychologist Dr. John Steele. Ma'at suffers from memory loss and unknowingly holds the ultimate key to her civilization's pre-existence. Then Harp delights readers with some unique boys who have a talented legacy of their own. They are at-risk youths charged with great insight and power and full of humor to move the story along nicely. Dr. Steele must prepare them for their rightful inheritance in the future ancient spiritual civilization. Though a bit hurried, this story is awesomely tied together to accomplish that. It is told very well in simple language, appropriate for varying levels of literacy and that is what makes this book especially perfect for the reader who likes to think and learn critically, consciously and subconsciously.

Its a Rawsistaz Favorite.

"Rich with history and imagination, a perfect blend of fact and fiction.", October 16, 2007 By Books2Mention Magazine "Editor" - See all my reviews

"Rich with history and imagination, a perfect blend of fact and fiction. Across Time: Mystery of the Great Sphinx will educate, empower and inspire readers of all ages."

"This amazing novel will take readers on a journey through time exploring the beginnings of ancient Africa. Presenting a culture that is filled with historical detail, creatively merging the past with the present and demonstrating what the future may hold."

"O. J. Harp III has created a powerful read that will forge a deep appreciation of African culture while delivering great messages of strength, determination and pride."

Devalyn M. Kirkman, WAF Book Reviewer, August 30, 2007
WAF RATING:

Across Time: Mystery of the Great Sphinx by author O.J. Harp III is a refreshing surprise. It tells the daunting tale of a group of people who bravely travel back and forth through time in an effort to discover their true identities, correct some mistakes of the past and reinforce some timeless principles into their present existence. When all is said and done, lost identities are discovered, true love is found, lessons of justice, morality and truth are learned and, best of all, good triumphs over evil.

Dr. John Steel, a Clinical Psychologist and recent Ph.D. graduate is happy with his present life. He still, however, has no memory of his childhood since he, as a pre-teen, mysteriously found himself by the Potomac River with nothing and no one to validate his existence. Deep down inside he knows that something is very different about him - a difference that goes way beyond just his childhood.

As the story unfolds, Dr. Steele slowly unlocks the keys to his past, unveiling a destiny unlike anything he could have ever imagined. Other main characters include Mutshat Ma’at, a police cadet and the long-lost love of Dr. Steele, Dr. Christopher Jones – a minister and philanthropist (with a past of his own) and students Eddie Richardson and Victor Carter, of the I Have a Dream Charter School.

Unbeknownst to this special group of people, they will all soon be caught up in a battle stemming from their past lives as Nubian warriors and Kemetic royalty from Ancient Egypt who are being pursued by an ancient tribe, the Anu and an evil, legendary Pharaoh who is seeking world domination for all ages to come. The help of some psychic practitioners, human geneticists and super-intelligent robots are enlisted along the way as these valiant trailblazers transcend the barriers of space and time, defying even the laws of gravity.

This book is a great read and is by no means for the faint of heart. A lot of historical, scientific and even paranormal information is covered in this novel, and I found the supplementary sections, i.e., the fact, prologue and glossary sections of great and necessary value.

It can be enjoyed by all readers, regardless of age. Some parts cater to a younger audience, making it relatable in today’s language while at the same time fostering a desire to learn more about history including prehistoric times, Egyptology and slavery.

For the more mature audience, it offers a different, more spontaneous reading experience. It speaks to the adult mindset through themes of romance, the discussion of art and travel and by dealing with sociopolitical and religious subjects such as cloning and reincarnation. I personally identified with the emphasis placed on the beauty, power and mystery of the Black race.

What I expected to be a dull, long and drawn-out history lesson actually turned out to be a virtual adventure. The author combined history, science and psychology and then cleverly blended in the imaginative elements of time travel, magic, wizardry and extreme science fiction in order to create this whirlwind tale of past, present and future ideas. A roller-coaster ride full of twists, turns, loops and tunnels, this novel goes beyond entertaining with enough substance to satisfy even the most ambitious thrill-seeker.
Across Time: Mystery of the Great Sphinx would be a great addition to the list of required reading for high schools and colleges across the nation. I recommend it highly and give it 5 stars *****.

Zimbabwe Literary Critic (Zimbabwe, Africa and London, England)

Across Time: Mystery of the Great Sphinx is an exciting adventure story by Dr. O. J. Harp, III. It's an uplifting story that should bring a feeling of unity to African people across the Diaspora. Many African ethnic groups are represented through the literary device of wise sayings given by the ancient African (Kemetic) sage Imhotep. A refreshing use of multiethnic characters (white, African-American, Hispanic, African) gives this story unique distinction.

The novel answers the question: What might happen if modern day science decides to clone an ancient Egyptian Mummy? In the novel cloning is used to bring back long extinct animals. A woolly mammoth and prehistoric reptiles live again and add an anachronistic flavor to this epic story.

The novel is an exciting, fanciful tale that brings to mind recent cinema blockbusters such as Harry Potter, Spider Man, and The Lord of the Rings. It's a whimsical tale full of ancient Egyptian (Kemetic) magic and African wisdom. It's a story just right for all those in need of fantasy and escape, especially the young and those adults who refuse to grow old.

I highly recommend this novel. Hopefully, it's not the last from this author!

Book review: Across Time: Mystery of the Great Sphinx © 2005
Psych Discourse, March/April, 2004
By: T. Owens Moore, Ph.D.

Across Time: Mystery of the Great Sphinx is a masterfully written novel that has historical significance and a message for personal upliftment. It is the first novel written by Oscar J. Harp, III, and it will be a classic document that will stimulate change in the life of those who read this novel. In parallel with the classic novel, Two Thousand Seasons by Ayi Kwei Armah (1972), Across Time: Mystery of the Great Sphinx will be another source of information that will stand the test of time. In Armah's novel on the historical record of the enslavement of African people, he conveys the message that rememberers of the way will guide formally oppressed people towards freedom. Harp is a rememberer of the way, and he has intertwined a science fiction adventure and a love story to provide inspiration for both young and older readers. The words he uses are not intimidating and it is a joy to read bits and pieces of real history in conjunction with entertaining thoughts about science and love. Harp is a talented psychologist, and he should be commended for his attempt to invoke memories of the past as a way to help readers seek a brighter future.

The novel begins with a Prologue where there were no humans in existence. It's a time when dinosaurs and megalithic creatures ruled the world and where we speculate how these mammoth-sized creatures interacted millions of years ago. In the realm of speculation resides creativity, and Harp presents a different and refreshing view of the origins of man/woman. Too often, the origins of the world and our existence on this planet are told from a Eurocentric viewpoint. Throughout the text, Harp infuses numerous perspectives that have Africa as the center of knowledge acquisition. He has taken every opportunity to use this novel as a teaching tool and for this reason, it stands apart as a love story with a unique twist to educate the mind of the reader. Revolution must be made appealable to the people and if most readers today or reading novels and love stories versus history books, then Across Time: Mystery of the Great Sphinx is a saving grace to rescue and reconstruct our minds toward liberation. Harp seems to teach on every page about African history, and it was not burdensome to comprehend. In fact, he has provided a glossary.

He uses time travel to tell this love story and the stage is set 110 million years ago in Africa where SuperCroc ruled the earth. He quickly leaps to 2 million B.C. during a time when humans were found to be bipedal. The first characters, sounding like Adam and Eve, live during the time of the famous fossil find known as "Lucy." A strong black woman who had not yet become a Homo sapien; this first black woman revealed in the novel was described with the same beautiful character as the black women of today. She was tender, beautiful, emotionally strong, fearless and a fighter for
her people. Harp infuses love into her heart and provides a clear demonstration that evil, male chauvinism and aggression are phenomena that had existed for an eternity. However, her undying love for a fallen comrade allowed her to be victorious against evil, male chauvinism, and aggression against her people.

Time moves on to 11000 B.C. in Africa where civilizations are flourishing in Chapter I - Voyage. An ancient race of African people, the Anu, were the creators of civilization in this tale. Harp courses in and out of Kemetic culture to describe how the Anu people lived. The great Sphinx was reflective of the image of the Anu people. Harp teaches us about the Ka and the Ba, the first divisions of the soul. As the story unfolds, it is the winged Ba that represents the vehicle for time travel from the past to the future and back. Harp presents the winged Ba as an ancient Nubian winged figurine representing the soul of deceased individuals. It was believed the winged Ba was able to fly up to join the sun god in its endless cycle of birth and rebirth.

The Anu people, the Kemetic people, the Nubians and historical figures such as Imhotep were the main characters. The Nubian brothers, Paki and Bekele, were infatuated with the main character of the story. She was a fine looking Kemetian woman named Mutshat. Each character was distinct and they exhibited much of what we see in our personalities today. They all fought together and a winged Ba helped them to escape from a potential tragedy during ancient times. In the ensuing chapters, it was discovered that the winged Ba placed them in modern day Washington DC. After time travel from ancient Kemet, the story becomes contemporary and Harp uses African history to reconnect the modern life of the characters with their ancient past.

In Chapter II - Spring, there was the reintroduction to the reincarnation of the characters from an ancient time. Some names changed but Mutshat kept her name. It was a time of discovery about the past and the meaning of life.

In Chapter III - Haunted School, the reader is led into the negative spirits that are associated with the unseen. Since Harp is a psychologist who has worked with students in special education, he uses his counseling experience with special education students to create characters who find the souls of the Anu people in the haunted school. The Anu people have come back with a purpose, but it is not revealed until later in the text. In Chapter IV - Voodoo Sea, Harp reminds us of the horrendous experience of the middle passage and how the Bermuda Triangle (i.e., Voodoo Sea) was due to the captured African souls and bodies that were thrown into the sea without correct burial during the middle passage. In Chapter V - Revenge of the Pharaoh's, Harp invokes the spirit of Rameses as the pharaoh who has come back to cause destruction similar to the role portrayed in the Bible about the Pharaoh who kept a people in bondage. Modern day scientific cloning was a theme used by Harp to express how Rameses was brought to life in Chapter VI- Discovery. In Chapter VII - Holy Season, death and destruction from robots and a love triangle between Paki, Bekele and Mutshat are untangled. A fight to the death is sought by Paki against his brother to receive Mutshat's love.

It was found in Chapter VIII - The Anu, that the Anu were not bad spirits and enemies of mankind. They time traveled to our contemporary times to alter the future. Along with Imhotep, Mutshat and the Nubian brothers, the Anu helped to fight against evil forces. In Chapter IX - The Place-of-No-Time, was where the love of Mutshat was sought by Rameses. Rameses captured her and wanted her beauty like everyone else in the story. In this mysterious land, it was the magical Mmoatia (dread-locked dwarfs) that helped her and her comrades fight evil. They were elf-like characters that had a prominent role in freedom. Like any love story, Mutshat was saved (Chapter X - Rescue) by her man and they were finally married (Chapter XI - Jump the Broom) after thousands of years of searching for each others soul.

In sum, the novel contains numerous references to our past and how a return to the past can help solve current problems we experience. In the spirit of Sankofa, the winged Ba played the same role as the Sankofa bird. Harp wants the reader to think about the centuries of madness pertaining to the stolen dead bodies (i.e., mummies) and the wrecked sacred burial sites of people of African descent. This phenomena is unprecedented because no other group of people has had their ancestors disrespected on the level of African people. In Across Time: Mystery of the Great Sphinx, the ancestors are speaking to revenge the travesty of taking bodies and souls from Africa to foreign places to be housed in museums in other countries. The spirits want to reclaim the souls and bodies of their ancestors and return them to their sacred burial sites.

This novel is beyond a love story. It is a powerful description of how love and history can be combined to offer a solution to any problems we experience today. Harp does an excellent job at using the beauty of the black woman as the source of strength for many characters in the story. Throughout the adventure, the black woman has shown her dignity, her pride and she is respected and admired by both friends and foes. To conclude, I fell in love again with the black woman I know and I owe my marital rejuvenation to the magnificent words expressed in Harp's novel.