REVIEWS OF OLIMNIA'S LAST TERM
'A murder mystery like no other. In this highly original and ground-breaking novel
Judith Maizels brilliantly describes the effect of trauma on the mind and how it can be healed.
Although a fantasy and written like a dream, this novel will lead the reader to a deeper experience of reality
and an awareness of the importance of listening to the messages of the unconscious mind.'
Barbara Herbin,
Artist and Dreamworker
'I absolutely loved the book, and the way all the strands came together. I couldn't put it down at the end!'
Katherine Williams, Editor
A beautiful and original novel
This novel is so incredibly original and clever in the way the story weaves between dreams and reality, consciousness and unconsciousness. In places like a beautifully comforting dream and in others like the most exciting thriller! I love the idea of the dream friends being visionary versions of the real friends and the way that their names are ingeniously disguised. The creation of the Bekkharan alphabet and scripts and the beautiful drawings are an incredible feat of imagination and scholarship.
Olimnia's journey was so moving and powerful and I found the beautiful ending with the ship ready to sail for one last voyage to Amberia very affecting. I found it inspiring and uplifting to think of the possibility of a 'peace-loving society governed by female positive and creative forces'. It will stay with me and was the perfect novel to read during lockdown!
– Frances
'Olimnia’s Last Term is a literary jewel waiting to be discovered.'
Maizels’ first novel is a murder mystery that invites the reader to join archaeologist and academic, Olimnia Goodlass, on her epic journey in solving a series of crimes, including a traumatic attack on her life that left her suffering from psychogenic amnesia. It is a journey like no other, travelling to distant lands and unearthing treasures from a lost matriarchal civilisation. All the while, a group of men attempt to sabotage the discovery in favour of pursuing more lucrative ventures of excavating oil from the same land. Pitching the ancient divine feminine with her nurturing and healing qualities against masculine greed and aggression is just one of the many appealing themes that Maizels successfully weaves into the fabric of the story.
The reader pulls other narrative threads together by delving deep into Olimnia’s subconscious through a portal consisting of a series of her diary entries. Here, Olimnia is able to circumvent her conscious mind that is thwarted by her amnesia and continue with her quest to find out more about the murder. Maizels’ imagination runs free with evocative dream imagery that acts as a parallel story to the events on the physical plane and tests the reader’s ability to decipher vital clues about the murder. The introduction of Olimnia’s dramatic psychological journey not only adds another dimension to the story, but also cleverly demonstrates the healing role of a person’s psyche when recovering from trauma. The story gathers pace entwining the physical and the psychological until, like all good murder mysteries, it ends with the big reveal.
Olimnia’s Last Term is a literary jewel waiting to be discovered. It celebrates the roles of women, in history and now, and will inspire its reader to delve into their own subconscious and see what treasures can be found.
- Vivienne Roberts,
Curator and Archivist, College of Psychic Studies, London
'Gripping and Inventive'
This really interesting and unusual first novel had me gripped, trying to understand and connect the many threads that run through it. The time narrative shifts from the present back to ancient cultures in a matriarchal society, with Jungian-like threads of the collective unconscious that bind us together. I have recommended it to many friends as I found it fascinating, energizing and fulfilling. It is a title that will lead to very interesting discussions for book groups.
- Alyson
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