Arik Afek

It's quite frustrating to be a Sci Fi fan in Israel. Availability of products and books (in English), is limited and prices are relatively high. Although shopping internationally on the net is cheaper, it takes a lot of time for items to reach Israel and shipping costs also need consideration. Books are relatively easy to buy on the net and yet, we have some magic places of our own.

One such place is Yanshuf (owl) shop in Raanana. It has a magical time capsule in its basement. A room full of Sci FI. Books movies, collectibles and more books that fill this living room with a special aura. Time capsule, definitely. Every time I come down those stairs, I spend minutes only and come up an hour plus later. Time machine must be broken or something, it should work the other way around...

For those wishing to come and visit  they keep new and used books in Hebrew and English, role playing games, comic books, posters, collectibles, merchandise…

2 Hankin st, Raanana

Tel: 077-5600434

Opening hours:

Sun – Thur  10:00 – 20:00

Fri 9:00 – 15:00

I first started reading Octavia's work after seeing an obituary on the net. I remember saying to myself, another great writer is dead and then trying to remember which of her works I had read. It took me over a year to find most of her published work, but the effort was worthwhile. I enjoyed the reading very much and have become a real fan of this fantastic woman. I have spent many hours reading and learning on the net, and even gave a lecture about her in an Israeli sci-fi convention some years ago. Octavia Butler wrote mostly about women, young black women, facing incredible challenges. Butler's writing is strong, sometimes hard to swallow but very well done. I find myself thinking once and again about her stories and her messages to all of us. Today we can only sadden that too few of Butlers works were offered to the world, and share her legacy. Two of her stories can be found online. The book of Martha is a favorite of mine...

http://www.scribd.com/doc/14674119/The-Book-of-Martha-Octavia-E-Butler