Marley's Ghost [Paperback]

Mark H. Osmun (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2000

Before Scrooge, before Dickens, there was Jacob Marley.

In Charles Dickens’classic, A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge owes his salvation to one man: his former partner, the late Jacob Marley. Yet despite Marley’s crucial role we know him only as a shadow. Until now.

Fugitive, prodigy, gambler, miner, mentor, corruptor and partner of Scrooge, Jacob Marley suffers a life in which he is both victim and villain, noble and vile. After his death, Marley’s ghost wanders a frozen hell seeking answers and redemption. There he plays one last role: that of a pawn in the battle between Light and Dark. Ultimately, Marley must choose between God and the Devil, between sacrifice and betrayal, as Mankind’s future hangs in the balance.

Marley’s Ghost, a dark tale about the winter of the soul, shines a brilliant, new light on Dickens’ immortal story.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"I wear the chain I forged in life," Jacob Marley says in Dickens's A Christmas Carol. In this moving, cleverly imagined life of Scrooge's late partner, Osman reveals precisely how that chain was forged. Jacob Marley, born Jacob Turner, lives in bourgeois comfort with his handicapped twin brother, Ezra, until the age of nine, when their father, a small farmer threatened with debtor's prison, shoots himself. Soon afterwards, their mother dies, and the boys end up slaving in a coal mine called Elizabeth's Furnace. At 13, Jacob is framed for the murder of the odious mine foreman. Thrown into prison, he is finally rescued seven years later, in 1796, by cardsharp Bill Worthy. A paradoxical figure, Worthy is a scoundrel with a heart of gold, who takes Jacob under his wing and gives him his new name. The two become partners and gradually turn their illicit dealings into a legitimate, successful business. Since guilt-ridden Marley believes Ezra died without his protection, his capacity for affection withers. Only one person elicits some kindness from himAhis clerk, the young Ebenezer Scrooge. Unfortunately, Scrooge's own emotional life is desiccated both by his association with Marley and the death during childbirth of his beloved sister, Fan. It is after Marley dies that the story as Dickens's readers know it begins to reveal itself. Marley is approached by Lucifer and given a chance to help one mortal. At the same time, he discovers that his beloved brother is still alive. He makes his difficult choice when he realizes that Scrooge needs his message of salvation more than Ezra does. Osmun's para-Dickensian tale is a solid piece of historical imagining, accurately reflecting the social and economic conditions of England in the 1800s. The noted artist Wendell Minor has designed the jacket for this promising debut. (Sept.) FYI: A percentage of the proceeds from this book will be contributed to the Holiday Season of Conscience, a program aimed at eliminating child labor abuses worldwide.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"(a) compelling tale... masterfully written story...weaving a colorful tapestry... and adding a new dimension to a legendary story." -- Foreword Magazine, Sept. 2000

"...a chilling prequel to Dickens' work." -- Georgia Rowe, Knight Ridder Syndicate, Dec. 16, 2000

"...engaging...a thoughtful, fast-paced novel...a satisfying prequel. By wrestling with fate and faith, it reinforces Dickens' great message." -- J. Peder Zane, Scripps Howard News Service/Raleigh News Observer, Dec. 20, 2000

"A true Christmas tale." -- Sylvia Rubin, San Francisco Chronicle

"Dickensian in its scope....readers will enjoy in Christmas 2000 and for years to come." -- Herb Moskovitz, The Dickens Fellowship

"Osmun has created a world of violence and struggle punctuated with moments of brotherly love. His work is powerful." -- B. Lynn Goodwyn, Haven's List

“...wonderfully written exploration of good vs. evil...true to the characters and style of the classic tale that inspired it.” -- Kim Curtis, Associated Press, December 21, 2000

“Fascinating, compelling, captures feeling of the time extremely well.” -- Arlene Corsello, KVON-FM radio

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Twelfth Night Press; First Printing Thus edition (September 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967307902
• ISBN-13: 978-0967307909
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #576,840 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Provacative, December 19, 2000

By 

Will Morris (Plano, Tx. United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Marley's Ghost (Paperback)

Mark Osmun's great imagination has taken us behind the scenes of a story we have read or watched on television annually since we were kids. Even with our familiarity with the story we knew virtually nothing about Jacob Marley, without whom The Christmas Carol would never have been written. Five stars for cleverness alone. To his credit, Osmun chose not to imitate the Dicken's style yet he put coal dust in my teeth together with a clostrophobic shortness of breath as I read through Marley's experience. Marley's journey is a wonderful metaphor for the journey we all travel as we ask questions about good and evil and our relationships with God and our fellow man. Marley's quest to save Scrooge is a journey of love from a man who has known everything but love. "When the time comes - How will you choose?"

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A compelling, superbly crafted, original, memorable novel., September 4, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Marley's Ghost (Paperback)

In Marley's Ghost, Mark Osmun has written a brilliant "prequel" to Charles Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol". Here is the story of Jacob Marley whose ghost appeared to Ebenezer Scrooge to announce the coming of three spirits that legendary Christmas Eve. Jacob was a fugitive, prodigy, gambler, miner, mentor, corruptor and Ebenezer's partner in exploiting the vulnerable, the unwary, and the needy. Jacob was himself both victim and villain, capable of nobility and vile behavior. After his death Jacob wanders a frozen hell seeking answers and redemption. There he becomes a pawn in the battle between Light and Dark, ultimately compelled to choose between God and the Devil as the future of all human kind hangs in the balance. Marley's Ghost is a compelling, superbly crafted, original novel that does full justice to Dickens and is a memorable testament which may well become a classic itself!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Holiday Treasure, September 20, 2000

By 

Traci Sterling (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Marley's Ghost (Paperback)

Mark Osmun successfully captures the imagination with this twisted tale of greed and compassion. Though Marley lived his life on the dark side, you can't help but cheer him on during his journey through pain. Given a life of merciless and solitude, you sense his heart is capable of more. A great read!!