Marley's Ghost

by Mark Hazard Osmun

Before Scrooge, before Dickens, there was Jacob Marley. In Charles Dickens’classic, A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge owes his salvation to one 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 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.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Ghosts, Fiction

317 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2000

Reviews

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Hazard Osmun brings us an imaginative look at the life of Jacob Marley before his appearance in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."

This book is not for the faint of heart; there are accurate descriptions of life's miseries for child laborers, coal miners and the poor in pre-Industrial Revolution England. We see Marley go in turns from being a loving brother to a thief to a gambler ... and ultimately to Scrooge's miserly mentor.

This book is well-researched for period detail and brings us an evocative (if not always compassionate) new look at Marley's character. Those who enjoy the Dickens tale are sure to like the new look at an unwilling change agent.

[Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant off-shoot of Dicken's A Christmas Carol, telling the tale of the pivotal but glossed-over character, Jacob Marley. Who is Jacob Marley? I've always wondered, and I figured others must have wondered too, so I sought out this book. It's wonderfully written, providing an intriguing back-story to the beloved Christmas tale. It follows Jacob Marley from childhood to death, his meeting Ebeneazer Scrooge, and the fateful haunting. After giving such a fascinating story of Marley's youth, I was disappointed that he rushed through his adulthood and time with Scrooge, but was amazed by the lengthy and ironic mythological tale of the travels and epiphanies of Marley's ghost.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm beginning to like the idea of new authors revisiting classic stories and fleshing out characters that we only met briefly.

The first half of this book tells of Jacob Marley's early life. It was as bleak and depressing as any good Dickens story. I was less impressed with the second half after Marley becomes a ghost. Still, if you read this you'll never look at "A Christmas Carol" the same way again.

[Su · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saw this as a play and LOVED LOVED LOVED it! Always a pleasure to imagine what the inner life is of a secondary character of a major work of fiction. A great book to get you into the more bawdy mood of the Christmas holiday season... A nice alternative to sticky-sweet holiday films and books.

[Casey Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Top notch. I'm always a sucker for "Carol" adaptions.

[Les · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I thought the author did a great job of adopting the style and language of the period while presenting a completely original and compelling story. I was also very impressed by the ending. I was waiting to see if the story devolved into some sugary mess. Instead, the ending very much followed the nature of the entire story. While it was hopeful (from my point of view), it wasn't sappy or overdone.

[Lokita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite its grim bleakness, I was prepared to give this historical, heartfelt story of Scrooge's partner four stars (a handful of typos and an unnecessary scene with some prostitutes precluded five.) But the theological folly that led to Marley's "redemption" left me cringing instead of cheering. Ah well. Full marks for trying.

[Joe Stephens · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but the ending was quite muddy. I understand the emotion he was trying to convey, but the storyline just goes off the rails at the very end.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

A backstory to Ebeneezer Srooge's partner, Jacob Marley. An entertaining read!