Ray Bradbury sent John T. Cullen a personal note in 2008, thanking him for writing this dark holiday fantasy worthy of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, or of Ray Bradbury's macabre yet heartwarming tales. The story is cute and entertaining for all ages, young and old. The story will have special resonance for those whose families have been touched by alcoholism and some of the resulting wounds that stay with us for a lifetime (does not touch upon sexual abuse, but violence and neglect). At the same time, this remains first and foremost an entertainment, not a lecture--much as Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol may be read either way as well. Arthur Latchloose, a miserable, wealthy old banker, has everything--but has nobody. A modern genie with a cell phone, and a wondrous clock made for the Sun King, turn his world upside down.This is a dark holiday fantasy for men and women of all faiths and cultures, which loses nothing from its unique Christmas spirit while opening its doors of wonder and spooky humor (along with a few tears) to all. Each of us is a traveler in a river of time. Like fish in water, or merfolks patrolling the deep, we are unaware of the medium in which we travel. We are born, we grow up--we love, lose, and love again--we suffer; and ultimately, each of us becomes yet another discarded vessel among the objects that time's rushing river has deposited in its empty riverbed. This, you see, is a river that only passes once through any point in time. In his hour of need, our friend Arthur Latchloose, by a strange confluence of fate and chance, comes upon a marvelous device that runs precious time through its hands. This wondrous, antique grandfather clock was built for the Sun King, and ended up passing among the hands of Oriental despots for centuries. During the recent many unfortunate wars in that mystical region, it came into the clutches of a desperate straggler-from yet another of the many wars there. This unfortunate soul, Major Jarlid, upon returning home from the war, is forced to sell it to pay his final debts. His buyer turns out to be a terribly wealthy but equally desperate and lonely man-our friend Arthur Latchloose. Along with the fabulous clock of the Sun King comes a genie right out of a bottle on some Oriental beach. He is, one might say, not a spirit to be rubbed the wrong way. But this djinni has not met the likes of feisty old Latchloose before now. And so begins a dark and curious tale, on a cold and snowy Christmas Eve. It is a story best told by firelight, worthy of Mr. Charles Dickens, but without Tiny Tim Cratchett or wailing ghosts clanking in chains. Instead, we have a genie constantly talking on his cell phone, working on contract and harried by his London office.
About the Author: John T. Cullen, a San Diego author of fiction and nonfiction, lives with his wife, son, and cat in the 1870s town of Grantville, within San Diego city limits. Cullen specializes as a history and science writer. His vivid historical knowledge, and his imaginative fiction, combine to recapture the 19th Century spirit of Charles Dickens with this 21st Century dark holiday fantasy. Ray Bradbury read John's novel and sent a personal letter of praise. Now you can enjoy the story as well. Among John's other works: the true crime analysis Dead Move: Kate Morgan and the Haunting Mystery of Coronado (2008), he was the first researcher to plausibly explain the 1892 true crime at the U.S. National Landmark Hotel del Coronado, source of a premier national ghost legend. He explains the violent and mysterious 1892 death of the Beautiful Stranger at the hotel, thus solving a cold case well over a century old. The author followed with a noir period novel (Lethal Journey), closely based on the true analysis in Dead Move. He is the author of an acclaimed virtual tour of ancient Rome, titled A Walk in Ancient Rome (first authorized edition due out 2015 from Clocktower Books). His fiction includes historical novels (The Spy's Daughter, Lethal Journey) and suspense thrillers (Doctor Night, Vanished Flight 777). Autumn of the Republic is a political thriller and thought experiment based on the terrifying premise: "What if we, under Article V, called a 2nd Constitutional Convention (CON2) to revise or even discard the 1787 Constitution?" His novel, written as an entertaining thriller, is the first to actually think through many details and ramifications. It's been adopted by major university law school libraries as reference material. His June 2014 novel Vanished Flight 777 is a thriller and thought experiment on the premise that Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 may not have crashed into the Indian Ocean, but was hijacked by Islamic terrorists, is being weaponized, and will be used in a horrifying attack like those of 9/11. He is recognized as an early pioneer in online science fiction publishing, both for his writing and publishing under the pseudonym John Argo, and for editing and publishing the acclaimed pioneering online speculative fiction magazine Deep Outside SFFH, later Far Sector SFFH (1998-2007) - more information at his author website (www.johntcullen.com).