Marley's Ghost

Book excerpt: "Marley's Ghost". 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, 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.