A ‘new’ take on an ‘old’ tale…

One might think that Dickens’ classic tale featuring the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future could not be rewritten further; especially with the addition of movies like Scrooged and The Muppet Christmas Carol. One would be wrong though, because Jaqueline Kyle has taken this timeless story and brought it into the 21st century by adding a seemingly never-before-used plot twist.

What if Scrooge and his partner, Jacob Marley, were in fact actual ghost hunters? What if, in trying to rid the world of ethereal and oftentimes evil beings, they themselves became so caught up in the ‘hunt’ that they forgot to live the lives they were originally intended to? How does fate resolve that?

One could argue and say that Scrooge had no excuse to become such a loveless person – after all, Jacob Marley had been dead for seven long years...

Ah, but what if Scrooge's heart wasn’t filled with monetary greed? What if it was actually filled with bitterness and cynicism over knowing the truth of what the world really is? And an understanding of why his partner really died? How then does fate deal with this aspect? How does destiny alter a man's life choices – when the reality of those actions are based wholly upon irrefutable facts? Why, you send in the unhappy ghost of his partner followed by the three infamous Christmas spirits, of course!

With that shared, you'll need to read Ebenezer Scrooge: Ghost Hunter for yourself to see how it all plays out.

In summary though, Ebenezer Scrooge: Ghost Hunter was a well-written and fast-paced read with a quirky plot probably not envisioned by Dickens when he originally penned this tale. A fun story; and if you enjoy the paranormal and/or spooky ghost stories than Ebenezer Scrooge: Ghost Hunter is not to be missed. ( )

Ebenezer Scrooge: Ghost Hunter blends Charles Dickens' original work with author Jaqueline Kyle's imagining of a completely different sort of background for Scrooge. He was still an insufferable jerk in the beginning, treating everyone with disdain and contempt. This is still the reason that Marley visits him, as do the ghosts of past, present, and future. Mention of the ghost hunting was a little sparse at first and I wasn't sure if it was really going to work with the story. It definitely works though, and brilliantly. It gave Marley a much different, more pitiful (and gruesome) death and put quite the spin on the cause of Tiny Tim's health problems. There was certainly more action than I expected and I liked that it introduced a mythological creature that I wasn't familiar with.

Having not read the original, I had no idea which lines were Dickens' creations and which were Kyle's, which I think is a testament to her writing ability. It would be so hard to incorporate your own ideas into a book written by another author and make it blend to the point where the reader can't tell that it was given life by two different people, but she pulled it off.

Whether you are a fan of A Christmas Carol or not, Ebenezer Scrooge: Ghost Hunter adds a fascinating supernatural twist that breathes new life into the classic tale and I think it will appeal to a wide variety of people. While some parts of the story changed, the overall message of goodwill and kindness remains. I thoroughly enjoyed this retelling. ( )