Bio: John T. Cullen is a freelance author, novelist, and journalist living in Southern California. He is the author of more than twenty books, including A Walk in Ancient Rome (nonfiction/Ancient History) and Lethal Journey (noir historical thriller based on a spectacular true 1892 crime). In 2009, the History Channel flew John to Yale University from his home in San Diego, to interview him for Episode 6 of a 12-part history of Christianity to air in spring 2010. John is the first person in history to plausibly translate and explain the ancient mystery of the Sator Arepo inscription found in ruins all over the Roman Empire. He made his discovery in 2007 while researching for his nonfiction/virtual tour book for a general readership, A Walk in Ancient Rome.
A Walk in Ancient Rome is garnering rave reviews from academics, bestselling authors, and critics alike. It has never been done before: a complete virtual tour, for the lay or academic reader, of the entire imperial capital in 150 in the age of the Antonines. It is the height of the empire--the shining noon of the Roman Peace. John takes you through all fourteen Augustan districts, 'showing' and explaining sights usually only known to specialists. To understand Rome, you have to see the mosaic of its thousand parts, which then rise together in a luminous whole that transcends the sum of its parts. John writes nonfiction (mainly history, some science) and nonfiction in several genres (SF, DF, H, suspense, mainstream). A member of International Thriller Writers, he will be releasing Lethal Journey, a thriller novel based on a spectacular true 1892 crime, in September 2009. He has published science fiction, fantasy, thriller, and historical novels you can sample at his author website. He is the publisher of Clocktower Books.
Global warming is a reality, not for the first time in the past 130,000 years. The only question is how much of it is caused by nature, and how much by mankind. We examine the counterintuitive possibility that global warming may lead to an ice age, starting as early as our lifetimes. Our current epoch, the Holocene, began about 12,000 years ago. The Holocene has witnessed at least two warming episodes and several coolings. The European Medieval Warming Period was an anomaly lasting from 850 to 1... more info>> (Published: 2009)
Words: 8100 - Reading Time: 23-32 min. Category: History
The Isis and Serapis district contains two famous temples by that name. It also contains the Thermae of Trajan and Titus, as well as the Colosseum, and at least one great gladiator school. As we 'walk' through this district with its many sights, we'll stop to watch some games in the Colosseum. We'll meet five of the most famous gladiators of the day, the best of a breed of gory killers, whose wild gazes and icy, cruel grins will chill us to the bone (not kidding! For real!). ### The Temple of Pe... more info>> (Published: 2005)
Words: 18316 - Reading Time: 52-73 min. Category: History
The entire northeastern portion of Rome lies in two storied districts with catchy names, High Lane and Broadway. On this portion of our Walk in Ancient Rome, we visit the Sixth and Seventh Augustan districts. The wealth of historical detail is mind-boggling, since the Quirinal and Viminal Hills are critical in Roman history from the Iron Age, when the Sabine city of Cures send colonists to squat on the Quirinal, which did not sit well with the Palatine Latins. In response, a strong leader took t... more info>> (Published: 2005)
Words: 35219 - Reading Time: 100-140 min. Category: History
When Adolf Hitler promised the German nation he would make them in to a thousand year Reich, a Third Reich, he was not just chattering. He was a shrewd manipulator of public opinion, who recognized the suffering of his adopted people (he was Austrian, not German) after their massive losses and defeat in World War I. He made many promises, including a return to the original First Reich--the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. This article traces the history of the First Reich, and its surpris... more info>> (Published: 2009)
Words: 7757 - Reading Time: 22-31 min. Category: History
In this article, we explore the Caelian Hill district, which contains the entire southeast corner of the city, and the Esquiline Hill district, which contains many fabulous parks east of the Servian Wall. Both districts are loaded with rich history, stretching from the Iron Age through the final days of the Empire, and beyond. # # # The Caelian Hill features the giant Temple of Divine Claudius, at least one of the gladiator schools associated with the nearby Colosseum, the Macellum Magnum of Ner... more info>> (Published: 2005)
Words: 27048 - Reading Time: 77-108 min. Category: History
What really happened during that early twilight zone of human existence--after the last Ice Age, but before people started writing things down? We live in an epoch called the Holocene, which began about 12,000 years ago, and of which we know relatively little except for the past 6,000 years since writing was invented. But there are mysterious megaliths around the world, and strange cities built by skull cultists who kept their dead around--and other evidence that all is not what we may think. Wi... more info>> (Published: 2009)
Words: 19723 - Reading Time: 56-78 min. Category: History
Alone in the annals of history stands a super-weapon that terrorized Paris during Germany's last desperate campaign to win World War I. The Paris Gun was a marvel of technology. It required the work of astronomers, geographers, physicists, chemists, and other scientific experts to create a weapon that could fire on Paris from behind German lines--a range of 81 miles (130 kilometers). The shell traveled through the edge of space, and calculations had to be made to account for the earth's rotation... more info>> (Published: 2009)
Words: 29867 - Reading Time: 85-119 min. Category: History
May 29, 1453: one of the world's great empires breathed its last breath and died under a pounding by the world's first super siege gun. That empire was the ancient Roman Empire--its surviving Eastern half, which outlived the Rome of the West by a thousand years. The people of Constantinople wouldn't know what 'Byzantine' meant--they considered themselves to be Romans. Orban's great bombard, named Basilica, pounded the impregnable walls for weeks. It was capable of tossing stone balls weighing ne... more info>>
Words: 22419 - Reading Time: 64-89 min. Category: History
The author proposes a dramatic new conjecture to explain dark matter, dark energy, and the accelerating expansion of the universe. These three baffling mysteries are signaling the need for a new revolution in cosmology. Only a century ago, the great debate was whether the sun was the center of the universe, and if the Milky Way was the entire universe. Edwin Hubble helped confirm, only in the 1920s, that our galaxy is one of many, and that the universe is expanding. This article traces the histo... more info>> (Published: 2009)
From ancient Roman religion, and from studies of Ice Age and Neolithic people, we learn that the great religions of history (and pre-history) have more in common than we thought. In many Christian churches, for example, the motifs of bread and wine along the communion rail directly relate to the Neolithic miracles of grain and fermentation. The earliest kings were scapegoats, ritually killed to atone for their people's sins. Ice Age caverns of more than 20,000 years ago were animist cathedrals i... more info>> (Published: 2009)
Words: 16992 - Reading Time: 48-67 min. Category: History
The inscription is found in ruins around the former Roman Empire: Sator Arepo Tenet Opera Rotas. From a military headquarters at Dura Europos (in modern Syria) to a sports complex in ancient Pompeii to the towns of Manchester and Cirencester in Great Britain, the mysterious saying appears to have been an aphorism or a spell of extraordinary importance in Classical Roman society. Since at least 1880, generations of scholars have been working to solve it, in various disciplines, and until now nobo... more info>> (Published: 2009)
Words: 13549 - Reading Time: 38-54 min. Category: History
In this article we explore two of the city's southern Augustan districts: District 12, Public Pool, and District 1, Capena Gate. ### Little is left in modern times of Regio XII: Piscina Publica, especially since Caracalla built over a good part of it with his vast thermae, whose halls are larger than those of modern St. Peter's in the Vatican. After exploring the landmarks we know from ancient documents and archeological puzzling, we join a Roman detective and explore his neighborhood: Vicus Cap... more info>> (Published: 2005)
Words: 19963 - Reading Time: 57-79 min. Category: History
In the fourth of twelve articles, we explore part of the 8th District of ancient Rome in 150 A.D. On our walk in this article, we cover the first of three major sections of this district: the Great Forum itself, along with part of the Upper Sacra Via (in District IV, the only time in this tour book that we ever cross district boundaries). The Forum, as it is simply known (or Great Forum, rarely the Roman Forum) is the heart of Roman history, law, culture, trade, and religion. The Forum was the d... more info>> (Published: 2005)
Words: 18530 - Reading Time: 52-74 min. Category: History
In the third of twelve articles, we explore the 11th District of ancient Rome in 150 A.D. Like each of the districts, which originally only carried a number, this one was named after its more prominent building by unknown city officials in the time of Constantine. On our walk in this article, we cover the four major sections of this district: (1) the Sublician Bridge, key to Rome's emergence from a tiny dot to the first quasi-global power; (2) the ancient river port and Forum Boarium, where two ... more info>> (Published: 2005)
Words: 14183 - Reading Time: 40-56 min. Category: History
In the first of twelve articles, we walk from the ancient port of Ostia to the imperial city of Rome, now (150 A.D.) under the enlightened rulership of Antoninus Pius. ### For the first time ever: here is a complete walk through ancient Rome, for the lay reader, through all fourteen Augustan districts. It's a virtual tour, told as if we are really a group of tourists walking through the thronged markets and alleys of the imperial capital in 150 A.D. Learn about Roman history, religion, and custo... more info>> (Published: 2009)
Words: 19729 - Reading Time: 56-78 min. Category: History
Here are 22 of the world's tiniest nations, many full of whacky surprises: one nation's army consists of a marching band and a few cars; another nation consists largely of bird poop; and a third of these midgets is basically a shopping mall. Don't miss the fun. Entertaining and informative nonfiction for today's reader on the go. (Published: 2003)
In the previous article, we walked through the complex structures of the Roman Forum, with their long and often violent history. District 8, Great Forum or Forum Romanum, contains more than just its namesake. It contains three other major areas that we'll explore in this article. We complete our walk of the eighth Augustan district by visiting these three remaining sections: the Capitoline Hill, a sliver of land full of dwellings north of it, and the Imperial Fora. ### The Capitoline Hill, like ... more info>> (Published: 2005)
Words: 18388 - Reading Time: 52-73 min. Category: History
In the second of twelve articles, we enter the imperial city of Rome near the Mons Testaceus (Hill of Shards) in the sub-Aventine plain, in District 13. On our walk in this article, we cover the three major sections of this district: (1) the Aventine Hill itself, with its mix of charming old neighborhoods and prestigious structures; (2) the sub-Aventine plain, with its navalia or dockyards and warehouses; and (3) the greatest shopping center of the ancient world, the Emporium and Porticus Aemili... more info>> (Published: 2009)
Words: 19379 - Reading Time: 55-77 min. Category: History
Ray Bradbury has sent a fan letter to John T. Cullen, praising The Christmas Clock (see review, below). Arthur Latchloose is a grumpy old banker who feels left behind by the world, though perhaps he unknowingly helped cause his estrangement from his late wife and their children. He hasn't a friend in the world, not even a pet, and has not celebrated a Christmas in years. He does have an unusual hobby to go along with his considerable wealth. He collects antiquities. Not just old antiques, but ra... more info>> (Published: 2004)
Words: 27356 - Reading Time: 78-109 min. Category: Dark Fantasy
Why does Marie von Reibnitz Kent go by the monicker of Princess Michael? If you've ever wondered what the difference is between a duke, a grand duke, or an arch duke--and how and why such things came to be, here are some answers. It turns out that the ranks and titles of nobility follow a strict hierarchy that cuts across national boundaries and dates back to medieval and ancient times. As to military ranks, what is a field marshal? What's a five star general? Who is the second highest military ... more info>> (Published: 2009)
Words: 11691 - Reading Time: 33-46 min. Category: History
Kanon, a fugitive felon unjustly imprisoned, escaped from Prison Hammerkill and found refuge offworld. Now he returns--a lone knifeman on a secret and deadly mission in Terraform City. The world he returns to is nominally ruled by the (human) Authority, but, in reality, hideous unmen rule the dark streets at night. Kanon's life is saved by an enigmatic sylph named Rin, who lives in an ancient bishop's tomb deep in the necropolis--where the shadows run from themselves. Together, he and she challe... more info>>
Words: 7687 - Reading Time: 21-30 min. Category: Dark Fantasy
Ray and Louise (Lolo) are two victims of separate, random murders. They meet in Dark San Diego, the parallel world between the living and the dead. It is a spirit world, unseen by the living, but it is every bit as real. In the spirit world are ghosts, vampires, ghouls, seraphs, angels, centaurs--all manner of beings from classical and green mythologies. A few living persons can speak with the dead--shamans like Johannes Rector of the News Compass bureau, which specializes in solving paranormal ... more info>> (Published: 2009)
Words: 11587 - Reading Time: 33-46 min. Category: Dark Fantasy
Tom Brock is wealthy and successful, but he has a huge hollow space inside, dating to childhood violence and terror. Psychologist Sherri Rossi has feelings for Tom, even at their first meeting during a sad accident. He becomes not only a love object but a project and a challenge to her. As she interviews people who have figured in Tom's life, the nature of his shattering background starts to become clear. But the ultimate secret, and its grim resolution, remain locked in Tom's head. (Published: 1997)
On Holy Mother Mars, the [terraformed] climate is failing and mankind seems doomed. The young monk Brother Farr is startled by a sneak visit into Graniston Domes by wild-eyed exile Shan the Heretic, who tells of the looming assassination of the Popess. Moments later, Shan is killed by temple police, and his secrets die with him. An assassination of such magnitude will throw the entire planet into turmoil unless the renegade Duke Balesso can be stopped. [NOTE: contact with Earth was lost ages ago... more info>> (Published: 2005)
Words: 67281 - Reading Time: 192-269 min. Category: Science Fiction
In this steamy, intriguing novel of suspense, DEA agent Laurel "Blue" Humboldt must unravel not only the deadly secrets of an international drug cartel, but also the unusual love triangle in which she finds herself. Does she care more for lovely Chinese American detective Martha Yee, or handsome millionaire John Connor? Caught in this unusual love triangle, she can't think too long, because the cartel's ruthless assassin is closing in. (Published: 2000)
Words: 70000 - Reading Time: 200-280 min. Category: Suspense/Thriller
![Short [8100 words]](/images/short.gif "Short [8100 words]")
![Mid-Length [35219 words]](/images/medium.gif "Mid-Length [35219 words]")
![Long [62001 words]](/images/long.gif "Long [62001 words]")
![Very Long [153706 words]](/images/verylong.gif "Very Long [153706 words]")
The entire northeastern portion of Rome lies in two storied districts with catchy names, High Lane and Broadway. On this portion of our Walk in Ancient Rome, we visit the Sixth and Seventh Augustan districts. The wealth of historical detail is mind-boggling, since the Quirinal and Viminal Hills are critical in Roman history from the Iron Age, when the Sabine city of Cures send colonists to squat on the Quirinal, which did not sit well with the Palatine Latins. In response, a strong leader took t... 
Ray Bradbury has sent a fan letter to John T. Cullen, praising The Christmas Clock (see review, below). Arthur Latchloose is a grumpy old banker who feels left behind by the world, though perhaps he unknowingly helped cause his estrangement from his late wife and their children. He hasn't a friend in the world, not even a pet, and has not celebrated a Christmas in years. He does have an unusual hobby to go along with his considerable wealth. He collects antiquities. Not just old antiques, but ra... 
