Critics

Critics had this to say about Lantern Road:

Tim Pratt, Locus Online:"In Lantern Road, [John T. Cullen] has created a richly-realized far-future world in which strange wonders are revealed as considerable suspense builds. The characters are interesting, and the plot moves well, but the real star here is the universe in which the events take place, especially the inhabited moon, Shur, with its complex starfaring alien culture, reminiscent of Imperial Japan, but with strange complications—including multi-use fungi gardens and a third gender. [Cullen]'s handling of detail is remarkable, creating a sense of a whole universe without bombarding the reader with unnecessary information. This is a world that fans of sprawling, far-future SF will enjoy immersing themselves in, reminiscent as it is of Dune and some of Gene Wolfe's work."

John K. Muir, author/media critic (SciFi Channel, Cinescape): I had the pleasure of reading [the novella] Lantern Road ... and found it to be a very "atmospheric" reading experience. I was floored by many of the descriptive passages and conceits. Here are my thoughts, in more formal terms. [John T. Cullen]'s Lantern Road is a sensuous and elaborate glimpse into a distant future—evoked, interestingly, by way of our storied past. Earth is a barely-remembered legend, man is a slave, and a unique species of alien (which includes an insect-like third sex...) dominates a faraway planet. But the story is accessible and immediate (rather than farfetched) because the writer, in lyrical, descriptive passages, has forged a civilization that evokes memories of the Ancient Orient, with all of its imperial plotting and conspiring in tact. Our hero, Jory O'Call is a slave, sold into a royal alien family by his poor parents, but visiting this protagonist's world is not unlike accompanying Marco Polo on his "discovery" of the East. The story begins as Jory escapes onto a dangerous stretch of highway (think the Appian Way...) after a secret love affair is discovered. The author has given sufficient (and inventive) thought to alien politics, economy, history, and even courtly romance. Filled with descriptive passages and characters (like the bandit, Yedy) that evoke Akira Kurosawa films by way of Muraski Shikibu's Genji, this is a texture-filled epic about man's legacy—and future—in a world more than 10,000 years (or kjirz...) hence. The blending of the historic and the futuristic, the familiar with the alien, makes for a lyrical, touching read, especially in the highly-charged, and sensual passages involving Jory and his star-crossed (literally...) lover, Lady Ramy. What remains most impressive about the novella is the author's observations about history and human nature, as well as the invention that has masterfully erected a world both similar and different from our own. So many of today's science fiction stories rely on technology, science or action to build their frisson, but the confidently written and very absorbing Lantern Road takes a different and welcome approach, allowing us to revel in sumptuous, compelling descriptions and details of an alien society, and man's place within it."

Joe Murphy, author: "I very much enjoyed [the novella] Lantern Road. From the start it took me through its twists and turns in a manner I never expected, but which fit perfectly. [John T. Cullen] delivers a fascinating tale of tragic alien love, star travel, and an amazing gift from one love to another. For escaped slave Jory O'Call, the space port Kusi-O could be his only hope of survival, inspite of its impenetrability. But the bandit who approaches Jory on the road isn't what he seems to be. Then again, Jory discovers, neither is he.... From a pampered court poet to high powered astropath, from escaped slave to free man, Jory O'call's love of an alien female remained undimmed. Could the love of another alien, the Ramy-baba who even dispised him, reach him across the stars?"

John Rosenman, author: "Lantern Road is remarkable for several reasons. Most noticably, perhaps, [John T. Cullen] fully captures the richness and complexities of an alien world, focusing on its details and texture to the extent that you actually feel you're there. He also takes the time to portray and differentiate three or four different species and make them come alive, particularly when it comes to the trisexual Shurians and the poignant, bittersweet love story of Ramy, a Shurian, and Jory, a human. Indeed, the Shurians belong in the high creative company of Octavia E. Butler's Xenogenesis trilogy, in which humans and aliens mix their genes and get it on through the ooloi, a neuter third sex. Alien sex is seldom this good. What can I say? Lantern Road is a gripping story of the far future. It has high adventure, imminent danger, and a likeable hero. Plus, it leads to a surprising, fully satisfying ending that I guarantee you will never see coming."