I wanted more from this one than I got, but I don't regret reading it. The world building is without fault, and the visceral descriptions brought me so much joy to read. However, the plot itself felt stale at times. I also couldn't get behind the romance. It felt too forced and not organic at all. There wasn't enough showing of the romance, and too much telling. (At least in my opinion.) If you like fantastical horror set in a modern, urban world, this might be a worthwhile read. Especially if you like your horror grotesque.

a scary/sci fi adventure that i expected to compel me, but instead left me bored and longing for characters i cared more about. DNF about halfway through.

This book confused the hell out of me and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I'll have to read the inevitable sequel to see if that gives me answers. I will say a lot of the book felt unnecessary but maybe it will have meaning in the series later. I also feel like the book could have been shorter and while the descriptions where beautiful it sometimes felt as if I was reading a dictionary. The ending also felt kind of rushed and I know its going to have a sequel but it didn't really feel like it ended. Like there wasn't a good wrap up or even a cliff hanger that signaled the end of this book it just kind of ended.



Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I received a free copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group; all opinions expressed are exclusively my own.

This is a great book and I hated it.

Okay, let me elaborate: The Dead Take the A Train is an urban fantasy with magic, eldritch beings, action, love, and horror. It's like the Dresden Files but if Dresden was a lot more punk rock mixed with Lovecraft, and better than that sounds. The lore builds in slowly and is enthralling, and the story keeps up a quick pace without leaving the reader behind. It's gritty, weird, and wonderful.

But it is oh so very gory. Which is not a turnoff to everyone, but if you're a sensitive reader, you should know you're in for nonstop body horror of all kinds of flavors. It's also a very dark and gritty world, and Julie's life matches it. I had to keep reading because the story is fantastic and compelling, and I'll definitely read the sequel. It's just that the first book is so disturbingly brutal that I'll need to make sure I'm in a good place first.

THE DEAD TAKE THE A TRAIN by Cassandra KHAW and Richard KADREY
Publication: October 3, 2023
Publisher: Tor Nightfire
Page Count:400


Jump on board for a horrific ride into Lovecraftian Cosmic Horror as we are introduced to Julie Crews … a thirty-something Bitch on wheels … as she renders magic spells “for cash” in between consuming mass quantities of drugs, Vodka and Korean take-out. This marvelous urban-fantasy horror novel is the brainchild of the dynamic duo of Cassandra Khaw and Richard Kadrey. Julie feels her magic career in the NYC scene is going nowhere and to “bump” things up, she congers up a “guardian” angel that is intent on progressively annihalting the world, rather than promoting her success. Blood, gore and entrails will drip from the pages. Julie’s ex boyfriend, Tyler Banks drags her into the mess of dealing with the eldritch horror, “ The Mother Who Eats” , as part of his ongoing battle to climb the corporate ladder of the nefarious law firm, Thorne & Dirks. His job at the firm was head of Excisions, meaning he made problems disappear. Cut them entirely out of existence. ( This law firm is the equivalent of Wolfram and Hart as seen on the television show, “Angel”) Complicating matters, Sara, her best friend (from her earlier life) and the essence of “ goodness” shows up on her doorstep, fleeing from her abusive boyfriend, Dan. Her present day friends, the ancient, sort of fairy god-mother, St Joan and the wheelchair-bound Dead Air (computer wizard and hacker) immediately visualize the “sparks between the two”
Khaw and Kadrey manage to dish up a carnage of gore and entrails in between their dark horrific humor. The convoluted plot progressively escalates in complexity and intrigue as the exciting action filled denouement draws to a close, with yet some unresolved loose ends dangling for the sequel. In between the snarky humor are frequent jabs of satire at corporate culture. I anticipate the need for further adventures in the burgeoning magic career of Julie Crews. Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for providing an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for allowing me to read a copy of this book.

Fans of Thrillers and Eldritch Horror should absolutely read this book. It's twisty and different and full of blood and gore. Trigger warning - with lots of mutilation, blood & guts, body horror, entrails, bugs, and carnage, it is not a book for the squeamish or faint-of-heart.

In the magical underbelly of NYC we meet Julie, a-down-and-out woman pushing 30, with a coke and booze habit and a penchant for magic. The story hits the ground running -- with Julie doing an exorcism at a Bachelorette party. Then, in desperate need of money, Julie takes a job helping her ex, Tyler and then all hell breaks loose -- almost literally. Julie summons a guardian angel but accidentally releases an elder god who wants to kill everyone and everything. Chaos and death ensue, with lots of blood, guts, gore, and eternal suffering. We also meet Sarah, Julie's best friend and the embodiment of goodness; but also the victim of domestic abuse. She and Julie are very clearly madly in love, but won't admit it. Special appearances by the Berghest sisters, The Mother Who Eats, and a bunch of other unpleasant horrors

The perspectives of Julie & Sarah's exes (Tyler and Dan) were painful to get through. They were so smug and self-important, and self-righteous it just made me hate them so much. They are terrible excuses for men, let alone human beings. These parts of the book were very difficult to enjoy, and almost made me not want to keep reading. The rest of the book is a blood-soaked story that ends with a slam and a bang.

Carnage. It's all carnage. I will definitely be reading the sequel of this book (Carrion City #2), and recommending it to all my horror-loving friends and Library patrons. I have never read anything like this book before and I love it!

10 out of 10. if you like horror this is the book for you. i can't get this one out of my head. it's amazing. i want the next book in my hands right now. phenomenal. weird. funny. bizarre. i can't wrap my head around what i read to even put it into words.

Okay so after reading this book, I was thinking, why did I take so long to get to it?! Because I absolutely loved it and cannot wait for what comes next! This book was grungy, dark and absolutely kept me interested. This book was fast-paced and I loved the characters, plot, and gore! If you are a fan of horror fantasy, this one’s for you!

I am a huge fan of Khaw's previous books, but for whatever reason, this book just didn't work for me. I felt like there was a lot going on, and I didn't really connect with any of the characters on a meaningful level. Maybe something I can revisit later, but for now, it's not for me.

Didn't get to finish in the time allotted to read, however, what I started was fresh. A unique magical system in a dark, urban setting as opposed to just straight up fantasy was exciting to read through.

Dark. Violent. Fun. Kadrey and Khaw are both great authors on their own, but combining them for this book is just a smart decision. When Julie sets out to boost her own career as a monster hunter in New York, she has no idea just what she's gotten herself into. The gig economy is hard for everyone involved, and adding life-or-death struggles, magic, and pretty intense body horror doesn't help. The Dead Take the A Train is an excellent adventure, and I can't wait to see what happens to Julie next.

This was just the right amount of queer, funny, urban grungy fantasy and creepy to keep me hooked. It felt very timely in a lot of ways because of the discourse around it's always the end of the world late stage capitalist society. I feel like these Dresden Files style fantasy books are not as popular anymore or trendy but this refresh of that kinda world was...refreshing! Would love to see more.

I have really enjoyed Cassandra Khaw's shorter horror works, so I was excited to read a full-length novel collaborative work from her and Richard Kadrey! I really enjoyed this first entry in the series! It was fun and funny while also being gory and horrifying, with New York as a well-used backdrop. The characters were unique and well-developed. The way eldritch horror was woven into office culture was incredible commentary and lots of fun to read. I did get a little confused at points and had to reread, hence why it's a 4 instead of a 5 star, but I will for sure be reading the next book and recommending to readers!

Entertaining, dark, and gory. I loved the NYC setting and the unapologetically sociopathic corporate/eldritch-serving villains. When I say gory, I mean lots of descriptive uncanny viscera, so perhaps not for the squeamish. It had a bit of weird pacing towards the end, which might be in part due to the story only being partially resolved in this book—the authors obviously wanted to draw out the reader’s curiosity for a sequel, but perhaps could have managed it a little more elegantly. Regardless, I’m definitely reading the next one when it comes out!

Good book. There was a lot happening so it was fast paced- I didn’t want to put it down. The main character was very brass- in a good way! Very detailed gore. Overall a good read.

I am including here the link to an interview I did with Richard Kadrey about the book: https://youtube.com/live/zv1Rvg30VlU

Thank you net gallery for the advanced copy of this book. This book was full of gore and ever so squelchy. A good read for Halloween. The end was a little happier than expected.

This book is wild! Kadrey and Khaw create a vivid and absolutely crazy magical/eldritch underbelly in New York City and balance genuinely frightening gore and body horror with the really sweet and warm relationship between Julie and Sarah. The horror is punctuated by the irreverent humor and snark with which Julie sees the world, and with which the other characters contend as they attempt to eke out a living or hold onto their power in this topsy-turvy world.

What a balls-out, no-holds-barred bloody (slightly tentacle-y?) ride! Hopefully the authors don't take offense, but this reminded me of a gayer, more adult (very adult) version of the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. For me, it's not an insult because I love anything paranormal adjacent set in New York City... and this just had that right combo of horror/fantasy/romance that I like. I loved the magic system especially - very street magic.

Only cons is the gratuitous alcohol/drug use - I get addiction/vice, but sometimes it leans a little too heavily into "all fun, no consequences" territory for me. The writing can be slightly on the flowery side - I love the "love letter to language" aspect, but it can meander to get to a point.

Overall, it was totally my style and I can't wait to pick up book 2!

This was an exciting read and one of my favorite books this year. This one was a little outside of my wheelhouse, as I do read sci-fi but don't read a lot of horror. That said, this book was so well-written, the words woven together to make an amazing story that pulled me in from the beginning.

The authors packed a lot into this book, and I felt like I was just flying along as I was reading. This was a book I couldn't put down, and when I did, I was constantly thinking about what was going on in the story and itching to pick it back up.

I absolutely recommend this book, and I look forward to reading more from the authors.