I’d found the previous title from Cassandra Khaw that I’d read (Nothing But Blackened Teeth) a bit off-putting. In that story, five friends convene to have some pre-wedding adventures at a purported haunted castle– but I have never in my years of reading been subjected to a group of friends who hated each other more. The Dead Take A Train, for all its bombastic horror and gore, ruthless demons, and repulsive gods…is actually a tale of love and friendship? I liked that. I found the writing lush and disgusting and completely over the top –which is very much my thing!– and the story itself, that of self-destructive demon hunter/supernatural-squasher Julie attempting to prevent a cosmic-horror-end-of-the-world scenario and save her friends in the middle of New York’s gritty, magical underbelly–was an absolute hoot.

Horror, chaos, gore, demons, drugs, sarcasm, wit - a truly wild ride from start to finish. I had a fun time reading this but I can see how it wouldn't be for everyone. For the right lover of cosmic/monster horror and pure chaos, this will be a 5 star.

Another reviewer wrote that this book was "dark, disturbing, and colorful" and I think that's a perfect description. It reads very much like an older paranormal / urban fantasy mystery book -- especially those with a snarky main character who's on the low end of dealing with supernatural / paranormal creatures. The writing is fun and easy to read, definitely leaning on the darker side with the descriptions.

This book is a wild ride. I absolutely love cosmic horror but unfortunately all the fantastic monsters and the gruesome descriptions just couldn't save this story for me. the characters themselves just were not compelling enough to hold my interest. There was a lot that I enjoyed from this book but I had a hard time pushing through it.

Thanks to NETGALLEY and Tor Publishing Group/Tor Nightfire for eARC

Plot: 4.75
Characters: 5
Writing Style: 5
Cover: 5
Enjoyment: 5
Buyable/Re-readable?: Oh, yes. I look forwards to what comes next.

This enjoyable, wild ride is told through third POV via mainly Julie, a biracial (Korean×White) almost-30 year-old female, as well as Tyler, & then snippets from side characters. Each character holds their own and has a unique voice. The setting is New York City and what seems to be present-day, in a world where Gods, monsters, and magic exists. For me, it was like "American Gods" meets "The Magicians" with a dash of the 2005 "Constantine" movie. Considering how obsessed I am with two of those, I was instantly hooked. It's gritty and clever, vulgar and fabulous, original and thrilling.

I do have to note that my eARC had faaaaaarrr too many typos, though. Too many to count, if I'm being honest, and if I hadn't fallen in love with the book, I would have had to stop reading, as they took me out of the moment.

Bonus points for : "(S)he put on Wolf Totem by The Hu, her favorite Mongolian metal band." A Hu mention (Mongolian folk metal band)?? Let's go!

The gloves are off now, rich boy. I'll see you in a vat of boiling shit with little devils flossing your taint with razor wire.

Yikes! Words to remember when a simple "Screw you!" won't do.

Demons are on the loose in NYC causing havoc and defenestrating innocent civilians while they wait for the arrival of The Mother Who Eats.

Woah, boy!

This is definitely one of the grossest books I've read. There's quite a bit about human spines that are no longer attached to any humans. I don't say this very often, but I hope they don't make a movie based on this one.

I honestly had no clue what was coming next with this one, and was completely surprised by, of all things, (view spoiler) (For now, anyway.)

And, there's a very nice set-up for what promises to be another hellish dark ride with book number two.

Absolutely no regrets on picking this book up. Cosmic fantasy horror with some Lovecraft maybe. I went in blind and just let the world open up to me. Vivid descriptions and characters I wanted to know more about, even the douchebags, made this an entertaining and engaging read. The romance was a bit dull for me and the only time I wanted to skip ahead. That is a personal preference in books that have a lot of high stakes action. Thanks to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for and advanced copy for review. I also quickly purchased my own physical copy for my library and will be recommending this read.

I had a tough time deciding on a rating for this one because at the end of the day I just don’t think this book was for me. It’s well written and I think well paced, I just had a hard time connecting to the story. I think I tend to prefer strictly fantasy over a fantasy/sci-fi mix which is probably where the book lost me.

Just not my type of book, and I probably wouldn't recommend to anyone else. The writing felt lacking, and the overall story didn't have the kind of cohesion that I'm looking for.

I am a huge fan of Richard Kadrey, I love Sandman Slim. I also enjoyed Cassandra Khaw's Nothing But Blackened Teeth, So I was very excited to read this one, It did not disappoint. I couldn't put it down. So many good characters, a very interesting story. Lots of action and magic and gore! Can not wait for the follow up book.

The Dead Take the A Train was beyond phenomenal for me. I'll truly read anything Cassandra Khaw writes and I'm so excited to have read Richard Kadrey's writing now as well. This book is the most perfect blend of urban fantasy and horror that I've come across so far. I love the NYC that the authors paint for us - the barefaced bustle, rot, and ruin perfectly captured the heart of the City That Never Sleeps and combines it with a magical underground that is powerful, disgusting, and has major consequences for the weilder. I loved the way these two authors worked together and can't wait to see what they do next, both together and in their own projects

Wow, I have very mixed feelings about this book. I am a fan of Urban Fantasy so the description was intriguing. This book is very much fantasy but with a heavy heavy emphasis on horror. When the authors are describing the characters, their relationships, foibles, dialog. There is real strength and compulsive action to be had. There are battles to be fought, snappy dialog, and further mysteries to uncover. But for me, the descriptive passages were highly problematic. I flatter myself to believe that I have a really solid vocabulary, and when actual definitions of words fail, context is usually my friend. But The Dead Take the A Train is peppered, when trying to describe supernatural beings and settings, with obscure terms, unnecessarily florid prose, adjectives that make the reading seem like heavy lifting. When I began highlighting the examples, I felt well out of the story narrative. I do not need to be impressed when reading a novel. But I do need to remain involved throughout.

I loved every second of this book. The characters, the monsters, the city, the lore, the plot, EVERYTHING was perfection.

This may be a weird comparison to make, but it reminded me a bit of Gideon the Ninth. The plot, characters, and writing all could not be more different, but the dry, dark humor was similar and I loved it. The Dead Take The A Train was so weird and gory and hilarious and fun. Basically every character was fucked up in some way and they were all so fascinating.

We spent a lot of time with main character Julie's douchey ex boyfriend who's off on his own little subplot, which sounds like it would be awful and annoying but was actually my favorite part. I despise romance but this had my favorite kind of romance, if I had to pick- the kind where they're both complete idiots and don't realize they love each other when it's extremely obvious.

I could spend another 10 books in this world easily. I will definitely be picking up the rest of Cassandra Khaw's books that I've been putting off reading because this was so awesome. 10 out of 5 stars, hands down.

<i>Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for offering this ebook in exchange for an honest review.</i>

3 / 5 ⭐️'ˢ

“The Dead Take The A Train” By Cassandra Khaw & Richard Kadrey

📕 Edition: Audiobook & eBook

This is a wild and unpredictable journey through the dark and magical underbelly of New York City. I was initially drawn to this book by its intriguing cover, expecting a story about zombies, but what I found within its pages was a whirlwind of monster-slaying, spells, ghosts, and even a guardian angel. To say that there's a lot going on in this book would be an understatement.

One of the standout features of this story is its unique blend of gore and humor. The authors manage to infuse even the most gruesome scenes with a sense of fun and humor. The sharp and witty dialogue adds to the overall enjoyment of the story, making it a genuinely entertaining read.

The book hooked me in from the start, with the first 20% of the story capturing my attention and setting high expectations. However, as the narrative progressed, it began to feel somewhat hard to follow. The sheer complexity and abundance of supernatural elements made it challenging to keep track of at times.

Overall it’s a unique and imaginative tale that combines elements of cosmic horror and gritty fantasy. If you're a fan of dark, supernatural urban fantasy with a healthy dose of humor, this book might be worth a read for you!

Natalie Naudus @natalienaudus does a fantastic job on the narration. Her ability to give distinct voices to the cast of characters added depth to the story and helped me stay engaged, even during the more slightly confusing parts.

Thank you @NetGalley, and @Macmillan.audio , @casskhaw , @rkadrey for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I need to know which one of the two authors went to the other one and said, "ok, hear me out..." because this book is a twisted fever dream that only New York natives could write. Someone who knows where to find the pop-ups, the newest speak easy, and other seedy places that are there one day and gone tomorrow.
Other than the enthralling setting and originality of this whole novel, there is the paranormal aspect of the main character and her fight to make herself stand out among the other mages and demons hunters.
Crew's bestie, Sarah, could have had more personality, but that is just my opinion.
Final verdict? From starting a book I was unsure about finishing it with my vivid imagination in overdrive. But a little bit of "what did I just read"???

You want a weird read? Oh have I got a weird read for you!

The Dead Take the A Train is one of the weirdest reading experiences I've ever had... it was great!

Part horror, part science fiction - the first 10 pages of this book will give you a preview of exactly what you're going to get out of this story. It might not be for everyone, but if you're looking for a gritty, gory, strange book you are going to love it.

This is one of those collaborations where I wonder exactly how it came about, and odds are it's being answered by both the authors on their book tour! My best guess is that Kadrey had an outline for the novel generally, and Khaw was bought on later into the process and filled in the details more. The result is a novel where I can clearly recognize Khaw's prose and her character work but structural work that was clearly done by someone else. There's a lot of the urban fantasy tropes here, but there's small, quiet things (St. Joan, Sarah and Julie and FUCKING Dan, the law firm, the book seller) that peek their heads up and coax the narrative into something else entirely. Is there a hell of a lot going on here? Oh absolutely. However, the collaboration ends up working out incredibly well, and if they chose to do more with this crew, I'd love to see it. But even if it doesn't, it wraps nicely, if a touch gorey.

A clever, funny, supernatural and occult story with fighting, betrayal, fashion, brunch, deep mysteries, evil Wall Street law firms, and even the possibility of true love. Of all the horrible, tentacled, eldritch horrors present in this book, the Alpha Bros are the very worst.

The writing partnership of Kadrey and Khaw is a great one, and I hope to see more of them working together. It's not often one book combines a passionate knowledge of, for example, The Hu and vintage and current fashion, and I there for both!

There's a hidden occult and supernatural world here, to accompany the setting of modern Brooklyn and New York .Unlike other books where this supernatural element seems mainly present to provide cute relationship partners, this hidden world feels as though it really could be there under our noses, and not knowing about it is really a kind of gift.

Highly recommended.

This was a delightful and unsettling novel. This is body horror, so be prepared for lots of viscera — but also lots of attitude and a rough but endearing main character.

Plot:
Julie is a barely functioning addict who hunts monsters with magic in some of the grittiest parts of NYC. She takes the jobs no one else will do because she's capable, desperate to make rent, and completely reckless. But shit hits the fan when she summons an angel, who turns out to be an Eldritch god who's starving for revenge… this puts her friends and the entire world in its dangerous path.

Review:
I am not entirely sure what I just read, because this book was so uniquely unusual and disgusting. Horror is not my typical genre, but I love fantasy. This book marries the two in such a provocative and grotesque way. I couldn't actually look away. This book is NOT for weak stomachs. It contains some of the most graphic scenes I think I've ever encountered, but I loved it for that. It's unapologetically violent in this kill-or-be-killed world, making everyone morally gray. The characters are hungry for power, money, magic, status, cocaine, and love. Strangely, at the center of this novel is a love story. One that represents found family and queerness.

I loved this book. It is so different than everything I've encountered.

My only complaints is that I needed a thesaurus on call since the writing was so sophisticated. And sometimes the gore was so extra, I actually struggled picturing it all in my head. The descriptions are vivid, but still my brain struggled to see it because of how much of it there was in a given scene. Again, not a bad thing. The writers were just on another plane of existence.