The Dead Take the A Train is book one in the Carrion City Duology by Richard Kadrey; Cassandra Khaw.
This was quite unsettling and wonderfully creepy. The writing is top notch.
There was a blend of magic and realism to the story that comes from the simple style.
Kadrey and Khaw created a great atmosphere of shadows, magic and monsters and mayhem that draw you into the tale.
An epic fantasy. And I can’t wait to read the other two.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Wow! This book is a blast, plain and simple. So propulsive and imaginative, it's hard to put down. Combining Kadrey's talent for urban fantasy and Khaw's gruesome Lovecraftian style, this book is unashamedly gruesome and wholly entertaining. Thanks so much for letting me read it. I will be recommending it to our collection development team and to all of my library patrons!

Started off very fun, but got bogged down, for me. The characters were pretty 2-D, parts were repetitive. However, I think that readers who really like series like the Dresden Files will love this.

2-2.5 stars

This is not for me. I keep trying Khaw but I’m beginning to think she’s not for me. Her writing is beautiful but it seems to me that I just cannot connect or get into her stories. This is a strictly me thing though. This story was a little too heavy on the Sci-fi/fantasy side and less on the horror for me, so that could also be my problem.

I know this book is going to have a huge audience, and the writing is wonderful. So for those that enjoy the authors or the more Sci-fi/fantasy vs horror I suspect you all will love this.

This book throws a lot of supernatural and cosmic horror at the reader and most of it is either well-thought out enough or at least gruesome enough that it sticks happily to ones ribs, but it suffers towards the end because it's so obviously the first in a trilogy or series. There's tremendous build up to a very icky and cool-sounding horrific event that never actually takes place, there's a lot of information about characters who are extremely tangential crammed in at the very end to stultifying effect, and the deus ex machina that solves a tragic problem is just kinda handwaved in a way that cheapens the devastation. I'd read another book about Julie Crews and her friends, but I'd prefer that things get wrapped up satisfactorily at the end rather than leaving me with a cut-rate wait and see.

The Dead Take the A Train is a journey into the dark underbelly of the world.
Julie has magic and is desperate to make her way to the top of the magic world. She is in bad straights and really needs to make it happen.
And then she draws the ire of a god who is drawn to her magic and who wants revenge.
Events come together while unraveling the fabric of the world and leading straight to the end of the world.

Who knew the deadened underworld would be just like the hustle and bustle of corporate NYC on a deadline?? Because when it comes to career success, Julie Crews ain't hitting her marks and puts all her eggs in the "phone a friend" basket or in this case, a guardian angel basket, and finds herself in deeper shit than she ever imagined, releasing a vengeful demonic being hell-bent on ending the world as we know it... Sound like something you're into???

With the combined powers of Richard Kadrey and Cassandra Khaw, readers get a mashup of sapphic horror and otherworldly fantasy-crime hunting that will leave you both frazzled and horny.

I am so thankful to both lovely authors, Macmillan Audio, Netgalley, and Tor Nightfire for granting me physical, digital, and audio access to this steam-punk twisty thrill before it hits shelves on October 3, 2023.

This book was intriguing but unfortunately so much was happening and for some reason the writing style wasn’t working for me. I dnf this but I know someone else would definitely enjoy this!! The plot is interesting a 30year old Julie is working in New York exorcising demons, killing monsters just to have enough to pay next month’s rent. I will definitely try again later but as of now I’ll set this aside.

Don’t even get my started on this awesome cover, it’s one of my favorite of the month. So this is an urban cosmic horror fantasy mix about a burnt out 30 something year old, must be written about me hehe. It’s set in New York and our main character exorcises demons, one of the authors wrote the salt grows heavy and nothing but blackened teeth so I was very familiar with the more weird spooky happenings going on in the novel. I loved this and it surprised me in a lot of ways.

Cautiously optimistic in chasing the new Cassandra Khaw novel, I was thrilled to acquire an ARC. Fortunate to get underway on this one, I was hesitantly hopeful. Reading theSalt Grows Heavy, Khaw captured my attention. The story, the characters, and the brooding ruminations lead me through page after page... at the edge of the couch... waiting for more. Ending that one piqued, yet at the same time, unsated.. I could not wait to try another of hers. A full length one. Here came The Dead Take the A Train. Oddly different premise, I was curious and hopeful... and was rewarded along the way! More action, layered happenings, and fuller storylines, I enjoyed this one a lot. Wondered about jumping from a slim novella of hers to one that might be overly? long... and was pulled through the action and developments without pause. A far-out supposition made believable. Crazy-unique dark matter, but optimistic and hopeful. Pretty great balance of so many things. Rooting for some characters to devlop and evolve, some to get Karma's reward, and others to come into the light... she created a really great adventure. Loving the range of art she can bring to reality, without losing her unique voice, I am a new long-time Khaw fan.

The Dead Take the A Train is a book that defeated me. But this is not these authors fault. Maybe I’m just not in the right frame of mind yet for this book. I DNF, but I intend to come back to this. I love the work of both authors and the idea of them coming together was a joy for me.

But I just could not put myself into this. Things were come at me hundred miles an hour and I still trying to process where I was. What was happening?

My opinion right now is undecided because I really wanna come and say I enjoyed this.

This is a fantastic collaboration of two fantastic authors. Real fun characters, a compelling story with tons of surprisingly gory action. Cosmic horror, quirky characters, and demonic law firms. Awesome stuff.

Yes!!!! The gore! The humor! The main character coming from her pov in NYC and the way this involves that city's most elite! (I'm applauding) (Standing ovation)

Julie is about as real as they get, and I immediately loved her sarcastic, no nonsense, beautiful style when it came to handling some very... very... disgusting creatures. She is barely making it by, spending too much money on drugs and liquor and not enough on keeping up with rent. When she becomes invested in a bigger fight than usual.

This was empowering (in a weird way, I guess, but still), and I was diabolically giggling while simultaneously being horrified (what must my neighbors think??). It's definitely a great read.

Out October 3, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!!

The cover is soo pretty! The writing style was engaging and I thoroughly enjoyed the story. Definitely a fun read.

I enjoyed this one! I’ve also read The Salt Grows Heavy (by Cassandra Khaw) and loved the dark and gruesome story and writing style. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the writing style in this book is much different but still with the same gory details (I think such diverse styles of writing show how talented an author truly is.) I like Julie as the MC a lot and felt her character fit perfectly in the magical underbelly of New York City. I will have to say at times the story felt a little all over the place and dragged in spots. But I think it is a solid story, it kept me entertained and I’m excited for the second one!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Dead Take the A Train by Richard Kadrey and Cassandra Khaw!

I loved The Dead Take the A Train! Despite being fairly long, I got through this book quickly - the pace is fast, and the worldbuilding is so fun. This was the first book I've read by Khaw, but her writing style was incredibly engaging, and I found the characters to be well-fleshed out (haha). I loved the way monsters were described - thorough and visceral. I can usually guess the plot of books fairly early on, but I loved that I had no idea where this one was going (in the best way possible). I can't wait for the sequel!

First off, love the cover. It is the perfect way to set the scene for this book.

All of Khaw’s books have incredible covers and are eloquently written, which is so rare for horror books. They make you think while also giving you nightmares. And this one is no different. She’s becoming an auto buy author for me! This will be THE Halloween book this year

This book was one of my most anticipated books of the year and didn't disappoint. Khaw and Kadrey have crafted maybe one of the best urban horror/fantasy books of the decade and I can't wait to see the next installment of the Carrion City series. This book is a more gonzo, eldtritch version of RS Belcher's Nightwise. The pacing is great and I loved all the characters. The very ending of the book was kind of weird and unexpected and I'm curious to see the implications of the mysterious character who showed up at the end. One of my favorite books this year and I'll definitely be getting a physical copy of this book.

"The Dead Take the A Train" by Richard Kadrey and Cassandra Khaw is undoubtedly one of the best reads of the year for me. This book, which seamlessly combines Horror and Sci-Fi, is an exceptional read that I thoroughly enjoyed. The authors' collaborative storytelling brings forth a captivating narrative that's both thrilling and imaginative. "The Dead Take the A Train" is a must-read for anyone who appreciates a compelling blend of genres that keeps you engaged from start to finish. This book is truly exceptional and deserves high praise for its quality and entertainment value.