Reviews - The Dead Take the A Train

1.53k reviews for:

The Dead Take the A Train

Richard Kadrey, Cassandra Khaw

3.73 AVERAGE

itsalwaysteetime's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

laineykay's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 64%

I couldn't focus on it right now, so I may give it a try at another time.

ems_book_shelf's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 32%

UGH THIS IS NOT GIVING HORROR LIKE I NEED IT TO it’s actually so boring to me

tastor's review against another edition

2.0

I was torn on what rating to give this book. On the plus side there is so much imaginative imagery and concepts, and it is a fun read overall, well paced and with plenty of hooks to keep you moving. In fact the hooks are part of the problem, some of them are so high stakes and intriguing but a recuring problem with the book is a kind of skittishness when resolving these conflicts in a way that feels earned or impactful. As one early example

Spoiler

a chapter cliffhanger presents a type of demon that can only be destroyed when someone takes it into their body and then is killed; this is quickly and (relatively) painlessly solved by introducing a character that exists for a single chapter, and then doesn't even have to face the actual consequence of dying, they just decide to move away.

This issue extends through the end of the book where things just kind of resolve in enough of a sense to end the book and set up for the next one but not in a way where there is any kind of closure or even a meaty cliffhanger for the second part of this duology. Also, while the title is clever I don't remember a single scene set on a train, what the hell!?

cookiereadsswiftly's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous challenging funny tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

izzyjakobi's review against another edition

5.0

Excellent excellent excellent!!! Nothing but praise for this book! The dark and gory nature of the story mixed with an unusual but compelling love story! I’ve read some of Cassandra Khaw’s writing before and I was yet again pleased to finish this one. SO good.