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dnemec's review against another edition
3.0
For some reason this took me awhile to get into, but once I did I really enjoyed it!
alwroteabook's review against another edition
5.0
I received a free copy from AudiobookBoom in return for an honest review.
I like Hannibal Hills (as a narrator anyway). Whenever I listen to him read, it evokes memories of the old Hammer Horror movies and series I grew up watching. As this book was written in the 80s, that is a vibe you should aim for in your audio. Here's the other good stuff - the two leads are likeable. The ex-copper who can't let go of the case of the series of weird accidents on a single train, and the one survivor of such an accident, who has developed a phobia which his shrink encourages him to overcome. Some of the bizarre happenings will put a sick and twisted smile on the face of horror fans (nothing too sick though). The story itself starts quite well, but I lost interest over the latter half of the story as it seemed to lose the run of itself. I guess it got "derailed."
Thank you, I'm here all week.
I like Hannibal Hills (as a narrator anyway). Whenever I listen to him read, it evokes memories of the old Hammer Horror movies and series I grew up watching. As this book was written in the 80s, that is a vibe you should aim for in your audio. Here's the other good stuff - the two leads are likeable. The ex-copper who can't let go of the case of the series of weird accidents on a single train, and the one survivor of such an accident, who has developed a phobia which his shrink encourages him to overcome. Some of the bizarre happenings will put a sick and twisted smile on the face of horror fans (nothing too sick though). The story itself starts quite well, but I lost interest over the latter half of the story as it seemed to lose the run of itself. I guess it got "derailed."
Thank you, I'm here all week.
thehorrordude's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fun read and my first book by Stephen Laws. The final chapters are action packed, gory and tense. The intrigue and build up are well written and you are rooting for the characters. I felt the ending left unanswered questions but I did enjoy it. I want to check out more of this author now.
williemeikle's review against another edition
4.0
This was my introduction to Laws, and led me to seek out everything he has written.
It's all based on a great premise... that the main East Coast rail line from London to the North of England is on a ley line that can channel power to the London End, with a view to waking an ancient demon.
Strange deaths abound on the line. Our protagonist, himself a survivor of a strange experience on a train, has to try to stop the energy building up.
The climax is a tour-de-force as the train hurtles to London, the demon grows ever more powerful, and the deaths pile up.
Laws has a wild imagination, and he likes to kill people in very gruesome fashions, but if, like me, you like your horror fast and action packed, then he's the man for you.
It's all based on a great premise... that the main East Coast rail line from London to the North of England is on a ley line that can channel power to the London End, with a view to waking an ancient demon.
Strange deaths abound on the line. Our protagonist, himself a survivor of a strange experience on a train, has to try to stop the energy building up.
The climax is a tour-de-force as the train hurtles to London, the demon grows ever more powerful, and the deaths pile up.
Laws has a wild imagination, and he likes to kill people in very gruesome fashions, but if, like me, you like your horror fast and action packed, then he's the man for you.
alwroteabook's review
3.0
I received a free copy from AudiobookBoom in return for an honest review.
I like Hannibal Hills (as a narrator anyway). Whenever I listen to him read, it evokes memories of the old Hammer Horror movies and series I grew up watching. As this book was written in the 80s, that is a vibe you should aim for in your audio. Here's the other good stuff - the two leads are likeable. The ex-copper who can't let go of the case of the series of weird accidents on a single train, and the one survivor of such an accident, who has developed a phobia which his shrink encourages him to overcome. Some of the bizarre happenings will put a sick and twisted smile on the face of horror fans (nothing too sick though). The story itself starts quite well, but I lost interest over the latter half of the story as it seemed to lose the run of itself. I guess it got "derailed."
Thank you, I'm here all week.
I like Hannibal Hills (as a narrator anyway). Whenever I listen to him read, it evokes memories of the old Hammer Horror movies and series I grew up watching. As this book was written in the 80s, that is a vibe you should aim for in your audio. Here's the other good stuff - the two leads are likeable. The ex-copper who can't let go of the case of the series of weird accidents on a single train, and the one survivor of such an accident, who has developed a phobia which his shrink encourages him to overcome. Some of the bizarre happenings will put a sick and twisted smile on the face of horror fans (nothing too sick though). The story itself starts quite well, but I lost interest over the latter half of the story as it seemed to lose the run of itself. I guess it got "derailed."
Thank you, I'm here all week.
pussreboots's review
1.0
Service began on the London Underground on January 10, 1863 and the subway has been inspiring stories ever since. Horror, especially in the form of demonic ghost stories is a genre of subway stories that fascinates me and the reason why I wanted to read Ghost Train.
Despite the blurb on the back of the book, very little of the story takes place on the Underground. Most of the story is told in dreams and flashbacks. The first two thirds of the novel is stuck in a cycle of Mark having a bad dream and then trying to get on the trains in the Underground only to freak out and go home. By about the third time Mark was having a nightmare I wanted to strangle the character myself.
These dreams are supposed to build a sense of terror and suspense but they fail to do either. The evil that is stalking Mark (or perhaps living inside of him) apparently has ties to Druidic beliefs (though this connection is presented weakly at best) and manifests itself as a purple cloud of pain. Ooh scary.
Near the end of the book, Mark's daughter is attacked by the demon and she blows it off. She can't be bothered by bad dreams. At that point I lost my last thread of interest in the book. Clearly the adults in the book (Mark isn't the only adult affected) are weak and gullible, if a child can blow off the demon's attack.
Despite the blurb on the back of the book, very little of the story takes place on the Underground. Most of the story is told in dreams and flashbacks. The first two thirds of the novel is stuck in a cycle of Mark having a bad dream and then trying to get on the trains in the Underground only to freak out and go home. By about the third time Mark was having a nightmare I wanted to strangle the character myself.
These dreams are supposed to build a sense of terror and suspense but they fail to do either. The evil that is stalking Mark (or perhaps living inside of him) apparently has ties to Druidic beliefs (though this connection is presented weakly at best) and manifests itself as a purple cloud of pain. Ooh scary.
Near the end of the book, Mark's daughter is attacked by the demon and she blows it off. She can't be bothered by bad dreams. At that point I lost my last thread of interest in the book. Clearly the adults in the book (Mark isn't the only adult affected) are weak and gullible, if a child can blow off the demon's attack.
mw2k's review
4.0
All round, this book is mostly brilliant stuff. I would've given it five stars if it had stayed on the tracks (ha ha) a little tighter. When it is on target, which is 80% of the time, this book is a sure-fire winner. It just occasionally drifts into flashback and sentimentality territory. Highly recommended.
charshorrorcorner's review
4.0
GHOST TRAIN was a blast from the past!
Originally written in the 80's, when I first read the synopsis of this book I knew I had to have it. It appeared on offer from the folks at AUDIOBOOK BOOM in exchange for my honest feedback and here it is:
I loved the story-it had all the excitement, that awesome over the top 80's cheese, gory deaths, and excellent characters. (That last one is something that a lot of horror from that time period lacked.)
I loved almost everything about it, except for that weird, kind of out of place exorcism, but that was easily overlooked amidst all the action.
I must admit that this narrator didn't quite do it for me. The book was fast paced and fun, but at those exciting moments, a few of the character voices grated on my nerves. Other than that though, this novel was a heck of a lot of 80's horror fun and I recommend it!
Recommended-especially to fans of bloody, fast-paced 80's horror!
Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/36nKqF7
*Thanks to Audiobook Boom and the narrator for the Audible code, in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
Originally written in the 80's, when I first read the synopsis of this book I knew I had to have it. It appeared on offer from the folks at AUDIOBOOK BOOM in exchange for my honest feedback and here it is:
I loved the story-it had all the excitement, that awesome over the top 80's cheese, gory deaths, and excellent characters. (That last one is something that a lot of horror from that time period lacked.)
I loved almost everything about it, except for that weird, kind of out of place exorcism, but that was easily overlooked amidst all the action.
I must admit that this narrator didn't quite do it for me. The book was fast paced and fun, but at those exciting moments, a few of the character voices grated on my nerves. Other than that though, this novel was a heck of a lot of 80's horror fun and I recommend it!
Recommended-especially to fans of bloody, fast-paced 80's horror!
Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/36nKqF7
*Thanks to Audiobook Boom and the narrator for the Audible code, in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
whatmeworry's review against another edition
4.0
This review first appeared on scifiandscary.com: https://www.scifiandscary.com/ghost-train-review/
‘Ghost Train’ was the first novel by Stephen Laws, who published a number of books in the 80s and 90s (and a couple since 2000). He’s more akin to Ramsey Campbell and Clive Barker than many of the other authors featured so far in Carry on Screaming. His books blend gore and psychological horror to great effect, with a Northern (UK) vibe and convincing characters. These are well crafted novels written with brain and heart rather than Guy N Smith style schlock-fests churned out to make a quick buck.
‘Ghost Train’ tells the story of Mark, a man haunted by two events from his past. As a child he and a school friend were attacked by the owner of a ghost train and as an adult he fell from a speeding train and suffered severe injuries. Months after the second event he is drawn back to Newcastle station where his unfortunate journey began, desperate to remember exactly what happened. As the plot develops he meets a policeman investigating his accident who reveals that a series of bizarre attacks and incidents have taken place on the same train line.
The book isn’t entirely successful, the mix of folklore and contemporary horror didn’t always work for me and the escalation of events at the end felt a bit rushed. When it’s good, though, it’s brilliant. The scenes of terror are often extremely effective. They’re nightmarishly bewildering, chilling, horrific and wonderfully tense. Laws throws in a number of new attacks with unrelated characters. These aren’t necessarily essential for the plot, but they are chilling and grimly enjoyable. Best of all, he captures the terrible fear of the unknown. Mark knows that bad things have happened to him, but he doesn’t know exactly what they were. His frantic search for the truth is gripping and genuinely scary. Like Mark, you need to know what happened, whilst fearing that the reality will be too much to take.
‘Ghost Train’ was the first novel by Stephen Laws, who published a number of books in the 80s and 90s (and a couple since 2000). He’s more akin to Ramsey Campbell and Clive Barker than many of the other authors featured so far in Carry on Screaming. His books blend gore and psychological horror to great effect, with a Northern (UK) vibe and convincing characters. These are well crafted novels written with brain and heart rather than Guy N Smith style schlock-fests churned out to make a quick buck.
‘Ghost Train’ tells the story of Mark, a man haunted by two events from his past. As a child he and a school friend were attacked by the owner of a ghost train and as an adult he fell from a speeding train and suffered severe injuries. Months after the second event he is drawn back to Newcastle station where his unfortunate journey began, desperate to remember exactly what happened. As the plot develops he meets a policeman investigating his accident who reveals that a series of bizarre attacks and incidents have taken place on the same train line.
The book isn’t entirely successful, the mix of folklore and contemporary horror didn’t always work for me and the escalation of events at the end felt a bit rushed. When it’s good, though, it’s brilliant. The scenes of terror are often extremely effective. They’re nightmarishly bewildering, chilling, horrific and wonderfully tense. Laws throws in a number of new attacks with unrelated characters. These aren’t necessarily essential for the plot, but they are chilling and grimly enjoyable. Best of all, he captures the terrible fear of the unknown. Mark knows that bad things have happened to him, but he doesn’t know exactly what they were. His frantic search for the truth is gripping and genuinely scary. Like Mark, you need to know what happened, whilst fearing that the reality will be too much to take.