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A review by mikekaz
The Black Train by Edward Lee
4.0
Most of the books by Lee that I've been reading lately seem to be focused on Hell and the demons that occupy it. I've been wishing for one that isn't quite as Hell-centric; with THE BLACK TRAIN, I had my wish answered. Hell is definitely involved but rather than being the focus of the story, it is instead a sideline element. The main horror comes from the town of Gast, specifically the bed and breakfast called The Gast House.
Justin Collier is trying to get a break from his divorce proceedings and from the Hollywood life of having his show on the Food Network cancelled. Instead the "Prince of Beer" is looking to finish his book on beer with a micro-brew from the town. What he gets is lust filled dreams, vivid flashbacks of vicious acts and the barbaric history of Harwood Gast, a Civil War railway baron with very real ties to evil.
While I love getting my fix of sex and gore from Lee, he can at times skimp out on the story as he ties together more and more scenes of erotic violence. Fortunately that was not the case this time. Everything flowed together quite nicely and made a complete story. There was also a wide array of characters to become involved with and like. The only thing lacking was a little more of the motivation behind the actions by Harwood Gast. At the same time, I feel that we could see more of Harwood Gast in a future novel and that would be very welcome by me!
Justin Collier is trying to get a break from his divorce proceedings and from the Hollywood life of having his show on the Food Network cancelled. Instead the "Prince of Beer" is looking to finish his book on beer with a micro-brew from the town. What he gets is lust filled dreams, vivid flashbacks of vicious acts and the barbaric history of Harwood Gast, a Civil War railway baron with very real ties to evil.
While I love getting my fix of sex and gore from Lee, he can at times skimp out on the story as he ties together more and more scenes of erotic violence. Fortunately that was not the case this time. Everything flowed together quite nicely and made a complete story. There was also a wide array of characters to become involved with and like. The only thing lacking was a little more of the motivation behind the actions by Harwood Gast. At the same time, I feel that we could see more of Harwood Gast in a future novel and that would be very welcome by me!