The Dead Take the A Train

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

The Dead Take the A Train by Cassandra Khaw and Richard Kadrey.

Cosmic horror at it's brightest, bloodiest and most chaotic.

The Dead Take the A Train imagines a hidden world of monsters and magic existing just underneath the busy streets of New York City. We're following Julie Crews, a bounty-hunter/monster killer who takes odd jobs for cash. It's a joy to witness Julie fighting the wildest, most horrifying monsters you can imagine. When Julie's best friend/love interest shows up at her doorstep, Julie becomes desperate for a positive change to her life and career. An 'angel' hears her pleas and Julie's life starts to shift in a more positive direction, however it turns out this 'angel' is more sinister than it appears.

The side characters are a lot of fun in this. At times the story feels a little overfull, but the characters are so vivid and interesting you don't mind. There's one character called Dead Air, who I NEED to know more about. Dead Air has a connection directly to gods who live in technology, and is a type of intermediary between them and the mortal world. This book is the first in a duology and if the second book has more Dead Air in it, I will eat it up so fast.

Let's also take a moment to recognize the perfection that is Natalie Naudus' narration. Her voice, pacing and passion elevate the story. When you're done listening to this story, start listening to Starling House by Alix E Harrow (review here), also narrated by Natalie Naudus and published by Macmillian Audio. Natalie is the voice of autumn.

The story is a visceral, squishy, cosmic horror with amazing queer representation. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced listener copy.

This book is best read in a grimy New York City apartment, surrounded by tons of half empty take out containers while playing video games online. And when someone knocks at your door, think twice before answering.