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Book Review: Fright Train edited by The Switch House Gang

cover art for Fright Train edited by The Switch House Gang

Fright Train edited by The Switch House Gang

Twisted Publishing, 2021

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1949140279

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition ( Amazon.com )

 

Thirteen new stories, plus two classic tales ( “The Signalman” by Charles Dickens and “The Lost Special” by Arthur Conan Doyle) have been assembled in this anthology devoted to the theme of trains as the setting of horrific events. Some stories take place during a train journey, whereas in other tales trains have an important role, but the actual horror develops elsewhere.

Among the various original contributions I will mention the ones that I consider  the more accomplished.

In the extremely enjoyable  “The Habit of Long Years” by Charles R Rutledge, a couple of vampires, a police inspector and a professor of anthropology meet on a train on Halloween night. Mayhem follows. The story seems to be the first in a series, so let’s hope further episodes will soon be available.

“Pépère’s Halloween Train”,  by Tony Tremblay is a nice cautionary tale, proving that going to Hell is quite easy for anyone, and the unusual and disturbing “Country of the Snake”, by Stephen Mark Rainey, features a man trapped in a place called Eden, dominated by a devilish entity who hired him as a personal bodyguard.

Amanda DeWees provides the gentle “A Traveler Between Eternities”, where a worried pregnant woman with an abusive husband finds solace thanks to a  mysterious, sweet little girl.

My favorite tale is Jeff Strand’s “Devil- Powered Death Train of Doom”, an extraordinary mix of horror, surrealism, and black humor ,where a toy train assembled by a little boy becomes a terrible weapon able to attack and destroy the inhabitants of a small town.

Other contributors are Bracken MacLeod, Mercedes M. Yardley, Lee Murray, Elizabeth Massie, Scott T Goudsward, James A Moore, Errick A Nunnally, Christopher Golden.

Whether you like trains or prefer other means of transportation, you’ll find here plenty of reasons for avoiding trains in the future.

 

Reviewed by Mario Guslandi

Posted on October 14, 2021 by , Reply

Book Links: Stoker Awards 2018 Final Ballot for Superior Achievement in a First Novel

We’ve finished reviews for all the titles in the category of Superior Achievement in a First Novel. I’m so excited to have these all up and available to you now! You can find links to the individual reviews below. I hope you’ll check them out!

If you’d like to see our nonfiction reviews, we were only able to review four of the five, but you can find links to them here.

Enjoy!

 

The Rust Maidens  by Gwendolyn Kiste

 

The Moore House by Tony Tremblay

 

Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage

 

What Should Be Wild  by Julia Fine

 

I Am The River  by T.E. Grau

 

 

Posted on May 10, 2019 by , Reply

Book Review: The Moore House by Tony Tremblay

The Moore House by Tony Tremblay

Twisted Publishing, 2018

ISBN-13: 978-1949140996

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition

 

The haunted house tale is a tough one to take on as a writer. Not much can measure up to Shirley Jackson and Richard Matheson, although Mark C. Danielewski’s House of Leaves  had an original spin. In The Moore House, Tony Tremblay accomplishes the task of breathing new life into the trope, by doing what so many others fail to do: create memorable characters that rise above the expected to become something special.

Tremblay’s characters include three nuns and a priest, all of whom have taints on their persons that color them in multiple dimensions. The nuns have all been excommunicated and the priest battles his own demons. The four have been tasked with working in a paranormal investigative group that’s part of the Catholic Church as they hope to reconcile their sins.

The four have been assigned to check out The Moore House, a structure with a murderous past. The town of Goffstown, New Hampshire has been plagued by strange occurrences around this dwelling. They are instructed not to go inside, as their empath skills can be easily employed outside the walls, but the house has other plans.

What ensues is different than most haunted house novels. Like Hill House, the Moore House becomes a central character. To explain how would spoil the fun but the comparisons to The Exorcist are not far off here. The stories are not similar, but the ingredients will resonate with those fans of the great novels that preceded this one.

The bottom line is that The Moore House actually does terrify. Tremblay’s writing is unobtrusive and lean, allowing the characters and plot to breathe, move, and lull the reader into a sense of comfort, before crushing it. Recommended reading and well-deserving of its place on the final ballot for this year’s Stoker Awards.

 

Reviewed by Dave Simms

Editor’s note: The Moore House is a nominee on the final ballot for the 2018 Bram Stoker Award in the category Superior Achievement in a First Novel. 

Posted on May 1, 2019 by , Reply