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