cover image Fantastic Trains: An Anthology of Phantasmagorical Engines and Rail Riders

Fantastic Trains: An Anthology of Phantasmagorical Engines and Rail Riders

Edited by Neil Enock. Edge, $14.95 trade paper (236p) ISBN 978-1-77053-201-4

With genres ranging from steampunk to slipstream to horror, and a diverse assortment of narrative voices, this anthology of paranormal train rides runs the gamut of speculative fiction styles. Gavin Bradley’s standout opening tale, “Soul Train,” brings the reader along for a ride through hell that is by turns wrenchingly emotional and startlingly funny. Christine Hanolsy’s surreal “The Siren and the Switch” conjures a stunningly strange landscape and explores the potential destinies of those who travel through it. In Rachel Leidenfrost’s “Destination 1945,” a train serves as a time machine, carrying passengers on journeys through history. While most entires are strong, some, like the overstuffed “Pluck Versus the Giant Rat of Sumatra,” are too short for the amount of worldbuilding they attempt to contain. The wide variety of settings, destinations, and passengers across these 20 stories will keep readers’ attention. (Nov.)