The Dead Take the A Train

Starred review from August 14, 2023
This deliciously down and dirty urban fantasy, the first in the Carrion City duology from Bram Stoker Award winner Khaw (The Salt Grows Heavy) and bestseller Kadrey (the Sandman Slim series), follows Julie Crews, an alcoholic freelance magician, as she navigates New York City’s seedy supernatural underbelly. Julie’s struggling to make ends meet performing exorcisms and other paranormal odd jobs for the city’s upper crust when her best friend (and longtime crush), Sarah, turns up on her doorstep, fleeing an abusive husband and badly in need of a place to stay. To protect Sarah and bail herself out of her dead-end career grind, Julie summons an archangel of justice hoping they’ll help balance the books in her favor—but everything comes with a price, and when the archangel proves to have murderous impulses, Julie must fight to keep Sarah, herself, and the entire mortal realm safe. Khaw’s and Kadrey’s styles are a perfect match throughout, melding Kadrey’s knack for punchy action sequences and Khaw’s talent for gorgeous descriptions as they maneuver their enormously fun cast through a filthily rendered New York. Fans of urban fantasy, neo-noir, and pulp horror won’t want to miss this raucous adventure.

Starred review from December 1, 2023

A collaboration between two well-known speculative-fiction writers births a savagely fun romp through a grimy, magical New York City. Most of the city's elites are at least aware of true magic, but Julie Crews is no elite. She's at the bottom of the magical ladder, taking odd magical jobs to make ends meet. Julie's hard-living lifestyle gets complicated when an old friend decides to visit, an ex-boyfriend makes a power play, and whatever entity Julie just summoned threatens reality. She might not be the best at what she does (she can barely hold her own life together), but she could be what the world needs. Kadrey (King Bullet) has shown he can write two-fisted urban fantasy, and Khaw (The Salt Grows Heavy) has demonstrated a knack for beautifully describing the most disturbing horrors. Their combined efforts have created a kinetic urban noir that brims with terrifying eldritch monstrosities and human bodies defying their anatomy. Natalie Naudus's performance anchors the unreal with her grounded portrayals of flawed heroine Julie and wide-eyed neophyte Sarah, especially as the old friends slowly become closer. VERDICT Fans of urban fantasy, cosmic weirdness, and tough-as-nails protagonists should enjoy this work that's the best of both authors.--James Gardner

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