Absolutely no regrets on picking this book up. Cosmic fantasy horror with some Lovecraft maybe. I went in blind and just let the world open up to me. Vivid descriptions and characters I wanted to know more about, even the douchebags, made this an entertaining and engaging read. The romance was a bit dull for me and the only time I wanted to skip ahead. That is a personal preference in books that have a lot of high stakes action. Thanks to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for and advanced copy for review. I also quickly purchased my own physical copy for my library and will be recommending this read.

I had a tough time deciding on a rating for this one because at the end of the day I just don’t think this book was for me. It’s well written and I think well paced, I just had a hard time connecting to the story. I think I tend to prefer strictly fantasy over a fantasy/sci-fi mix which is probably where the book lost me.

Just not my type of book, and I probably wouldn't recommend to anyone else. The writing felt lacking, and the overall story didn't have the kind of cohesion that I'm looking for.

I am a huge fan of Richard Kadrey, I love Sandman Slim. I also enjoyed Cassandra Khaw's Nothing But Blackened Teeth, So I was very excited to read this one, It did not disappoint. I couldn't put it down. So many good characters, a very interesting story. Lots of action and magic and gore! Can not wait for the follow up book.

The Dead Take the A Train was beyond phenomenal for me. I'll truly read anything Cassandra Khaw writes and I'm so excited to have read Richard Kadrey's writing now as well. This book is the most perfect blend of urban fantasy and horror that I've come across so far. I love the NYC that the authors paint for us - the barefaced bustle, rot, and ruin perfectly captured the heart of the City That Never Sleeps and combines it with a magical underground that is powerful, disgusting, and has major consequences for the weilder. I loved the way these two authors worked together and can't wait to see what they do next, both together and in their own projects

Wow, I have very mixed feelings about this book. I am a fan of Urban Fantasy so the description was intriguing. This book is very much fantasy but with a heavy heavy emphasis on horror. When the authors are describing the characters, their relationships, foibles, dialog. There is real strength and compulsive action to be had. There are battles to be fought, snappy dialog, and further mysteries to uncover. But for me, the descriptive passages were highly problematic. I flatter myself to believe that I have a really solid vocabulary, and when actual definitions of words fail, context is usually my friend. But The Dead Take the A Train is peppered, when trying to describe supernatural beings and settings, with obscure terms, unnecessarily florid prose, adjectives that make the reading seem like heavy lifting. When I began highlighting the examples, I felt well out of the story narrative. I do not need to be impressed when reading a novel. But I do need to remain involved throughout.

I loved every second of this book. The characters, the monsters, the city, the lore, the plot, EVERYTHING was perfection.

This may be a weird comparison to make, but it reminded me a bit of Gideon the Ninth. The plot, characters, and writing all could not be more different, but the dry, dark humor was similar and I loved it. The Dead Take The A Train was so weird and gory and hilarious and fun. Basically every character was fucked up in some way and they were all so fascinating.

We spent a lot of time with main character Julie's douchey ex boyfriend who's off on his own little subplot, which sounds like it would be awful and annoying but was actually my favorite part. I despise romance but this had my favorite kind of romance, if I had to pick- the kind where they're both complete idiots and don't realize they love each other when it's extremely obvious.

I could spend another 10 books in this world easily. I will definitely be picking up the rest of Cassandra Khaw's books that I've been putting off reading because this was so awesome. 10 out of 5 stars, hands down.

<i>Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for offering this ebook in exchange for an honest review.</i>

3 / 5 ⭐️'ˢ

“The Dead Take The A Train” By Cassandra Khaw & Richard Kadrey

📕 Edition: Audiobook & eBook

This is a wild and unpredictable journey through the dark and magical underbelly of New York City. I was initially drawn to this book by its intriguing cover, expecting a story about zombies, but what I found within its pages was a whirlwind of monster-slaying, spells, ghosts, and even a guardian angel. To say that there's a lot going on in this book would be an understatement.

One of the standout features of this story is its unique blend of gore and humor. The authors manage to infuse even the most gruesome scenes with a sense of fun and humor. The sharp and witty dialogue adds to the overall enjoyment of the story, making it a genuinely entertaining read.

The book hooked me in from the start, with the first 20% of the story capturing my attention and setting high expectations. However, as the narrative progressed, it began to feel somewhat hard to follow. The sheer complexity and abundance of supernatural elements made it challenging to keep track of at times.

Overall it’s a unique and imaginative tale that combines elements of cosmic horror and gritty fantasy. If you're a fan of dark, supernatural urban fantasy with a healthy dose of humor, this book might be worth a read for you!

Natalie Naudus @natalienaudus does a fantastic job on the narration. Her ability to give distinct voices to the cast of characters added depth to the story and helped me stay engaged, even during the more slightly confusing parts.

Thank you @NetGalley, and @Macmillan.audio , @casskhaw , @rkadrey for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I need to know which one of the two authors went to the other one and said, "ok, hear me out..." because this book is a twisted fever dream that only New York natives could write. Someone who knows where to find the pop-ups, the newest speak easy, and other seedy places that are there one day and gone tomorrow.
Other than the enthralling setting and originality of this whole novel, there is the paranormal aspect of the main character and her fight to make herself stand out among the other mages and demons hunters.
Crew's bestie, Sarah, could have had more personality, but that is just my opinion.
Final verdict? From starting a book I was unsure about finishing it with my vivid imagination in overdrive. But a little bit of "what did I just read"???

You want a weird read? Oh have I got a weird read for you!

The Dead Take the A Train is one of the weirdest reading experiences I've ever had... it was great!

Part horror, part science fiction - the first 10 pages of this book will give you a preview of exactly what you're going to get out of this story. It might not be for everyone, but if you're looking for a gritty, gory, strange book you are going to love it.

This is one of those collaborations where I wonder exactly how it came about, and odds are it's being answered by both the authors on their book tour! My best guess is that Kadrey had an outline for the novel generally, and Khaw was bought on later into the process and filled in the details more. The result is a novel where I can clearly recognize Khaw's prose and her character work but structural work that was clearly done by someone else. There's a lot of the urban fantasy tropes here, but there's small, quiet things (St. Joan, Sarah and Julie and FUCKING Dan, the law firm, the book seller) that peek their heads up and coax the narrative into something else entirely. Is there a hell of a lot going on here? Oh absolutely. However, the collaboration ends up working out incredibly well, and if they chose to do more with this crew, I'd love to see it. But even if it doesn't, it wraps nicely, if a touch gorey.

A clever, funny, supernatural and occult story with fighting, betrayal, fashion, brunch, deep mysteries, evil Wall Street law firms, and even the possibility of true love. Of all the horrible, tentacled, eldritch horrors present in this book, the Alpha Bros are the very worst.

The writing partnership of Kadrey and Khaw is a great one, and I hope to see more of them working together. It's not often one book combines a passionate knowledge of, for example, The Hu and vintage and current fashion, and I there for both!

There's a hidden occult and supernatural world here, to accompany the setting of modern Brooklyn and New York .Unlike other books where this supernatural element seems mainly present to provide cute relationship partners, this hidden world feels as though it really could be there under our noses, and not knowing about it is really a kind of gift.

Highly recommended.

This was a delightful and unsettling novel. This is body horror, so be prepared for lots of viscera — but also lots of attitude and a rough but endearing main character.

Plot:
Julie is a barely functioning addict who hunts monsters with magic in some of the grittiest parts of NYC. She takes the jobs no one else will do because she's capable, desperate to make rent, and completely reckless. But shit hits the fan when she summons an angel, who turns out to be an Eldritch god who's starving for revenge… this puts her friends and the entire world in its dangerous path.

Review:
I am not entirely sure what I just read, because this book was so uniquely unusual and disgusting. Horror is not my typical genre, but I love fantasy. This book marries the two in such a provocative and grotesque way. I couldn't actually look away. This book is NOT for weak stomachs. It contains some of the most graphic scenes I think I've ever encountered, but I loved it for that. It's unapologetically violent in this kill-or-be-killed world, making everyone morally gray. The characters are hungry for power, money, magic, status, cocaine, and love. Strangely, at the center of this novel is a love story. One that represents found family and queerness.

I loved this book. It is so different than everything I've encountered.

My only complaints is that I needed a thesaurus on call since the writing was so sophisticated. And sometimes the gore was so extra, I actually struggled picturing it all in my head. The descriptions are vivid, but still my brain struggled to see it because of how much of it there was in a given scene. Again, not a bad thing. The writers were just on another plane of existence.

Initial Thoughts
I like weird books and this one definitely fits that description. The story started out with a bang and I was hooked. The story did meander a bit in the middle but the story still held my attention. I liked our flawed protagonist, Julie, and was eager to see how she would possibly come out ahead with so much stacked against her. The story was violent and gory at times so it may not work for all readers. I listened to the audiobook and thought that Natalie Naudus did an amazing job of bringing this book to life.

ARC provided by the publisher. Full review to be posted soon.

WHAT A BLAST but also be warned this if you're any part squeamish because it is GROSS it is so gross and it's so fun.

The Dead Take the A Train follows Julie Crews, a demon hunter/paranormal detective/whatever because no one title will put her in a box from page one confronting an incubator (monster? demon?) inside a bride-to-be, harshing her high and nearly every page from then on is this gross supernatural adventure into eldritch creatures that want to do the nasty (literally) and eat the world as well as a full cast of immortals and Wall Street financebros that are very integral in managing said eldritch horrors, also, a sapphic "just kiss already!" interlineation.

Reading through I thought, "okay, this is the vibes of darker Sandman and some Vertigo comics" and lo one of the writers has written for Vertigo, and the other has several horror titles I've seen around but have not yet picked up.

Loved this, maybe I'm in my urban fantasy/supernatural horror era??

I know some reviews in places have said that it feels very the first book in a series as certain things aren't wrapped up but you know what I rate on vibes and I'm vibing.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor/Tor Nightfire and I WILL be reading book two.

Unfortunately I only made it 50 pages in before I found myself not really invested in this book. The writing was so good and I think the story was a good one, but for me I just was not into it.

have previously loved books by Cassandra Khaw so I was eager to read this collaboration with Richard Kadrey, an author I needed to read.

I liked this one but I will admit that cosmic horror is not a personal favourite of mine. I thought this one was well done, but not the kind of story I tend to love.

The characters were very adult and snarky in a way I didn't particularly care for, which is hard in a story set dependent on caring for these individuals. New York City also acted as a character in this one, but as an outsider I didn't get as much out of the story.

This is a case where I liked the idea more than the story itself. I think readers more familiar with New York City or those that love cosmic horror will get more out of this one.

Julie uses her magic to rid people of demons but it is not the job she wants or the headache from the horrible clients she has to deal with. She summons some help but instead of three wishes and a new life she finds more trouble than help. Look out New York City. Funny, gruesome and very violent this is a biting look at corporate America and the problems of a girl just trying to make it in the big city. Cassandra Khaw doesn't pull any punches but you might not want to eat while reading. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

I knew I was going to love this book but boy did I LOVE it! The humor, the horror, the atmosphere frankly everything was perfect and made this book work perfectly. I adored the characters even the ones who you were supposed to hate. Maybe it's because everything felt so real. I felt like this is exactly what would happen if the world was full of this kind of magic and evil. Overall this was an amazing book and I can not wait for the next one!