The Black Train [Mass Market Paperback]

Edward Lee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2009

No train has run on this railroad since the end of the Civil War-a railroad built by a servitor to perfect evil--and its rusted tracks run right behind the house. Justin Collier expects his respite in Gast, Tennessee, to be relaxing if not a bit dull, but he will find out soon enough that those same train tracks once led to a place worse than Hell. Join master of the macabre Edward Lee on a nightmare excursion of Civil War horror.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

WELCOME TO THE GAST HOUSE - A historical bed and breakfast or a monument to the obscene? Collier doesn't need to know the building's rich history: women raped to death for sport, slaves beheaded and threshed into the soil, and pregnant teenagers buried alive. Who or what could mitigate such horrors over 150 years ago? And what is the atrocious connection between the old railroad and the house? Each room hides a new, revolting secret. At night, he can smell the mansion's odors and hear its appalling whispers. Little girls giggle where there are no little girls, and out back, when Collier listens closely, he can hear the train's whistle and see the things chained up in its clattering prison cars. Little does he know, the mansion and the railroad aren't haunted by ghosts but an unspeakable carnality and a horror as palpable as excited human flesh. WELCOME TO A PLACE WORSE THAN HELL...

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 340 pages
• Publisher: Leisure Books; Original edition (November 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0843962275
• ISBN-13: 978-0843962277
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #761,022 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Edward Lee is an American novelist specializing in the field of horror, and has authored 40 books, more than half of which have been published by mass-market New York paperback companies such as Leisure/Dorchester, Berkley, and Zebra/Kensington. He is a Bram Stoker award nominee for his story "Mr. Torso," and his short stories have appeared in over a dozen mass-market anthologies, including THE BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES OF 2000, Pocket's HOT BLOOD series, and the award-wining 999. Several of his novels have sold translation rights to Germany, Greece, and Romania. He also publishes quite actively in the small-press/limited-edition hardcover market; many of his books in this category have become collector's items. While a number of Lee's projects have been optioned for film, only one has been made, HEADER, which was released on DVD to mixed reviews in June, 2009, by Synapse Films.

Lee is particularly known for over-the-top occult concepts and an accelerated treatment of erotic and/or morbid sexual imagery and visceral violence. He was born on May 25, 1957 in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Bowie, Maryland. In the late-70s he served in the U.S. Army's 1st Armored Division, in Erlangen, West Germany, then, for a short time, was a municipal police officer in Cottage City, Maryland. Lee also attended the University of Maryland as an English major but quit in his last semester to pursue his dream of being a horror novelist. For over 15 years, he worked as the night manager for a security company in Annapolis, Maryland, while writing in his spare time. In 1997, however, he became a full-time writer, first spending several years in Seattle and then moving to St. Pete Beach, Florida, where he currently resides.

Of note, the author cites as his strongest influence horror legend H. P. Lovecraft; in 2007, Lee embarked on what he calls his "Lovecraft kick" and wrote a spate of novels and novellas which tribute Lovecraft and his famous Cthulhu Mythos. Among these projects are THE INNSWICH HORROR, "Trolley No. 1852," HAUNTER OF THE THRESHOLD, GOING MONSTERING, "Pages Torn From A Travel Journal," and "You Are My Everything." Lee promises more Lovecraftian work on the horizon.

Bibliography

Nightbait (1982) written under the pseudonym Philip Straker
Nightlust (1982) written under the pseudonym Philip Straker
Ghouls (1988)
Coven (1991)
Incubi (1991)
Succubi (1992)
The Chosen (1993)
Creekers (1994)
Sacrifice (1995) written under the pseudonym Richard Kinion
Header (1995)
Goon (1996) with John Pelan
The Bighead (1997)
Shifters (1998) with John Pelan
Portrait of the Psychopath as a Young Woman (1998) with Elizabeth Steffen
Splatterspunk: The Micah Hays Stories (1998) with John Pelan
"Masks" (1999)
"Operator B" (1999): Cemetery Dance Publications. Published as a 26-copy leather-bound hardcover and 450-copy limited hardcover.
"Dahmer's Not Dead" with Elizabeth Steffen (1999): Cemetery Dance Publications. Published as a 52-copy leather-bound hardcover and 1000-copy limited hardcover.
"The Stickmen" (1999): Cemetery Dance Publications. Published as a 52-copy leather-bound hardcover and 1000-copy limited hardcover.
"The Deaths of the Cold War Kings: The Assassinations of Diem & JFK" with Bradley O'Leary (2000): Cemetery Dance Publications.
"City Infernal" (2001): Cemetery Dance Publications. Published as a 26-copy leather-bound hardcover and 1000-copy limited hardcover.
(April 2002): Leisure Books. Published as a Mass Market Paperback.
"Mr. Torso" (2002): Published as a 52-copy hardcover and 300-copy limited softcover.
"Sex, Drugs and Power Tools" (2002)
"Family Tradition" (2002) with John Pelan
"Monstrosity" (2002): Cemetery Dance Publications. Published as a 26-copy leather-bound hardcover and 1000-copy limited hardcover.
Leisure Books. Published as a Mass Market Paperback.
"Ever Nat" (2003): Published as a 52-copy hardcover and 300-copy limited softcover.
"The Baby" (2003): Published as a 52-copy hardcover and 300-copy limited softcover.
"Teratologist" (2003) with Wrath James White
"Incubi" (2003): Necro Publications.
"Infernal Angel" (2003): Cemetery Dance Publications. Published as a 26-copy leather-bound hardcover and 750-copy limited hardcover.
(January 2004): Leisure Books. Published as a Mass Market Paperback.
"Messenger" (August 2004): Leisure Books. Published as a Mass Market Paperback.
"The Backwoods" (October 2005): Leisure Books. Published as a Mass Market Paperback.
(December 2005): Cemetery Dance Publications. Published as a 52-copy leather-bound hardcover and 750-copy limited hardcover.
"Monster Lake" (2005). Necro Publications. First book for young readers.
"Flesh Gothic" (February 2005): Leisure Books. Published as a Mass Market Paperback.
"Slither" (2006: Necro Publications.)
"Gast" (2007)
(October 2009): Leisure Books. Revised, retitled "Black Train", and published as a Mass Market Paperback.
"House Infernal" (October 2007): Leisure Books. Published as a Mass Market Paperback.
(February 2008): Cemetery Dance Publications. Published as a 26-copy leather-bound hardcover and 1000-copy limited hardcover.
"Minotauress" (December 2008): Necro Publications. Published as a 26-copy leather-bound hardcover and 300-copy limited hardcover.
"Brides of the Impaler" (September 2008): Leisure Books. Published as a Mass Market Paperback.
(May 2011): Cemetery Dance Publications. Published as Hardcover Limited Edition of 1000 signed copies bound in full cloth and Smyth sewn and Traycased Hardcover Lettered Edition of 52 signed and lettered copies bound in leather with a satin ribbon page marker.
"Golemesque" (March 2009): Necro Publications. Published as a 26-copy leather-bound hardcover and 300-copy limited hardcover.
(April 2009): Leisure Books. Published as "Golem" as a Mass Market Paperback.
"Trolley No. 1852" (May 2009): Bloodletting Press. Published as a 26-copy leather-bound hardcover and 300-copy limited hardcover.(October 2010) Deadite Press, Trade Paperback.
"Haunter of the Threshold" (Summer 2009) Bloodletting Press. Exclusive limited-edition. (December 2010) Deadite Press, Trade Paperback.
"City of Sixes" (2009) Necro Publications. Exclusive limited-edition chapbook included with copies of "Infernally Yours".
"You are My Everything" (January 2010) Necro Publications.
"Going Monstering" (January 2010) Bloodletting Press. Exclusive limited-edition.
"Header 2" (June 2010) Camelot Books. Exclusive limited-edition.
"The Innswich Horror" (Summer 2010) Cemetery Dance. Exclusive limited-edition (Club Members Only), (July 2010), Deadite Press Trade paperback.
"Lucifers Lottery" (October 2010) Leisure Books. Currently eBook only, possible release date of July 2011 for physical book.
"Pages Torn From a Travel Journal" (January 31, 2011) Bloodletting Press.
"Vampire Lodge" (January, 2011) Necro Publications. E-Book only (second book for young readers)
"Witch Water" (Spring 2011) Bloodletting Press. Limited edition hardcover
"The Dunwich Romance" (tbd)
"Header 3" (Heads) (tbd) Bloodletting Press. Limited edition

Collections
The Ushers (1999)
Of Pigs and Spiders (1999) with John Pelan, Brett Alexander Savory and David Niall Wilson
Partners in Chyme (2001) with Ryan Harding
Sleep Disorder (2003) with Jack Ketchum
Haunted House (2007)
Brain Cheese Buffet (2010) Deadite Press
Bullet Through Your Face (2010) Deadite Press
Carnal Surgery (April 2011) Deadite Press

Anthologies
Infernally Yours (2009) 'The Senery' by Edward Lee Necro Publications, a limited-edition hardcover.
Dark Seductions: Tales of Erotic Horror (1993) 'Private Pleasures' by Edward Lee
Bizarre Sex and Other Crimes of Passion (1994) 'I'd Give Anything for You' by Edward Lee & Jack Ketchum
Deadly After Dark: The Hot Blood Series (1994) 'Mr. Torso' by Edward Lee
Seeds of Fear: The Hot Blood Series (1995) 'Grub Girl' by Edward Lee
Stranger By Night: The Hot Blood Series (1995) 'Dead Girls in Love' by Edward Lee & Gary Bowen
Darkside: Horror for the Next Millennium (1996) 'The Stick Woman' by Edward Lee
Fear the Fever: The Hot Blood Series (1996) 'Love Letters from the Rain Forest' by Jack Ketchum & Edward Lee
White House Horrors (1996) 'Night of the Vegetables' by Edward Lee
The UFO Files (1997) 'Secret Service' by Edward Lee
Inside The Works (1997) 'The Pig' by Edward Lee
Whitley Strieber's Aliens (1998) 'Scripture Girl' by Edward Lee
999 (1999) 'ICU' by Edward Lee
Graven Images (2000) 'Masks' by Jack Ketchum & Edward Lee
Triage (2001) 'In the Year of Our Lord 2202' by Edward Lee
Excitable Boys (2002) 'The McCrath Model SS40-C, Series S' by Edward Lee
Damned: An Anthology of the Lost (2004) 'Angel' by Edward Lee
Small Bites (2004) 'The Room' by Edward Lee

Movies
Edward Lee's story "Header" has been made into the film Header. Edward Lee and Jack Ketchum are featured in cameo roles in the movie.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Take a Ride on The Train to Hell...if You Dare, October 25, 2009

By 

Shroud Magazine's Book Reviews (New Hampshire) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Black Train (Mass Market Paperback)

Leisure's latest offering, a reprinted version of "Gast", (Camelot Books), is staple Edward Lee - sexual, disgusting, revolting...and obsessively readable all the same. As he did in "The Golem", Lee crafts sympathetic characters readers connect to, gives them realistic circumstances, then drops them into the middle of hell. This is why his work is so attractive: his characters tug readers into the farthest reaches of "suspension of disbelief", pulling them down his twisted rabbit hole.

When Justin Collier pulls into Gast, Tennessee, he's hoping for a respite from his divorce proceedings and an escape from dreary reality. He's got a book deadline to meet and a canceled Food Network show he'd like to forget. On the hunt for a final entry to round out his book on beer, the Food Network's former "Prince of Beer" is looking for some time alone.

What he finds, however, is a physic hot-spot of lust, nightmares and decades old evil. The Branch Landing Inn is the former home of Harwood Gast: Civil War railway baron, Confederate supporter, and icon of evil. Unspeakable acts helped build his railroad, his fortune bankrolled by darkness. The rusting remains of those tracks still run behind The Branch Landing Inn. Gripped by ghostly desire not entirely his own, at the mercy of demonic residue, Justin is about to take a ride he may not survive.

Perhaps Lee's greatest strength is not the gore and sex, but writing such likable characters. Collier is a confused mini-celebrity ambivalent about what little "fame" he owns, escaping from a dry, loveless marriage, which makes him the perfect target for Branch Landing's haunts. Also, as horrible as Gast is, just as horrible is the resigned malaise the owners of the hotel reside in, forever trapped in the house's cyclical, erotic emanations. Either way, there's enough substance here for everyone...if they've got strong stomachs, that is.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Edward Lee Delivers Again!!, February 4, 2010

By 

Deidra Cox (Garrett, KY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Black Train (Mass Market Paperback)

I am a major fan of Edward Lee's work. While I have my favorites and my okey-dokeys--the fact remains--the man always delivers the goods!! And with THE BLACK TRAIN, Lee has done it again. Justin Collier is at the crossroads of his life. He's lost his television show, his marriage has failed, his publisher wants the final draft of his book, like yesterday, so one could say Justin has a wee bit on his plate. Then he arrives in Gast, Tennessee and his life begins to spiral out of control in so many bizarre ways.

Yes, there are the Lee trademarks of sex, violence, oh did I mention the sex and violence? But in THE BLACK TRAIN, I felt like Lee pulled it back just a bit, taunting and teasing us, until we're so overwhelmed by the haunting quality of the story that we simply can't endure another moment of suspense any longer. I loved it. I loved the Southern Gothic heat that fairly seethed throughout each page. The Civil War flashbacks were awesome,captivating and more than a little horrific.

Was THE BLACK TRAIN perfect? No. Of course not. However, when I picked up my copy and read the first few pages, I surrendered. The next 3 hours of my life were lost in Gast, Tennessee and controlled by Edward Lee and the trip was well worth the price.

Snap up your ticket on THE BLACK TRAIN, friends. It's a bloody good ride.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Well, Still wondering why it was called The Black Train, November 4, 2009

By 

J. Boehm "Mykers" (Fullerton, Ca) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Black Train (Mass Market Paperback)

I really enjoy Edward Lee's novels. In all honesty, he is pretty much the only author in horror I read. Although the book was a C+ at best, it was still enjoyable. Most who know of Edward Lee, understand that this was a full length novel originally called the Gast House. Hence, the majority of the good stuff was cut out. However, with that said, maybe i missed the section, but I was quite interested to why the book is called the Black Train?

Anyhow, not one of his best, but not his worst. Anyone who has a few days, or even weeks to spare, pick up the book for a somewhat decent read. Ultimately though, this is not Edward Lee's best work, and please do not judge him solely on this book.