Black Light Express

Starred review from July 1, 2017

Gr 7-1-0-In this sequel to Railhead, trains are sentient beings with different personalities who communicate with one another through "trainsong" and with their passengers via artificial intelligence. They run on rails and travel through K-gates, portals to different worlds throughout the Network Empire. Zen Starling and Motorik (female android) Nova have escaped the Network Empire aboard the Damask Rose, hurtling through a new K-gate to the previously unknown Web of Worlds. They were pawns in a plot to steal a valuable artifact from the powerful Noon family, unintentionally destroying the Noons' train and killing their empress. Threnody Noon, the new empress, sets out to find and punish Zen. The hunt is complicated by an attempt to overthrow Threnody, which sends her on the run as well. As the narrative unfurls, the tangle of truth about the origin and control of the rails and K-gates is just as exciting as the hunt itself. The worlds and their inhabitants-track-building worms, delightfully aggressive retired war trains, unapologetic evildoers, and insects and multiple other nonhuman creatures-are distinct and crystal clear. No specific ethnicities are mentioned, but the human characters are described as brown-skinned, black, or white. VERDICT For fans of fantasy adventure, especially those who are new to the genre.-Carla Riemer, Claremont Middle School, Oakland, CA

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from June 15, 2017
Reeve picks his story up directly after Railhead (2016), with more of everything, from destruction to fun. Zen and Nova have discovered a new network populated by numerous alien races (three-legged antelopelike creatures are the least strange). There's no Datasea or Guardians; even the sentient trains are different, but the rails are the same, and carvings of the mysterious Station Angels point to a shared origin. Meanwhile the Prell corporate family has staged a coup in the Network Empire, and Empress Threnody, accompanied by a professional criminal and a Guardian's interface, is on the run aboard an old war loco, Ghost Wolf, who is destined to steal readers' hearts. Reeve's bizarre but compelling far future boasts a mainly brown population (only the strange, standoffish Prells are white) of people who are equally diverse in their personalities. There are gay AI gods, sentient bugs, and machines who very nearly think they are human but turn out to be so much more. The action-packed plot never flags; Reeve's great strength is that he can weave worldbuilding and character development into even the most literally explosive scenes; his writing bristles with evocative details, and those details reveal worlds about the characters. Exposition is nearly nonexistent, and yet even new readers can glean enough back story to catch up. Hop aboard and prepare for the ride of your life. (glossary) (Science fiction. 12-adult)

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July 1, 2018
Railhead introduced a world of sentient trains and interplanetary travel. Now, via a new portal, human thief Zen and android girl Nova find a galaxy containing the secret of the intergalactic rails' origins. Meanwhile, the new empress summons a thief to uncover Zen's role in her father's death. Diversity in alien species and the mystery of the rails should maintain science-fiction fans' interest. Glos.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)