The Train Through Hell!

De: Jason Forbis

Narrado por: Jason Forbis

This isn’t the West you know. Things have gotten weird. Prairie dogs as big as a calf, gilas longer than a dinner table, and beings scouring the plains and towns looking for souls. Since the barrier between the worlds of the living and dead were broken, danger and horrors awaited everyone.
Anchor Kessel had left behind the cattle drives and long, hard trips across open ground to push cows to market for another man to rake in money. It was time for him to find his own fortune. Riding a train into the New Mexico territory seemed like a good way to start. He couldn’t have been more wrong. He went from staring at the backside of a wandering cow to fighting demons for his very life. It seems he traded one task for the charge to save his friends, himself, and possibly the territory as a whole. It was not what he planned for his retirement from cow punching, but as he has said, “Everybody’s got to be somewhere, I guess this is where I’m supposed to be.”

©2024 Jason W. Forbis (P)2024 Jason W. Forbis

The Start Of A Strange Journey

As an avid reader of "Supernatural Westerns", I was very eager to check out this book.

Short review: I think that this novel would fit perfectly, whether in a digital library or on a bookshelf, as a nice palette cleanser between the fantastic works of Joe R. Landsale's "Jonah Hex" stories and Jonathan Mayberry's "Deadlands" series. The story kept moving along at a great pace, and there were some interesting visuals the would certainly shock me to see in real life. An easy listen / read, and worth listening to just for the smooth narration alone.

Some nitpicks - Warning: spoilers ahead!



After listening to it twice, it comes off as more of a "cozy mystery novel". You know, those types of books that usually involve an unsuspecting lead character solving a mystery in a small town scenario. Because, this premise is not a new one: A town is burdened by an entity, and a gunslinger is tasked with figuring out the solution. Regardless, it's still a premise that holds to be tried and true, and brings us back like a weekly episode of "Have Gun, Will Travel".

However, our lead character isn't given enough breathing room, or exposition for us to care about him YET. If this were a one-and-done story, I totally get that, But he is displayed as a fairly generic gunslinger, trying to solve a local problem, and then move on. So our connection to him isn't strong enough to worry about his injuries or perilous situations.

However we do get a lot more connection to the secondary characters, especially the female character, as she is demonstrated to be a more dynamic character with juxtaposing unsuspected ability and feminine mystique, and seeing how she adapts in various scenarios.

While there is a lingering sense of an overarching storyline, which isn't really made known except for a little "tag" at the end, everything buttons up way too easily, and make this novel absolutely feel like a standalone piece instead of the first novel in a series. Outside of the little "tag" at the end of the book, which almost feels like an afterthought thrown in before publication, there isn't enough cliffhanger in the end to make me feel like I have to see what happens next.

I would have preferred to read further adventures of the the main character and secondary female character without their fully formed romantic attachment already in place. While there was some fun but innocent sexual tension between them throughout the story, it all felt a bit forced and quickly acted upon in the end. It would have been fun to see more of that tension in various scenarios in the future.

Regardless, I am a fan of the narrator, and that usually attracts me to listen to audio books that maybe wouldn't get my attention otherwise. I will, no doubt listen to future continuations of this series, and who know, by the next novel my little nitpicks might be resolved, and this review would be a moot point.

Aside from these points, nice job Jason, I will be following along in this world that you're building.

Great story, but...

Jason is one of the best nonfiction narrators in the business. His distinctive voice and style are perfect for true crime. When he announced that his book was available I immediately came to Audible to buy a copy while listening to him tell a story of a bad guy who did bad things.

The story is a clever re-imagining of westerns. I don't much care for westerns in general - especially the traditional spaghetti westerns, but this isn't that. It is set in the western era, but it is not a western. It is a monster story that incorporates literal and figurative monsters. It flows well, with well-balanced dialog and action. The characters are all distinct in manner and how they speak, so there is no confusion as to who is speaking even when the narration doesn't specify. Oh, and there's none of the excessive "he said"s that ruin good dialog scenes. The character development through action and words rather than narrative backstory makes it easy to imagine the action.

Here's the part I don't want to write because I"m a fan. If anyone associated with the production of this audiobook ever reads this I hope they understand that it is coming from a place of great respect and admiration.
Most of my reviews include remarks on the suitability of the narrator because the right narrator for the material has a profound effect on the listening experience. It's never a reflection of the author or the narrator. I just think that this book/series could use a narrator more experienced in fiction. The delivery style that makes Jason Forbis so great at nonfiction just doesn't work for action/adventure.* This does not in any way mean that it is not good or that I didn't enjoy it - it is and I did. I just think that it could have been even better. Other listeners may think I'm a few monkeys shy of a full barrel, and that's cool.

*If the story were written as if it were the retelling of actual events, the style would click.

Despite the above, I would have listened to the whole thing even if it were twice as long. It really is a good story and I will still buy the sequels.

A Thrilling Journey Beyond My Comfort Zone

I wasn’t sure I would enjoy The Train Through Hell since it’s not typically my kind of book, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I loved it! The storytelling was vivid, and the characters were very likable. I found myself completely hooked by the intense plot right up to the last page. As a fan of the author’s YouTube channel, it was especially enjoyable to see the story come to life in such a captivating way. I can’t wait to see what happens next in the Chasing Spirits series! If you’re looking for a unique and thrilling read, I highly recommend checking this one out!

Unique twist on an old west story

The story has strong relatable characters with an interesting occult style storyline that keeps your interest.