Thursday, June 30, 2016

The Emperor’s Railroad, by Guy Haley

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(Zombie Apocalypse; Dreaming Cities) In Virginia a thousand years after the apocalypse, a boy and his mother make a dangerous journey with the help of a raggedy knight. (36,852 words; Time: 2h:02m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Unremarkable (but complete) as a stand-alone story; nevertheless, it's a strong start to the series.

See related articles on Tor.com.
"," by (edited by Lee Harris), published on by .

Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)

Pro: Even though this is part one of a series, this story definitely stands by itself.

Quinn is the protagonist of this story (Abney is only the narrator), and he succeeds in delivering the boy and his mother to Winfort, and although the mother dies, he does manage to save the boy--at the expense of killing a dragon.

The narration and dialogue are good, and the setting is interesting. I'm eager to see where Quinn goes from here.

Con: Whatever is driving Quinn, we never learn it. He's obviously seeking some absolution for something, and he does not achieve it here. Presumably that'll be covered in later stories.

The dragon was a little silly.

Other Reviews: Search Web, GoodReads.com
Guy Haley Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB

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