Helpful Score: 5
This book was a bit of an enigma for me. It came highly recommended so I was looking forward to reading it and in fact in jumped the queue ahead of many, many other books and was read almost as soon as I got it. It started off a little slow as it built some back story which was interesting enough. I soon began to fear however that this was slowly turning into a Richard Laymon style story. Sex for the sake of sex adding little to the story. However, I was pleasantly surprised, sure there was plenty of sex (not as much as most of Laymon's novels I've had the misfortune to read) and in fact it seemed to play nicely into the story. It wasn't really graphic and it was actually an important plot element which put this novel head and shoulders above Laymon (I know I'm picking on him a lot here).
I went about 300 pages into this 340 page novel thinking, Wow this is living up to the billing Ive heard about it. The tension was building, the characters and plot threads were all coming together nicely, and then.. just like that it was over. There was no satisfying resolution, good or bad for the characters. it just seemed to end. What a disappointment for what started off, and in fact stayed, a great novel most of the way through. The ending absolutely ruined it for me. Ive got one more Edward Lee book on the shelf that I will read some day, but Im in no real hurry now.
I went about 300 pages into this 340 page novel thinking, Wow this is living up to the billing Ive heard about it. The tension was building, the characters and plot threads were all coming together nicely, and then.. just like that it was over. There was no satisfying resolution, good or bad for the characters. it just seemed to end. What a disappointment for what started off, and in fact stayed, a great novel most of the way through. The ending absolutely ruined it for me. Ive got one more Edward Lee book on the shelf that I will read some day, but Im in no real hurry now.
Helpful Score: 2
From the back cover...
WELCOME TO THE GAST HOUSE
A historic bed and breakfast...or a monument to evil and obscenity? Justin Collier didn't know the house's lurid , shocking history when he arrived for a relaxing stay. He knew nothing about the train tracks that ran behind the house, or that they once led to a place worse than hell. But he's learning...
At night he can hear the mansion whisper. He hears little girls giggling where there are no little girls. And if he listens closely he can hear the haunting whistle of the train and the cries of the things chained in its prison cars. Each room of the house holds another appalling secret, but the greatest secret of all rides...
THE BLACK TRAIN
This is Ed Lee at his best!! Typical Ed Lee. I loved this book!!!
WELCOME TO THE GAST HOUSE
A historic bed and breakfast...or a monument to evil and obscenity? Justin Collier didn't know the house's lurid , shocking history when he arrived for a relaxing stay. He knew nothing about the train tracks that ran behind the house, or that they once led to a place worse than hell. But he's learning...
At night he can hear the mansion whisper. He hears little girls giggling where there are no little girls. And if he listens closely he can hear the haunting whistle of the train and the cries of the things chained in its prison cars. Each room of the house holds another appalling secret, but the greatest secret of all rides...
THE BLACK TRAIN
This is Ed Lee at his best!! Typical Ed Lee. I loved this book!!!
Helpful Score: 2
I really do not like Edward Lee's books. Imagine my suprise when I sat down and read a really good book. If you like history, horror and just a plain spooky story, this is the book for you. I am a big Richard laymon fan. This book could have been written by him. It's that good.
Very meh for Lee. Had some interesting history in it but the end was extremely disappointing as I had been warned. Good story though, interesting concept.
