The Dead Take the A Train

Written by Richard Kadrey and Cassandra Khaw

Narrated by Natalie Naudus

New York Times bestselling author Richard Kadrey and Cassandra Khaw have teamed up to deliver a new dark story where Neil Gaiman meets Jessica Jones with magic, monsters, and mayhem.

Julie Crews is a coked-up, burnt-out thirty-something who packs a lot of magic into her small body. She’s trying to establish herself as a major Psychic Operative in the NYC magic scene, and she’ll work the most gruesome gigs to claw her way to the top.

Desperate to break the dead-end grind, Julie summons a guardian angel for a quick career boost. But when her power grab accidentally releases an elder god hellbent on the annihilation of our galaxy, the body count rises rapidly.

The Dead Take the A Train is a high-octane cocktail of Khaw’s cosmic horror and Kadrey’s gritty fantasy—shaken, not stirred.

A Macmillan Audio program from Tor Nightfire.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: Oct 3, 2023
• ISBN: 9781250856623

Richard Kadrey

New York Times bestselling author Richard Kadrey has published nine novels, including Sandman Slim, Kill the Dead, Aloha from Hell, Devil Said Bang, Kill City Blues, The Getaway God, Killing Pretty, Butcher Bird, and Metrophage. He has been immortalized as an action figure and his short story “Goodbye Houston Street, Goodbye,” was nominated for a British Science Fiction Association Award. A freelance writer and photographer, he lives in San Francisco, California.

Reviews for The Dead Take the A Train

[Billie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Dead Take the A Train
by Richard Kadrey & Cassandra Khaw
Carrion City #1
Horror Urban Fantasy
Scribd Audio
Ages 18+


Julie loves her drugs, but she also has magic and has been trying to become successful and make a name for herself within the magic community in NYC by taking the worst jobs. But due to an ex-boyfriend, (and her drug use and attitude) her name is worse than mud.

Desperate to make it better, she summons an angel, but...

And there is only one way to stop that angel.


This started off with a bang, then slowed because the magic system wasn't really described. It was vague, which distracted me as my mind tried to figure out, how... and did I miss something. And because I didn't care much for Julie as a person, because of her stupidity... ie drug use, and that she'd trust her ex after he proved over and over again he was an a##, I didn't feel bad for her situation, she put herself in it every day, and she knew it.

But other than that, this was the bomb. Gory, graphic, (though sometimes the descriptions became too much, which happened in another book by Khaw I read, which ruined that story).

I would have loved this as a teen, but that said, with the violence, language, and drug use this book is really intended for readers over 18, though mature horror lovers of all ages should get a kick out of this one.

I really want to give this oodles of stars, but without a clear vision of the magic system and especially for not caring much about the MC it kind of puts a damper on that.

4 Stars