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samjoc's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
the_coycaterpillar_reads's review
5.0
The Midnight Meat Train is a story that will send you crazy. It’s the exact story that “things escalated quickly” was invented for. I love the sick mind of Clive Barker. Only he could conjure up a story of a subway train that never meets its intended stop, a story with enough bloodshed to paint the grandest of hotels in it. An author who can take the mundane and can transform it into the horrific, with visuals that will be knocking about in your head for days.
Barker encapsulates everything in his vision of New York City. She is a living and breathing entity, he isn’t interested in the romanticised version of the city, he knows just how she can chew a person up and spit them back out without care or conscience. New York is a dangerous place and there is nothing more dangerous than what lurks in the dark hours on the subway line. Leo Kauffman, a guy down on his luck, not enjoying the long hours he puts into his job. He knows New York isn’t all stunning parks and colourful personalities. He knows that in the underbelly of the beast lies depravity, evil, and a will to harm. Mahogany, the butcher, is the serial killer that quite literally cuts people down on the midnight subway service. A man that must do the bidding of something far darker, something far more ancient than anyone on the surface is aware of. It’s a needs must situation, but he is good at his job and picks his targets with the guile of a lion seizing its prey.
As is always with a Barker story, the writing is outstanding. There are intriguing layers and the tension and suspense have you on the edge of your seat. There is a relatable character in Kauffman, who doesn’t become disenfranchised with their city, it’s only too easy to become obsessed with what happens in the dark, that is until the dark bites back which is what happens in The Midnight Meat Train.
Kaufman and Mahogany meet and it is a gorefest. The fear, the anticipation – I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins waiting for disaster to strike. I certainly don’t think I’ll ever have the confidence to fall asleep on a train again, I simply refuse to wake up at the very worst of times. For Kaufman, it doesn’t get better he just becomes another victim of The Midnight Meat Train.
Barker encapsulates everything in his vision of New York City. She is a living and breathing entity, he isn’t interested in the romanticised version of the city, he knows just how she can chew a person up and spit them back out without care or conscience. New York is a dangerous place and there is nothing more dangerous than what lurks in the dark hours on the subway line. Leo Kauffman, a guy down on his luck, not enjoying the long hours he puts into his job. He knows New York isn’t all stunning parks and colourful personalities. He knows that in the underbelly of the beast lies depravity, evil, and a will to harm. Mahogany, the butcher, is the serial killer that quite literally cuts people down on the midnight subway service. A man that must do the bidding of something far darker, something far more ancient than anyone on the surface is aware of. It’s a needs must situation, but he is good at his job and picks his targets with the guile of a lion seizing its prey.
As is always with a Barker story, the writing is outstanding. There are intriguing layers and the tension and suspense have you on the edge of your seat. There is a relatable character in Kauffman, who doesn’t become disenfranchised with their city, it’s only too easy to become obsessed with what happens in the dark, that is until the dark bites back which is what happens in The Midnight Meat Train.
Kaufman and Mahogany meet and it is a gorefest. The fear, the anticipation – I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins waiting for disaster to strike. I certainly don’t think I’ll ever have the confidence to fall asleep on a train again, I simply refuse to wake up at the very worst of times. For Kaufman, it doesn’t get better he just becomes another victim of The Midnight Meat Train.
babymeow's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
illmakeyoulaugh's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
rmphyllis's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Antisemitism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape
mrakovenec's review
3.0
tahle věc byla úplně insane,,,,, v new yorku se dejou vrazdy v metru, kde typek vesi lidi jako maso po porazce a dalsi typek s tim nechce mit vubec nic společnyho. no ale fast forward- potom jedou v metru spolu, hodnej tejpek zabije zlyho tejpka, ukradne mu sekacek a stane se oficialnim chovatelem priserek, ktery jsou vlastne otcove new yorku jo a taky mu sni jazyk :) typicky clive barker