Overview:
A book called the necronomicon was brought to a cult in Mexico and used to release old gods from their imprisonment. They were stopped by a posse of Texas Rangers led by a knight Templar. However, other entities and entropic energy made their way into Earth due to the attempts to release the old gods, changing the world forever. Dormant lay-lines were awakened, causing some humans to awaken to magical abilities as well. The world the author is using is one created for a table-top role playing game called Weird Frontier, which contains many elements of H.P. Lovecraft's works, including Cthulhu.

The main character is Anchor Castle, middle-aged ranch hand who quit his job and ended up helping defend a train from strange monsters. More on that later. Anchor is a stereotypical western action hero protagonist. Assertive, good with guns, gritty, loyal, reliable, etc. Raun Vance is a tough female gunslinger who gained her experience with guns from a Wild West show her family put on. This wasn’t explained in detail, so I’m not sure exactly what the show entailed. She is also a love interest for the main character who was described as being beautiful and tall. Finally, there is Eller, who becomes Anchor’s reliable partner throughout the book, helping him along through every conflict.

The story follows this motley crew who meet each other on a train bound for New Mexico that is attacked by various monsters. Giant bats, gargoyles, goant devils, and several other creatures. There was also a man who had made a deal with the devil to control monsters for some unknown purpose. One of the main issues the main character is dealing with was a legion of statues, which were gargoyles, that were on a mountainside out in the wilderness by the train tracks.

Thoughts:
I thoroughly enjoyed the story and characters. As a fan of a lot of the movies with Clint Eastwood, Bruce Willis, and many more popular action stars, this book was right up my alley. There were plenty of actions sequences that kept me entertained, and strange monsters that I enjoyed. Of course, I was familiar with all of the monsters present, given my long time playing of fantasy video games, watching tv shows, and movies, and from obsessively collecting every dnd 5e book that was made up until 2021.
If I were to criticize it for anything, it’s that I feel like I could've used a bit more action, albeit there is plenty on there for your avid reader. One thing I’ve realized as an author myself is that it is very difficult to create long, drawn out gunfights, whereas I’m used to a lot of fantasy with magic, swords, and even martial arts. Likely that’s why the action felt very quick to me.

Recommendations
The story doesn’t have much character development, but I do enjoy the characters nonetheless. For fans of weird westerns, actions, and Lovecraft, this might be a good book for you. It would probably be a good read for those who enjoy westerns, but haven’t gotten into weird westerns yet. There are plenty of western tropes that I believe fans of westerns will enjoy.

Overall, I have The Train Through Hell a five star review. This was actually my first true weird west book, so I’m looking forward to seeing more of it, and to learning more about the game that the book was based on.

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