Book Review - Black Light Express (Railhead, #2)

Black Light Express by Philip Reeve
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was handed this book for work. I knew it was part 2 of the series, but since I couldn't get my hands on part 1, I decided to make the most of reading this one.

The world of 'Black Light Express' is a bit confusing if you haven't been properly introduced, especially given you're dealing with talking trains and people in freezers, but you can get swept away pretty quick.

What threw me most was how the beginning chapter dealt with Zen Starling and Nova, before moving on to Chandni Hansa and Empress Threnody for a giant chunk of the book. Part way through, when Starling was mentioned by Threnody, I suddenly remembered him and realised he may be the actual protagonist of the book. Actually, I'm still not sure who the true protagonist is!

The language is simple and a little young given its target audience, but I still found the exposition a little overdone. There were times when feelings could have been felt and not told. I also felt that the character of Chandni was hard done by. She's a career criminal but gets relegated to handmaiden role for too long. One would think she'd get a job akin to an unarmed bodyguard at the palace - not a handmaiden! Her character also yo-yos between good and bad too often, which wasn't quite as predictable as it was contrived; seemed like she was whatever the plot wanted her to be.

Nova was another odd case. I felt her ordeal at the hands of the Krait was a tad too gruesome; not sure it made for pleasant reading.

I liked that none of the characters were painted as absolutely good or bad - all of them have greys and they all fit to make a cohesive team that must complete their mission(s).

I'm glad youngsters have the opportunity now to read about a variety of characters, with different abilities, orientations and ethnicities. Science-fiction nowadays is more open to the global audience reading it and that pleases me no end. It's no wonder this series has been greenlighted for a television adaptation. Hope they stay true to the diversity of the text.

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