The Tube Riders

Sometimes I buy things on the Kindle sale thinking, how bad could it be? And the answer is: pretty bad. I really need to notice when something is self-published.

Anyway, it's just a mushy, lazy, underwhelming pablum of YA Dystopia Tropes. Not even good entertainment, although there were a few so-bad-it's-good sentences, which I have highlighted for your amusement:

This was so far out of his comfort zone it had come full circle and poked him in the backside.

The sound was what Clayton imagined a snake with the flu would sound like; a hissing, sibilant noise like a piece of metal being dragged across sand.

A thick chest looked ready to throw bombs, and Carl backed away across the room, fearing a storm.

‘Negotiations have opened with the European Confederation,' the Governor said in that dark chocolate voice, like an old cassette tape playing on weak batteries.

Marta, with hair she rarely cut that was matted from lack of care rather than dreaded, and a body that was hard from tube riding, knew she was attractive in a goth-punk kind of way, because enough guys had told her.

She had fallen badly and lost consciousness, but she was still a novice after all so really she had to be thankful she hadn't broken anything at best.

The wound was bad, but not serious.

When he saw the Governor, his eyes gave a double take and a look of horror danced across his face.

When I first came upon The Tube Riders, it caught my attention with the originality of the premise. Here is a world that is cut off, harshly governed, and mysterious as all get out. Add in a set of characters who are willing to put their lives at risk for a little bit of a rush, and you have my attention. I don't think I would have ever thought of riding on trains as a way to unwind. For these characters though? That's reality. It's fabulous!

More than anything else, I instantly fell in love with the characters in this book. Marta, Paul, Switch and Simon are all intriguing in their own right. They are all the family that each other have, even when things get crazy. If I had to choose some favorites, I'd go with Marta and Switch. Marta is a no-nonsense kind of girl who does whatever it takes to keep her family safe. Switch is a little off sometimes, but loyal as they come and deadly to his enemies. This group is so diverse that you'd think they'd argue, and sometimes they do, but they play off one another wonderfully. Above everything, I loved seeing how they survived.

The world that Chris Ward builds here is fantastic in its own right though. Mega Britain is an insane world that uses militant rule to keep people down. There is poverty, violence in the form of daily riots, and so many secrets that it'll make your head spin. When the Tube Riders uncover a sinister plot by accident, it sets in motion a series of events that will have you holding on for dear life as you read. These poor characters never really have a moment to rest. Running from the authorities, being hunted by half animal, half human creatures, and trying to just stay alive. It kind of puts the high that they used to get from riding trains in perspective.

If there was one thing that was tough for me, it was just the length of the book overall. That's not to say that it doesn't maintain a pretty steady stream of action. More that I felt there were some descriptions, and some events, that probably could have been left out and still made for a intriguing story line. Parts of the story just felt a little over written. Totally my opinion! It might be different for other readers. It obviously didn't stop me from reading all 500+ pages of this book. Rightfully so, because the ending was awesome!

Let's just say that if you're looking for something original and exciting to read, this is for you! Chris Ward once again proves that self-published works can be just as amazing (if not more so) than traditionally published ones. I am extremely glad that I picked up The Tube Riders and I so hope that there is more. Now that I've been immersed in the world of the the Tube Riders, I'm not willing to leave yet.