I love that Stephen King published this as a real book. This children's book plays an important part in his Dark Tower series. King published it as a real book under the pseudonym, Beryl Evans, the author of the book in Dark Tower. The illustrations are perfect and show the evil and fear that lurks beneath the surface of the seemingly innocent story but all Dark Tower readers know the actual truth ( )

Bob the Engineer drives Charlie the Choo-Choo on the St. Louis to Topeka line. He is the best trainman and Charlie was the best train. Bob would blow Charlie's whistle and people would come out and cheer.
Bob learns that Charlie can talk on one run and Charlie can even blow his own whistle. Charlie has a little song that he sings for Bob continually.
Charlie pulls into the station one day and there is a new train parked in his spot. Bob & Charlie learn that Charlie has been replaced by a newer train.
You will have to read on to learn how Bob and Charlie handle this situation. ( )

Okay, yes, it's actually an honest-to-God kid's book. But it's also a strange little side-trip into the world of The Dark Tower, so it gets a pass.

No surprises here. ( )

While this can be read on its own for its own sake, I wouldn't really recommend it. The story is fine aside from some rather obvious sexual innuendo (Thank you, Stephen King!), but the real horror is in the drawings.

What appears to be laughing, happy children in Charlie's passenger cars are actually crying, wailing, and zonked-out. Charlie's expression seems to be one of a slightly dim, thuggish brute.

The subtlety in this children's book is really delightful. Scary. Disturbing. :) I love it.


YES. This is written by Stephen King, and it firmly belongs in the reading order of the Dark Tower series.
(Dark Tower - 3.5)

So evil. And when read with DT, as the same book referred to in The Waste Lands, it takes on a magnitude more of existence. :) ( )

I read this for the "A Stephen King Novel" part of my 2020 reading challenge. I found the artwork and the train's face to be a bit disconcerting, but the story was classic. ( )