The train to impossible places : A cursed delivery by P.G. Bell

"For the first time, she realised how impulsive and unplanned this all was, and began to feel scared. She was clinging to the outside of a train - a magic train, if such a thing were possible - hurtling through a tunnel that shouldn't exist, on its way to who knew where? Her parents couldn't help her. She was alone, and already in danger."

Here are two covers for the same book. The top one is from UK and the bottom from US. As usual I ask the obvious question -  which one appeals to you?  I was given an advanced reader copy of The Train to Impossible Places - A Cursed Delivery so I am also seeing these covers for the first time. The cover from my copy appears at the end of this post.

I have just lifted my head from reading this truly inventive rollicking adventure - the first in a new series. I don't often make this comment but this book would make a brilliant movie. The writing is so cinematic.

"Two long silver strips winked up at her from the carpet. They lay side by side, a metre or so apart, and seemed to come into the house from underneath the front door. ... They were train tracks."

"A mighty old steam locomotive towered over her, hissing and shuddering, and belching yellowish stream from its chimney. It was bigger than any locomotive Suzy had seen before - at least, bits of it were. To her eyes it looked like a large train had smashed into several smaller ones ... none of the drive wheels quite matched, and the cylindrical belly of its boiler was too fat at the front and too narrow at the back."

Suzy has a huge surprise one evening when a train smashes in to her house and yes it is running on train tracks which are running through the lounge room and right into the kitchen. Her mum and dad seem to be asleep on the couch. Suzy is a student of physics and so her mind races with all the impossible elements of this scene but there is no time for questions. The train is already late and it is leaving. Curiosity over-rides her fear and Suzy jumps aboard. This is a mail train delivering letters and parcels all over the Union.

On board the train Suzy meets the trolls Fletch - engineer,  JF Stonker - driver, Wilmot - postmaster and Ursel - a huge bear who is also the stoker. The engine runs on fusion bananas. Crazy!

The postmaster has an important delivery to make. A parcel for Lady Crepuscula. And yes she seems to be as evil and creepy as her name suggests. She lives in the Obsidian Tower which is guarded by hundreds of life-like statues reminiscent of the statues surrounding the home of the White Witch in Narnia. Suzy takes the oath:

"Do you solemnly swear to uphold the ideals of the Impossible Postal Express, risking life, limb and sanity in the execution of your duty?"

It all sounds daunting but Suzy agrees to take on the role of postal assistant. Her first delivery should be straightforward but Suzy forgets she needs a signature on her delivery form. Crepuscula opens her parcel and it contains a snow globe with a small frog inside. When Crepuscula walks away to get a pen the frog calls out to Suzy and tells her his tale of imprisonment, royal connections and the impending danger facing the Union. Suzy grabs the snow globe and flees the tower and so the chase is on.

There are some really funny moments in this story (trolls live under bridges) and terrific inventive ideas but the part that appealed to me the most was the underlying political context and the commentary on our own modern society. The ether web has taken over giving instant communication. "It's changed everything." The Impossible Postal service used to deliver ten million messages each day and used almost two hundred trains. Now "we're lucky to get a thousand messages a day."  And there is only one train riding the rails and just one Postmaster - Wilmot.

If you pick up this book and need to be sure it is right for you I suggest you read Chapter 18 The Vault of Secrets.  There is a delightful scene in this chapter where Suzy is initiated as a true postie using the very first troll stamp ever printed.

For teachers there are fabulous descriptions in this book.

Crepuscula : "was a little old lady ... she leaned on a cane for support. She wore a dress of heavy black lace that fell all the way to her feet, with a knitted black shawl pulled tight around her shoulders. Suzy caught the discreet glint of a pearl necklace beneath it. Her hair was silver, and her skin so pale it almost glowed, like the desert sands far below. She studied Suzy with piercing lilac eyes."

The Lunar Guard at the Ivory Tower : "They were all young women, wearing matching silver jumpsuits beneath plate armour and heavy utility belts. They all wore their hair in a pageboy cut, each dyed a different colour - she saw acid green, fire-engine red and neon blue ... Each of them carried a chunky silver plasma rifle, and Suzy got the distinct impression they knew how to use them."

Readers do need to be prepared to put in some time with this story. It is 340 pages and moves along at the same pace as the train gaining momentum as the story reaches the final adrenaline filled scenes. The UK edition of this book is hardcover with a special image under the dust jacket. You can read a text extract here.  You can read an interview with the author. Your next book could be The Boundless by Kenneth Oppel.  If you enjoy books with invented worlds, wild rides on crazy forms of transport and truly heroic characters you should also read Nevermoor - The trials of Morrigan Crow.

All aboard for an adventure like no other—readers will be delighted to learn it’s just the first.  Kirkus

It's a beautiful engineered story full of whimsical characters and industrious landscapes that would not be out of place on the set of a magical film. Mr Ripleys Enchanted Books