There are few writers who are as legendary as Thomas F. Monteleone. The man has been a novelist, a writer of acclaimed short stories, a nonfiction writer in the vein of Jonathan Swift, a writing instructor, an astute editor, and also a publisher. I'm probably missing a few of his accomplishments.

Monteleone has been an inspiration to many, many people, and a source of entertainment to many more. I'll always love him the most for his fiction. I have been reading Tom for a long time. Way back when his first book was published, the inaugural publication for the short-lived Laser Books series, is when I discovered him. The novel was Seeds of Change, from way back in 1975. A lot of moons have passed and I don't remember anything about the book, except that I enjoyed it.

I didn't read Monteleone again until around 1984, when I was in the process of abandoning science fiction in favor of horror. I bought and read Tom's first horror novel, Night Things. I've reread Night Things since then, and despite it being a little bit creaky, I have a soft spot in my heart for it. Tom was still getting his footing as a writer, but Night Things is a worthy book.

I never passed up a chance to read Thomas F. Monteleone since those bygone days, and I have never been disappointed. He sailed the bestseller lists in the nineties, and books like The Blood of the Lamb, The Resurrectionist, and Night of Broken Souls represent some of Tom's best work. But in some ways I prefer the older material.

Perhaps the best of the early, pre-Blood of the Lamb, Monteleone novels is Night Train. Despite how it sounds like it's about rotgut wine, the novel is a fine example of what made the horror fiction boom of the 80's so much fun.

Horror fiction is big again, and fans are mining the past to unearth gems to enjoy. I've always felt that the early Monteleone books deserved new life in respectful editions. Most of them were published as paperback originals back then, as so many of the books at the time were, and they ought to be available in nice hardcover form.

Gauntlet Press is publishing Night Train in a trade hardcover this Fall. At thirty bucks it's a great deal. I see paperbacks going for that much and more. The books will even be signed. You certainly cannot beat that.

I always put my money where my mouth is, and I have preordered Night Train. I'm hoping that some of you smart horror readers will do the same. You can get it at the Borderlands website, and while you are there you can check out the other juicy items for sale. Such as the wonderful little colored books published by Borderlands. Or, better yet, the distinguished Borderlands series of anthologies.

https://www.borderlandspress.com/

Written by Mark Sieber

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