By Beryl Evans…. Or is it Claudia y Inez Bachman… Or is it Stephen King

Hodder Children’s Books, out now

A genuine piece of American children’s history – the tale of Charlie the Choo-Choo.

OK, you may well be asking why a children’s book, about a train whose days of service become numbered but who comes to the rescue at precisely the right moment, is being reviewed on Sci-Fi Bulletin. Aren’t there episodes of The Mist or Game of Thrones to cover?

Well, if you’re a fan of Stephen King’s epic, The Dark Tower, you’ll know why, but for those who have not waded through the millions of words therein… During Roland’s quest for the Dark Tower he and his companions meet Blaine the Mono, a… and yes, it is as weird as it sounds… psychotic train. Who’s based, it seems, on a children’s book, Charlie the Choo-Choo. Courtesy of the illustrations in the appropriate volume, we even know what this book looked like, in at least one reality. It becomes important that the author of the book is different in different parts of the multiverse but that’s a discussion for another day.

And now we know the story of Charlie, in a volume that was given out free at the 2016 Comic-Con to a few lucky people. The version that went into general release in the States last year, and is here now courtesy of Hodder, has been re-laid out (Charlie’s signature WHOOO-OOOO is very different), which means those copies retain their rarity value, but everyone can share in the story.

On the surface, it’s an enjoyable kids’ book – although the illustrations by Ned Dameron may sometimes give you pause for thought before showing them to too impressionable minds. This isn’t Thomas the Tank Engine – Charlie has, let’s say, some anger issues that seem to show periodically…  But if you’re a King fan already and you’re planning re-reading the Dark Tower series, it’s worth a read of this.

Verdict: WHOOO-OOOO Charlie lives again! 8/10

Paul Simpson