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The Black Locomotive
London is built from concrete, steel and the creative urge.
Old technology gives way to the new. Progress is inevitable - but is it more fragile than its inhabitants realise?
A strange anomaly is uncovered in the new top-secret Crossrail extension being built under Buckingham Palace. It is an archeological puzzle, one that may transform our understanding of history - and the origins of London itself.
And if our modern world falls, we may have to turn to the technology of the past in order to save our future.
Old technology gives way to the new. Progress is inevitable - but is it more fragile than its inhabitants realise?
A strange anomaly is uncovered in the new top-secret Crossrail extension being built under Buckingham Palace. It is an archeological puzzle, one that may transform our understanding of history - and the origins of London itself.
And if our modern world falls, we may have to turn to the technology of the past in order to save our future.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2021
25 people are currently reading
962 people want to read
About the author
Rian Hughes
86 books120 followersRian Hughes is a designer, illustrator, comic book artist, type designer and writer. From his studio, Device, he has produced watches for Swatch, Hawaiian shirts, logo designs for Batman and Spiderman and an iconoclastic revamp of British comic hero Dan Dare. His first novel is 'XX'. He has an extensive collection of Thunderbirds memorabilia, a fridge full of vodka, and a stack of easy listening albums which he plays very quietly.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
September 12, 2021
Rian Hughes' books are indeed unique; they do not resemble anything else I can think of. This one makes no exception, although I think I should have read it later; it's too similar in concept as XX, and that's why it didn't blow me away like the first one did.
The plot is different, and here London seems to be the main character; it feels like an ode to the great city, its history and people. The mix between old, current and future technologies makes a wonderful melange into the context of the story. However, the ending left me with a lot of questions, which I don't think will be answered soon.
Like XX, its essence does not reside only in the story - different fonts for different characters, various designs, blueprints, old magazines are scattered throghout the pages as companions of the narrative.
If you did not read XX, this one will be mindblowing. If you did, better let some time pass before starting it, to enjoy it to the fullest.
The plot is different, and here London seems to be the main character; it feels like an ode to the great city, its history and people. The mix between old, current and future technologies makes a wonderful melange into the context of the story. However, the ending left me with a lot of questions, which I don't think will be answered soon.
Like XX, its essence does not reside only in the story - different fonts for different characters, various designs, blueprints, old magazines are scattered throghout the pages as companions of the narrative.
If you did not read XX, this one will be mindblowing. If you did, better let some time pass before starting it, to enjoy it to the fullest.
March 19, 2024
I wasn't expecting to finish this book in two days but that's exactly what ended up happening. I was actually reading another book and just picked this one up to see what it was all about. After about 10 pages in I devoted my entire reading time to this one as with every paragraph I was sucked into an amazing mystery and an incredibly cool method of delivery. By that I mean interspersing things like images, photographs, blueprints, and sketch drawings within the book in strategic places. I even came across a page that had a QR code that when scanned with my phone brought up a link that played an audio snippet that is germane to that scene and the overall story. As if that wasn't enough, Hughes also uses different typefaces/fonts throughout the book, each assigned to a specific character. So you always know which viewpoint that particular part of the book is being told from. I won't say I've never seen this method before, Mark Danielewski does something somewhat similar with his horror book House of Leaves. Although THE BLACK LOCOMOTIVE isn't nearly as labor-intensive of a reading experience as HOL by any stretch.
Aside from the cosmetic though, this really was one heck of an intriguing science fiction book that deals with one of my all-time favorite themes - an unexplained archeological find buried beneath our real world. In this case the site is accidentally discovered when a contracted team of workers comes upon a metal-encased giant cavity underneath Buckingham Palace in London while digging out a new top secret railway tunnel. As more and more experts are called to the scene more anomalous artifacts begin to be unearthed that cannot easily be explained. Are these things from our very distant past? Neolithic? Bronze Age? Are they extra-terrestrial in origin? More and more questions arise and the growing mystery really made this an unputdownable marathon reading session to get to the ultimate answers I was so desperately craving. And the reveal when it happens is absolutely mind-blowing to say the least.
I feel like I rarely read books like this anymore, ones that are so captivating that I need to finish them in a day or two. I mean, this is a 400 page book that I devoured in roughly 48 hours, that's how utterly absorbing it is. I think what also made it so hard to put down was the fact that it was so interactive of an experience. The pages fly by effortlessly as the puzzle pieces are deftly laid out for the reader to put together. All the while Rian Hughes' background as a photographer, typographer, graphic designer, and comic book artist really shine through magnificently and lend another dimension that keeps every sense stimulated and your brain fully engaged the entire time you are reading.
Upon finishing THE BLACK LOCOMOTIVE I immediately hopped on Amazon and purchased Rian Hughes' first book XX. I remember seeing it marketed when it was published in 2020 but for some reason I never picked it up. Well that has since been rectified. If it's even half as good as this one I can't wait to crack it open and be immersed in another (I hope) brilliant sf adventure. But until then I will continue to sing the praises of this awesome follow-up. If you are looking for an engaging science-fiction mystery told in a thrilling, unique and unconventional way, you are going to absolutely love this book. I hope that it garners way more attention with the upcoming release of the paperback version in the US, as in my opinion it is one of the most entertaining and interesting stories I've ever read. Please feed me more stuff like this!
Aside from the cosmetic though, this really was one heck of an intriguing science fiction book that deals with one of my all-time favorite themes - an unexplained archeological find buried beneath our real world. In this case the site is accidentally discovered when a contracted team of workers comes upon a metal-encased giant cavity underneath Buckingham Palace in London while digging out a new top secret railway tunnel. As more and more experts are called to the scene more anomalous artifacts begin to be unearthed that cannot easily be explained. Are these things from our very distant past? Neolithic? Bronze Age? Are they extra-terrestrial in origin? More and more questions arise and the growing mystery really made this an unputdownable marathon reading session to get to the ultimate answers I was so desperately craving. And the reveal when it happens is absolutely mind-blowing to say the least.
I feel like I rarely read books like this anymore, ones that are so captivating that I need to finish them in a day or two. I mean, this is a 400 page book that I devoured in roughly 48 hours, that's how utterly absorbing it is. I think what also made it so hard to put down was the fact that it was so interactive of an experience. The pages fly by effortlessly as the puzzle pieces are deftly laid out for the reader to put together. All the while Rian Hughes' background as a photographer, typographer, graphic designer, and comic book artist really shine through magnificently and lend another dimension that keeps every sense stimulated and your brain fully engaged the entire time you are reading.
Upon finishing THE BLACK LOCOMOTIVE I immediately hopped on Amazon and purchased Rian Hughes' first book XX. I remember seeing it marketed when it was published in 2020 but for some reason I never picked it up. Well that has since been rectified. If it's even half as good as this one I can't wait to crack it open and be immersed in another (I hope) brilliant sf adventure. But until then I will continue to sing the praises of this awesome follow-up. If you are looking for an engaging science-fiction mystery told in a thrilling, unique and unconventional way, you are going to absolutely love this book. I hope that it garners way more attention with the upcoming release of the paperback version in the US, as in my opinion it is one of the most entertaining and interesting stories I've ever read. Please feed me more stuff like this!
August 6, 2021
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rian Hughe's books are hard to describe using words. They're beautiful, weird, unsettling, GORGEOUS and unlike anything I have ever come across. You have to get hard copies of Hughe's work because reading it is an experience and you need to really see the design to understand that.
This is a book about architecture, technology, and what feels like a healthy dose of believable conspiracy theory. Trust me it works so well, I stayed up well into the night to finish this book as I just couldn't stop reading. There was a point in the book where parts just felt like they could be completely real and true and I found myself thinking that I wouldn't be surprised if this turned out to actually be a real thing.
It's hard to talk about The Black Locomotive without heading into spoiler territory. I firmly believe that you should go into this book knowing as little as possible. Hughes hurtles you through the plot, using differing PoV to give new angles and perspectives. It never slows down and there's a whole section involving a steam train that really ramps up the pace and gets your blood pumping.
Not only does this book contain some gorgeous imagery and illustrations but Hughes uses different fonts for each character. Not only do you get a sense of personality through the writing but you get an extra layer through the fonts that Hughes has chosen. There is nothing in this book that isn't there for a very good reason, and that each marking isn't random. It makes you appreciate everything just that little bit more.
The plot of The Black Locomotive is less dense than XX (which you should also read), but it doesn't make it any less incredible. I still found myself completely pulled in and awestruck by parts of this book. I wished this book was longer. It ended just at the moment where I wanted more. The plot just hits what could be the start of another act and then it's over! I respect Hughes' decision here because it works but I have a hope that maybe we'll get another book to explore what happens after this one. I felt like it wasn't quite over.
Secret societies, archaeology and a dose of sci-fi. That's just part of what you're getting in The Black Locomotive. Buy it, read it, display it and love it. That's my recommendation.
Rian Hughe's books are hard to describe using words. They're beautiful, weird, unsettling, GORGEOUS and unlike anything I have ever come across. You have to get hard copies of Hughe's work because reading it is an experience and you need to really see the design to understand that.
This is a book about architecture, technology, and what feels like a healthy dose of believable conspiracy theory. Trust me it works so well, I stayed up well into the night to finish this book as I just couldn't stop reading. There was a point in the book where parts just felt like they could be completely real and true and I found myself thinking that I wouldn't be surprised if this turned out to actually be a real thing.
It's hard to talk about The Black Locomotive without heading into spoiler territory. I firmly believe that you should go into this book knowing as little as possible. Hughes hurtles you through the plot, using differing PoV to give new angles and perspectives. It never slows down and there's a whole section involving a steam train that really ramps up the pace and gets your blood pumping.
Not only does this book contain some gorgeous imagery and illustrations but Hughes uses different fonts for each character. Not only do you get a sense of personality through the writing but you get an extra layer through the fonts that Hughes has chosen. There is nothing in this book that isn't there for a very good reason, and that each marking isn't random. It makes you appreciate everything just that little bit more.
The plot of The Black Locomotive is less dense than XX (which you should also read), but it doesn't make it any less incredible. I still found myself completely pulled in and awestruck by parts of this book. I wished this book was longer. It ended just at the moment where I wanted more. The plot just hits what could be the start of another act and then it's over! I respect Hughes' decision here because it works but I have a hope that maybe we'll get another book to explore what happens after this one. I felt like it wasn't quite over.
Secret societies, archaeology and a dose of sci-fi. That's just part of what you're getting in The Black Locomotive. Buy it, read it, display it and love it. That's my recommendation.
February 4, 2023
Superb
Read
February 10, 2022The team working on the secret Crossrail spur to Buckingham Palace run into something which doesn't make any sense. Soon, London is without power and descending into anarchy, and only an old trainspotters' urban myth can save the day... It's a pitch which could equally suggest a right old load of self-published bollocks, but the key thing is that this is by Rian Hughes, best known as an artist and then a designer, who has made of the book both a beautiful object, and one whose style reinforces its substance at every turn, right down to each point of view character having their own carefully selected typeface and to some extent their own genre. The artist in residence, for instance, obsessed with concrete, determined to be "the idealised compliant automaton" envisaged by the designers of his run-down tower block: he's pure Ballard. But between the book design's complicity in the unfolding narrative, and the big dumb object become far more sinister for turning up so close to home, instead of safely out in space, the obvious reference point for the overarching effect is House Of Leaves - at least, until things twist again, and we end up closer to a genre classic I won't name for fear of spoiling the surprise. And Hughes can write, the various styles jostling and interlocking, so that the lonely leader of the engineering team flashes back to a boyhood dream of joining "those other greats of English literature - Shakespeare, Milton, Patrick Moore and Richard Allen" even as the artist spirals into visions of urban trees emaciated because the streetlights won't let them sleep. It's not flawless, by any means: for a book so defined by particularity, interspersed with sample sheets, it's unfortunate that Hughes appears to have conflated two Box Hills which are a hundred miles apart. The operation of the blackout is wildly inconsistent, and there's one absolutely beautiful rush of prose when a character touches the mind of London which doesn't really make sense in context given London is at that point shut down. All the same, it is remarkable. I'm only sorry that it can never be the most outlandishly fantastical tale told about Crossrail, which remains the one where it's going to be a wonderful addition to London's transport network any day now.
October 5, 2021
Not a sum of its parts
Really slow at the beginning, but like the eponymous Black Locomotive it certainly picked up a head of steam in the last quarter. The Rutherford asides and Box Hill sections were tiresome, as were the endless diagrams
Really slow at the beginning, but like the eponymous Black Locomotive it certainly picked up a head of steam in the last quarter. The Rutherford asides and Box Hill sections were tiresome, as were the endless diagrams
December 30, 2025
The multimedia aspect is certainly cool, but the story itself is just a bit too sparse to be much of anything.
December 1, 2024
Where to start- like many other reviewers here the narrative struggles to find meaning as well a a cohesive “point.” It seems like the author had many ideas, concepts, and interests, and threw them all in a blender, called it a story.
I was initially very interested in the concept: mysterious subterranean space of unknown origin below the ever changing London. Even the notion that “The Anomaly” is able to influence and shape reality, i.e. London, is a very interesting concept, that, sadly, gets only a few paragraphs of exposition to explain but not expand upon. Seeing how this was done, or even, that as part of its larger purpose it needed to “steer” the car so to say to direct London’s evolution in order to achieve its means is only alluded to, never expanded upon.
We get multiple chapters on Rutherford examining spacial relationships but one or two pages on how a reality bending machine may have shaped the developmental path of one of the most influential cities in the world? Or how, in the multitude of years, and cultures, The Anomaly, which sought to “create” a new pilot/ bonded partner, only drew in 3 people? Seeing The Anomaly push its fingers on the scales, seeing it steer society and lure those it influenced to itself would be far more interesting. The crumbs of interesting ideas are there: I wanted a fully baked loaf.
I will comment that the train elements and characters around it are the better written, and more interesting aspects of the book. The Smokebox Crew elements were the most interesting, and creative part of the novel. Intertwining various perspectives, lives, and individuals at the penultimate climax of the story was the most interesting and page turning part of the book.
There is an idea here that I think was another “thread” just dangling that could have told a more interesting story: the clash of technology: old vs. new. The Black Locomotive (the character) is supposed to represent salvation for society: to look back to the past in the face of a techno-superiority/ issue. The problem is, as currently written/ set up, there is no conflict. The Anomaly is so advanced, there is no chance for conflict. Perhaps this is the authors commentary on advancement in general: it’s inevitable superiority. However, the Anomaly and its parties motivations with regard to humans, and London, are ambiguous at best, so you are left with a sense of “so what?” If the author would have expanded upon how the Anomaly had directed and steered society through its own influence, that would have mirrored well agains the Smokebox Crew members having to steer and direct the path of the Black Locomotive to create the direct conflict. Machine controlling culture vs. a group of society directing machine. Once again, the notions of an interesting idea are there.
I am not even going to try and explain or understand the entire chunk of the intergalactic alien war. It���s there. It’s not well written and could have been implied and still achieved the same purpose. To me, it is the “Alien” (films) conundrum: the less you know about the backstory the easier it is to buy into the premise. Less is more in this case, and it didn’t add any substance or backstory to the conflict the reader had been invested in, only adding a superfluous one (except for the ending?)
I don’t understand the ending. My wife even commented that I was furiously flipping pages looking for more after I read the last page, hoping for more resolution.
I am not sure what this is, but it doesn’t feel like a complete story. There are too many underdeveloped narrative ideas smashed together, like a hyperactive child with a limited attention span, this book wants everything in it, but ends up having very little as a result.
I was initially very interested in the concept: mysterious subterranean space of unknown origin below the ever changing London. Even the notion that “The Anomaly” is able to influence and shape reality, i.e. London, is a very interesting concept, that, sadly, gets only a few paragraphs of exposition to explain but not expand upon. Seeing how this was done, or even, that as part of its larger purpose it needed to “steer” the car so to say to direct London’s evolution in order to achieve its means is only alluded to, never expanded upon.
We get multiple chapters on Rutherford examining spacial relationships but one or two pages on how a reality bending machine may have shaped the developmental path of one of the most influential cities in the world? Or how, in the multitude of years, and cultures, The Anomaly, which sought to “create” a new pilot/ bonded partner, only drew in 3 people? Seeing The Anomaly push its fingers on the scales, seeing it steer society and lure those it influenced to itself would be far more interesting. The crumbs of interesting ideas are there: I wanted a fully baked loaf.
I will comment that the train elements and characters around it are the better written, and more interesting aspects of the book. The Smokebox Crew elements were the most interesting, and creative part of the novel. Intertwining various perspectives, lives, and individuals at the penultimate climax of the story was the most interesting and page turning part of the book.
There is an idea here that I think was another “thread” just dangling that could have told a more interesting story: the clash of technology: old vs. new. The Black Locomotive (the character) is supposed to represent salvation for society: to look back to the past in the face of a techno-superiority/ issue. The problem is, as currently written/ set up, there is no conflict. The Anomaly is so advanced, there is no chance for conflict. Perhaps this is the authors commentary on advancement in general: it’s inevitable superiority. However, the Anomaly and its parties motivations with regard to humans, and London, are ambiguous at best, so you are left with a sense of “so what?” If the author would have expanded upon how the Anomaly had directed and steered society through its own influence, that would have mirrored well agains the Smokebox Crew members having to steer and direct the path of the Black Locomotive to create the direct conflict. Machine controlling culture vs. a group of society directing machine. Once again, the notions of an interesting idea are there.
I am not even going to try and explain or understand the entire chunk of the intergalactic alien war. It���s there. It’s not well written and could have been implied and still achieved the same purpose. To me, it is the “Alien” (films) conundrum: the less you know about the backstory the easier it is to buy into the premise. Less is more in this case, and it didn’t add any substance or backstory to the conflict the reader had been invested in, only adding a superfluous one (except for the ending?)
I don’t understand the ending. My wife even commented that I was furiously flipping pages looking for more after I read the last page, hoping for more resolution.
I am not sure what this is, but it doesn’t feel like a complete story. There are too many underdeveloped narrative ideas smashed together, like a hyperactive child with a limited attention span, this book wants everything in it, but ends up having very little as a result.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 21, 2024
It had great potential but repeatedly squandered it by both talking too much and telling too little. If the author was trying to accomplish several beautiful character studies it failed because there was too much action and lore. If the author was trying to tell a story of human development in the pursuit of a higher purpose, there is no effective realization of self other than moments where the author tells you that his little Mary Sues who are so special and different and differently special are special and different enough to do things differently and specially enough that things go different and special for them.
Finding out that the author was a graphic designer explains quite a lot. The most interesting and human moment in the entire story was a brief, smirking look at the idealistic failures of modernist architecture. Something every design student learns about in year one, and plucked practically verbatim from the first short story in Gibson's Burning Chrome. Other than that it could have been written by an alien for how little all of its human characters actually related to a human experience.
This was a book in the same way that a commercial website is a painting. It has all the trappings of an artistic work done by someone who has no story to tell but thinks that he can innovate his way to success. How does he innovate on the way a book works? By adding some vaguely abstract diagrams (diagrams at least once poached without a lick of shame from The Measure of Man and Woman: Human Factors in Design by the Dreyfuss Associates) at the front of each chapter, as if that little touch will buy him literary success. And I'm ashamed to admit it seems to have worked.
In short this book smacks of nothing more than art by committee, planned and produced in such a way that it offends no one and accomplishes nothing more than looking superficially like that which it seeks to replicate.
2/5, it's not even decent pulp.
Finding out that the author was a graphic designer explains quite a lot. The most interesting and human moment in the entire story was a brief, smirking look at the idealistic failures of modernist architecture. Something every design student learns about in year one, and plucked practically verbatim from the first short story in Gibson's Burning Chrome. Other than that it could have been written by an alien for how little all of its human characters actually related to a human experience.
This was a book in the same way that a commercial website is a painting. It has all the trappings of an artistic work done by someone who has no story to tell but thinks that he can innovate his way to success. How does he innovate on the way a book works? By adding some vaguely abstract diagrams (diagrams at least once poached without a lick of shame from The Measure of Man and Woman: Human Factors in Design by the Dreyfuss Associates) at the front of each chapter, as if that little touch will buy him literary success. And I'm ashamed to admit it seems to have worked.
In short this book smacks of nothing more than art by committee, planned and produced in such a way that it offends no one and accomplishes nothing more than looking superficially like that which it seeks to replicate.
2/5, it's not even decent pulp.
August 11, 2021
“We designed them - but did our environment also design us?”
Once again Rian Hughes brings us a novel which is not quite like something I have read before.
The Black Locomotive is set in a world underneath the London that is well known to us. Through the vision of architecture, design, ad technology this story merges the past and present in a unique story that begins with the discovery of a strange anomaly. It is found underneath a secret Crossrail extension being built underneath Buckingham Palace. The more its investigate the more it becomes clear that before London came to be there was something else here and what does this mean for our future?
Right there I was intrigued as to how this story was going to unfold. There are distinctive characters who we are introduced to that play vital roles in answering these questions and some unexpected mysteries are solved along the way.
What makes this book stand out is the design work. Instantly its beautiful to look at from its all black aesthetic and intricately detailed graphics amongst the pages. Whats more is that the author chose to assign specific fonts to each character making it easier to tell who was who which can sometimes become confusing if the novel has many characters. Not just that we are given another QR code which links to a specific song which is important to a particular aspect of the story.
All in all I enjoyed this novel a lot. It is a feast for fans of Sci-Fi, trains and design. Much like the authors previous novel XX, A Novel Graphic, The Black Locomotive is unique in design with its story and appearance.
Once again Rian Hughes brings us a novel which is not quite like something I have read before.
The Black Locomotive is set in a world underneath the London that is well known to us. Through the vision of architecture, design, ad technology this story merges the past and present in a unique story that begins with the discovery of a strange anomaly. It is found underneath a secret Crossrail extension being built underneath Buckingham Palace. The more its investigate the more it becomes clear that before London came to be there was something else here and what does this mean for our future?
Right there I was intrigued as to how this story was going to unfold. There are distinctive characters who we are introduced to that play vital roles in answering these questions and some unexpected mysteries are solved along the way.
What makes this book stand out is the design work. Instantly its beautiful to look at from its all black aesthetic and intricately detailed graphics amongst the pages. Whats more is that the author chose to assign specific fonts to each character making it easier to tell who was who which can sometimes become confusing if the novel has many characters. Not just that we are given another QR code which links to a specific song which is important to a particular aspect of the story.
All in all I enjoyed this novel a lot. It is a feast for fans of Sci-Fi, trains and design. Much like the authors previous novel XX, A Novel Graphic, The Black Locomotive is unique in design with its story and appearance.
August 10, 2021
Like nothing I have ever read before and I’m not just saying that. This absolutely magnificent mind bending read by Rian Hughes is something to behold both in the physical book and the story itself.
Something of an Ode to London and all its history and glory and the wonderful steam trains of yesteryear, this frantic and completely crazy science fiction was a joy.
With pages of different styles and quirky characters to the fantastic artwork. It’s a book I would never have though to read let alone be so blown away by.
Truly brilliant, London, it’s architecture and it’s beating heart laid bare. A graphic novel that tells a modern and up to date tale and an exploration of the world we live in.
Superb 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Something of an Ode to London and all its history and glory and the wonderful steam trains of yesteryear, this frantic and completely crazy science fiction was a joy.
With pages of different styles and quirky characters to the fantastic artwork. It’s a book I would never have though to read let alone be so blown away by.
Truly brilliant, London, it’s architecture and it’s beating heart laid bare. A graphic novel that tells a modern and up to date tale and an exploration of the world we live in.
Superb 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
August 11, 2022
Video review https://youtu.be/9MAV3Reics8
January 5, 2023
Honestly, I couldn’t not give this book five starts.
At first, i was worried. This was my first read of the year, and you always want to start strong, don’t you?
Page two, and all I’m seeing it lots of technical words I can’t quite click with.
But i persevere. The blurb is awesome, and I’m a huge fan of graphic books.
And…it was COMPLETELY WORTH IT!!
All of a sudden I’m drawn into theses fascinating disussions about architecture, and what it means. Taking a trip in Rutherford’s mind as he analyses what a building represents, how graffiti can be symbolic of a person fighting against the monolithic structures designed to conform was nothing short of joyous. And social media, as a 3rd dimension, breaking away the subtle rules of society - this is where you eat, this is where you meet people - was inspired.
And then it got better.
Suddenly there’s drama, there’s metallic creativity, and there’s a club that comes together to help others help London just because of the belonging this simple common interest binds them together by. On a personal note, it was also pretty cool to get some of the older references to shows like The Prisoner.
This was so much more that just a bit of sci-fi. I went into The Black Locomotive hoping for something that blends images and graphics with storyline just as wells as The Illumine Files did, and I got my perfect down-to-earth-locomotive-artistic-engineering fantasy.
Incredible, on every level.
At first, i was worried. This was my first read of the year, and you always want to start strong, don’t you?
Page two, and all I’m seeing it lots of technical words I can’t quite click with.
But i persevere. The blurb is awesome, and I’m a huge fan of graphic books.
And…it was COMPLETELY WORTH IT!!
All of a sudden I’m drawn into theses fascinating disussions about architecture, and what it means. Taking a trip in Rutherford’s mind as he analyses what a building represents, how graffiti can be symbolic of a person fighting against the monolithic structures designed to conform was nothing short of joyous. And social media, as a 3rd dimension, breaking away the subtle rules of society - this is where you eat, this is where you meet people - was inspired.
And then it got better.
Suddenly there’s drama, there’s metallic creativity, and there’s a club that comes together to help others help London just because of the belonging this simple common interest binds them together by. On a personal note, it was also pretty cool to get some of the older references to shows like The Prisoner.
This was so much more that just a bit of sci-fi. I went into The Black Locomotive hoping for something that blends images and graphics with storyline just as wells as The Illumine Files did, and I got my perfect down-to-earth-locomotive-artistic-engineering fantasy.
Incredible, on every level.
October 26, 2021
This got five stars because it is simply superb. After reading so many post apocalyptic novels this year, Rian Hughes encapsulates everything that personally excites me; steam engines, secret societies, crashed spaceships - oh and did I mention steam engines? It also describes in wonderful detail the architecture of cities - here it is outer and inner London.
Great plot, wonderful pacing, marvellous characters, and a Black Locomotive. Sci fi at its absolute best.
Great plot, wonderful pacing, marvellous characters, and a Black Locomotive. Sci fi at its absolute best.
September 28, 2021
This will be one of the novels that since finishing, I will randomly see something that reminds me of this story and think back about how great it is. While this started out rooted in a familiar reality with some strangeness mixed in, once the chains are broken, this story literally takes off to blow your mind. It's also a really introspective look at humans, our creativity, and how we've seemingly overengineered our planet. At least that's what I got out of it.
September 18, 2021
The Black Locomotive is a visual feast for the eyes. It is a magnificent genre mind-bending sci-fi story.
What captured my attention was the quirky characters and personalities within the story. Interspersed throughout the book with design logos and artwork that elevates the background to the plot and overall story. Leaving me feeling mesmerised by the experience.
The story feels like a homage to London, as it is centred around the building of the Crossrail tunnel extension. As the discovery of a strange anomaly is uncovered under Buckingham Palace that has consequences for the city of London.
At first, the story feels like an archaeological puzzle, one that transforms our understanding of history - and the origins of London itself. Interwoven throughout the story is the discovery of a Black Steam Locomotive.
As for the story and plot, It feels like a very linear story. It unfolds in a very straightforward logical fashion. This fused with the artwork was a visual experience, I enjoyed both the discovery of the Anomaly and the Black Locomotive storylines and how they came together towards the end. I can't help but feel completely blown away by this book. Both the story and artwork captured my attention. Dare I say there could even be a sequel.
What captured my attention was the quirky characters and personalities within the story. Interspersed throughout the book with design logos and artwork that elevates the background to the plot and overall story. Leaving me feeling mesmerised by the experience.
The story feels like a homage to London, as it is centred around the building of the Crossrail tunnel extension. As the discovery of a strange anomaly is uncovered under Buckingham Palace that has consequences for the city of London.
At first, the story feels like an archaeological puzzle, one that transforms our understanding of history - and the origins of London itself. Interwoven throughout the story is the discovery of a Black Steam Locomotive.
As for the story and plot, It feels like a very linear story. It unfolds in a very straightforward logical fashion. This fused with the artwork was a visual experience, I enjoyed both the discovery of the Anomaly and the Black Locomotive storylines and how they came together towards the end. I can't help but feel completely blown away by this book. Both the story and artwork captured my attention. Dare I say there could even be a sequel.
March 21, 2022
A high 4 star, just pushing, but not quite making, a 5.
WHAT ON EARTH!!! WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON!??!?! THIS BOOK! THIS BOOK IS MADDNESS! MADDNESS I TELL YOU!
I
LOVED
IT
My word that was something completely different. And by different, I mean to any book I have ever seen, let alone read. I’m not really sure where to start with this review as my brain is still recovering from the wringing out it has just received but I shall endeavour to try.
This book is a must read for anyone that likes Sci-Fi, trains, London and architecture. Or just enjoys a good mind twisting read. I won’t go on about the different types of fonts and design used as it seems every other reviewer has done this better than I could, but I will say as someone who is forced to work in the construction industry, I did enjoy the CAD drawings and in-depth discussions on architectural detail. Mr Hughes is a man who knows his architectural stuff.
I went into this story expecting it to be basically a retelling of Quatermass and the Pit; but apart from the general likeness of a big fuck off spacecraft being found under London whilst extending a transport tunnel it is very, very, different. This is a story about London, about the otherworldly origins of London, of technology and of what happens when technology fails.
The parts in the book where London goes bonkers after the electricity has given out made me feel sick as that could oh so easily happen. It was far to real for my liking and as a Londoner it turned my stomach.
Bravo for that though.
The sections where the spacecraft was telling its story actually hurt my mind, time travel interdimensional stuff is not something I understand, and this was a deep dive into the idea. But my god to have thought up this part of the story is astonishing, and I did not see this coming at all. I just expected a neat little story about aliens landing on earth and chilling out. This was a lot more subtle and fabulously done. Appreciate the nod to the sun God Ra here to.
Speaking of things, I didn’t see coming…
The end.
The end.
WHERE LONDON FUCKING TAKES OFF AND ORBITS THE EARTH!
I must have stared at the page for about 5 minutes taking that little nugget it. My god that blindsided me but my god it was great. But where do we go from here? And what will happen to the rest of England now there is a big London shaped hole in it? I feel we need a sequel.
I didn’t particularly like or relate to any of the characters, but they were all real, the kind of people that actually populate London here and now. I did however nearly shed a tear when the Black Locomotive met it’s end in the bowels of London. The section with the train speeding to save London was epic and my heart was actually racing along with the engine.
Fabulous writing.
A fabulous imagination.
Truly, there is nothing else out there quite like this for you to read.
WHAT ON EARTH!!! WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON!??!?! THIS BOOK! THIS BOOK IS MADDNESS! MADDNESS I TELL YOU!
I
LOVED
IT
My word that was something completely different. And by different, I mean to any book I have ever seen, let alone read. I’m not really sure where to start with this review as my brain is still recovering from the wringing out it has just received but I shall endeavour to try.
This book is a must read for anyone that likes Sci-Fi, trains, London and architecture. Or just enjoys a good mind twisting read. I won’t go on about the different types of fonts and design used as it seems every other reviewer has done this better than I could, but I will say as someone who is forced to work in the construction industry, I did enjoy the CAD drawings and in-depth discussions on architectural detail. Mr Hughes is a man who knows his architectural stuff.
I went into this story expecting it to be basically a retelling of Quatermass and the Pit; but apart from the general likeness of a big fuck off spacecraft being found under London whilst extending a transport tunnel it is very, very, different. This is a story about London, about the otherworldly origins of London, of technology and of what happens when technology fails.
The parts in the book where London goes bonkers after the electricity has given out made me feel sick as that could oh so easily happen. It was far to real for my liking and as a Londoner it turned my stomach.
Bravo for that though.
The sections where the spacecraft was telling its story actually hurt my mind, time travel interdimensional stuff is not something I understand, and this was a deep dive into the idea. But my god to have thought up this part of the story is astonishing, and I did not see this coming at all. I just expected a neat little story about aliens landing on earth and chilling out. This was a lot more subtle and fabulously done. Appreciate the nod to the sun God Ra here to.
Speaking of things, I didn’t see coming…
The end.
The end.
WHERE LONDON FUCKING TAKES OFF AND ORBITS THE EARTH!
I must have stared at the page for about 5 minutes taking that little nugget it. My god that blindsided me but my god it was great. But where do we go from here? And what will happen to the rest of England now there is a big London shaped hole in it? I feel we need a sequel.
I didn’t particularly like or relate to any of the characters, but they were all real, the kind of people that actually populate London here and now. I did however nearly shed a tear when the Black Locomotive met it’s end in the bowels of London. The section with the train speeding to save London was epic and my heart was actually racing along with the engine.
Fabulous writing.
A fabulous imagination.
Truly, there is nothing else out there quite like this for you to read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
dnf
January 7, 2022Currently a dnf.
Still hoping to finish it. It just wasn't what I expected/wanted right now
Still hoping to finish it. It just wasn't what I expected/wanted right now
November 4, 2023
This book was intriguing and written well. The style of the book was unique with pictures and other interactive elements that made it enjoyable. I liked how each character had their own font to denote their point of view. The story itself was slow building and though came to good stopping point, felt a little unfinished. The concept of the smokeboxers was very cool and was fun to see it out into action at the end and the power of camaraderie and community. Though the anomaly has its perspective, I was left a little confused on its purpose to the city itself and how it’s war would continue. Despite all of that I couldn’t really stop reading and had me hooked after like page 100
March 18, 2025
I’m so confused. I liked the book it was visually very interesting but the whole way through I had kind of no idea what was happening and was waiting for an explanation. The ending was sudden and im not left wondering what’s going to happen next, I’m wondering what the fuck happened the entire time.
June 8, 2025
I really wanted to like this, especially as the authors precious book XX is one of the best and most creative things I've ever written. This book has its moments that remind me of that quality, but it fails to maintain it. Also, it just kinda ends abruptly without any sense of closure. To the best of my knowledge it isn't the first of a series
April 11, 2024
Unique book with very carefully curated content and information that is otherworldly in design yet still rooted in the real world. Unfortunately this book is also very confusing and certain chapters I did not understand at all. I really enjoyed the CAD drawings and thought they helped explain the story a lot.
June 16, 2025
I tried so hard with this book because the idea of a subterranean giant monster/alien forming part of a city is so cool to me. But this book drags so much for having such an exciting premise. Constant changes in POV are so disorientating. At points I felt I was reading one interesting book and two different mediocre books at the same time. I carried on slowly because I like to finish books and I did not finish the last book I read, but the ending is rushed and definitely did not pay off the buildup. I think the author likes listening to his own voice, and he cannot write women characters to save his life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 15, 2025
I loved this! The visual elements, how industrial it is, the story and the characters.
I read a review of this book and it sounded just up my street, I purchased it in 2022 and then with moving and everything it took me a long time to get to reading this, glad I finally got to it.
I read a review of this book and it sounded just up my street, I purchased it in 2022 and then with moving and everything it took me a long time to get to reading this, glad I finally got to it.
February 28, 2022
A graphic novel, graphic in both words and illustrations, that better than most shows what it is like to encounter truly alien minds. Fascinating.
January 18, 2022
Como bonito, el libro es precioso. Distintos tipos de letra para cada personaje, montones de diagramas. Diseño gráfico a montón, máquinas de tren a vapor, una historia que engancha... pero inacabada. Es original, y mezcla la pasión por conocer el mundo tanto del ingeniero como del artista. Pero final, lo que se dice final... final no tiene, que es una jugada que me joroba infinito porque es algo tramposa, porque si no vas a cerrar una novela con un buen final, te puedes soltar el pelo lo que quieras por medio, abrir todos los melones que te apetezca, soltar todos los osos polares de Lost, sin obligación de luego darles coherencia.
Vamos, que está acabando y te quedas ahí pensando ¿y ahora como arreglas esto, galán? Y en lugar de un final te atiza dos páginas en blanco y unas cuantas más de análisis numérico del texto, que si tantas palabras, tantas frases, tantos personajes, tantas vocales y tanta po..., y más gráficos, que no sea por gráficos, pero final... eso para qué.
Vamos, que está acabando y te quedas ahí pensando ¿y ahora como arreglas esto, galán? Y en lugar de un final te atiza dos páginas en blanco y unas cuantas más de análisis numérico del texto, que si tantas palabras, tantas frases, tantos personajes, tantas vocales y tanta po..., y más gráficos, que no sea por gráficos, pero final... eso para qué.
February 5, 2022
To thoroughly enjoy this book requires an appreciation for both geometric shapes and the industrial minutiae of train operations. Without these, the book drones on – and even then, the purpose of such attention to detail never fully materializes... adding character without a point where it matters. Unfortunately, the architectural illustrations, which I found intriguing at first, don't complement the writing much either. Several major plot points are glossed over, as the reader is left to believe certain characters are willing to take existential risks without due motivation. Almost in the Vonnegut style of Cat's Cradle, the science fiction elements are peppered throughout but don't fully come to bear on the story until the end. This is a book that I was glad to be done reading.
March 26, 2022
Abandoned. Slow, too slow.
November 13, 2025
This book, if that's really what is should be called, breaks a lot of conventions. I need a new name for what this type of work is (graphic book?) or I need to expand my definition of what a book is. Either way, I enjoyed reading (and viewing) this tremendously!
There is something of a plot here but really I think what we have is Rian Hughes being deeply invested in a few topics and showcasing that here:
* London
* Trains
* Design
Hughes clearly has spent a lot of time in London and has a deep love and appreciation for it. This comes through most clearly not when he's talking about really well-known landmarks or tourist attractions, but when he refers to the little side streets and hidden corners. This is a man who has clearly wandered around London with the intention of getting lost in it. Rutherford was such a brilliant character. He is the avatar of the city (the type I had hoped to have seen in The City We Became), moulded by the good, the bad, and the ugly. I think if I had one complaint with regards to this part of the book, it would be that too much of the bad and the ugly are glossed over.
Next we have trains. I don't know much about trains though I definitely have a deeper appreciation for them after this book. Still, their inclusion in the plot seemed highly contrived.
Finally let's talk about design. According to Wikipedia, Hughes is:
Utilising this background is really what makes this book standout, almost to the point of being in a class of its own. We have simple choices, like giving each protagonist their own font. And then we have the far more complex. The book is filled with pages of design, be it CAD designs of construction vehicles, architectural layouts, or tilings of materials, it feels like we get a glimpse into how Hughes views the world, as a designer first and an author second. We think we shape spaces but really they shape us too, and I get the sense that Hughes wants the readers to think deeply about this.
Perhaps the major letdown of this book was the plot, or the lack thereof. So much time was spent in the earlier parts of the book exploring character backgrounds and the city of London, that when the pieces start to come together and the action starts to build, the book is suddenly and abruptly at an end.
With all that said, I do highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the three topics I mentioned above or those looking to branch out in their reading and taste something a little different, a little weird.
There is something of a plot here but really I think what we have is Rian Hughes being deeply invested in a few topics and showcasing that here:
* London
* Trains
* Design
Hughes clearly has spent a lot of time in London and has a deep love and appreciation for it. This comes through most clearly not when he's talking about really well-known landmarks or tourist attractions, but when he refers to the little side streets and hidden corners. This is a man who has clearly wandered around London with the intention of getting lost in it. Rutherford was such a brilliant character. He is the avatar of the city (the type I had hoped to have seen in The City We Became), moulded by the good, the bad, and the ugly. I think if I had one complaint with regards to this part of the book, it would be that too much of the bad and the ugly are glossed over.
Next we have trains. I don't know much about trains though I definitely have a deeper appreciation for them after this book. Still, their inclusion in the plot seemed highly contrived.
Finally let's talk about design. According to Wikipedia, Hughes is:
a British graphic designer, illustrator, type designer, comics artist and novelist.
Utilising this background is really what makes this book standout, almost to the point of being in a class of its own. We have simple choices, like giving each protagonist their own font. And then we have the far more complex. The book is filled with pages of design, be it CAD designs of construction vehicles, architectural layouts, or tilings of materials, it feels like we get a glimpse into how Hughes views the world, as a designer first and an author second. We think we shape spaces but really they shape us too, and I get the sense that Hughes wants the readers to think deeply about this.
Perhaps the major letdown of this book was the plot, or the lack thereof. So much time was spent in the earlier parts of the book exploring character backgrounds and the city of London, that when the pieces start to come together and the action starts to build, the book is suddenly and abruptly at an end.
With all that said, I do highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the three topics I mentioned above or those looking to branch out in their reading and taste something a little different, a little weird.
April 4, 2024
I had never run into the debut novel XX, so this was my first introduction to the marvelous writer, typography specialist, illustrator, and comic creator Rian Hughes. The Black Locomotive is less a graphic novel than a black-and-white, slightly steampunk version of Mark Z. Danielewski's technicolor multi-volume novel, The Familiar. Reading this 400-page book may be a rapid endeavor, but it goes by quickly, and not just because many pages are taken up by illustrations. When Hughes decides to give us prose, it can be breathtaking and near-miraculous, particularly in the sections voicing the actions of the conceptual artist Lloyd Rutherford.
If I was going to be empathetic to those who prefer a more linear and text-oriented story, I might be inclined to give the book a high four stars rather than five. But I had to admit to myself how well the prose, the architectural diagrams, the dialogue, the songs, the freakout illustrations, fit together to create a story that is far more complex and vaster in scope than one might anticipate in the early pages. Hughes' descriptive and illustrative talents are only eclipsed by his imagination, and the ability to hone that imagination into a storytelling that is far beyond the capabilities of most.
The novel centers on a small group of engineers who are expanding London's Underground with secret undocumented tunnels meant for the employ of the Royal Family and MI-6. The tunnel borers are completely halted in their work by a huge and undefinable entity called Anomaly 36, which is a vast (building? machine? formerly living being?) which has been underneath the bulk of Greater London since Neolithic times. The bulk of the action involves various protagonists like Rutherford, Austin Arnold, Georgia Ash, and the Lord Hawke Black Locomotive, who all have a role in trying to uncover the mystery of the Anomaly.
Beyond that, I can't say too much more. I reserve most of my five-star ratings for massive novels or voluminous nonfiction works, ones where every detail is right. Every now and then, I'll find a 200-page novel or a slim, understated book of essays that fully deserves a place among the blockbusters. This novel may be too contrived or precious for some. But it displays an incredible capacity for writing, documenting, designing, and describing from an author who is exceptionally empathetic and attentive to everything going on around him.
If I was going to be empathetic to those who prefer a more linear and text-oriented story, I might be inclined to give the book a high four stars rather than five. But I had to admit to myself how well the prose, the architectural diagrams, the dialogue, the songs, the freakout illustrations, fit together to create a story that is far more complex and vaster in scope than one might anticipate in the early pages. Hughes' descriptive and illustrative talents are only eclipsed by his imagination, and the ability to hone that imagination into a storytelling that is far beyond the capabilities of most.
The novel centers on a small group of engineers who are expanding London's Underground with secret undocumented tunnels meant for the employ of the Royal Family and MI-6. The tunnel borers are completely halted in their work by a huge and undefinable entity called Anomaly 36, which is a vast (building? machine? formerly living being?) which has been underneath the bulk of Greater London since Neolithic times. The bulk of the action involves various protagonists like Rutherford, Austin Arnold, Georgia Ash, and the Lord Hawke Black Locomotive, who all have a role in trying to uncover the mystery of the Anomaly.
Beyond that, I can't say too much more. I reserve most of my five-star ratings for massive novels or voluminous nonfiction works, ones where every detail is right. Every now and then, I'll find a 200-page novel or a slim, understated book of essays that fully deserves a place among the blockbusters. This novel may be too contrived or precious for some. But it displays an incredible capacity for writing, documenting, designing, and describing from an author who is exceptionally empathetic and attentive to everything going on around him.
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