Hell Train: A Horror Novel: The Cursed Manuscripts

The Cursed Manuscripts

by Iain Rob Wright

On December 21, 2012, according to the Mayan Calendar, the world was supposed to end. It didn't. But on that day, 113 mysterious manuscripts were discovered around the world, each one written in blood by an unknown author. After several dozen unexplained deaths befell the finders of said manuscripts, a decision was made to lock them up for good in a secret vault beneath the Vatican. It is said that anyone who reads the stories will die, and as such they are now referred to as 'The Cursed Manuscripts.'

In December 2020, new manuscripts started turning up around the world. 'Hell Train' was one of them.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Ghosts, Paranormal, Fantasy, Audiobook, Ebooks

200 pages, Hardcover

Published May 16, 2022

About the author

With over 50 novels written over 16 years, Iain Rob Wright is the well-respected British horror author with a reputation for reliably scaring his readers. His books have sold millions of copies worldwide, earned tens of thousands of reader reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, and are being translated into multiple languages.

He is currently best known for the Cursed Manuscripts shared horror universe, the apocalyptic Hell on Earth series, and many stand-alone chillers such as The Room Upstairs and Scrapbook.

J. A. Konrath, New York Times bestselling thriller author, claims, "Iain Rob Wright scares the hell out of me!"

Born and raised in England's West Midlands, Iain now lives in the beautiful, gothic County Durham with his family, 2 pugs, and a cat named Tigz. When he is not writing horror, he is reading horror, watching horror, or playing Stardew Valley.

WHERE TO START: If you have never read Iain Rob Wright before, try Witch - the first Cursed Manuscript and the entry point to the universe - or The Gates, the opener of the Hell on Earth saga. Both are available FREE with Kindle Unlimited.

For new releases, free stories, and the occasional confession of authorial despair, readers can find Iain through his author page on Amazon or by visiting his website (where you can download 6 of his books absolutely FREE).

Iain's work has been compared to Stephen King, Richard Laymon, and James Herbert - the three writers he credits with making him want to scare people for a living.

Reviews

[John Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Struggled with this one!

I read all the four and five star reviews and really looked forward to reading this story. Unfortunately, I found it rather tedious. The idea was good, very good in fact but, the characters seemed underdeveloped (to me at least). The moral of the story appeared to be that good will always triumph over evil. Perhaps I should revisit this story in the future and then, perhaps, I will agree with all the five star reviewers. Until then I remain somewhat confused.

[Tara Losacano · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an awesome read! I enjoyed getting to know the characters and seeing how they reacted to the violent anomalies happening on the train. There were some super suspenseful moments and high tension was a constant. I can't wait for the next book in the Cursed Manuscripts! 4/5 guilty skulls 💀

[Oxy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Stars. Mans did not enjoy reading this book, felt tedious.

[Betsy Byrd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

I love how it all goes together... I definitely didn't see that coming! I really liked this one!! I think it was the best!!

[coty ☆ · Rating 1 out of 5]

the author describes this as a love letter to "the langoliers" and honestly i think it sets himself up for failure immediately because that sets a high bar that the story never reaches. the langoliers instills a dread in you immediately, and hell train really does try but the "horror" present is such a bad trope that is just a little embarrassing to read. the writing feels a little juvenile, the story needed another pass or three through editing, and the characters are very one-note and walking stereotypes that really make me cringe. i'm sorry but reading this in the days following yet another attack on the lgbt community solely for existing made it very difficult to swallow a gay character being written as a predatory psychopath (and he's not even the worst stereotype in this story.) maybe i would be nicer in my rating if not for that, but it really has left a sour taste in my mouth and sullied any potential i could've seen in the story.

[Mylene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh…. we are just f$$&$&ed!!!!

I read everything Iain writes. He just has this amazing imagination. His forte is characters. The majority of his stories are about a group of characters stuck in a supernatural and/or impossible situation. Hell Train is no different. I really like he tied this book to the original Cursed Manuscript “The Witch”. Can’t wait for more, Iain!!!!

[Amber J (Thereadingwitch) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad. I didnt love it, but it was interesting enough. Not scary really but more just a dark undertone the whole time. Like you knew something was off from the beginning.

[Maxine (Booklover Catlady) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of my absolute favourites from this Author I really like but by no means the worst. Basic plot is a bunch of misfits on a train late at night and really weird stuff starts going down. Meet some incredibly unpleasant characters and many a moment of what the heck is going on.

Wright never shies away from dark, evil or gory. He didn’t here either. It’s got all the events of a fun horror ride except you are on a horror train. Really bizarre stuff keeps happening to passengers on this train and eventually you are able to piece parts of it together but for a while it’s definitely a mind scramble.

Vengeful spirit. No forgiveness here. No mercy allowed. The penalty must be paid. The toll is due (that’s me just getting a bit excited with descriptives). 😂

I did really like the ending of this one. Plenty of pace and tension. The whole book has you easily commuted from the start. Would I have liked done things done a little differently? Yeah I would but overall this was a quick, dark horror read that kept me entertained. 3 stars for this one.

Thanks so much for taking a little time to read my review. Your likes and comments mean a lot to me. 😻 Feel free to add me as a friend or follow me for more book reviews.

If you are an Author or Publisher and would like to ask me to review any books my email address is in my bio.

[Venus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welp. I really wasn’t trying to read this entire series. But it looks like I’m committed now. This is the third one I’ve read, although I’ve read them out of order because they are supposed to be standalone, this one ends with such a cliffhanger, I absolutely have to read the next one now. So here I go.

I stayed up all night reading this one and read the whole thing in one sitting. No regrets. And it was actually legitimately scary. And I don’t get scared very easily. I love horror movies, and I live alone in a big old Victorian house in the middle of the woods. But yeah, there was some freaky stuff in this one.

I’m very impressed by this authors ability to weave a story. My only complaint so far is that he picks remarkably annoying characters. I realize they are supposed to be annoying, but it’s downright painful. This one had the most annoying of all so far: Mudz

Between the characters ridiculous slang and outright an inexplicable violent tendencies, I wanted to strangle him the whole time, and I was ridiculously happy when he died. The book just got better after he was removed.

Anyway I liked the moral lessons in this book as well. So freaking good.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a twisted ride that was. It was definitely worth the read and it kept me on the edge of my seat. I can't continue to review it without giving it away... But it's worthwhile

[Andi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fab short horror, smashed through it in a couple.of days! I didn't see the twists or where it might end, and the extra... well that was thought provoking!

I have the next one ready from this series but I have at least one before, but I an VERY intrigued

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down

I read this in 1 day. It grabs you in the beginning and doesn't let go. I highly recommend it.

[Hazel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Stuff 'n' Things

I think I can safely say that I am a fan of Mr Wright's work; rarely have I been disappointed with anything he has written and Hell Train is no exception.

At the beginning of the book, Mr Wright tells us that his inspiration is Stephen King's The Langoliers and whilst I can definitely see this (and understand because I love The Langoliers), Hell Train is very much an original story.

Mr Wright has a great knack of making the normal develop into something that is totally abnormal and here he does it again. A simple train journey in the middle of the day becomes something entirely different when the train enters a tunnel.

With characters that you love and some you love to hate, a plot that is intriguing and different, a pace that is relentless with no words wasted, with twists that will shock and scenes that might leave you feeling a tad queasy, Hell Train is a quick and enjoyable read and one that I would recommend to lovers of horror.

My thanks must go to Iain for accepting me into his "street team" and for allowing me to read Hell Train and to share my thoughts.

[Terry and dog · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I'll catch the next train, thanks
I just finished reading this and I am traumatized, and my hair is probably a mess. Oh, the humanity! This is a great interpretation of people trapped in a small area and dealing with the horrific unknown. Nice people, and people that speak a different version of english ( a way of speaking that took a moment to decipher at first). It had so much atmosphere and suspense, and dread. Sadness and love. A very interesting adversary with a story of their own, and a bunch of action and blood. I devoured this book in one go. <3

[Suzanne Lopes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well Goodreads family, we meet again (sort of I guess 😁 ) I gave book 📖 2 ⭐️⭐️ I was disappointed because the the other 2 books from this series was really really good 😊 When I read a book I create the scenario in my head (I hope you guys do too, well at least I hope you do) Anyway, back to what I was saying, the book talked about the different characters in the book and what their intentions were. I don’t do spoilers but all these characters were stuck in a train carriage. All these weird and demonic things 👿👹 started happening. Honestly, I feel like the storyline was all over the place. I don’t know maybe it was just me, I really didn’t like the book. This book was the last one from the series The Cursed Manuscript. The other 2 were on point. I loved it. I am definitely a fan of this author ✍️. Trust me, read at least the first book of this series called The Witch 🧙 it is really really good. Well at least I did. Oh I almost forgot if you read the first book which is the Witch and then you read the last book Hell Train the end of this book is going to go back to the ending of the first book, and you’ll see what happens to Jude (the main character). So, I suggest you read and see what happens!! See you at my next review 😉

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC for this one and I’m glad. It’s a great addition to the Cursed Manuscripts series and I definitely recommend it. Strange and creepy, and nicely unpredictable. I wondered how it linked with the series and was rewarded toward the end with the answer to that. The characters were interesting and developed, and I rooted for many of them, some of whom didn’t make it. Definitely some surprises there! Enjoy this one.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

🫥

I was really looking forward to this one with it's nod to the langoliers but for me it was let down with the gang slang. I get it, it was probably too being it to the modern age as of today but I found it really tedious talk and if I'm honest I think the book would have been better without those two characters.
Other than that it was a good enough story. The premise was good.

[Jacqui · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this but it is my least favourite in the series so far. There was some decent body horror, blood and gore, but I just couldn't get past the terrible villain and motive. I like that each book can be read as a standalone yet there is that continuation. Looking forward to the next one.

[Billie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful addition to this thrilling series!
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building that adds so much to the story.
Such a thrilling read that I couldn't put it down.
Can't wait to read more of these.
Recommend reading.

I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

[bookish_emmxx · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐

[Emma Darcy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The imagery gets a bit silly, like looney tunes horror .

[Laura Lougher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent - quite short but very entertaining, a perfect homage to the King, Stephen, that is.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a railroad of emotions!!

I absolutely enjoyed this read the characters some I liked and others I hated but in a horror book everyone can't be nice that's the point of it isn't it.

This book has lots of shock, horror and gasp out loud moments and twists and turns and the ending totally concluded the book nicely, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

Loving this series so far, every book I read by this author I have demolished. Looking forward to the next installment of THE CURSED MANUSCRIPTS - AWESOME READ!!! You won't be disappointed.

[Elizabeth Hobbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

It reminded me of a tale from the dark side story, the last car, in a good way. It really is a horror novel, I felt claustrophobic and a little queasy reading this, but I read it in one go. I couldn't bear it, and also couldn't put it down. It starts out as the horror of living a modern city life, then gets weird. I need a drink and to watch a cartoon now, and if that isn't an endorsement of a horror novel, I don't know what is.

[Bianca & pancho Aldama · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book reminds me of an episode of black mirror or the twilight zone and im sure other feel the same,its not a bad thing.is it worth the read??? maybe for Halloween but randomly..no

[Vicki Herbert · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Sore... er, Sacrificed Spouse...

No Spoilers. 2 stars. Commuters on a 20 year old train pass slaughtered animals on the tracks and enter a tunnel with a gruesome effigy above its entrance...

From that point on murder and mayhem ensue as the passengers find the train suspended in motion and themselves in the dark...

Literally...

Then they learn that they're to become offerings to The Sacraficed Spouse who is also a poor sport...

... and sore at humanity because she was forced to give the ultimate (her life) for the greater good of her community...

I liked this author's first CURSED MANUSCRIPTS offering titled WITCH because it was a different take on a witch but his second installment, ZOMBIE, paled in comparison and sadly HELL TRAIN was a bomb!... and not in a good way.

The author goes back to his same old storyline of teens and British thugs who cannot be controlled as they create chaos for law-abiding citizens... Puleese!

This series went from stellar to ho hum and I'm really not sure if I'm willing to stay with it for a 4th installment.

I found this story so boring and trite with so little character development that I put it aside to read 2 novels in between so... I really can't recommend it.

This plot went something like this: This happened then that happened then this happened again then that happened again... no lead in just bam, bam, zowie!

It seems like everything I've read lately in British horror has the same old plots: no adequate cell phone coverage and thugs running rampant in their streets. C'mon is England really that unsafe or is the author just asking us to swallow a lot of hog-wash?

If you're looking for a good haunted train story try PHANTOM NIGHTS by John Farris. WITCH by this author is a good story, the others in the series not so much.

[ad_astras · Rating 2 out of 5]

A weird, short little book about some people trapped on a train - a little like Down Bound Train but less fun.

The writing was meh, worse than what I’ve come to expect from this author, and a bit cringe. Lots of random drug taking and stabbings.

It just kind of went on too long??? Despite being less than 200 pages??

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hell Train - 5/5
By Iain Rob Wright

Easily the best book in the series. A short train ride to Birmingham, quickly turns into a never ending journey.

This story had everything - characters you love, characters you love to hate, strangers trapped in a weird situation and a creepy revengeful entity - HELL TRAIN was a book I could just not put down!

[Twila · Rating 1 out of 5]

What kind of name is clip? Does the author realize that not everyone understands Spanish? This book gave me a headache! I couldn’t even finish it! It is by far the worst book of the series. I certainly hope the rest of the books are not like this.

[Ronald Wooten · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nope.

Not worth turning the first page. A complete waste of a day. Looking for a good book? It's not here.