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Shadow Zone #5
The Undead Express
When city kid Zach gets lost in a subway station that's under construction, he ends up on a very strange looking train--filled with riders who look and act even weirder than usual. Soon he finds out why--his fellow passengers are bloodthirsty vampires. Next stop, Transylvania: Zach has just bought himself a one way ride on The Undead Express!
123 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 24, 2020
Thus far in the series, ghosts, werewolves, witches, and electronic phantoms have escaped the Shadow Zone to roam our world. What supernatural entity is next? Sixth-grader Zach Kincaid's parents are divorced, so he lives most of the time with his father in a loft apartment, then stays with his mother every other weekend in her posh New York City flat. Usually the solo commute uptown is uneventful, but on his latest trip Zach has an ominous encounter. Instead of the regular Number 6 train pulling up, an old-fashioned train car zooms by on the tracks, full of pale-faced people staring out. One man has a hypnotic charisma even at a distance, and Zach feels compelled to walk across the tracks toward him. The car disappears from view before any harm befalls Zach, but he has an eerie feeling about the episode.
Zach puts the experience out of mind until he's leaving his mother's flat to go home. He wanders alone into an unfamiliar part of Grand Central Terminal, and the pale man from the old-fashioned train approaches him. Valentine Cutter wears a cape and has long, fang-like teeth. He claims to be a vampire, and if his appearance didn't convince Zach, the small horde of the undead flanking him would. A transportation mogul in early twentieth century New York, Valentine entered the Shadow Zone in 1905 and now stalks the city's abandoned subway tunnels on his train, the Undead Express, condemned to perish if daylight touches his skin. He invites Zach into his subterranean home.
Most kids would hesitate to share this story with friends and family, but Zach is upfront about Valentine once he arrives home. He didn't expect his father to believe, but Zach is annoyed when his best friends Gabrielle (Gabe) Lattanzi and J.T. Heffernan are convinced he's fibbing. Attempts to get photographic evidence of Valentine's gang fail, but the vampire takes Zach's visits in stride, protecting him from the others who want to drain the boy's blood to sate their thirst. Valentine gradually wedges himself into Zach's life, causing chaos in his relationships with his parents and friends. Zach suddenly resents Gabe and J.T., holding them at a distance and becoming a loner. They worry about him and do their best to help even if Zach shows no gratitude, but when dealing with paranormal monsters not everything is what it seems. It's too late for Zach to make a clean break with the Undead Express on his own, but can a pair of faithful friends tip the balance? Do Zach, Gabe, and J.T. possess the ingenuity to escape the cursed subway and destroy the undead inhabiting its maze of tunnels?
The Undead Express surpasses the excitement of most Shadow Zone books, and there's more to it than horror. Years of telling casual lies has caught up to Zach; strict honesty never mattered to him before, so why should Gabe and J.T. believe his claim about vampires? It would be a huge relief if they did, but Zach hasn't earned that trust. It gives him something to think about for the future, if he lives to see it. The weakness of Zach's judgment is also exposed as he falls in with Valentine's gang. Is the vampire gentlemanly as he seems, or luring Zach into a trap? The quality of a friend is determined less by eloquence and charisma than by loyalty, and in the end it's clear who offers Zach that. The Undead Express is the best of the first five Shadow Zone novels; it wouldn't have taken much more for me to round my two-and-a-half-star rating to three. Gabe might be my favorite character of the series; her large, expressive blue eyes make it easier to picture her than most side characters. Overall, Shadow Zone is one of the better juvenile horror options of its era.
Zach puts the experience out of mind until he's leaving his mother's flat to go home. He wanders alone into an unfamiliar part of Grand Central Terminal, and the pale man from the old-fashioned train approaches him. Valentine Cutter wears a cape and has long, fang-like teeth. He claims to be a vampire, and if his appearance didn't convince Zach, the small horde of the undead flanking him would. A transportation mogul in early twentieth century New York, Valentine entered the Shadow Zone in 1905 and now stalks the city's abandoned subway tunnels on his train, the Undead Express, condemned to perish if daylight touches his skin. He invites Zach into his subterranean home.
Most kids would hesitate to share this story with friends and family, but Zach is upfront about Valentine once he arrives home. He didn't expect his father to believe, but Zach is annoyed when his best friends Gabrielle (Gabe) Lattanzi and J.T. Heffernan are convinced he's fibbing. Attempts to get photographic evidence of Valentine's gang fail, but the vampire takes Zach's visits in stride, protecting him from the others who want to drain the boy's blood to sate their thirst. Valentine gradually wedges himself into Zach's life, causing chaos in his relationships with his parents and friends. Zach suddenly resents Gabe and J.T., holding them at a distance and becoming a loner. They worry about him and do their best to help even if Zach shows no gratitude, but when dealing with paranormal monsters not everything is what it seems. It's too late for Zach to make a clean break with the Undead Express on his own, but can a pair of faithful friends tip the balance? Do Zach, Gabe, and J.T. possess the ingenuity to escape the cursed subway and destroy the undead inhabiting its maze of tunnels?
The Undead Express surpasses the excitement of most Shadow Zone books, and there's more to it than horror. Years of telling casual lies has caught up to Zach; strict honesty never mattered to him before, so why should Gabe and J.T. believe his claim about vampires? It would be a huge relief if they did, but Zach hasn't earned that trust. It gives him something to think about for the future, if he lives to see it. The weakness of Zach's judgment is also exposed as he falls in with Valentine's gang. Is the vampire gentlemanly as he seems, or luring Zach into a trap? The quality of a friend is determined less by eloquence and charisma than by loyalty, and in the end it's clear who offers Zach that. The Undead Express is the best of the first five Shadow Zone novels; it wouldn't have taken much more for me to round my two-and-a-half-star rating to three. Gabe might be my favorite character of the series; her large, expressive blue eyes make it easier to picture her than most side characters. Overall, Shadow Zone is one of the better juvenile horror options of its era.
December 21, 2014
Cautionary "Boy who cried wolf" style tale in which a boy who likes exaggerating to his friends discovers a nest of vampires living in the subway.
Fun children's vampire novel that was filmed in 1996. Will appeal to fans of Darren Shan and the little vampire books.
Fun children's vampire novel that was filmed in 1996. Will appeal to fans of Darren Shan and the little vampire books.
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January 19, 2009JM-Bla
June 5, 2009
that even though you trust a stranger that they can still be on your side even when times are not.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews