Aphelion

Daniel Blackston, who reviews web- and print zines at sfreader.com (dunno what his qualifications are) just posted reviews of the 2005 Spectravaganza Contest winners (run by ralan.com), including J. Alan Brown's 'Lethality' and my 'Night Train'. He actually LIKED 'Night Train', possibly more than the other entries :)<br><br>http://www.sfreader.com/db_ff010406.asp<br><br>Robert M.

Congrats. Is he right about the King reference? Was that your intention or just a coincedence?

-- david j.

<br>Coincidence as far as I know. The first version of the story was written around 1978 or 1979, after a train ride from Toronto to London (following an unproductive job interview) actually WAS interrupted when the train had to stop due to snow blocking the tracks. The sense of being disconnected from everything, with no lights visible and nothing but snow and darkness surrounding the train, formed the basis for the story. After all -- if you're not connected to the world you know, who knows what you might encounter?<br><br>BTW, did you read the story itself, or just the review?<br><br>Robert M.

I confess to having read neither the story, nor the review as yet. I just have one question. How on earth does one ride a train from Toronto to London? Seems to me that would involve crossing the Atlantic, no? Or is there a London in Canada as well?

- Wishbone

<br><br>There be Londons all over the fewkin' globe, what with that whole British Empire nonsense. The particular one referred to in the story is about 200 km from Toronto. (Of course, if you've read Harry Harrison's 'A Transatlantic Tunnel, Hurrah!', a London, U.K. to Toronto, Canada train wouldn't be that much of a stretch.)<br><br>Robert M.