The Black Locomotive

Hughes is an undeniably unique wordsmith . . . [The Black Locomotive] manages to communicate an excited and passionate vision while holding fast to a nostalgic affinity that warms the bones of any would-be industrial revolutionary. * Sci Fi Now *
What? A gigantic spaceship from prehistory discovered under London and the only way in is with a pre-war steam engine, hidden in secret government tunnels? The problem is knotty but the solution worthy of a Boy’s Own comic in this conceptually complex, graphically gorgeous, full-steam-ahead masterpiece. * The Daily Mail *
Rian Hughes’s graphic-design extravaganza hits the rails screeching, wailing and showering sparks . . . Part a callback to science fiction’s New Wave, part architect’s coffee-table must-have, part ripping yarn. * The Times  *
What’s to be said about a book that blends boys’ own adventures with semiotics, complex sci-fi with steam engines, conspiracy theory with discourses on urban planning? Only that something so cleverly conceptual, ridiculously romantic and utterly unique must be the new Rian Hughes. * The Daily Mail *
The genius of Hughes is that he pulls off wild flights of fancy with a swagger and confidence that are utterly convincing . . . If only all fiction was this adventurous and original. * The Big Issue *
A brilliantly original novel of literary SF from the acclaimed author of XX, The Black Locomotive weaves steam trains, the history and architecture of London, and a mysterious alien artefact below the city into a work of stunning inventiveness and originality. * The Guardian *