Tracks

What an interesting take on the railroad, hobos and family. I liked that it was relatively clean fantasy story that stretched my imagination. Fight of good vs evil. Vincent started out in the "real" world basically a man who never got over his sister going missing. Vincent was then sucked into Hobohemia and his true colors came through as he fought to find and rescue his sister. I loved the characters he meets and befriends and their colorful life. Well worth the read.

Tight, high-stakes plot, a sweet romance, gripping drama, intense action, solid world building, characters you’ll love to cheer on and others you’ll love to boo…Tracks by K. M. Tolan has it all. The story starts with a good jolt of drama. At the tender age of twelve, Vincent watches, helpless, as his seven-year-old sister is swept away by a mysterious steam locomotive on rails that disappear. After that, the narrative jumps to ten years later--the mysterious tracks reappear and we join twenty-two-year old Vincent on his journey to find his sister. Vincent travels to Hobohemia, a magical world of tracks, trains, and creatures, beautifully drawn by the author. The vivid fantasy setting along with an assortment of fascinating characters that both help and hinder Vincent’s quest (sorry, no spoilers here) kept me riveted to the page. The author does a masterful job of exploring some big themes while entertaining us within the fantasy framework: family, home, redemption for past wrongs. One of my favorite lines from the book still haunts me: “A man does what he has to far more than what he wants to.” This right here is Vincent. Every step of his odyssey provides him with choices and ultimately it’s a question of making the right ones for the sake of his family, to make a home, to rectify old mistakes…in short, good stuff!