An interesting idea of dystopia, with Great Britain divided into urban centers and rural production zones, violent oppression, experimentation on humans and the myth of space travel. In the midst of this you have a group of urban kids who ride tube trains for fun and thrills and get sucked into a government conspiracy. Good characters, and the story kept moving swiftly. I am looking forward to reading more of these.

Okay, folks! Climb aboard because The Tube Riders; Underground hits the road running and never stops for the next 400-plus pages. I love reading action and the non-stop action in this dystopian delight never lets up.

Leo Banks, brother to Marta Banks founded the recreational sport of riding the outsides hanging from the rain drainage gutters on the London underground railcars. In their future dystopian world, many of the London tube stations have been closed for decades providing fertile ground for street-wise young adults to indulge their dangerous sport. Many tube passengers who see them clinging to side of train cars believe them to be ghosts. Never one to keep a good thing to himself, Leo some recruited a loose gang known as the “Tube Riders”…until he disappeared without a trace. Then, de facto leadership of the Tube Riders fell to Marta, Leo’s sister, and tube riding remained entertainment until they accidently witnessed a murder; a murder that threatened the foundation of the government. Now, their lives are forfeit…if they can be caught.

The Tube Riders are characters who are well developed with distinct personalities and backgrounds. Readers will easily relate to them and their situation, laughing and crying with them and readily mourning their losses. Even the characters of the bad guys are well developed with personalities and backstories hinting at the influences that made them what they are. Readers will initially hate the “Huntsmen” in every respect, but will find empathy and understanding of the treachery that turned them into monsters.

This is a tight, fast-moving novel that will keep every reader of action, adventure, dystopia and those who just like fast-paced entertainment and edge of the seat excitement enthralled until the end. ( )

When I first came upon The Tube Riders, it caught my attention with the originality of the premise. Here is a world that is cut off, harshly governed, and mysterious as all get out. Add in a set of characters who are willing to put their lives at risk for a little bit of a rush, and you have my attention. I don't think I would have ever thought of riding on trains as a way to unwind. For these characters though? That's reality. It's fabulous!

More than anything else, I instantly fell in love with the characters in this book. Marta, Paul, Switch and Simon are all intriguing in their own right. They are all the family that each other have, even when things get crazy. If I had to choose some favorites, I'd go with Marta and Switch. Marta is a no-nonsense kind of girl who does whatever it takes to keep her family safe. Switch is a little off sometimes, but loyal as they come and deadly to his enemies. This group is so diverse that you'd think they'd argue, and sometimes they do, but they play off one another wonderfully. Above everything, I loved seeing how they survived.

The world that Chris Ward builds here is fantastic in its own right though. Mega Britain is an insane world that uses militant rule to keep people down. There is poverty, violence in the form of daily riots, and so many secrets that it'll make your head spin. When the Tube Riders uncover a sinister plot by accident, it sets in motion a series of events that will have you holding on for dear life as you read. These poor characters never really have a moment to rest. Running from the authorities, being hunted by half animal, half human creatures, and trying to just stay alive. It kind of puts the high that they used to get from riding trains in perspective.

If there was one thing that was tough for me, it was just the length of the book overall. That's not to say that it doesn't maintain a pretty steady stream of action. More that I felt there were some descriptions, and some events, that probably could have been left out and still made for a intriguing story line. Parts of the story just felt a little over written. Totally my opinion! It might be different for other readers. It obviously didn't stop me from reading all 500 pages of this book. Rightfully so, because the ending was awesome!

Let's just say that if you're looking for something original and exciting to read, this is for you! Chris Ward once again proves that self-published works can be just as amazing (if not more so) than traditionally published ones. I am extremely glad that I picked up The Tube Riders and I so hope that there is more. Now that I've been immersed in the world of the the Tube Riders, I'm not willing to leave yet.
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Fast paced action in a dark world.

I really enjoyed this book. The dark vision of London's future was enthralling, and the moments when the Tube Riders hook onto a fast moving train had my pulse pounding hard. As the story unfolds you learn far more about the world they are in and the brutal restrictions on life in general and travel in particular. The fact that the grim world seems a natural evolution from our own times reinforces it greatly.

Highly recommended. If you read this book then I guarantee you'll be studying the outside of tube trains much more closely. Purely from an academic standpoint of course. You won't really be imagining what riding the train would be like... honestly... ( )

Really really liked this book!
It took me a little while to get into, because we are thrown into the action right away, and I had to acclimitize to the world and the characters, but man, the world was fascinating. Very well thought out, well described, I can't wait to read more.

The characters were all pretty cool. Loved Dreggo. The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars was the whole Marta/Ishael thing (yes, it's important!). They meet each other, have sex, and fall in love in two days? Not buying it. Would have much preferred if Marta got together with Switch. Good ol' Switch. He can be my homicidal friend any day.

I just bought the second one, and can't wait to start it. :) ( )