To some authors, short stories are how sketches are to an artist, and this sketch would later become the beginning of the second part of the novel, The Tube Riders. Fallen from the Train was the second Tube Riders short story to be written, and follows on directly from the original short story, found in the collection, Ms Ito’s Bird & Other Stories. However, fans of the novel will notice one or two differences. Jess is a lot different, in background, looks and attitude. In this story she is a hardened Tube Rider, unlike in the novel, and of course, missing from the scene are the sinister and deadly Huntsmen, who at the time this story was written had yet to be conceived. Simon and Carl, however, are almost identical to how they appear in the novel, and I think this story is of most interest as it comes from Carl’s viewpoint, giving deeper insights into life in the Greater Forest Areas. Of course, in the novel, Carl also ends up on the train, and his life changes forever . . .
Now please enjoy the first chapter of the novel, The Tube Riders.