Scrap Iron Haven

Mark Taper is no stranger to the strange, but when a supposedly legendary locomotive (the Ash Sky Rail) appears in records he's never seen before, the city's most brilliant investigator smells a trap. Despite his encyclopedic knowledge of S.I.Haven, this "miraculous" train is a ghost in the machine, and inconsistent stories from those around him suggest a conspiracy of mass misinformation.When Mark, Glim, and the world-famous rock star 27 Cheshire are suddenly "teleported" from a quiet bar onto the moving train, they find themselves trapped in a luxury banquet celebrating the Mayor's birthday...an event that, by all electronic accounts, shouldn't be happening for another week.As they navigate the shifting, improbable reality of the "Train World", they are hunted by the brutal Chief Rush Skylar and a host of bizarre, fictionalized adversaries born from the train's own narrative. To stop the locomotive before its volatile engines reach a breaking point, Mark must team up with an unlikely ally... the world's most proficient serial killer, Doremi.

The chaotic collapse of the Ash Sky Rail has left S.I.Haven reeling, but for teen prodigy detective Mark Taper, the real work is only beginning. While the city's residents prepare for the Mayor's upcoming birthday festivities, Mark is buried in forensic reports and neural breakdowns of a reality-warping threat he was forced to end... the "Ember Child" known as Context Ash.Having halted a plot to rethread the entire universe into a singular, maddened vision, Mark finds himself haunted by the origins of the girl he shot (a victim of a cruel circus upbringing and the twisted experiments of the enigmatic Dr Vostok). But the peace bought by her death is fragile. As Mark investigates whether her reality-forming powers can be exploited from beyond the grave, a new threat emerges closer to home.A classmate's desperate bid for popularity takes a horrific turn when a sudden genetic mutation transforms him into a laser-firing prehistoric predator. Forced into a precarious chase through the city streets and parks, Mark and his stoic companion, Glim, must navigate mob hits, snipers, and the volatile evolution of the "Ember" gene.

In the shadows of the industrial city of S.I. Haven, the collapse of a train-shaped universe has left behind more than just ash and memories. Mark Taper, a young private investigator, finds himself navigating a reality where the line between fiction and life has dangerously blurred.When a fictional reconstruction of the brilliant but cold Dr Vostok appears as his new homeroom teacher, Mark is forced to confront the impossible... characters from a dead world are surviving in his own by any means necessary...even if it involves stolen blood and borrowed organs. But the doctor isn't the only ghost in the machine. A psychotic killer named Lamp Light has also crossed over, leaving a trail of bodies in her wake as she seeks a twisted version of affection from the only man who truly understands her.Amidst the chaos of homicidal "fictional" rivals and the ever-present threat of the local "Closet Serial Killer" Doremi, Mark is approached by Saar, a frail girl whose existence is as fleeting as the unseasonable snow falling over the city. Tasked with a final request from the girl, Mark must venture into the abandoned mining badlands to uncover the truth of the Ember Children's origins.

This time Mark Taper faces his most volatile challenge yet. When the renowned rock star known as "27" becomes the target of a sophisticated golden bomb, Mark and his companion Glim are drawn into a deadly game of wits orchestrated by a faceless mastermind.As a stadium show for millions looms on the horizon, a new threat emerges... Queen Ember. Utilizing a mind-controlling "ash haze", she turns the city's most dangerous criminals into a mindless army of "zombies" bent on carnage. From high-speed car chases through rain-drenched streets to a brutal showdown in a blood-marinated stadium lobby, Mark must navigate a city where the law has no answers for the rising tide of "Ember Children".With the clock ticking toward a performance that could end in a fiery catastrophe, Mark is forced to decide how much of his own humanity he is willing to sacrifice to keep the peace.