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The Elsewhere Express

By Samantha Sotto Yambao
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Brief Description
A directionless young woman takes a magical train journey that will bring meaning to her life, but only if she can evade a dangerous stowaway and find her seat before time runs out... Raya is a lost soul, going through the motions of life without a... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A directionless young woman takes a magical train journey that will bring meaning to her life, but only if she can evade a dangerous stowaway and find her seat before time runs out...

Raya is a lost soul, going through the motions of life without a dream of her own.

One night, on her subway ride home, Raya's thoughts wander too far. She wakes on the Elsewhere Express, a magical train that offers its passengers a sense of purpose, peace, and belonging. The train's endless journey is a chance for Raya to reimagine her life - but only if she finds her compartment before time runs out.

On board, Raya meets a charming, handsome artist named Q and together they race to find their place on the train, through a boarding car carpeted in meadow grass and along a dining carriage where passengers picnic on lilypads.

But a mysterious stowaway has boarded with them, and with it a dark, malignant magic that threatens to destroy the train and everything in it. The closer Raya comes to uncovering the stowaway's identity, the nearer she draws to the ultimate question—what is her life's true purpose—and might Q be connected to it?

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780857505323

Publisher: Transworld Publishers Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 22 January 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Bantam Books (Transworld Publishers a division of the Random House Group)

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 40.0mm

Width: 153.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 700g

Pages: 432

Collections

Comfort Reads Cosy Crime Crime & Thriller Fantasy Fiction General Fiction Penguin Books Romance Romantasy (Fantasy Romance) Samantha Sotto Yambao Sci-Fi & Fantasy

About the Author

Samantha Sotto Yambao is a professional daydreamer, aspiring time traveller, and speculative fiction writer based in Manila. She is the author of Before Ever After, Love and Gravity, A Dream of Trees, and The Beginning of Always. Water Moon, her latest novel and UK debut, was an instant Sunday Times bestseller.

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