Underground fiction

I was chatting with Robert Hulse the Director of the excellent Brunel Museum the other day about Stations, and mentioned Barbara Vine’s King Solomon’s Carpet which got me on to thinking about how the London Underground turns up all sorts of places.  Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere being an obvious example. So I did an idle search (the way you do, and found this: Wikipedia list of fiction on the underground. 

I don’t suppose this list is in any way complete, and for a start, I remember a story set on the Piccadilly line I read on-line last year which involved spectacles left at Cockfosters and lost luggage offices which was very entertaining which isn’t on here (Can’t remember who it was by, can anyone help?). And I met Sarah Butler at a NAWE workshop a couple of weeks ago, and she produced The Central Line Stories with London Underground a couple of years ago – so, with next year the 150th Anniversary of the Underground, maybe its time to read some London Transport fiction?  You could start with Stations, which will be gracing the bookshops and not a few railway carriages, I shouldn’t wonder in only a months time!

150 years of London Underground.

So it turns out the London Underground is 150 next year.  How come I didn’t know that? Publication of Stations couldn’t come at a better time, TfL and the Transport Museum are doing all sorts of lovely things, and there we are, celebrating the newest line in the stable.  I love serendipity.

Proofs arrived from the printers this morning, together with a few covers which look wonderful.  Not long now!  And you only have 6 days left to vote for your favourite London lie, or enter the flash fiction competition.  Don’t be shy!