The Elsewhere Express by Samantha Sotto Yambao

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?

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.

22 Jan 2026
 

The Elsewhere Express by Samantha Sotto Yambao ISBN 9780857505323