Not content to haunt the nightmares of adults, author Stephen King has set his eyes on the children this Halloween.

As fans of the "The Dark Tower" series anxiously await the trailer for the film adaption, King has been busy working on a way to introduce the younger ones to Mid-World and all of the adventures that await those who enter. His newest book, written under the pseudonym of Beryl Evans and illustrated by Ned Dameron, is "Charlie the Choo-Choo."

The children's book tells the story of Engineer Bob and his best friend, a 402 Big Boy Steam Locomotive, with an untrustworthy smile, that only Bob knows is alive. When a new diesel engine is introduced to the Mid-World Railway Company, it's up to Engineer Bob to keep Charlie's spirits up, along with his own, as seems they are about to become relics of the past.

The story of Charlie the Choo-Choo is already known to fans of the Dark Tower, a series of novels from King. The first book, The Gunslinger, was published in 1982. The final book, The Dark Tower, was published over twelve years ago, but the IP remains as hot as ever with movies and TV shows arriving soon. In addition to the novels, they're are several stories written about the main characters that have been adapted into comics.

The world first learned about the appearance of this book at 2016's Comic-Con International, where an actress was hired to play the role of the book's author Beryl Evans, and then signed copies of the limited giveaway for confused fans of The Dark Tower and it's lore. In the series, Charlie the Choo-Choo is a book purchased by Jake Chambers because the train reminds him of a real talking train his ragtag group had previously encountered. The author of that book was Beryl Evans in one world, and Claudia y Inez Bachman in another. Which is also the name of the wife of Richard Bachman, a pseudonym that Stephen King has published several books under. Mind Blown Emoji.

Adding one final layer to this meta-filled cake he has baked. Stephen King gives Charlie the Choo-Choo a glowing recommendation on the cover. Telling potential readers that "If I were to ever write a children's book, it would be just like this." Given how the artwork toes the line between between cute and creepy, it seems obvious King's devious mind had a part in this. Hammering the point home is the fantastic artwork by Dark Tower cover artist and "Dungeons & Dragons" interior illustrator Ned Dameron. The muted hues and grayed backgrounds give a sense of dread that offsets the positive message the story is telling. Combined with varying depictions of Charlies face, which are sometimes sweet and sometimes sinister, and this is a book that parents can enjoy while they read it to their children... with the lights on.

Charlie the Choo-Choo can be purchased in Hardcover and Digital.

Stephen King's Charlie the Choo-Choo
Stephen King's "Charlie the Choo-Choo"
Stephen King's Charlie the Choo-Choo
Stephen King's "Charlie the Choo-Choo"
Stephen King's Charlie the Choo-Choo
Stephen King's "Charlie the Choo-Choo"

(via Nerd Approved)