Lightning Express: or, The Rival Academies

By Oliver Optic

The students of Toppleton Institute are more than scholars-they're railroad tycoons in training. In a world where school is a battleground and the Lake Shore Railroad is both playground and power structure, tension brews between entitled young elites and those questioning their rule. As elections near, Tommy Toppleton's high-handed rule is threatened by rivals and rebels within. A surprise vote, a bitter rivalry with the Wimpletonians across the lake, and an approaching summer encampment set the stage for an intense showdown over leadership, loyalty, and the meaning of honor.

In Lightning Express, the games of youth mirror the struggles of adulthood, all unfolding on a meticulously crafted stage of Victorian-era ambition and values.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1667662953
• ISBN13: 9781667662954
• Release Date: September 2025
• Publisher: Wildside Press
• Length: 164 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"