Reviews

Stay on the Line by Clay McLeod Chapman

nose_ina_book's review

dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This short story really packs a punch. The grief drips from the page. I love having illustrations in it too, they add to the story and wish it was more of a norm especially in horror. 

connorjdaley's review

challenging emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Thanks to Shortwave Media for the physical arc! 

Read this in a single sitting, which as a novelette might not be that crazy, but I’ve been having trouble focusing for periods of time. So this one really grasped me and I ran with it. 

A hurricane hits a small coastal town, taking the lives of multiple loved ones, and yet not damaging the long-dead payphone. When folks start looking for a way to grieve, to move on, to speak to them one more time, they may just find what they need in the phone booth, but will it be enough…Or even too much?

As much as this is a drama and a story of loss, this really fits into what I’ve come to think of as grief horror (which I may or may not have picked up from author Katherine Silva?). Beats of the unthinkable, perhaps supernatural, tinged with people dealing with horrible loss. It could all be taken as in the heads of those grieving, but what if it’s not? Not to mention the crazy black and white illustrations throughout by Trevor Henderson definitely add an additional layer of darkness to the story. 

And big shout out to Shortwave for the quality of this one. For the art it has these nice thick pages and the book itself felt solid. Just like an old school Scholastic Goosebumps book. 

kayleighosaur's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

In this haunting little novelette, one woman has to come to terms with the aftermath of the hurricane that just came through and took everything in her life from her except her daughter and the towns old broken down phone booth. 

In just a mere 50 pages Clay was able to take me on a heart-wrenching journey that had me falling in love, grieving, and by the end frantically screaming and holding my breath as I followed our narrators story. 

While ultimately being a story about grief and the lengths humans will go to be with/bring back our loved ones it still manages to be one HELL of a creature feature sure to leave you side eyeing any abandoned phone booths you may see for the rest of your days. 

Reach out…
…and touch someone.

Thank you so much Shortwave Publishing for sending me an advanced copy to be able to read and share my thoughts on.