The Black Phone [Movie Tie-In]: Stories

The cover and synopsis are deceptive. You think you are getting The Black Phone novel when, in fact, it's just a collection of short stories. The book is just over 400 pages, and The Black Phone is only 30 pages long. I didn't even read it, because I was so peeved. Definitely returning it for a refund.

I love Joe Hill's work and his father's. I didn't find them as "bone chilling" as they were made out to be by others, but I still thoroughly enjoyed them. If I didn't I wouldn't have blown through this book within two days because I couldn't put it down. They're worth reading and I think everyone will enjoy them if you're a fan of spooky things or not.

I bought it mainly for the short story of The Black Phone. I decided to read it in order and loved the other stories in it too. I even added the audible part to it to listen and read it at the same time and listen to it when driving.

Not great stories. Most felt rushed and/or incomplete. It took me until almost the end to realize what bothered me the most - the main character in almost all the stories was unlikeable. I don't have an issue with the bad guy as the lead character, as long as the author gives you a reason to connect with them, or at least be able to empathize in some way, but that just wasn't the case in most of these stories. If they'd been very well written with the flawed characters, I could have looked past it, but these didn't even have that going for them.

Love the stories, book is great