Hell Phone - Softcover

Sleator, William

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0810993600 ISBN 13: 9780810993600

Publisher: Amulet Books, 2007

Synopsis

A modern murder story with a devilish twist

Master of horror William Sleator has created another creepy, heart-pumping classic in Hell Phone. Nick wants a cell phone so he can talk to his girlfriend, Jen, after school, and the used phone he buys seems like a bargain. That is, until the phone calls begin—demanding, disturbed strangers calling night and day. At first Nick wants to get rid of the phone, but the creepy callers and the phone’s ghoulish games pull him into a web of crime, pushing him to steal, con. . . and kill.

Fans of Sleator’s The Boy Who Couldn’t Die will enjoy this equally diabolical thriller.

Praise for Hell Phone

“An entertaining and unquestionably dark diversion . . .” —Publishers Weekly

“Sleator, the author of Interstellar Pig, The Boy Who Couldn’t Die, and many other SF thrillers for YAs, excels at this genre, and horror fans will enjoy every nasty detail.” —Kliatt

“A suspense-filled plot and touches of macabre humor will appeal to both horror fans and reluctant readers.” —Kirkus

“The rapid pace and vivid, unsettling conception of the Inferno will grab horror readers.” —School Library Journal

About this title

About the Author

William Sleator is considered a master of science fiction and thrillers for middle-grade readers and young adults. Publishers Weekly says his work is “the best that science fiction can offer.” He divides his time between homes in Boston and rural Thailand.

From Booklist

Sleator cranks the suspense knob up to 11 in this tale of an innocent teenager led astray by a smooth voice on the other end of a cell phone. The used phone that Nick buys from a sulfurous-smelling dealer is cheap, but it has a few odd features, including a disabled caller ID and a set of "Games from Real Hell." It also comes with a history, as Nick discovers when it starts ringing. When he answers it, he finds himself talking to Fleck, a dead man calling from hell, who tells him a tale about a homicidal teenager out to kill his sister to inherit a family fortune. It's Nick who ends up pulling the trigger, after which he learns that everything has been an elaborate scam--except for the hell part, as he discovers in a most disagreeable way. Despite the unpleasant revelation, Sleator manages to whiplash the plot around to an upbeat conclusion. Readers shouldn't examine the internal logic here too closely, nor should they start reading this around bedtime. John Peters
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About this edition

• Publisher: Amulet Books
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0810993600
• ISBN 13: 9780810993600
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288