Reality, and Other Stories by John Lanchester

Reality, and Other Stories

John Lanchester

Eight entertainingly creepy short stories. A ghost looks for a phone signal, a woman is stranded in what seems to be the Big Brother house, text messages are sent from beyond the grave and a selfie stick has evil powers. Not a cobweb in sight as technology meets the paranormal!

Extract

As I pressed myself into the corner next to this pile of plastic, I heard a sound I hadn't heard in years: the jangling ring of a toy phone. This was a wind-up toy given to the boys by Tom many Christmases before, with an unforgettable irritating trilling ring. It couldn't be that, because the phone hadn't been wound up in years. And yet there it was. I knew immediately what it meant.

Parallels
  • The Platform Edge by Mike Ashley
  • The Corona Book of Ghost Stories by Sue J Eaton (ed)
  • The Haunting of Alma Fielding by Kate Summerscale