Please Remain Seated: Spine-chilling Stories from the Sky, Land, and Sea

by Marcus Kliewer

From the author of the horror sensation We Used to Live Here and The Caretaker comes a bingeable and perfectly unsettling audio collection of three brand new short stories, taking listeners all the way from a nightmareish flight through unfriendly skies to a submarine in the darkest depths of the ocean.

In Please Remain Seated, a young woman misses her flight home, and in her desperation to rebook, accepts a ticket on an airline she’s never heard of. She soon discovers she is the only passenger.

Backroads opens with a car somewhere deep in the woods of the Pacific Northwest, a disoriented driver spins out off the road after hitting…something. Calling out to offer help, what he finds is not a creature in need, but a dangerous, inexplicable predator, and a life-or-death chase begins.

And Anomaly brings listeners on a deep-sea a first-time diver joins an experienced crew on what should be a simple mission—before all goes horribly wrong.

This collection of stories, all never before published, is the first original audiobook by Marcus Kliewer, “titan of the macabre and unsettling” (Erin A. Craig, #1 New York Times bestselling author).

Genres: Horror, Audiobook, Short Stories, Adult, Anthologies, Fiction, Paranormal

1 pages, Audio CD

First published September 22, 2026

About the author

Marcus Kliewer is a writer and stop-motion animator. His debut novel We Used to Live Here began life as a serialized short story on Reddit, where it won the Scariest Story of 2021 award on the NoSleep forum. Film rights were snapped up by Netflix, and it was acquired by Simon & Schuster for publication even before it had been extended into a full-length novel. He lives in Vancouver, Canada.

Follow him on Instagram @marcus_kliewer for exclusive book updates / writing things / stop motion animation & a lot of pet videos.

Reviews

[Gabby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loveeeee Marcus Kliewer's storytelling and I loveeee short horror stories! I love how these were themed after the land, sea, and sky. They were all eerie and creepy and weird. I also really enjoyed the audio experience for these! Lots of cool sound effects, adding to the creepy vibes!

Please Remain Seated - 3/5
Backroads - 4.5/5
Anomaly - 4/5

Here's the reading vlog where I read this book and a few others: https://youtu.be/kg2nVMvRMsI

[Sydney Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please Remain Seated : 4/5
Backroads: 3.5/5
Anomaly 3.5/5
Enjoyed all three of these. Each was unique and unnerving in their own way. The audio experience was also great, especially the first story, that one was my fav! I'd read a full length novel of that one if he wrote it.

[Sharmyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed all 3 of these short stories, they were certainly “spine-chilling” as the title suggests. The voice actors did a great job and the sound effects really added to the dread filled atmosphere.

Please Remain Seated - 5 stars ⭐️
This one was my favourite, I have a fear of flying so it resonated with me the most. The idea was so cool and unique and I thought the ending was executed perfectly.

Backroads - 4 stars ⭐️
This was super atmospheric, reminded me of Killer on the Road by Stephen Graham Jones. It was a bit more introspective and less scary than the other 2 in my opinion though.

Anomaly - 4.75 stars ⭐️
The shortest of the 3 stories, this was so creepy, felt like a deep sea exploration horror video game. This would have been a 5 star if the main character didn’t offhandedly mention he didn’t know who would feed his cat if he didn’t return home and then I spent the rest of the audiobook worrying about his cat 😅

[Lena]

LET'S
FUCKING
GOOOOOOOO
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

[Scott Neumann · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title novella is my favorite, like a 'Twilight Zone' episode on steroids.`

[Tucker Almengor · Rating 3.25 out of 5]

★ 3.22 stars ★

wow, marcus kliewer broke the 2 star barrier! maybe he does better with shorter works... although ironically, the first and last one were too short and i wanted more and the middle one was boring af.

the trend from his previous books continue. amazing elements with no coherent structure holding them together... although of all of his works, the first story in this anthology was probably the most cohesive and best executed so props for that.

and the sound effects were very well done. love that, especially in the first story. honestly, i would've loved to see a full novel or novella for the first story.

-----

Have I ever successfully loved a Marcus Kliewer novel? No

Will I be reading this anyway? Duh

[⊹ Amy ⊹ · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

Please Remain Seated is an audiobook-exclusive collection of three stories. Each is a horror story set in a different element: air, earth, water. They are all very short and entertaining reads, with the first one, the title story, being my favorite. The remaining two were okay, but the audiobook in general is really well produced with sound effects that add to the experience. 3.5 ⭑.ᐟ

[Fern · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just know this truly pains me… but I was so excited to listen to this on my flight and it actually put me to sleep. I never sleep on planes because I am anxious af. I’ll be eagerly awaiting the next novel, with hopefully more of the style that I love this author for.

[Brandy Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very mid collection from a top favorite author.

SKY: Major potential, but I needed MORE. The production was chef’s kiss, though.

LAND: Haunting, but not a subject I gravitate toward

SEA: Honestly? Forgettable

Final verdict: I wanted to love this. Instead… meh I could have lived without it.

[The Morbid Mama ☠︎︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first audiobook as a Libro.fm ALC influencer and what an awesome start! I enjoyed Marcus Kliewers other two books, so I just knew this was going to be good. In Please Remain Seated, we get 3 short stories that take place in 3 different elevations: the sky, the land, and the sea. All 3 stories were super eerie and the atmosphere was tangible. As someone who HATES flying, the first story, which is the same as the book title Please Remain Seated, was definitely my top choice of the three! But the other two were equally as terrifying! This was the perfect short story collection for someone who is looking for a quick read and good palette cleanser! So be sure to add this to your list and place your preorder! Yall won’t want to miss it 🥰

Thank you so much Libro.fm for accepting me into the program and for my alc of Please Remain Seated!

[Julie (JuJu) · Rating 3.25 out of 5]

“Please Remain Seated” by Marcus Kliewer
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ 3.25/5

After loving “We Used to Live Here,” I jumped at the chance to listen to the author’s latest audiobook.

Thanks to Marcus Kliewer and Simon & Schuster Audio for the gifted ALC received through Libro.fm. All opinions are my own.

“Please Remain Seated” features three original horror stories that are perfect for spooky season. The premises are unique and fun, and the narrators do a great job pulling listeners in. While I didn’t enjoy the collection quite as much as I’d hoped, the final story, “Anomaly,” was my favorite!

Short-story fans looking for a quick, eerie listen may want to add this one to their TBR.

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Attention passengers, you may face some spooky turbulence when listening to Marcus Kliwer's newest work, Please Remain Seated.
I listened to this via Libro.fm ALC program. Thank you so much for my advanced listener copy.

AFFILIATE LINK: https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinm...


All of these stories were fantastic. I loved how immersed I felt with the audiobook. There were sound effects and each story had a new narrator. It truly felt like I was watching a movie in my head. Kliwer always does a fantastic job at making unique and memorable characters.

[Aggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A relentless trio of standalone thrillers designed to keep you on edge, tracking inescapable terrors through the sky, the wilderness, and the deep ocean depths.

Please Remain Seated 4/5
Backroads 4/5
Anomaly 3.75/5

A banger narration by Sosie Bacon!

[Bethanys_books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection was SO good! Especially the first story. I was thoroughly creeped out and will think of that story for a long time!

[Shoshone · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

My favourite was the one on the road

[Joshua Waselynchuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received the ALC from Librofm. This is three short stories. One told with the backdrop of a plane in the sky, the second on land and third in the sea.

I loved the first story and was genuinely creeped out by it.

The second and third were fine. I do recommend checking it out

[Sammy 💗 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was creepy at certain points, and I really enjoyed it! The first story was my favorite. But the short story Backroads was especially creepy since I was listening to it while driving and it was dark out.

This audiobook is made up of a few short stories, and I enjoyed them!

[maddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Please Remain Seated features three short stories. I think if I’d been able to actually read them rather than listening to them on audio I might have enjoyed them more. I didn’t vibe with the narrator’s, with makes an audiobook hard for me to get into.
I enjoyed the first short story, Please Remain Seated. Perfectly captured the unsettling and weariness build up of a horror movie, when everything seems just a little off and things aren’t quite adding up. The story was able to build on this until we reached the conclusion. I really liked the ending,it felt comedic in a way getting offered a job after what you survived because all the previous staff did not 💀 It reminded me of hunters and supernatural (the whole secretly fighting monsters) - for the record Dean would’ve HATED having to fight monsters on a plane.
The other two stories however did not intrigue me in the slightest. The second one just had me lost and confused to what was going on. I didn’t even realize I’d reached the end because it just ended. The third one I feel had potential but was too short to develop and be more interesting. It didn’t give me any horror/ thriller vibes as the situation felt explainable as the crew hallucinating being close to death.
I loved The Caretaker, but these short stories fell short for me.

[Dany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitivamente tuve que escucharlas más de una vez because what was that JAJAJA
Cool shorts stories but that’s it, siento que el hecho de que estuviera tan fumado hizo que no me diera miedo.
Me quedo mejor con las obras de arte de We Used to Live Here y The Caretaker

[Ronan · Rating 3 out of 5]

• Nota geral - 3 ⭐


• Please Remain Seated - 3.5 ⭐

• Backroads - 2.5 ⭐

• Anomaly - 3 ⭐

[Lauren.booksalways · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Libro.FM for the gifted ALC!

Marcus is one of my favorite authors and these three short stories were perfect! The creep factor was strong, they make you think, and it was a perfect treat to start the fall season off with.

Highly recommend

[Marisa (marisalynnreads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A huge thank you to Libro.fm and Simon Maverick audio for the gifted audiobook!

I absolutely loved the format of this audiobook: three haunting tales taking place in the sky, land, and the sea. Each story had me white knuckling my steering wheel driving, especially the sky one! Expect monsters, zombie like creatures, and overall, absolute mindfucks.

If you're looking for a quick audiobook for spooky season, this is the one!

[QHuong(BookSpy)]

Lần đầu tiên, chính thức lần đầu tiên nghe audiobook. Không quá khó khăn như mình nghĩ :)))
Hiệu ứng âm thanh tuyệt vời luôn. Giọng đọc rất truyền cảm. Từng nhân vật rõ lời thoại, sắc thái.


1. Please remain seated: Lily missed her flight and was rebooked for a flight of a different airline. This flight is super weird, with cross attendants whose behaviours are very strange. The safety rules on this plane are also unexplained. Lily must remain at her own seat, as well as remain silent when necessary. Lily is the only passenger on this plane. There are also weird noises and sounds that she can't understand where they come from. I like the isolated atmosphere which is really creepy and unnerving. The whole thing, never-heard-of online airline, this flight where there are no passengers, strange behavior of the crew and also being treated quite cruelly by the flight attendant, is like a surreal dream. Until Lily realizes the truth. She is the prey. A decoy. For a much much more terrifying thing than anyone can ever imagine. The entire final scene is the culmination of both stupidity and sudden clarity from Lily. Why on earth must she push the call button any way? I understand her reason, but it involves lives of other people too. And by clarity, I mean "brilliant" - quick thinking and taking risks.
These aren't just invisible monsters with vague, undefined forms. We get to see exactly how terrifying they really are. The descriptions paint a picture of a bloodthirsty, deformed creature that's drawn to sound and can mimic other people.
I'm still amazed that the pilot ended up being the safest person on the entire flight.

2. Backroads:

[Tiffany ✨️ Bergamot Book Reviews · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

3.75 rounded up

Thank you to Simon Audio and Libro FM for the complementary advanced listener copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I picked this one up because I love to sneak in as many Canadian reads as possible each month, and I've heard rave things about the authors other books. I loved that this was three stories, one in the air, then on land, then deep undersea. Please Remain Seated was definitely the creepiest and most fleshed out, but Backroads gave me chills, and Anomaly had me completely weirded out the whole time.

All in all, they were a good blend of creepy, unsettling, and gave me an incessant feeling of dread and panic that I loved! Also the production was SO good. The baby crying in the first story gave me literal goosebumps, and hearing the creaks and slams and other noises had me ensuring I only listened to this during daytime hours.

All in all, it was a fun ride!

[Christine Tistechok · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marcus Kliewer delivers his signature eerie atmosphere in Please Remain Seated, but for me, this collection was a bit of a mixed bag.

As an audiobook, the full-cast production was a major highlight—the sound effects and immersive production value really elevated the listening experience and brought the creepy, unsettling vibe to life. The title story, Please Remain Seated, is a fun, easy, and quick listen that captures that classic, skin-crawling creepiness Kliewer is so good at.

Unfortunately, the other two stories included (Backroads and Anomaly) just didn't hit the mark for me. They lacked the punch of the main feature and left me wanting a bit more depth.

If you're a fan of atmospheric horror shorts and want a quick, creepy listen, it's worth checking out for the production alone, just don't expect all three stories to land equally!

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝖳𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖼𝗋𝖾𝖾𝗉𝗒 𝖼𝗈𝗅𝗅𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝗋𝖾𝖾 𝗌𝗁𝗈𝗋𝗍 𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗌 𝗍𝖺𝗄𝖾𝗌 𝗎𝗌 𝗈𝗇 𝖺 𝗍𝗁𝗋𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗃𝗈𝗎𝗋𝗇𝖾𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗄𝗒, 𝗅𝖺𝗇𝖽, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝖾𝖺. 𝖤𝖺𝖼𝗁 𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗒 𝗂𝗌 𝗇𝖺𝗂𝗅-𝖻𝗂𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗅𝗒 𝗀𝗈𝗈𝖽, 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗂𝗍𝗌 𝗈𝗐𝗇 𝗇𝖺𝗋𝗋𝖺𝗍𝗈𝗋 𝖽𝖾𝗅𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺𝗇 𝖾𝗑𝖼𝖾𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗆𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾.

✈️ 𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃: A woman is trying to get home, but after delayed and missed flights, she feels hopeless. Then, a flight boarding at the farthest, darkest end of the airport opens up. She gets there in the nick of time but is surprised to find that she is the only passenger.

🚗 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐃𝐒: In the Pacific Northwest, a driver accidentally hits something in the road and finds himself in a bizarre situation. 

🌊 𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐘: A first-time diver is retrieving an underwater collection in the ocean with a crew when things go wrong.

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁, 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗽𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝘂𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻, 𝙋𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙍𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙎𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗿.

[Krissy (books_and_biceps9155) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you @macmillian.audio for my copy! I have a love/hate relationship with Kliewer and this didn’t help LOL Three short stories from different modalities: air, land, sea. I thought that was interesting and I enjoyed the mix of all locations.

Please Remain Seated was my favorite and made me LOL . I mean…one pretzel. It sent me. Sosie Bacon is awesome and she has the perfect amount of biatch to her voice.

Backroads was a bit darker and sad. War time stories/combat PTSD are always hard for me. I felt for Reed. Love the baritone of Jeremy Bobb. He could put me to sleep.

Anomaly was just silly and honestly, didn’t keep my attention. Kyle Beltran…was perfect for this and that’s all I will say

[Linda Joseph · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

The first story (please remain seated) was the one I was most invested in. The second one (cant remember the name for the life of me) was atmospheric and creepy but halfway through fell off for me. The last one (Anomoly?) I couldn't care less for I was bored right from the start.

Had really high expectations for this but was dissapointed.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun! I wish each story was longer and had a bit more character development. But each story was a fun little psychological romp that I enjoyed!

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This audio production is absolutely fantastic. Right now I believe this book is audio only and it makes sense with how this is produced and put together. The title story was definitely my favorite of the bunch but I enjoyed all 3. This is definitely one I can see myself re-listening to in the future.