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The Phone Goes Dead
- GenresGraphic Novels
46 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1772
19 people want to read
About the author
Tony Lee
520 books47 followersA New York Times Best-selling Graphic Novelist, Tony Lee was born in West London, UK in 1970. Informed by a teacher that he had a comic book style of writing, (a comment meant more as an insult), Tony decided that one day he would write for comics.
Tony has written for a variety of mediums including Radio 4, The BBC, commerical television in both the UK and US, magazines and both local and national newspapers. He has also written several award winning local radio campaigns. In 1991 he wrote for a small press comics publisher, of which only one project, The Cost of Miracles in Comic Speculator News was ever printed, and remains his first printed commercial comic work.
Moving away from comics, he went back into trade journalism and media marketing/creation. His small press magazine Burnt Offerings was a minor seller on both sides of the Atlantic, and was the first esoteric magazine to interview mainstream creators like Terry Pratchett and Pat Mills.
Since returning to comics in 2002, he has written for a variety of publishers including Marvel Comics, DC Comics/Zuda, Games Workshop, Panini Comics, Titan Publishing, AAM/Markosia Enterprises, Rebellion/2000ad and IDW Publishing amongst others, writing a variety of creator owned titles and licenses that include X-Men, Spider Man, Doctor Who, Starship Troopers, Wallace & Gromit and Shrek.
He is the writer of the ongoing Doctor Who series of comics from IDW, beginning in July 2009, and his award nominated, creator-owned miniseries Hope Falls was collected by AAM/Markosia in May 2009. His next book with them, From The Pages Of Bram Stoker's 'Dracula': Harker, was released in November 2009 to critical acclaim.
Added to this, Tony adapted Pride & Prejudice & Zombies into a graphic novel for Del Rey Publishing, with art by Cliff Richards - this was a New York Times #1 Bestselling Paperback Graphic Novel for May 2010 - he is also adapting Anthony Horowitz's Power of Five series into graphic format for Walker Books, the first - Raven's Gate is due out in late 2010, and he has adapted four Horowitz Horror books with Dan Boultwood for Hachette Children's Books.
His other book with Walker Books, Outlaw: The Legend Of Robin Hood (drawn by Sam Hart) was released in 2009 and has already been awarded a Junior Library Guild: Fall 2009 Selection, and 'best for 2010' awards from both the American Library Association and the New York Public Library in the USA, among others. In March 2010 it was announced that it was also a finalist for the Children's Choice Book Awards. The next in the 'Heroes & Heroines' series, Excalibur: The Legend Of King Arthur by Tony Lee & Sam Hart is scheduled for March 2011.
Outside of comics he is writing several books for children.
Tony is represented by Julian Friedmann of the Blake Friedmann Literary, TV and Film Agency.
Tony is also an accomplished Bard and performer, and has held the High Bard chair of the East Sussex Broomstick Rally on several occasions. His lecture Creating Gods for fun and Profit and his series of lectures on Bards and Ritual Magic were received to critical acclaim, and he still lectures occasionally in London, the Midlands and Sussex. As a Covent Garden Street Performer in the 90's, he performed 'The Scarlet Blade' Street Theatre show at the Edinburgh Festival and at locations across the UK, convincing members of the public to act out an insane pantomime for his amusement.
Added to this Tony is an accomplished storyteller and lecturer on writing, and has performed at libraries, events and schools around the world including the 2009 Edinburgh International Book Festival, a 2009 tour of India for the British Council, and in 2003 around the Wadi Rum bedouin campfire in Jordan.
Tony currently lives in London with his fiancée, Tracy.
from: http://www.tonylee.co.uk
Tony has written for a variety of mediums including Radio 4, The BBC, commerical television in both the UK and US, magazines and both local and national newspapers. He has also written several award winning local radio campaigns. In 1991 he wrote for a small press comics publisher, of which only one project, The Cost of Miracles in Comic Speculator News was ever printed, and remains his first printed commercial comic work.
Moving away from comics, he went back into trade journalism and media marketing/creation. His small press magazine Burnt Offerings was a minor seller on both sides of the Atlantic, and was the first esoteric magazine to interview mainstream creators like Terry Pratchett and Pat Mills.
Since returning to comics in 2002, he has written for a variety of publishers including Marvel Comics, DC Comics/Zuda, Games Workshop, Panini Comics, Titan Publishing, AAM/Markosia Enterprises, Rebellion/2000ad and IDW Publishing amongst others, writing a variety of creator owned titles and licenses that include X-Men, Spider Man, Doctor Who, Starship Troopers, Wallace & Gromit and Shrek.
He is the writer of the ongoing Doctor Who series of comics from IDW, beginning in July 2009, and his award nominated, creator-owned miniseries Hope Falls was collected by AAM/Markosia in May 2009. His next book with them, From The Pages Of Bram Stoker's 'Dracula': Harker, was released in November 2009 to critical acclaim.
Added to this, Tony adapted Pride & Prejudice & Zombies into a graphic novel for Del Rey Publishing, with art by Cliff Richards - this was a New York Times #1 Bestselling Paperback Graphic Novel for May 2010 - he is also adapting Anthony Horowitz's Power of Five series into graphic format for Walker Books, the first - Raven's Gate is due out in late 2010, and he has adapted four Horowitz Horror books with Dan Boultwood for Hachette Children's Books.
His other book with Walker Books, Outlaw: The Legend Of Robin Hood (drawn by Sam Hart) was released in 2009 and has already been awarded a Junior Library Guild: Fall 2009 Selection, and 'best for 2010' awards from both the American Library Association and the New York Public Library in the USA, among others. In March 2010 it was announced that it was also a finalist for the Children's Choice Book Awards. The next in the 'Heroes & Heroines' series, Excalibur: The Legend Of King Arthur by Tony Lee & Sam Hart is scheduled for March 2011.
Outside of comics he is writing several books for children.
Tony is represented by Julian Friedmann of the Blake Friedmann Literary, TV and Film Agency.
Tony is also an accomplished Bard and performer, and has held the High Bard chair of the East Sussex Broomstick Rally on several occasions. His lecture Creating Gods for fun and Profit and his series of lectures on Bards and Ritual Magic were received to critical acclaim, and he still lectures occasionally in London, the Midlands and Sussex. As a Covent Garden Street Performer in the 90's, he performed 'The Scarlet Blade' Street Theatre show at the Edinburgh Festival and at locations across the UK, convincing members of the public to act out an insane pantomime for his amusement.
Added to this Tony is an accomplished storyteller and lecturer on writing, and has performed at libraries, events and schools around the world including the 2009 Edinburgh International Book Festival, a 2009 tour of India for the British Council, and in 2003 around the Wadi Rum bedouin campfire in Jordan.
Tony currently lives in London with his fiancée, Tracy.
from: http://www.tonylee.co.uk
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 2, 2023
3.75 Stars
Enjoyed this lil graphic horror story!
Enjoyed this lil graphic horror story!
June 7, 2012
The Phone Goes Dead
By Anthony Horrowitz
This book contains two stories: the title story ‘The Phone Goes Dead’ coupled with ‘Bath Night’.
‘The Phone Goes Dead’ tells the story of a 16 year old boy, David Adams, who acquires an outdated, second hand mobile phone whose previous owner was killed, while using it in a lightning storm. David starts to receive phone calls from people who he learns are dead, asking him to pass on messages to the living.
'Bath Night’, the weaker of the two stories, tells of a girl, Isabel Martin, who’s constantly bickering parents have bought a second hand, haunted, Victorian bath! Yes that’s right, a haunted bath. However the bath is not haunted by your everyday ghost but the ghost of a Victorian axe-murderer. Isabel’s parents are slow to react to what is either a haunted bath or their daughter’s mental breakdown and the family are torn apart.
I have read a few of Anthony Horrowitz’s stories, my favourite is ‘The Hitchhiker’ and I have been impressed by the standard of writing and imagery he creates. However these two stories feel rather clumsy and are tenuously held together by fragile threads. Horrowitz does well in both stories at setting the scene and creating the environment but then rushes through the dilemma and wraps the stories too quickly.
I would recommend this book to a grown-up year six child who was not very enthusiastic about reading independently. The stories are packed with suspense and a have a rewarding twist at the end. As well as being short, so they do not require a huge commitment from the reader. The themes in the book are quite adult and with the inclusion of the supernatural you may wish to talk to the parents before recommending it to the child.
By Anthony Horrowitz
This book contains two stories: the title story ‘The Phone Goes Dead’ coupled with ‘Bath Night’.
‘The Phone Goes Dead’ tells the story of a 16 year old boy, David Adams, who acquires an outdated, second hand mobile phone whose previous owner was killed, while using it in a lightning storm. David starts to receive phone calls from people who he learns are dead, asking him to pass on messages to the living.
'Bath Night’, the weaker of the two stories, tells of a girl, Isabel Martin, who’s constantly bickering parents have bought a second hand, haunted, Victorian bath! Yes that’s right, a haunted bath. However the bath is not haunted by your everyday ghost but the ghost of a Victorian axe-murderer. Isabel’s parents are slow to react to what is either a haunted bath or their daughter’s mental breakdown and the family are torn apart.
I have read a few of Anthony Horrowitz’s stories, my favourite is ‘The Hitchhiker’ and I have been impressed by the standard of writing and imagery he creates. However these two stories feel rather clumsy and are tenuously held together by fragile threads. Horrowitz does well in both stories at setting the scene and creating the environment but then rushes through the dilemma and wraps the stories too quickly.
I would recommend this book to a grown-up year six child who was not very enthusiastic about reading independently. The stories are packed with suspense and a have a rewarding twist at the end. As well as being short, so they do not require a huge commitment from the reader. The themes in the book are quite adult and with the inclusion of the supernatural you may wish to talk to the parents before recommending it to the child.
December 14, 2011
Helppo ja kohtuullisen mukava tarina naisesta, joka kuolee salamaniskuun puhelin kädessään. Erinäisten vaiheiden jälkeen puhelin päätyy teinipojalle (joka kyllä ottaisi mieluummin iPodin mutta elämä on). Kun puhelin soi ja näytössä lukee "Tuntematon soittaja", kannattaako vastata?
Tämän pojan olisi kannattanut.
Tämän pojan olisi kannattanut.
June 12, 2016
This was a great story. A good idea, executed well, chilling and humorous at the same time.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews