Static

 

Static by Jonathan Morris

Once in a while I'm reminded why I love the Main Range. Static is one of those brilliant tales out there, a real great one. While it in no way compares to The Chimes of Midnight like the website is so insistent upon, it's definitely the best Flip/Connie one, and also probably one of the best Big Finish horror stories they've done. High Praise, but what Static does best is cool sci-fi where the ideas are murky and vague, and still by the end, you've learned almost nothing. 

A disclaimer: This Sleep Of Death, although a fine story, kind of infuriated me as I was listening to this one as everything Static does really well, Sleep of Death does slightly worse, and it does spoil this one while you're at it. It wasn't a good thing to have heard before this one, as it certainly dampened my enjoyment of it. Static is exactly the kind of story you have to go into Blind. 

And so I'm not going to give it much more than that. It's tightly plotted, even if episode two has no clear threat, and the actual threat doesn't even show up until real late game. But still. Static is just gorgeous. I mean, I really enjoyed it for the writing, but ehhh? My opinions on it are as vague and murky as the static itself. It's good, certainly, but I struggle to score it. It's exactly where Flip/Connie's stuff should be going, and yet... whatever. I don't know.

And hey, it forms a duology with Absent Friends as absolutely perfect stories that contain terrifying phones. 

Somewhere in the Nine to Ten Range, not good enough to be a 10, not bad enough to be a 9, not good enough to be a 9.5 but also better than some other 9.5's I've heard which I've liked for different reasons ah frick I'll give it a 9.5 but lemme tell you the last one I had this much trouble scoring was Jubilee and I'm still not sure on that one