I so wanted to love this book.. I had read a Jennifer McMahon book about the Thomas Edison's Spirit Phone and loved it. I also am mesmerized by Alister Crowley history.. But I felt this book was too slow a burn for me and I put it on my DNF shelf. Maybe I will try again later.

This was a nice and interesting read. Sometimes it was a bit difficult because of all the technical words that were used, but if you push past that, you will find it entertaining.
The characters were well written, and my favourite was undoubtedly Aleister Crowley, although I would have loved to see a bit more of Thomas Edison’s side.

I give this book 3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This is an honest review, and all opinions are entirely mine.

I really enjoyed this story, the idea of Tesla and Crowley teaming up was a strange one at first but I really loved the way the story and the characters were written.

I kind of historical fiction/alternate history/thriller/mystery/sci fi/fantasy mash up. It was great!

Some of the best books out there originate from the wildest yet not entirely implausible or at least somewhat fact-based What If premises. What IF Edison really did invent a phone to communicate with the dead? Well, then, perhaps it would be up to one of the greatest inventors of the time and one of the greatest mages of the time to investigate the possibility. Between the two of them, they got magick and science on their side. They’ll astral project, evoke demon familiars, and have all sorts of adventures along the way making for a charmingly entertaining read. Through teleportation and conventional forms of travel, they’ll go wherever it takes to make sure the dead don’t talk back to much. Because you know how it is, once you give someone your phone number…
This is one of those debut novels that went firmly with maximalism and it’s easy to appreciate it, although it does get quite busy. The author throws in so many elements into this literary soup (real life historical figures and events, occult notions, wild speculations, etc.) that it, at times, turns into a stew, but overall, it’s got plenty of flavor and seasonings to delight. Ok, end of the culinary metaphor.
But basically, if you follow the plot, confusing and convoluted as it gets at times, it’s pretty fun. A pretty fun tale of historical speculative fiction. Thanks Netgalley.

The Spirit Phone has just about everything. Science fiction, horror, steam punk, alternative history, necromancy. Yet, I felt like something was missing. The fate of humanity was at stake, but I didn't feel close to any one character. There is a saying, "A million deaths is a statistic. One death is a story." That is, it's hard to feel close to the story of a million people, but singling out one person, and making us feel that person's tribulations, makes it a fascinating story for us.

We have two interesting main characters, Tesla and Crowley, two interesting secondary characters in the police officers, but none of those characters seem to have a private story at stake. Nobody has a wife or children to think about or a dear granny or Siamese cat. Of course, Tesla had his occupation, but that doesn't feel as close to me as a reader as would fighting evil to protect someone close to him.

The plot was exciting, the action almost nonstop, there's magic and science and more science and magic. The one thing that was missing for me was a more human element. I couldn't get particularly fond of any character.

The author ends with a short history as it actually happened, rather than the fictional tale. For a history buff like me, that was illuminating.

Much thanks to Netgalley and BHC Press for allowing me to read and review an eARC of The Spirit Phone.

Keywords: Ghosts, history, alternative worlds

Review :
A thrilling, unique story about well known history figures and ghosts. This is a fun take on the ghosts genre with characters that are fully 3D and intriguing. Although sometimes the plot can become a little confusing at times this story will keep you going long into the dark night.

Firstly I would like to thank the publisher for sending me an ARC copy of this book.

The spirit phone is a dark fantasy book where Thomas Edison has invented a phone which allows people to talk with dead ones.
On the other hand there is the nemesis of Edison, Nicola Tesla who is trying to unmask this new project of Edison.
In fact, a certain Crowley told him that Edison new invention will bring demons in their world and he knows of that because he is a sort of mage who practices the MAGICK.

I really liked this book, it was interesting reading about Tesla and Edison. The author has created the two characters as I imagined them in reality.
The narration is fluid and simple to read.

I suggest this book to people who are fascinated by the story of Tesla and Edison and do not dislike a magical plot.

It took me quite a while to get into this story. A lot was confusing at first. The writing style was not at all one I was used to. Also, I'm not normally a fan of any kind of historical fiction but this one intrigued me. In the end, I'm glad I kept reading. This was fun, entertaining, and thrilling.

This book has a wonderful premise. Aleister Crowley and Nikola Tesla are dealing with Thomas Edison's new invention: a phone to communicate with the dead.

It is August 1899, and Thomas Edison proclaims his most amazing invention yet: the Spirit Phone Model SP-1. At nearly the same time, a cocksure young mage named Aleister Crowley inexplicably teleports into the home of Edison’s archrival, renowned inventor Nikola Tesla.

As insanity and suicide multiply among spirit phone users, Crowley and Tesla combine their respective skills in “magick” and technology to investigate the device’s actual origin and ultimate purpose.

This is not a genre that I normally read, but the description of the book pulled me in. It was pretty confusing to begin with, but after awhile I became used to the author's style. Overall, the book was a good read. I am unsure if it is because it is outside of my usual realm of reading that I did not find it to be a great read.

I was provided an ARC of this book through NetGalley for an honest review of the material.

It's a different take on historical figures x detective story.

A story about Tesla and Edison and mixed with fantasy. The relationship between the two are interesting and I enjoyed it a lot. There are lot of things going on and I had to read it slowly but overall, I love the pacing and the story. A truly interesting read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an E-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

It was not a bad book, it just wasn't a book for me. I had to dnf it because I was just so confused, and not enjoying it at all anymore. It would be an amazing book for people interested in Tesla and Edison but want a fantasy aspect to it, but it apparently is just not for me. Too confusing, too many terms I don't understand, too many different things going on.

I tried soooooo hard to read this book and I just could not get into it. It just wasn’t for me. I like spirit-driven books but I just don’t think I care about white men/the founding fathers from that time period enough to get invested in the story. And some people may think it’s wrong to dismiss a book because of the male figures but it just wasn’t for me.

A magical sci-fi inspired by Einstein's 'spirit phone'. In this story, Nikola Tesla and a magician named Crawley, race against time to destroy the Spirit Phone and all the evil that comes with it.

A very cerebral historical scifi mystery that stylistically reminds me of Arthur Conan Doyle and should be interesting for fans of historical fiction, science fiction, and mystery.

Two famous figures of history - inventor and engineer Nikola Tesla and occultist Aleister Crowley - team up to solve a mystery and stop the bad guys from destroying the world as we know it. Tesla plays the Dr. Watson to Crowley's Sherlock Holmes (ish) and Thomas Edison makes some brief appearances as well. This is a fun adventure with nods to famous historical incidents/moments that will entertain people familiar with late 19th century history without derailing the main plot, with just enough steampunk elements thrown in to appeal to fans of that subgenre as well.

I wasn't excepting to like this book as much as I did. The premise drew me in; I have a large affection for the spiritualist movement and ghosts and the paranormal etc.
When I was approved to read this ARC I thought it would be a solid three star read as the whole "let's take real historical people and have them do fictional things" trope is not my favorite.

Boy was I wrong. This is a solid read. It's a little confusing to begin with and I was planning to have that be a con in this review but I see that it was entirely purposeful as the book progresses. At a certain point, however, I did get a little exhausted with the constant addition of more mystical/paranormal things being shoehorned into the narrative. Precisely when this limit was reached, however, there was no more unnecessary additions. It felt like the author knew that the limit had been reached.

Crowley and Tesla are quite the duo and I thoroughly enjoyed their relationship throughout the book.

I highly recommend that this book be checked out when it is released on 11/15/22.

Thank you to NetGalley and BHC Press for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The Spirit Phone is reminiscent of an Arthur Conan Doyle type tale, except in this book, Holmes and Watson are Aleister Crowley and Nikola Tesla. It was an interesting take on the crime thriller genre with two very famous real life people heading the investigation. The story is an intelligent whodunnit or howdunnit about a supernatural invention by Thomas Edison. The occult and scientific implications drag the world's most famous occultist Aleister Crowley and the world's most genius inventor, Nikola Tesla into the mix.

Magick and science intersect in unusual ways which causes deadly consequences for this 19th century set story. There were a lot of occult bits throughout which made Crowley the star of the show. I think Tesla felt more secondary and I think the author could have incorporated more of Tesla's personality quirks and beliefs into the plot. The supernatural aspect of The Spirit Phone was complicated and there was a lot going in the story--too many ideas in my opinion. It was an interesting story and using two famous names from the 19th century to solve the mystery was a clever idea, although not everyone might agree with their fictional representations. This book could turn into a series with Crowley and Tesla solving supernatural scientific mysteries but I think the ending of this story wouldn't allow it. I believe fans of the supernatural Victorian genre and steampunk genre will like this story as it strikes a good balance between the technological and magical.

Overall The Spirit Phone is a fast paced occult detective story that I rate 3 out of 5 stars because there was a bit too much going which did not compliment the complicated mystery.

When Alister Crowley climbed to the top of the mountain in the Himalayas he encounters a demon who knocks him off the mountain. This is when he astral planes into the apartments of Nikola Tesla. This begins a most humorous friendship in caper to obtain Thomas Edison’s Spirit phone. Thanks to Alister‘s supernatural shah mine abilities and Tesla‘s scientific no how they decide to make their own, but they’re going to need the recipe. From beginning to end this book is hilarious there’s demons threatening to ruin life as they know it and it’s up to Alastair and Tesla to save the day. The best thing about this book is the funny characters they run into and the historical events that are happening during the interim. I absolutely love this book and now I will read it again in the future. It is witty and clever and original. If you love historical mysteries with historical personality saving the plot you will love the story I certainly did and highly recommend it. I received this book from netGally and publisher and I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own. A truly awesome read!