The Sick Box

What lengths would you go to for a new start?

The clickety clack of Hell’s keyboards sounds like a plague of locusts, and the mind-crushing boredom of futile office work is enough to drive a person insane, but Karen Floyd persists. Every day, she shows up for her job at the Nakara Corporation (Hell’s largest provider of cell phone service, Internet, and Cable television), hoping to catch a break.

Then, one day, that break finally comes, and Karen must move Heav ... Hell and earth in order to fulfil her dreams.

“Part Good Omens and part Conjuring, The Sick Box checks that sweet spot between a dead-job survival guide and a heartfelt exploration of what the afterlife can do to one poor soul.” — Lamar Jenkins, author of The Tupac Files

“Witty, irreverent, and ingeniously plotted, Matthew Fries’ laugh-out-loud-funny debut novel is a must-read for anyone who loves a black comedy along the lines of Good Omens. Even when everything in the novel is up in the air, one thing’s for certain: you’re sure as Hell itself to get a rollicking ride out of it.” — Voted #8 on Reedsy’s best indie books of ALL time.

"The Sick Box is a laugh-out-loud hysterical farce that pokes fun at everything from The Exorcist to fake self-help advice columnists to Reiki practitioners. Fries expertly skewers contemporary capitalist culture and society, calling attention to the zaniness of the world he's created with effortless confidence. Overall, The Sick Box is a pitch perfect black comedy…" — Michele Hogmire Reviewer

"Absurd, cynical, and a little disgusting." — Alison Manley the Miramichi Reader

“Hell is other people, and those people have a better wireless package than most of Canada. The Sick Box takes a lighter look at a dark subject with wit, charm, and a dash of dark humour.” — Jim Phoenix, owner of HauntedMTL.com