Kaiju Killers Pt I

by Steve Stred, Geoff Parrell (Illustrator)

74 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 15, 2026

About the author

An award-winning author, Steve Stred lives in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, with his wife and son.

Known for his novels, ‘Mastodon,’ ‘Churn the Soil,’ and his series ‘Father of Lies’ where he joined a cult on the dark web for four years, his work has been described as haunting, bleak and is frequently set in the woods near where he grew up. He’s been fortunate to appear in numerous anthologies with some truly amazing authors.

His novel ‘Mastodon’ will be translated into Czech and Italian over the next few years.

His novel 'Churn the Soil' won the Best Horror Novel award in the 2024 Indieverse Awards.

His novel 'Mastodon' and his novella' Sacrament' were both nominated for Splatterpunk Awards.

He is represented by Kodie Van Dusen at The Rights Factory and Alec Frankel at Independent Artist Group.

Outside of writing, Steve received his Bachelor Degree in Kinesiology from the University of the Fraser Valley in 2008, and became a Certified Canadian Pedorthist in 2013.

Reviews

[Kiera ☠ · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Steve told me a continuation of Mastodon was coming, I got very excited as I quite enjoyed Mastodon and the incredible world building that Steve created within that book. That world building continues in Kaiju Killers Part 1 and I quite enjoyed the continuation of the ride. Now generally, I feel like I should preface in saying that I'm not a huge fan of sci-fi themes in genre, I really struggle to get into them and/or suspend my disbelief enough to fully immerse myself in the story. While I didn't experience that with Mastodon, I will note that I had that struggle with this one. It certainly leans into the experimentation and monster building more in Kaiju Killers and if you are a reader who felt like that aspect was lacking in Mastodon, then you will really enjoy this one. There are quite a few moving parts as well as lots of POV shifting not only in characters but also in timeline which I also personally struggled with as well. It took a lot of mental focus to make sure I wasn't missing any significant plot points for me, but I do have ADHD so please keep this in mind. Overall, I still enjoyed this and enjoyed getting a bigger picture look at the behind the scenes of Mastodon very much. Thank you Steve for the ARC copy, I am honored as always to be thought of pre-release of your work.

[Alexander Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for providing an advance copy.

Kaiju Killers (Part 1) possesses much the same action and progression as the previous book (Mastodon, though that book does not have to be read to understand this one). I found the plot in this book more intriguing, and there is a heftier dose of mystery with accompanying secret history elements. Should I say, secret military history.

While I enjoyed this book, I did feel as though it was possibly let down a bit by the fact that it has been split into two parts, the second not releasing until later in 2026. Because of this, I feel Mastodon had much more teeth as a book. But maybe that's a testament to Steve Stred's skill - I was surprised at the abrupt end of the new book because I want to see how it all ends.

Releases March 15. Pre-order now. For fans of quick, wild rides, and horrors that go bump in the night with an accompanying blood spray.

[M.J. Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up Steve Stred's Kaiju Killers Part One after reading Mastodon, which I really enjoyed. I was hoping for that same kind of heavy-hitting, straightforward action, and it definitely delivered. It steps right up as a great addition to the series, building on what came before without wasting any time getting to the good stuff. If you liked the monster-sized chaos in the earlier book, this one hooks you right back in from the jump.

Stred doesn’t mess around with fluff or filler here; he just gives you straight-up monster carnage and characters fighting to survive the meat grinder. It hits hard, moves fast, and does exactly what a good, gritty creature feature should do.

If you're looking for a good monster story, this is a sure bet.

I cracked open Kaiju Killers 2.

I'll keep you posted.

[Michael Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kaiju Killers is a brutal one-two punch spread across a pair of meaty novellas. The research lab at the heart of Mastodon was but a small glimpse into the world Steve Stred has smartly built and expanded upon here. Killers is a terrific and nasty entry in the canon of military-centric creature features that would make Dr. Moreau green with envy…and maybe razor-sharp lizard skin.

[ThatBookMoth · Rating 5 out of 5]

AAAAHHHHH

I have honestly been eagerly waiting for a sequel or stand alone store set in this universe. When I read Mastodon I WANTED there to be more about this creepy facility out in the Canadian wilderness and what other cryptids were hiding in the woods.
This tale is split in two, a recap of Mastodon from a different pov and what's going on in present time with this facility.
I am foaming at the mouth for part 2!

[Terry and dog · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, I hope you have read Mastadon, because that is the start of this crazy world that Steve Stred has built. This one brings much of the same intrigue, brutality and awesomeness. I just love the settings and the monsters and come on, names like Iron Marshall and Ogre Peak should tell you the kind of cool fantasy is brewing here. Great stuff and I'll be checking out the next installment as soon as it comes out.

[Radar DeBoard · Rating 5 out of 5]

One thing I've noticed from Stred's work is that he absolutely excels at novellas, and this is no different. The chapters are short with plenty packed in them to keep you interested. You'll be shocked at how quickly you fly through it, and just enough questions are answered to make you happy, but also there's plenty of mystery to keep you eager for part 2.

[Brennan Storr · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the first of his two-part sequel to "Mastodon", Steve Stred expands that novels already nightmarish canvas to a huge, bloody degree. Stred only writes bangers and this is proof. Extra points for a sneaky James Herbert reference

[Belinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

creepy

A definite cliffhanger at the end of this book. . .dang it LOL!! Good thing I got the next book in line already. I won't have to dangle for too long. I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to see how the next book brings it all together.

[Lou Canning · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good

I didn’t want it to end!! Really good follow on (which I wasn’t aware existed until the other day!)
Gotta find the next one asap!!

[Fauwxx · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, I loved Mastodon so much! And I was so excited to see that Steve was working on more of that world.

Kaiju Killers is a continuation of the Mastodon series- it's split up into Part 1 and Part 2- both novellas. There is a proper cliffhanger at the end of Part 1 so make sure you have Part 2 ready so you can continue on immediately.

I feel like book 1, Mastodon, was focused more on the characters- and book 2 and 3 give you more of the science experiment side of things. We also get more insight into what happens to said characters- which as always, I'm not going to spoil anything for you all.

If you like secret science labs in the middle of nowhere, conducting experiments on unwilling humans- said things running around the forest- I highly recommend you check this series out!

Check out my Mastodon review here

Thank you so much to Steve Sted for sending over eArcs for me to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Emily Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creatures

Iron and a group of soldiers have a unique mission. Catch or destroy some very dangerous creatures. These creatures are not normal. They are large, fast, extremely dangerous and maybe a little bit human. Who will survive?