Still Echoes: A Victorian Gothic horror novel

by Stephen R Durham

321 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 13, 2026

Reviews

[Mandy Jo]

Light a tapered candle, sit by a cozy fire and put on some creepy music while you read this atmospheric horror novel. Durham paints a perfect gothic scene with his descriptive and beautiful writing. This is a slow burn mystery style gothic horror though so don't go in expecting gore or extreme horror. There isn't action or jump scares around every corner, but there is this impending sense of dread throughout the whole book, like, you just know something bad is coming but you have no idea what it is going to be. The ending was a scary, violent and appropriate way to wrap up this creepy, terrifying tale. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

[Leslie Powell-Mccarty]

4.5 STARS

Something sinister is afoot at Hallowfield House and those involved will have to pay for their sins. She helped to kill her husband. Now someone is trying to bring him back.

I read this sizzling, slow-burn story in one night because it is unputdownable! The writing is beautiful and yanked me right back to the 1800s. I felt like I was one of the Hallowfield House staff watching the tragic events unfold right before my eyes. I appreciated the inclusion of Spiritualism into the narrative as it turned what could have been an above average thriller into a tense and terrifying horror tale.

This is the perfect book for a cold and rainy November night. I highly recommend Still Echoes to anyone who wants some scary without the gore (well, not much). I loved it!

I was sent a copy of this book as a participant in Indie-Tron 2026. My review is voluntary and all words and opinions are my own.

[Bellatrix]

Author: Stephen R Durham
Genre: Victorian Gothic Horror, psychological thriller
Rate: 4/5⭐

🩸 Part of the Horror Indie Tron 2026 #indietron

This is my first read by this indie horror author, and I'm pleasantly surprised!
I went into this book completely blind, which made it even more exciting. For the first half, I thought it was more of a thriller than horror—which I didn't mind, since I love both genres. But toward the end, the real horror kicks in. It also went into a different direction which threw me off but I kinda love that!

My only complaint is that the medium is French. She has a translator, but most of her dialogue is left untranslated. When she speaks to the spirits in French, I was just left wondering what the hell she was saying.
The book ended somewhat open so we'll have to wait and see if it stays like that. But overall I had a great time👏.

[Tom Longden]

Still Echoes by Stephen R Durham invites you in, and traps you inside the walls of Hallowfield house, delivering a story that is as psychologically deeply layered as it is haunting.

I found myself, page by page, scene after scene immersed in the atmosphere to the point where you can almost smell the damp in the walls around you.
Stephen R Durham uses atmospheric description with stone cold sensory precision to make the setting feel entirely alive as if you're walking the halls yourself, looking into the darkest corners. The tension is persistent and the environment tangible throughout.
The characters are deeply formed and sculpted, relatable and real. They welcome you in to feel part of the family as you read on and watch them develop.

The structure and plot are at a deliberate and careful burn perfectly paced for this type of story and it ends with a avalanche of terror. The historical and spiritual lore throughout only adds validity to the story and personally it's one that will definitely stay with me.

An absolute stellar achievement. Dark, beautiful and unsettling at the same time and a straight up recommendation for the lovers of gothic horror.

[E Singer]

I really enjoyed the story and thought it was well written in the time period. This is a slow burn gothic story that keeps you interested through its constant low tension, tone, and beautiful language. I love the addition of spiritualism given the time period. Madeline is desperate to escape her abusive husband and due to the rights of women during the time period, she sees only one way out. Though thinking she had gotten away with her plan, Madeline’s mother-in-law, Sophia, refuses to give up on discovering what ailed her son. Sophia invites a medium to hold a seance, but she is a child with limited ability to control the spirits. One must truly be careful when inviting spirits into your home. I was invested in the characters and Stephen Durham does a wonderful job immersing the readers in the characters’ emotional struggles with passion, fear, desperation, guilt, and grief. Great read though I wouldn’t say it was horrifying, more thrilling.

[Jay.Booktok.1]

wow!
this is my 1st faulk law horror and what a book it was!

This follows Madeline who can no longer take the attitude of her abusive husband and after finding out she is pregnant devises a plan to kill her husband.

skip a year later and Madeline has everything she needs, a good man, a beautiful daughter a happy life.. until

a grieving mother who cant let her sons death go decides to run a sciance but they get a lot more than they deserve! just who exactly have they invited into there house!

Author:


The author has really done research into Faulk law and i love how there is some French in there too,

This book is written so well! the plot to this story is so gripping, its the 1st horror ive read and you can feel all the tention hear all the creaks of the stairs and floor boards. this really has been a enjoyable read!

definitely reccomend!!!

[Luci]

This was peak Victorian gothic horror vibes. The slow burn, the atmosphere, the tension, the complexities in every character - it’s masterfully done. I was immediately enraptured by the tone and the writing, and then heavily invested in the story, and the characters. This is a fantastic tale of love, guilt, and grief.

And the tension!!! It is palpable in this!!! The author really plays with knowing he’s good at writing tension, building it and dropping it just to build it back even more intensely!!

This would be perfect for a late October night, with the wind howling outside, rain sounding like broken nails scratching desperately against the window - instead I read the final quarter in a car while it was uncharacteristically sunny for a Manx September day…

Could not recommend this more for anyone who loves a moody, gothic horror powered by the Victorian obsession with seances.

[Louise Collins]

I was given a copy of this book to read and review.

I wouldn’t normally choose a historical novel, but Still Echoes may have changed my mind. It’s more unsettling and creepy than outright horror, with a beautifully written story that slowly draws you in, bit by bit.

The novel has a wonderfully gothic, atmospheric feel. The author makes you feel as though you’re inside Hallowfield House alongside Madeline, Thomas and Sophia. I could picture the house so clearly in my mind — Stephen is particularly brilliant at setting a scene and creating a growing sense of unease.

A haunting, immersive read that stayed with me after I’d finished it.

Thank you to Steph’s_creepy_reads on TikTok for another indie tron and thank you to Stephen R Durham for the wonderful book

[Bri]

Still Echoes uses haunting prose to give you a dark gothic mystery. The overall storyline is gripping and takes you on a slow ride with a persistent creepy feeling. Durham captured the time period and setting quite well.

I struggled with the pacing in the first half. However, the story unfolds with well thought character development and story building. Overall, an enjoyable read with a surprising ending.

Thank you to the author and to Horror Indie Tron 2026 for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[the.Ankita]

Book 3 for #indietron organized by @stephs_creepy_reads , @chantellegerxo and @littleghoulie

Still Echoes by Stephen Durham is a horror story with murder, mayhem, and of course seances. I loved the story build for this one, and all the morally grey characters. The second half of the book is super spooky, and the ending -- love it when a jigsaw puzzle piece clicks into place.

My only complaint was that some of the dialogue was repetitive and ran too long, but in spite of that , definitely a 4/ 5 star read!
⭐⭐⭐⭐

#horrornovel #indiebook #indieauthorsofinstagram #horrorreaders

[Nicola Blamires]

I was kindly gifted a copy of this book by the author as part of #indietron.

"Still Echoes" is an evocative and atmospheric Victorian Gothic horror set in the wilds of the English countryside at the accursed mansion of Hallowfield House. What begins as a subtle nod to the work of Shirley Jackson turns in to full blown demonic possession as the tale progresses. Dramatic, horrifying and haunting this is a tale of the lengths people will go to for love and how grief can overtake us all.

[Clarke]

3.5 rounded up
This was a really interesting gothic horror-thriller with a supernatural twist to a familiar story. It was atmospheric and immersive throughout. I enjoyed the suspense however I felt it was quite slow paced, and the French translation only further slowed the pace especially in the more tense parts. It'd say it lies closer to the thriller line than horror for the majority, but would certainly be a good entry horror book. Thank you to IndieTron for the ARC.

[Rowan A. Finch]

Writing reviews isn't really my strength, but this was a thoroughly entertaining and solid gothic horror tale. The writing is on point, immersive and easy to follow. The characters were beautifully crafted, and you could really connect with them. The story builds up slowly but keeps you hooked right until the excellent climax. I actually didn't expect to like this book this much.

[Eszter Pálfi]

3.5⭐️
I read this via the #indietron event and I loved this book for the spooky season! The eery vibe was so well created, loved the old England era too and the writing style was perfect for this kind of book. I didn’t manage to connect with the characters as much and I expected just a touch more from the ending but overall I really enjoyed this spooky little gothic book!

[Darlene Day]

I tried I really did.
It’s not that I am not enjoying the book because I actually am.
The problem I’m having is im just not connecting with it as much as I wanted too right now.
Again that is not fault of the book itself!
Just me being me. 😂
My game plan Is to continue reading a few pages here and there eventually finishing it.
Just right now we are at a stand still until Im in the mood again.

[LisaNicole]

This was a great slow burn gothic horror story. The pace really picks up the last few chapters and, while the story is concluded, it does leave space where you’re left guessing on if it’s really finished, or if there’s more to tell.
I always enjoy a psychological atmospheric horror but if you set it in the Victorian era it just puts it over the top for me.

[Irvin]

Still echoes is a slow burn gothic horror book. Stephen does a good job to make one feel as if they are there within the book itself. The characters are also very sculpted making you feel as if you know exactly who they are in real life.

[Emma Haughian]

I went into this book blind not knowing what to expect. All I can say is wow. Thriller/horror gothic vibes. Perfect for the ber seasons. It book had me hooked from the very start and I couldn’t put it down.

[Wen]

If you like Victorian stories with a slow burn, this one may be for you. It includes murder, spiritualism, and demonic possession. I found it to be pretty predictable, but I enjoyed the ending relatively well.

[Raychel Klotz]

Old school mystery/thriller but make it Gothic!

The slow burn was a bit to slow for me but the atmosphere of the book was worth it if you like gothic horror, which I love

You could sense unease through the whole book and I enjoyed it.

[Vanessa]

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What I liked:
- Great story
- Good plot twists
- Beautiful writing

What I didn't like:
- Quite slow paced at times

[CoryReads]

nice little slow burn gothic book. very slow, i was really hoping for more of a better ending.

[amzreads92]

Abit to slow for me. For fans of gothic horror.