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An Invincible Summer
249 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 3, 2026
About the author
Stephen Howard
15 books36 followersStephen Howard (he/him) is an English novelist and short story writer from Manchester, now living in Cheshire with his wife, Rachel, and their daughter, Flo. He was always an avid reader but finally decided that, aged twenty, perhaps he too could write stories people might enjoy. This eventually led to the self-publication of his first novel, Beyond Misty Mountain (2013), inspired by an enduring love of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. Beyond Misty Mountain was rereleased in 2020.
Stephen has a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Creative Writing from the Open University, gaining First Class Honours. His short fiction has been published by Lost Boys Press, The No Sleep Podcast, Metastellar, and others. Stephen is also a x2 winner of the Northwich Lit Fest short story contest (2022, 2024).
Stephen's released three collections of short fiction, Condemned To Be (Amazon, 2019), Ophelia in the Underworld and Other Melancholy Tales (Alien Buddha Press, 2023), and Little Book of Horrors: Volume I (Amazon, 2024).
A horror novella, This House Isn’t Haunted But We Are, was published April 2025 through Wild Hunt Books as part of their Northern Weird Project. A sci-fi / fantasy novel, An Invincible Summer, is coming through Infested Publishing in late 2026.
Outside of writing, Stephen supports Manchester United and tries to get to Old Trafford when he can, though he does enjoy watching the match in the pub. He is also a keen pub quizzer - you may even have caught his brief appearance on Mastermind in 2017.
Stephen has a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Creative Writing from the Open University, gaining First Class Honours. His short fiction has been published by Lost Boys Press, The No Sleep Podcast, Metastellar, and others. Stephen is also a x2 winner of the Northwich Lit Fest short story contest (2022, 2024).
Stephen's released three collections of short fiction, Condemned To Be (Amazon, 2019), Ophelia in the Underworld and Other Melancholy Tales (Alien Buddha Press, 2023), and Little Book of Horrors: Volume I (Amazon, 2024).
A horror novella, This House Isn’t Haunted But We Are, was published April 2025 through Wild Hunt Books as part of their Northern Weird Project. A sci-fi / fantasy novel, An Invincible Summer, is coming through Infested Publishing in late 2026.
Outside of writing, Stephen supports Manchester United and tries to get to Old Trafford when he can, though he does enjoy watching the match in the pub. He is also a keen pub quizzer - you may even have caught his brief appearance on Mastermind in 2017.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 1, 2026
Special thank you to the author and Infested Publishing for this eARC…
A deep and intimate thought sci-fi piece of a man and his existence on Mars, things begin to take a turn when the colonies on Earth invade the red planet. Our main character Ruby though has his own turn, as we journey with him through life, love and dreams.
There is a plot twist waiting to reward you 5/6ths toward the end that I was not expecting, yet thoroughly enjoyed. AN INVINCIBLE SUMMER is one of those ‘Don’t call me science fiction,’ science fiction stories that is held together well through Stephen Howard’s writing. You get a journey and a half exploring Ruby’s life with a few twists and turns before the plot takes a wild finishing swing, hard enough to evoke a smile from Orwell himself.
But all in all, AN INVINCIBLE SUMMER is a rewarding experience, with Mars and the Dream World, in particular, a shining point in a steady, explorative novella. Stephen Howard delivers again for me, with a thumbs up.
A deep and intimate thought sci-fi piece of a man and his existence on Mars, things begin to take a turn when the colonies on Earth invade the red planet. Our main character Ruby though has his own turn, as we journey with him through life, love and dreams.
There is a plot twist waiting to reward you 5/6ths toward the end that I was not expecting, yet thoroughly enjoyed. AN INVINCIBLE SUMMER is one of those ‘Don’t call me science fiction,’ science fiction stories that is held together well through Stephen Howard’s writing. You get a journey and a half exploring Ruby’s life with a few twists and turns before the plot takes a wild finishing swing, hard enough to evoke a smile from Orwell himself.
But all in all, AN INVINCIBLE SUMMER is a rewarding experience, with Mars and the Dream World, in particular, a shining point in a steady, explorative novella. Stephen Howard delivers again for me, with a thumbs up.
July 16, 2026
This is an unconventional science fantasy, even if it can be slotted into a category. Speculative? Certainly, and with existential undertones to tease your mind.
The title mirrors the thoughts of Albert Camus in essays such as ‘Return to Tipasa’ where human joy is sought in the depths of darkness. The novel has foreboding 1984-like strict existence where humans eke out an ordered existence on Mars. However, in spite of the clamping down on individual thought, our protagonist, Ruby, finds he can escape into books (at first until a new regime for him bans them), art, music and friendship. Love and sex finds a way. As does philosophy as Ruby in the dumps ‘…if the best things in life…only amounted to not being awful..not much to look forward to.’ Then he finds more love and a kind of geographical miracle.
Apart from the few pages of italics which my ancient eyes find difficult to read comfortably, the writing is exquisite. How refreshing to find young writers use sensory Show and to tickle your literary mind so gloriously: ‘…a din so encompassing you could touch the noise.’ Humour slides in too: ’as subtle as an asteroid.’
I, as a speculative writer of an odd kind I particularly enjoyed experiencing a simulacrum of Ruby walking into him!
Yes, I was initially disappointed that in 800 years humans had yet to terraform Mars, but Stephen Howard makes up for it this inspiring SF literary gem.
The title mirrors the thoughts of Albert Camus in essays such as ‘Return to Tipasa’ where human joy is sought in the depths of darkness. The novel has foreboding 1984-like strict existence where humans eke out an ordered existence on Mars. However, in spite of the clamping down on individual thought, our protagonist, Ruby, finds he can escape into books (at first until a new regime for him bans them), art, music and friendship. Love and sex finds a way. As does philosophy as Ruby in the dumps ‘…if the best things in life…only amounted to not being awful..not much to look forward to.’ Then he finds more love and a kind of geographical miracle.
Apart from the few pages of italics which my ancient eyes find difficult to read comfortably, the writing is exquisite. How refreshing to find young writers use sensory Show and to tickle your literary mind so gloriously: ‘…a din so encompassing you could touch the noise.’ Humour slides in too: ’as subtle as an asteroid.’
I, as a speculative writer of an odd kind I particularly enjoyed experiencing a simulacrum of Ruby walking into him!
Yes, I was initially disappointed that in 800 years humans had yet to terraform Mars, but Stephen Howard makes up for it this inspiring SF literary gem.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I am of the opinion that this is one of those books that is best enjoyed blind, so I won't give too much away in this review.
An Invincible Summer was not the read that I was expecting. I went in thinking I was in for a classic dystopian sci-fi set on Mars, and what I got was a metaphysical interrogation of class, love, and society at large in the style of Haruki Murakami.
The book gets off to a relatively slow start, with a focus on the day-to-day of our main character Ruby Transport and his place in the societal structure. What the beginning lacks in a fast-paced plot it makes up for with detailed worldbuilding and passages of introspection.
Stephen's prose is where this book really shines. He is clearly an incredibly talented writer, and throughout the book he captures many complex feelings perfectly. I highlighted 24 passages which I think is a record for me, but a spoiler-free fave is:
"Those who survived existence were those without doubt - they held true to something so surely it couldn't be diluted or doubted".
Whilst there are a couple of plot threads that I wasn't completely invested in, and certain things that could have been expanded on, by the end of the book I was enthralled by both the plot and the characters.
If you're a fan of philosophical speculative fiction with beautiful prose, this book is definitely for you.
Massive thank you to Stephen and @infestedpublishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
An Invincible Summer was not the read that I was expecting. I went in thinking I was in for a classic dystopian sci-fi set on Mars, and what I got was a metaphysical interrogation of class, love, and society at large in the style of Haruki Murakami.
The book gets off to a relatively slow start, with a focus on the day-to-day of our main character Ruby Transport and his place in the societal structure. What the beginning lacks in a fast-paced plot it makes up for with detailed worldbuilding and passages of introspection.
Stephen's prose is where this book really shines. He is clearly an incredibly talented writer, and throughout the book he captures many complex feelings perfectly. I highlighted 24 passages which I think is a record for me, but a spoiler-free fave is:
"Those who survived existence were those without doubt - they held true to something so surely it couldn't be diluted or doubted".
Whilst there are a couple of plot threads that I wasn't completely invested in, and certain things that could have been expanded on, by the end of the book I was enthralled by both the plot and the characters.
If you're a fan of philosophical speculative fiction with beautiful prose, this book is definitely for you.
Massive thank you to Stephen and @infestedpublishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
An Invincible Summer is a richly layered, deeply constructed story of the power of conformity and control, and the lengths a person will go to to retain their humanity. Though taking place on a distant planet in the far future, the book is incredibly relevant to modern day life; like all good science fiction it's deeply human at its core, exploring what it means to be a person in a cold, unfeeling world defined by highly advanced technology. Stephen Howard's tale is wholly atmospheric, its slow tempo aiding a well thought out, incredibly considered narrative; the pacing is perfect, at no point did it betray the content or tone. This book is an absolute treat, and without doubt one of the finest books that will be published in 2026.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
A really gripping and intriguing slice of classic sci-fi with a bit of a love story thrown in too!
Our main character is Ruby who works in transport in what appears to be a very rigidly controlled colony on Mars.
Really identified with Ruby. He’s a bit of a more outside the box thinker than most of his colleagues and he starts to wonder if there’s more to life for him.
Even though I was really trying to figure out what the situation really was I didn’t see the end coming.
Very thought provoking take on control and society.
Our main character is Ruby who works in transport in what appears to be a very rigidly controlled colony on Mars.
Really identified with Ruby. He’s a bit of a more outside the box thinker than most of his colleagues and he starts to wonder if there’s more to life for him.
Even though I was really trying to figure out what the situation really was I didn’t see the end coming.
Very thought provoking take on control and society.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
An intellectually rebellious novel. Cerebral science fiction at its best.
July 8, 2026
Part Bradbury. Part Orwell. Wholly original.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews