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Invisible
From the author of For Balder Walks and The and Other Sordid Tales, comes a brand new, full length nightmare.
Chased across the country-side by a ravenous creature, haunted by the decisions he has made.
The Lighthouse, where nothing appears to be what it is.
A noise, constantly drawing him in, but keeping him at a distance from answers.
All of it comes to a crescendo, crashing down around him.
Invisible is a gut wrenching ride across a nightmarish landscape, peppered with claustrophobic bouts within the Lighthouse. Part fiction, part auto-biography, Invisible with etch itself into your subconscious far after you have finished.
Chased across the country-side by a ravenous creature, haunted by the decisions he has made.
The Lighthouse, where nothing appears to be what it is.
A noise, constantly drawing him in, but keeping him at a distance from answers.
All of it comes to a crescendo, crashing down around him.
Invisible is a gut wrenching ride across a nightmarish landscape, peppered with claustrophobic bouts within the Lighthouse. Part fiction, part auto-biography, Invisible with etch itself into your subconscious far after you have finished.
- GenresHorror
191 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 11, 2017
5 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
Steve Stred
88 books672 followersAn 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 30, 2019
This book begins as a horror novel in the traditional sense. A monster hunts its prey, who is unaware of why he is being chased and threatened. Dreamlike sequences mold the timeline and the atmosphere of the story in a claustrophobic way, and the dread of the main character is palpable throughout. Memories come through as dreams, and music plays a large part in this harrowing story of a man fighting for his life. This is a surreal and affecting odyssey with a very human heart.
November 9, 2019
Full Review To Follow On Kendall Reviews.
Yes, Steve is a very good friend.
Yes, Steve is a member of the Kendall Reviews team
Yes, Steve is an author
Yes, Steve needs his books reviewed
Yes, I have integrity and offer nothing but honest reviews/feedback regardless of my relationship with the author
Right...
Invisible is the debut novel from Steve Stred and is a claustrophobic tale mixing horrors from both the imagination and real-life.
This is a largely autobiographical story and knowing this in advance elevates the horrors ten fold. Prepare to be emotionally battered by what unfolds in this glorious debut.
In some ways the book could have benefited from a tighter edit and there are misspelt words but funnily enough in the context of the storyline these errors actually work in the books favour (certainly for my interpretation of events anyway)
Invisible offers a glimpse into the mind of an author finding his feet and horrors that'll have you pulling your loved ones closer.
Yes, Steve is a very good friend.
Yes, Steve is a member of the Kendall Reviews team
Yes, Steve is an author
Yes, Steve needs his books reviewed
Yes, I have integrity and offer nothing but honest reviews/feedback regardless of my relationship with the author
Right...
Invisible is the debut novel from Steve Stred and is a claustrophobic tale mixing horrors from both the imagination and real-life.
This is a largely autobiographical story and knowing this in advance elevates the horrors ten fold. Prepare to be emotionally battered by what unfolds in this glorious debut.
In some ways the book could have benefited from a tighter edit and there are misspelt words but funnily enough in the context of the storyline these errors actually work in the books favour (certainly for my interpretation of events anyway)
Invisible offers a glimpse into the mind of an author finding his feet and horrors that'll have you pulling your loved ones closer.
September 28, 2018
A mixture of the poignant and horror
At first, I thought it was a book of terror, a huge beast chasing after a man for some unknown reason, perhaps because he dared to visit the lighthouse. But as the story progressed, I quickly realized that it was so much more than that! Stred excelled at imagery and giving us words that perfectly conveys a true sense of despair, anguish, sadness, aloneness, terror, and joy. I have to admit that I felt so sad by the time I reached the end of the book, but there is nothing more I can say about this without spoiling it for others who haven't had the chance to read Invisible.
Thank you, Mr. Stred, for allowing me to read into your world.
At first, I thought it was a book of terror, a huge beast chasing after a man for some unknown reason, perhaps because he dared to visit the lighthouse. But as the story progressed, I quickly realized that it was so much more than that! Stred excelled at imagery and giving us words that perfectly conveys a true sense of despair, anguish, sadness, aloneness, terror, and joy. I have to admit that I felt so sad by the time I reached the end of the book, but there is nothing more I can say about this without spoiling it for others who haven't had the chance to read Invisible.
Thank you, Mr. Stred, for allowing me to read into your world.
August 11, 2019
Since getting into indie horror, I've started to detect a certain 'punk' spirit that reminds me of the fire that reinvigorated the UK music scene in the late 1970s. If what's most important to you are slick production values and smoothly commercial product then by all means stick with traditionally published books, but for the passionate, heartfelt burning need to tell a story, for daring creativity and experimentation, then indie publishing seems to be the place to go.
Take 'Invisible', for example. My old editorial day job left me with a brain that cannot help but notice how the proofreading could be tighter, but the writing has a rawness and immediacy that grips you by the throat and demands you keep reading. And the emotion is real: I was genuinely moved to tears not once but twice while reading this.
I did begin to suspect what was really going on fairly early in the novel, but only in that 'ooh, I wonder if...' way that compels you to continue because you need to know whether or not you're correct and you're by no means certain you are.
It's also one of those novels that stays with you long after you reach the end, when you catch yourself wondering why the author made particular choices when telling the story, and you experience one of those 'oh, that was cleverer than I realised' moments. I finished 'Invisible' yesterday morning and it's been popping back into my thoughts ever since.
So that's 5 stars for the story, and even if I were to knock off a star because so many years proofreading and editing has left me hyper-sensitive to typos, etc, I'd only add another straight back on for how damned enjoyable this is to read!
Take 'Invisible', for example. My old editorial day job left me with a brain that cannot help but notice how the proofreading could be tighter, but the writing has a rawness and immediacy that grips you by the throat and demands you keep reading. And the emotion is real: I was genuinely moved to tears not once but twice while reading this.
I did begin to suspect what was really going on fairly early in the novel, but only in that 'ooh, I wonder if...' way that compels you to continue because you need to know whether or not you're correct and you're by no means certain you are.
It's also one of those novels that stays with you long after you reach the end, when you catch yourself wondering why the author made particular choices when telling the story, and you experience one of those 'oh, that was cleverer than I realised' moments. I finished 'Invisible' yesterday morning and it's been popping back into my thoughts ever since.
So that's 5 stars for the story, and even if I were to knock off a star because so many years proofreading and editing has left me hyper-sensitive to typos, etc, I'd only add another straight back on for how damned enjoyable this is to read!
November 14, 2019
Viel mehr als "nur" Horror
"Invisible" ist eine auf den ersten Blick klassische, düstere Horrorstory. Ein Mann wird von etwas Grauenvollem verfolgt, durchlebt während seiner Flucht zahlreiche Flashbacks … erinnert sich an Vergangenes und reflektiert es. Seltsame und beunruhigende Dinge geschehen, die Zeit gerät aus den Fugen und letztlich muss er sich entscheiden, was er tun will: Wegrennen oder bleiben, sich dem Unbekannten stellen und die Konsequenzen tragen?
Dieser Roman entpuppte sich als äußerst vielschichtig. Er bietet definitiv mehr als "nur" Horror. Der Autor Steve Stred versteht es sehr gut, den Leser von der ersten Seite an zu fesseln. Das Setting, der Protagonist, die Stimmung – alles passt perfekt und ehe man sich versieht ist man gefangen im Strudel der Geschichte. Es sind vor allem die hervorragenden, lebendigen Bilder, die durch das Buch tragen – auch Tage nach der Lektüre spuken sie mir noch immer im Kopf herum und üben eine große Faszination auf mich aus. Der Spannungspegel ist konstant hoch und man fliegt förmlich durch die Seiten, immer darauf bedacht, endlich zu erfahren, was es mit diesen mysteriösen und beängstigenden Erlebnissen unseres Protagonisten auf sich hat.
Das Ende – oh das Ende ... es ist anders als ich es erwartet hatte. Es zeigt eine ganz andere Facette und doch ist es für mich der Weg bis zum Finale, der mich mehr begeistern konnte. Steve Stred ist ein weiterer Dark Horror-Autor, den ich durch das regelmäßige Englischlesen und durch Instagram für mich entdecken konnte und von dem ich definitiv mehr lesen werde.
Fazit:
Ein düsterer, fesselnder, bewegender und vielschichtiger (Horror) Roman, der vor allem durch die grandiosen Bilder besticht und spannende Lesestunden beschert. Empfehlung!
"Invisible" ist eine auf den ersten Blick klassische, düstere Horrorstory. Ein Mann wird von etwas Grauenvollem verfolgt, durchlebt während seiner Flucht zahlreiche Flashbacks … erinnert sich an Vergangenes und reflektiert es. Seltsame und beunruhigende Dinge geschehen, die Zeit gerät aus den Fugen und letztlich muss er sich entscheiden, was er tun will: Wegrennen oder bleiben, sich dem Unbekannten stellen und die Konsequenzen tragen?
Dieser Roman entpuppte sich als äußerst vielschichtig. Er bietet definitiv mehr als "nur" Horror. Der Autor Steve Stred versteht es sehr gut, den Leser von der ersten Seite an zu fesseln. Das Setting, der Protagonist, die Stimmung – alles passt perfekt und ehe man sich versieht ist man gefangen im Strudel der Geschichte. Es sind vor allem die hervorragenden, lebendigen Bilder, die durch das Buch tragen – auch Tage nach der Lektüre spuken sie mir noch immer im Kopf herum und üben eine große Faszination auf mich aus. Der Spannungspegel ist konstant hoch und man fliegt förmlich durch die Seiten, immer darauf bedacht, endlich zu erfahren, was es mit diesen mysteriösen und beängstigenden Erlebnissen unseres Protagonisten auf sich hat.
Das Ende – oh das Ende ... es ist anders als ich es erwartet hatte. Es zeigt eine ganz andere Facette und doch ist es für mich der Weg bis zum Finale, der mich mehr begeistern konnte. Steve Stred ist ein weiterer Dark Horror-Autor, den ich durch das regelmäßige Englischlesen und durch Instagram für mich entdecken konnte und von dem ich definitiv mehr lesen werde.
Fazit:
Ein düsterer, fesselnder, bewegender und vielschichtiger (Horror) Roman, der vor allem durch die grandiosen Bilder besticht und spannende Lesestunden beschert. Empfehlung!
March 10, 2019
I’m fresh off reading this book so emotions are high! Pretty much a fever dream of a young man running from or towards life? Meeting a monster that’s been there all along, brutal and heartbreaking, this is not a horror story but a story of endless pain and and an ending that will tear you apart. Lost in the woods our unnamed protagonist is running from life into a hell of his own mind. I’m lost on how to review a book this important and so painful and you feel every step of the way. I wished that light house was a save haven! No spoilers.. please read immediately!!
September 8, 2018
This was a surprise for me! Let me tell you, books rarely make me cry but the ending had me in tears. Props to the author for that. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll just say this can best be described as Widow’s Point meets A Monster Calls. Again, great job Steve.
September 11, 2018
This was a very powerful read. I came across it by reading a positive review that compared it to A Monster Calls. I agree, it's themes are similar, yet it's very different in terms of prose, character development, etc. Highly recommended!
December 30, 2020
This was a strange twisted ride. It was very surreal and had a strong David Lynch WTF vibe. I enjoyed it even though I figured out the twist early on. It was a fun read and I would recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews