Scott

by Steve Stred

"It was just me and my wagon buddy, and I was free."The follow up to Steve Stred's break through release 'Wagon Buddy.'Scott thought his troubles were behind him. His wagon buddy had helped him escape from the detachment, leaving the interrogation room behind.But what now?A realization that a specific moment in his life has led to his sadness, his sorrow and the feelings of always being lost and alone.So, accompanied by his friend, Scott sets out to find the one person that might be able to fill the void he has inside of him. But what if what he finds is anything but joy?Steve Stred writes dark, bleak fiction.He has a number of novels, novellas and collections out as well, he has appeared in some fantastic anthologies beside some of the biggest names in Horror.He lives in Edmonton, Alberta with his wife, son and their dog, OJ.

Kindle Edition

Published October 9, 2020

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

[Peter Topside · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I had no idea this was a sequel to Wagon Buddy. The author may want to set this up to be a series so that it’s more clear. So here we pick up right where the first book left off, with Scott and his Wagon Buddy wandering from place to place, in search of his father. Much like the original story, it had a lot of solid content, but this was just such a short book. It came across very rushed and incomplete, even disregarding a lot of the plot points from the original story which should have played a bigger part. I enjoyed the focus on Scott’s parents but, again, it was all covered so briefly that I still wanted a lot more from it. So, while it was good, it left a lot to be desired. I still love the premise.

[Janie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very apt conclusion to the preceding novella, 'Wagon Buddy.' 'Scott' stresses the importance of friendship and of letting go of the past, meshing the two books together seamlessly. Well done and immersive.

[David Sodergren · Rating 5 out of 5]

The follow-up to Wagon Buddy is one of the most uniquely Steve Stred books yet. Violent and emotional.

[Kim Napolitano · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m always happiest when Steve Stred sends me a story. I first read Wagon Buddy a few years ago when I was just learning about Steve’s books and fell in love with his style. Horror stories with meaning, characters that stay with you and sometimes ..heartbreaking. In this second Wagon Buddy story Scott and his demon friend are on a quest to bring answers to Scott’s past. With help, he learns these answers and realizes he needs to accept the present. His Wagon Buddy we find is a kinder creature then we know and when you are at your absolute loneliness.. even a creature can bring you comfort. No spoilers for this novella. Highly recommended and I hope you’ll check out all of Mr. Stred’s books because you and your library will be better for it. Happy Travels!

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love me a creature

[Horror DNA · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is going to double up and cover both Wagon Buddy and its sequel Scott: A Wagon Buddy Tale. The novellas were written two years apart, however, they should be read as one story with the second picking up directly after the conclusion of the original. Wagon Buddy made such a strong impression on me that I bounced to Scott immediately after it dropped on my kindle. They are both very simply but strikingly told first-person narratives laced together with a sly deadpan sense of humour and a level of weirdness which is nicely reminiscent of the great Jeff Strand. If you are going to tell a story about a nine-foot creature that has a passion for basketball and a deeply respectful friendship with Scott, then it takes a certain type of literary skill to pull it off, and Steve Stred is particularly adept at breathing life into this type of wackiness.

You can read Tony's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.

[Cormac Macabre · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not as exciting as the first one, and Im not sure if that makes me like it more or less. but none the less it's just as heartwarming.
I do hope Steve gives us one more wagon buddy adventure. Maybe something involving the police. And hopefully as gory as hell. 😊
May we all find our own wagon buddy...

[Trevor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid follow up to Wagon Buddy. The characters are a lot more fleshed out, and it definitely takes a change of pace, which I actually felt was refreshing. There’s still lots of carnage, but the story comes first here. I really enjoyed how we are introduced to one of the Wagon Buddy’s previous friends, as it adds a lot of depth to the imaginary friend’s character. It’s is a tad slower, but I really enjoyed it, albeit not quite as much as its predecessor.

[Brett Plaxton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like I said with the first Wagon Buddy take, you know you want a bff like that

[ThatBookMoth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great sequel/ending to Wagon Buddy. Again I love the direction Steve took for his “imaginary friend”.

[Richard Barber · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a series, start at the beginning

Okay, my bad. If I've learned one thing from reading this book is that it's better to start at the beginning. I didn't realise this was a follow up to an earlier book until I read the afterword, but that did explain why I felt I'd missed something at the start.
So, with that caveat, this is a nice enough little story which motors along.

[Serenity · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

I need more Wagon Buddy in my life!!

Really hope he does more books on this awesome loveable character. 💞💞