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The Invasion
It started during a winter storm on the North Eastern Seaboard which brought with it a strange green rain. Where it fell, everything withered, died, and was consumed. The residents of remote outposts in Maritime Canada escaped the worst of the early damage, but that was a blessing in disguise, for they were left to watch as first North America, then the world, was subsumed in the creeping green carpet of terror.And that was just the beginning. New life forms began to arise from the ooze, simple organisms at first, but multiplying with ever-increasing complexity. The few human survivors are faced with a full-scale invasion... and only radical measures will guarantee the survival of the human race.
125 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 16, 2010
27 people are currently reading
239 people want to read
About the author
William Meikle
407 books1,850 followersI'm a Scottish writer, now living in Canada, with more than thirty novels published in the genre press and over 300 short story credits in thirteen countries.
My work has appeared in a number of professional anthologies and I have recent short story sales to NATURE Futures and Galaxy's Edge. When I'm not writing I play guitar, drink beer and dream of fortune and glory.
For an intro to me, my writing and my accent see my Youtube channel
My work has appeared in a number of professional anthologies and I have recent short story sales to NATURE Futures and Galaxy's Edge. When I'm not writing I play guitar, drink beer and dream of fortune and glory.
For an intro to me, my writing and my accent see my Youtube channel
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
November 27, 2017
When an acidic green snow falls on the Maritimes, people stay in doors and hope for the best. Until the truth behind the mysterious snow is revealed, that is. Can the world survive an invasion by an unknown force?
In a world where anyone can write a novel, it gets harder and harder to navigate the sea of crap out there. Fortunately, William Meikle has proven himself to be a beacon in the darkness time and time again so when The Invasion popped up for ninety-nine cents, I was powerless to resist.
The Invasion is the story of an alien invasion. Duh. I'm going to avoid the nuts and bolts behind it but I really love when William Meikle has done here. This is like no other alien invasion story I've ever read, apart from Fungoid.
At times, this felt like a dry run of some things Meikle would later do a notch better in Fungoid. However, The Invasion was still one hell of a read. The tales of two survivors painted a bleak picture of the world once the snow stopped falling and the really horrible shit began. Alice and Hiscock had different enough viewpoints to keep things interesting.
I kept picturing The Invasion as a gruesome version of a Hollywood summer blockbuster most of the time I was reading it. John Hurt, may he rest in peace, was in the forefront of my mind whenever the Professor was at center stage. The sheer devastation left in the wake of the snow was bad enough but wait until the plan to save the earth is unveiled!
While it wasn't my favorite William Meikle book, it was way up there. The Scotsman knows his disaster yarns, that's for sure. Four out of five stars.
In a world where anyone can write a novel, it gets harder and harder to navigate the sea of crap out there. Fortunately, William Meikle has proven himself to be a beacon in the darkness time and time again so when The Invasion popped up for ninety-nine cents, I was powerless to resist.
The Invasion is the story of an alien invasion. Duh. I'm going to avoid the nuts and bolts behind it but I really love when William Meikle has done here. This is like no other alien invasion story I've ever read, apart from Fungoid.
At times, this felt like a dry run of some things Meikle would later do a notch better in Fungoid. However, The Invasion was still one hell of a read. The tales of two survivors painted a bleak picture of the world once the snow stopped falling and the really horrible shit began. Alice and Hiscock had different enough viewpoints to keep things interesting.
I kept picturing The Invasion as a gruesome version of a Hollywood summer blockbuster most of the time I was reading it. John Hurt, may he rest in peace, was in the forefront of my mind whenever the Professor was at center stage. The sheer devastation left in the wake of the snow was bad enough but wait until the plan to save the earth is unveiled!
While it wasn't my favorite William Meikle book, it was way up there. The Scotsman knows his disaster yarns, that's for sure. Four out of five stars.
December 13, 2017
On a winter’s night in New Brunswick, mysterious green snow begins to fall. As it coats and corrodes all living things it becomes clear that nothing is safe. It isn’t long until images flood in from around the world as it’s revealed this isn’t a localized problem for those in the Maritimes.
To be honest, if not for the fact this was set in Atlantic Canada, I likely wouldn’t have picked up this novella, which would have been a shame considering how much I enjoyed it
I thought Meikle perfectly paced himself in detailing the complete collapse of society. There were certainly passages and scenes that completely unnerved me as humanity helplessly struggled against its pending extinction. As someone who deals with anxiety on a day-to-day basis, the imagery of running and trying to hide from a relentless force had my stomach doing backflips.
There were some elements that I didn’t particularly care for, but I’ll leave those out as they’re rather spoiler-heavy, but they didn’t exactly ruin the experience for me - I would likely have gone in a different direction is all. I appreciated the wrap-up offered by Meikle at the end. While it’s sometimes interesting to leave stories like this open-ended, I find it wholly satisfying when an author will go years into the future summarizing the effect the event had on society and the planet.
The Invasion was a quick, enjoyable read akin to watching a high-stakes blockbuster with butter-soaked fingers.
To be honest, if not for the fact this was set in Atlantic Canada, I likely wouldn’t have picked up this novella, which would have been a shame considering how much I enjoyed it
I thought Meikle perfectly paced himself in detailing the complete collapse of society. There were certainly passages and scenes that completely unnerved me as humanity helplessly struggled against its pending extinction. As someone who deals with anxiety on a day-to-day basis, the imagery of running and trying to hide from a relentless force had my stomach doing backflips.
There were some elements that I didn’t particularly care for, but I’ll leave those out as they’re rather spoiler-heavy, but they didn’t exactly ruin the experience for me - I would likely have gone in a different direction is all. I appreciated the wrap-up offered by Meikle at the end. While it’s sometimes interesting to leave stories like this open-ended, I find it wholly satisfying when an author will go years into the future summarizing the effect the event had on society and the planet.
The Invasion was a quick, enjoyable read akin to watching a high-stakes blockbuster with butter-soaked fingers.
January 12, 2019
Another fun Sci-Fi/Horror. This is the fourth book by Mr. Meikle that I've read, and just like the others, this one did not disappoint. Lots of action and a good story kept me engaged the whole time, and made this a fast read. Well worth your time if you like Sci-Fi and Horror.
March 2, 2014
When you live in Canada, you tend to go squee when a movie, show, or book acknowledges your existence. It's kind of a thing. When you live in Atlantic Canada, it's ten-fold. We are a picturesque region, though not often looked upon as the backdrop of an action-thriller. William Meikle has remedied that with The Invasion.
At its heart, The Invasion is pure popcorn fare. A B-grade sci-fi flick in book form, in my case audiobook form through Audible. You might even expect an adaptation to appear on SyFy sometime shortly after the Sharknado trilogy is complete (come on, folks, you know you want more sharks in tornadoes). There's just enough time spent getting to know the characters who are beset upon by the green fungus that covers the planet, so as to give you at least a mild want for their survival. The meat of the story, however, comes in the wondrously epic scale of apocalyptic destruction Meikle cooks up for the small Canadian island from which we witness the invasion begin. I'm not sure how terribly accurate things like the military capabilities and strategies were, or the scientific plausibility of some of the alien attack methods, but I wasn't too concerned with stuff like that. I just wanted tons of action and a unique way to bring about Earth's destruction, and on that front, I think Meikle delivered. Roland Emerich would be proud.
As for the narration, Mikael Naramore offers up this really engrossing delivery, like your hearing top secret intel from a government informant across the formica table in the back of a nondescript diner. The ramping up of the action comes through loud and clear with a voice like that.
The Invasion is a little over four hours long, something that works out to novella length I believe, which is ample time to deliver a nonstop, action-heavy, event-driven story like this. If you're looking for introspection, look elsewhere. Deep thoughts will not be heard over Meikle's barrage of weapons fire.
At its heart, The Invasion is pure popcorn fare. A B-grade sci-fi flick in book form, in my case audiobook form through Audible. You might even expect an adaptation to appear on SyFy sometime shortly after the Sharknado trilogy is complete (come on, folks, you know you want more sharks in tornadoes). There's just enough time spent getting to know the characters who are beset upon by the green fungus that covers the planet, so as to give you at least a mild want for their survival. The meat of the story, however, comes in the wondrously epic scale of apocalyptic destruction Meikle cooks up for the small Canadian island from which we witness the invasion begin. I'm not sure how terribly accurate things like the military capabilities and strategies were, or the scientific plausibility of some of the alien attack methods, but I wasn't too concerned with stuff like that. I just wanted tons of action and a unique way to bring about Earth's destruction, and on that front, I think Meikle delivered. Roland Emerich would be proud.
As for the narration, Mikael Naramore offers up this really engrossing delivery, like your hearing top secret intel from a government informant across the formica table in the back of a nondescript diner. The ramping up of the action comes through loud and clear with a voice like that.
The Invasion is a little over four hours long, something that works out to novella length I believe, which is ample time to deliver a nonstop, action-heavy, event-driven story like this. If you're looking for introspection, look elsewhere. Deep thoughts will not be heard over Meikle's barrage of weapons fire.
March 17, 2011
Since buying a Kindle I've wondered what the quality was like on self published ebooks. Well, now I know. I do not want to sound mean spirited, but the author really needs to sharpen his skills a bit.
The Invasion was not as horrible as I had feared, the formatting, and proofreading were not as bad as I had read in other reviews of this type of book. Not sure if this was due to the author's new, "extended version" version or not.
However the writing and plotting were not what one would expect from a book published through normal publishing channels. Characters were wooden to the point of being little more than outlines, plotting was poor and depth of knowledge of the subject matter was dubious. Pretty much what I would imagine an editor's slush pile would consist of.
One example, I'm no military expert but it was confusing to the point of being laughable that a helicopter could fly from an aircraft carrier off the Atlantic seaboard to Yellowstone in Wyoming with only one refueling stop in route. Also, as a hint, the US navy has not had a battlecruiser in its inventory since the close of WWII and air defense systems on a modern nuclear powered aircraft carrier does not consist of "guns". Minor points but shows a lack of subject knowledge.
On the plus side it was relatively short.
The price of course was less than half of that of a conventional publisher's backlist. But in the future I'll be asking myself the following: Is my time worth the extra few dollars or not. I think I know what the answer to that will be.
The Invasion was not as horrible as I had feared, the formatting, and proofreading were not as bad as I had read in other reviews of this type of book. Not sure if this was due to the author's new, "extended version" version or not.
However the writing and plotting were not what one would expect from a book published through normal publishing channels. Characters were wooden to the point of being little more than outlines, plotting was poor and depth of knowledge of the subject matter was dubious. Pretty much what I would imagine an editor's slush pile would consist of.
One example, I'm no military expert but it was confusing to the point of being laughable that a helicopter could fly from an aircraft carrier off the Atlantic seaboard to Yellowstone in Wyoming with only one refueling stop in route. Also, as a hint, the US navy has not had a battlecruiser in its inventory since the close of WWII and air defense systems on a modern nuclear powered aircraft carrier does not consist of "guns". Minor points but shows a lack of subject knowledge.
On the plus side it was relatively short.
The price of course was less than half of that of a conventional publisher's backlist. But in the future I'll be asking myself the following: Is my time worth the extra few dollars or not. I think I know what the answer to that will be.
December 11, 2010
I'm halfway through this intense and original invasion story and loving every messy second!
March 17, 2018
Pretty much non-stop action/horror from start to finish, this novella from Meikle would make a cracking B-movie for a Friday night and several beers. If you want a writer who knows what makes a good story, Meikle is your man.
January 26, 2020
Good to see Canadians save the day. Lol
Good characters, good story.
Good characters, good story.
July 18, 2013
Having heard lots of good things about Meikle's work from plenty of GR members, I looked forward to my first time reading a novel of his...and to be completely honest, was a little underwhelmed. Not a bad book, but not one that knocked my socks off either. I'd read that this was his first novel, and perhaps his freshman effort should be viewed as such. Few formatting issues and typos made for some distractions, but the story did move along swiftly for most of the read. Set in current times, the novel is a blend of horror and scifi, where the planet is invaded by a deadly green ashy snow, which kills instantly and destroys the plant and animal life...only to breed some extreme alien life forms. Sleek black egg shaped craft appear along with the requisite larger mothercraft follow to continue the world destruction. Survivors hunker down across the continents, including a female Canadian scientist, a survivalist, professor, and the usual military folks. During the course of things, they all come together, with a narrow albeit somewhat plausible way to stop the Invasion. Despite the aforementoned errors and plot weaknesses, this still makes for a fun scifi/horror akin to War of the Worlds or Independence Day.
January 4, 2011
What a fun book! I thought that there was not any new ways to treat the invasion of the world or the end of the world and I have been proven wrong.
This was a very entertaining book.
I had not heard of this author before but I just got a Kindle so found that he has about 10 novels out there a long with a couple of short story collections including one about Carnacki-who you will know if you have read any older horror stories.
I also liked the ending of this book.Very creative.
It's not a long book so you can read it in one sitting if that's what you like to do.
I have downloaded many of his other books and have yet to be disappointed.
So if you are looking for a nice,exciting read you can't do any better than this long novella.
This was a very entertaining book.
I had not heard of this author before but I just got a Kindle so found that he has about 10 novels out there a long with a couple of short story collections including one about Carnacki-who you will know if you have read any older horror stories.
I also liked the ending of this book.Very creative.
It's not a long book so you can read it in one sitting if that's what you like to do.
I have downloaded many of his other books and have yet to be disappointed.
So if you are looking for a nice,exciting read you can't do any better than this long novella.
December 2, 2010
A creepy science fiction adventure written with that B-movie style. It was a great quick read.It starts in the winter when an alien form of life comes dripping down destroying everything it touches. As the story evoles so does the alien. Changing and evolving to make Earth is own planet. A very entertaining story. I look forward to reading more by this author.
May 12, 2010
Strong Beginning...
September 14, 2021
I’m a huge fan of Meikle’s creature-features and cosmic horror, so when I found out he had an alien invasion novel, I had to pick up The Invasion. I’m so glad I did.
A strange green rain (in some areas, snow) touches down and consumes all organic matter that it touches. Once it’s done, waves of the resultant green sludge mow down the survivors. Then the real invasion begins. Alice barely survived the initial snow, since she got just a few flakes on her hand. She’s teamed up with two surviving brothers in the effort to stay alive, and she’s starting to discover she has a unique gift that gives her some protection from the aliens–but also turns her into a target. Meanwhile, Hiscock feels pretty great about the fact that he was ready with his bunker and supplies, but in actuality he’s pretty lonely. And he’s starting to worry that even down in his bunker he might not be safe from the invasion. Eventually both survivors get caught up in a plot to drive away the aliens that might or might not save the last of humanity as well.
The life cycle of alien organisms is absolutely fascinating, and the alien world-building that we catch a glimpse of through Alice is amazing. The devastation the few survivors go through is on point, and the aliens are definitely scary. I love the fact that the aliens are not all-powerful, omniscient, or perfect–they make mistakes as well. The characters have a fair amount of depth for a novella, and I really liked the directions both Alice and Hiscock went in.
If you enjoy alien invasion stories and want a quick read, this is a great choice!
Original review posted on my blog: https://www.errantdreams.com/2021/09/...
A strange green rain (in some areas, snow) touches down and consumes all organic matter that it touches. Once it’s done, waves of the resultant green sludge mow down the survivors. Then the real invasion begins. Alice barely survived the initial snow, since she got just a few flakes on her hand. She’s teamed up with two surviving brothers in the effort to stay alive, and she’s starting to discover she has a unique gift that gives her some protection from the aliens–but also turns her into a target. Meanwhile, Hiscock feels pretty great about the fact that he was ready with his bunker and supplies, but in actuality he’s pretty lonely. And he’s starting to worry that even down in his bunker he might not be safe from the invasion. Eventually both survivors get caught up in a plot to drive away the aliens that might or might not save the last of humanity as well.
The life cycle of alien organisms is absolutely fascinating, and the alien world-building that we catch a glimpse of through Alice is amazing. The devastation the few survivors go through is on point, and the aliens are definitely scary. I love the fact that the aliens are not all-powerful, omniscient, or perfect–they make mistakes as well. The characters have a fair amount of depth for a novella, and I really liked the directions both Alice and Hiscock went in.
If you enjoy alien invasion stories and want a quick read, this is a great choice!
Original review posted on my blog: https://www.errantdreams.com/2021/09/...
August 14, 2018
I’m not sure what made me buy this book. Perhaps it was the title although I’ve read numerous science fiction and horror books about invasion before so probably not. I’ve never read anything by William Meikle so that couldn’t be it. Then it dawned on me; I was intrigued by the cover which shows a section of Earth from a satellite view, partially blotted out by a strange greenish hue.
This is different, I thought, so I ordered the book from Dark Regions Press and I can truthfully say I was not disappointed. The story starts right off with a mysterious green snow that burns like sulphuric acid when it touches ones skin and quickly destroys anything living that it lands on. To make things worse, this strange phenomenon is happening in various places all over the world, and it doesn’t take long before new life forms begin to rise from the green ooze.
This is really a novella, a quick 107 page read that only took about five or six hours to complete, but it was definitely worth the time. As a number of people have said in their review, this story reads like a B-grade science fiction movie, and it gave me a popcorn-munching good time.
This is different, I thought, so I ordered the book from Dark Regions Press and I can truthfully say I was not disappointed. The story starts right off with a mysterious green snow that burns like sulphuric acid when it touches ones skin and quickly destroys anything living that it lands on. To make things worse, this strange phenomenon is happening in various places all over the world, and it doesn’t take long before new life forms begin to rise from the green ooze.
This is really a novella, a quick 107 page read that only took about five or six hours to complete, but it was definitely worth the time. As a number of people have said in their review, this story reads like a B-grade science fiction movie, and it gave me a popcorn-munching good time.
October 16, 2021
The Invasion is worth. it’s time
A good quick light read.
None of us know where humans are the only intelligence through the universe
The ideas that we are alone or we are not alone are both equally frightening
A good quick light read.
None of us know where humans are the only intelligence through the universe
The ideas that we are alone or we are not alone are both equally frightening
September 30, 2025
Aliens Attack
If you like 50s science fiction with aliens coming to destroy earth you surely would enjoy this one. Only short, but starts off quickly and takes you on a terrifying ride.
If you like 50s science fiction with aliens coming to destroy earth you surely would enjoy this one. Only short, but starts off quickly and takes you on a terrifying ride.
November 28, 2017
is very good book,
so excelent and beautiful im like
so excelent and beautiful im like
August 10, 2020
Excellent story
This story moved at a fast pace all the way through. A very enjoyable story from the beginning to end.
This story moved at a fast pace all the way through. A very enjoyable story from the beginning to end.
July 14, 2012
Brief Creature-double feature story about an alien invasion of the earth that starts with green snow falling from the sky.
Really, that's about it. Green snow heralds an alien invasion, and only a survivalist, a young woman with an unusual gift, and an old scientist can stop it. An interesting idea, interesting solution, and the book is done. It would have made a nice 1970s midnight movie, and I wonder what William could do with a full length book and some serious horror. It's written well, if a bit matter of fact, with a clean prose style.
I enjoyed it, but you are buying a novella if you buy this, and as another reviewer has mentioned, it's like a B-movie. While it's not a bad one like Mega Shark Vs Octopus, it's not a great one like Army of Darkness. I'd consider it like John Carpenter's The Fog-not a bad idea, a fun thing to consume, but you aren't going to sing its praises to high heaven.
Really, that's about it. Green snow heralds an alien invasion, and only a survivalist, a young woman with an unusual gift, and an old scientist can stop it. An interesting idea, interesting solution, and the book is done. It would have made a nice 1970s midnight movie, and I wonder what William could do with a full length book and some serious horror. It's written well, if a bit matter of fact, with a clean prose style.
I enjoyed it, but you are buying a novella if you buy this, and as another reviewer has mentioned, it's like a B-movie. While it's not a bad one like Mega Shark Vs Octopus, it's not a great one like Army of Darkness. I'd consider it like John Carpenter's The Fog-not a bad idea, a fun thing to consume, but you aren't going to sing its praises to high heaven.
September 19, 2010
The Invasion is exactly what the author claims it to be: a B-movie story about an alien invasion of the planet Earth. True to its B-movie aspirations, The Invasion follows a small cast of sketchily developed characters, with an emphasis on plot and quick pacing.
I quite enjoyed reading the novella and would have given it four stars, based on its modest aspirations, but for a couple of persistent formating problems that got in the way on nearly every page.
The first problem is a failure to italicize all of the sentences of characters' thoughts. Sometimes these thoughts are italicized but most often not. The second problem was a lack of extra space or *** or whatever between scenes, which was pretty jarring as the location shifts suddenly and often.
I'd recommend The Invasion as a quick, light read.
I quite enjoyed reading the novella and would have given it four stars, based on its modest aspirations, but for a couple of persistent formating problems that got in the way on nearly every page.
The first problem is a failure to italicize all of the sentences of characters' thoughts. Sometimes these thoughts are italicized but most often not. The second problem was a lack of extra space or *** or whatever between scenes, which was pretty jarring as the location shifts suddenly and often.
I'd recommend The Invasion as a quick, light read.
February 29, 2012
A great apocalyptic disaster story. One of those novels which wastes no time jumping into the fray and getting you hooked immediately. An invasion story which begins as a bizarre tale of Nature Gone Awry only to soon reveal that the source of the flesh-melting green snow covering the world is not from this Earth. The story alternates from the perspectives of two characters as the sense of hopelessness for the human race builds throughout the novel. The characters themselves are good though could be fleshed out (so to speak) a little better, especially the main female protagonist Alice Noble, but they are real enough, and the events around them horrific enough, to make this a fast, scary and enjoyable horror novel. This was my first Meikle novel but definitely not the last. Nice job with this one.
March 13, 2013
An enjoyable story, and the idea was very original, and creepy as heck. I wish there had been time to flesh out the characters a bit more, they were a bit stereotypical in their characterization, but with a novella, there's only so much you can do. I enjoyed Alice very much, I found Hiscock to be a bit confusing, he seemed to go from weirdo survivalist to hero without any stops inbetween. Interestingly enough, I had a harder time with the dog being left outside to die than any of the people deaths.
I also really liked the Maritime setting, since I'm in Nova Scotia. It was nice to think that we had a chance at survival because Maritimers know enough to stay inside during a snow storm. The one time a crappy winter is on our side!
I also really liked the Maritime setting, since I'm in Nova Scotia. It was nice to think that we had a chance at survival because Maritimers know enough to stay inside during a snow storm. The one time a crappy winter is on our side!
July 16, 2011
Alice is one of the only survivors left after an acid green snow covers her island. The world is covered in green slime that destroys everything, but that's just the beginning . . . before long the slime is evolving and it rapidly becomes evident that this is not of Earthly origins and the aliens have a much bigger plan in mind.
I enjoyed this book but it was rather short. The characters are not terribly well fleshed out, but that's to be expected for the length. It was very interesting and kept my interest throughout.
I enjoyed this book but it was rather short. The characters are not terribly well fleshed out, but that's to be expected for the length. It was very interesting and kept my interest throughout.
November 15, 2012
This book was a refreshing take on the Alien invasion story. The main charcater Alice is flawed and likeable and you are always rooting for her. The story was fast paced and written believably for the genre and had real feeling of surviving at all costs. It would be hard to leaborate without posting spoilers so just let me say that this was a great read and also just plain FUN!!!!
August 24, 2014
I loved the way this book made through the various stages of invasion, and there was no holds barred in killing off characters! Alien invasions rock and this book is an excellent addition! To have been a 5 star read it could have done with more detail and a more in depth story, otherwise fantastic fun. William Meikle is a brilliant author and I am continuing to work my way through his catalogue.
September 21, 2016
Like his other works I've read, The Invasion is bare bones in its plot and characterization, but it's still quite a page turner. It has an interesting set of mechanisms for an alien invasion and an interesting and rather "alien" alien race. The story has a fun and satisfying way of stopping the invasion, also. Recommended as a quick, enjoyable read.
August 23, 2010
This was a fast-paced sci-fi/horror story filled with danger and conflict. The alien invasion was among the most unique I've read, and truly frightening in its pervasiveness and speed. The only criticism I have is that the ending seemed a bit rushed. I'd definitely recommend this book.
October 14, 2010
Started off strong but the ending felt a little rushed. Certainly a quick fun read.
January 17, 2011
A wonderful blast of pulp science fiction. My favourite William Meikle novel so far.
August 13, 2011
A decent yarn, reminds me a little of some of those horror movies in the 50s
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews