What was it‪?‬

🎬 Experience the atmospheric visual edition of this tale by searching "Jonathan Dunne Horror" on YouTube.

Title: What Was It?

Series Name: Timeless Terrors

Series Entry: 167

Author: Fitz-James O'Brien

Narrator: Jonathan Dunne

Original Publication: 1859

Public Domain: Yes

Description:

First published in 1859, What Was It? by the Irish author Fitz-James O'Brien is widely regarded as one of the earliest invisible monster stories ever written.

When the residents of a New York boarding house encounter an unseen intruder, they find themselves confronting something that can be touched, restrained, and feared—but never seen. Blending suspense, mystery, and the supernatural, O'Brien creates a tale that still feels remarkably modern more than 160 years after its publication.

A pioneering work of weird fiction, What Was It? would go on to influence later classics such as The Horla by Guy de Maupassant and The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells. It remains one of the great overlooked gems of nineteenth-century horror.

This timeless classic is narrated by horror author Jonathan Dunne.

🎬 Experience the atmospheric visual edition of this tale by searching "Jonathan Dunne Horror" on YouTube