Who is Donovan Candle?

In A Life Transparent, first published in 2007, Todd Keisling welcomed audiences to the Monochrom - a nightmarish parallel reality - and introduced Donovan Candle: a modern everyman experiencing an early mid-life crisis. Now, Bloodshot Books is proud to present a revised and expanded edition, featuring Keisling’s all-new afterword series, Who Is Donovan Candle?

Donovan Candle is boring.

Consummate husband, supportive brother, hardworking employee - a paragon of the diminishing middle class. Like so many others, he has fallen into routine and compromised his dreams for the sake of a paycheck. After a bad day at the office leaves him low, all Donovan wants is to sleep off the disappointment and start over.

Donovan Candle is terrified.

His body is fading out of existence. He’s seeing strange visions of the world in monochrome and horrific creatures lurking in his periphery. No one else seems to notice, and as the odd afflictions intensify, Donovan fears he is losing his grip on reality.

Donovan Candle is disappearing.

Someone breaks into his home and abducts his wife. Before he can contact the authorities, a stranger’s ominous phone call urges him on a path to her rescue, but only if he follows the rules. The clock is ticking, and with every step Donovan slips further into a state of transparency. Will he be in time to save his wife - and himself - from the dangers of a life transparent?