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The Withering
Victoria Bartlett is an educated woman from a prominent British family. The year is 1900 and as she travels on an aged steamship to the harsh environment of Egypt, she feels confident and secure in herself. Fate however, will not allow Victoria a gentle passage. Ripping the strands of well being from her, it will ultimately cast her essence upon the hard stones of ancient alchemy and desperation.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
Audible Audio
First published July 1, 2015
9 people are currently reading
61 people want to read
About the author
Oliver Phipps
20 books1,531 followersOliver served as a Paratrooper in the United States Army and studied at MSC. In the late 1980s through mid 90s Oliver pursued his love of music. He enjoyed traveling, playing percussion and writing lyrics for popular bands. During this time Oliver also began writing short stories and articles.
After playing for thousands through the fall and winter of 1996 Oliver's band abruptly disbanded. In early spring of 1997 Oliver along with a good friend who was a guitarist got together with the intention to form a new group. But rather than form a new band the two put together an expedition plan for traveling to Northern Canada and Alaska in order to prospect for gold.
Leaving in April of 1997 Oliver and company traveled up the historic AL-CAN highway. After exploring the Yukon and Northwest territories of Canada as well as the Arctic Circle the team traveled over the Top of the World highway to Alaska.
1999-2000 Oliver traveled through Asia, visiting Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan among other countries.
In 2004 Oliver published his first book and continues to write books, articles and short stories. Currently Oliver and family reside happily in the U.S.
After playing for thousands through the fall and winter of 1996 Oliver's band abruptly disbanded. In early spring of 1997 Oliver along with a good friend who was a guitarist got together with the intention to form a new group. But rather than form a new band the two put together an expedition plan for traveling to Northern Canada and Alaska in order to prospect for gold.
Leaving in April of 1997 Oliver and company traveled up the historic AL-CAN highway. After exploring the Yukon and Northwest territories of Canada as well as the Arctic Circle the team traveled over the Top of the World highway to Alaska.
1999-2000 Oliver traveled through Asia, visiting Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan among other countries.
In 2004 Oliver published his first book and continues to write books, articles and short stories. Currently Oliver and family reside happily in the U.S.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
September 19, 2015
A see saw opinion of the book. Wondering what to write for its review! I liked it and also felt it was a little short of what I would have wanted to have read.
This was a great short to read. I checked the book out no Goodreads and I was surprised that it was 54 pages only. That made me really excited to check out the story. I feel that short story authors inherently challenge themselves more than others when they stick to a lesser word count. Therein lies the pressure to build a great story and write without all the unnecessary details.
And this book was a great one at that. I think the genre is a mash of Horror and Historical. In terms of the character, Victoria, it felt like it was a coming-of-age because she matured from the start of the book.
So Victoria is a snob. You can make it out from the name, a typical aristocratic British name. She's one of those who looks down on people who aren't as knowledgeable as her or those who don't know too many things.
The beginning of the book, in my opinion, falters while trying to build up Victoria's character. You grow to dislike her so much that you really don't have any empathy for her when fate throws her into the sea (quite literally). This is the part I'd have liked changed a little. I'd have liked to know about Victoria's life back in England and what made her leave.
The book picks up brilliantly in the second half. Victoria is a typical woman from the 1900s. Taught to be haughty and affected, who doesn't really have much skills. It grated on me that she couldn't deal with what was happening, but I suppose I have to give her the benefit of the doubt. I'm not sure I'd have survived much if I was her.
Some parts in the second half were so thrilling. At one point, the narrative was so crisp and thrilling that I was scared, even though I was reading it in broad daylight.
Victoria's answers to me, felt a little pretentious, but that is primarily because I did not know about her life in the first half. I only knew about her "Withering"in the second half. And that, is where I feel the book lacks. A brilliant brilliant horror short, let down by imperfect planning in the first part.
Victoria is not a memorable character. Her snobbish and high handed manner certainly is. You end up feeling that she deserves what happened and her unraveling was to come in due time. What you cannot predict is that the book is her unraveling. That's where the genius lies.
And that's where the 4 stars to this book come from. The sheer unpredictability of the book, and the slight bit of dementia we see in the end.
I'll be watching out for this author in the future.
This was a great short to read. I checked the book out no Goodreads and I was surprised that it was 54 pages only. That made me really excited to check out the story. I feel that short story authors inherently challenge themselves more than others when they stick to a lesser word count. Therein lies the pressure to build a great story and write without all the unnecessary details.
And this book was a great one at that. I think the genre is a mash of Horror and Historical. In terms of the character, Victoria, it felt like it was a coming-of-age because she matured from the start of the book.
So Victoria is a snob. You can make it out from the name, a typical aristocratic British name. She's one of those who looks down on people who aren't as knowledgeable as her or those who don't know too many things.
The beginning of the book, in my opinion, falters while trying to build up Victoria's character. You grow to dislike her so much that you really don't have any empathy for her when fate throws her into the sea (quite literally). This is the part I'd have liked changed a little. I'd have liked to know about Victoria's life back in England and what made her leave.
The book picks up brilliantly in the second half. Victoria is a typical woman from the 1900s. Taught to be haughty and affected, who doesn't really have much skills. It grated on me that she couldn't deal with what was happening, but I suppose I have to give her the benefit of the doubt. I'm not sure I'd have survived much if I was her.
Some parts in the second half were so thrilling. At one point, the narrative was so crisp and thrilling that I was scared, even though I was reading it in broad daylight.
Victoria's answers to me, felt a little pretentious, but that is primarily because I did not know about her life in the first half. I only knew about her "Withering"in the second half. And that, is where I feel the book lacks. A brilliant brilliant horror short, let down by imperfect planning in the first part.
Victoria is not a memorable character. Her snobbish and high handed manner certainly is. You end up feeling that she deserves what happened and her unraveling was to come in due time. What you cannot predict is that the book is her unraveling. That's where the genius lies.
And that's where the 4 stars to this book come from. The sheer unpredictability of the book, and the slight bit of dementia we see in the end.
I'll be watching out for this author in the future.
July 21, 2015
see full review @ Katie's Corner
When I got this it, I thought there was a typo in the page count, but no it really is 54 pages long. Everyone may think it’s too short for a book, but to say the truth those 5 chapters were amazing. I would have liked to read more about Victoria, but still it was enough to get to know her.
Meet the protagonist – Victoria; in the first chapter she appears as a real British snob (apologies to everyone British), but her way of speaking and showing both her British accent and her university degree was a bit sickening. But don’t forget it’s 1900-s. it was rare for a woman to be educated at that time. The “fun” starts when Victoria is thrown to an island. I laughed out loud, when I saw how her “intelligence” helped her during the first day. She couldn’t bring herself to function; she did come to her senses soon enough not to die. She was too much of a scaredy-cat, and she was aiming to become a nurse?
I believe I have been repeating myself a lot, but I need to say this again: I love how Phipps builds up tension. My mind goes into overdrive scheming possible outcomes. However, this time I guessed correctly. I remember I was reading this book after my internship in the subway, and I can swear I had this maniacal grin on my face though out the whole book, because my theory was coming to be true. When I came to the end, I nearly shouted “I knew it!”, it was inevitable that Victoria would leave that island sane. What happened to her there? Well, that’s up to you to find out! A small hint: is she really there all-alone? Or…
When I first read the summary I thought it would be similar to “The Tempest Soul”, however, I was not correct. If in Tempest Soul Phipps builds a strong woman into glory and makes her even a stronger character. Here it’s different. We get to see how a storing woman gets to be broken to pieces. Though a question comes to mind: Was Victoria really a strong character from the beginning? That’s up to you to decide.
I believe everyone will enjoy this book. Everyone may see Victoria differently. For me she was a poor soul, who just tried to be above everyone else. The book makes you ask yourself the main question: who we are and where are we going? I hope you’ll take up this great book. It sure will leave a lot of mixed feelings in you after finishing it. Don’t forget to share your thoughts below!
When I got this it, I thought there was a typo in the page count, but no it really is 54 pages long. Everyone may think it’s too short for a book, but to say the truth those 5 chapters were amazing. I would have liked to read more about Victoria, but still it was enough to get to know her.
Meet the protagonist – Victoria; in the first chapter she appears as a real British snob (apologies to everyone British), but her way of speaking and showing both her British accent and her university degree was a bit sickening. But don’t forget it’s 1900-s. it was rare for a woman to be educated at that time. The “fun” starts when Victoria is thrown to an island. I laughed out loud, when I saw how her “intelligence” helped her during the first day. She couldn’t bring herself to function; she did come to her senses soon enough not to die. She was too much of a scaredy-cat, and she was aiming to become a nurse?
I believe I have been repeating myself a lot, but I need to say this again: I love how Phipps builds up tension. My mind goes into overdrive scheming possible outcomes. However, this time I guessed correctly. I remember I was reading this book after my internship in the subway, and I can swear I had this maniacal grin on my face though out the whole book, because my theory was coming to be true. When I came to the end, I nearly shouted “I knew it!”, it was inevitable that Victoria would leave that island sane. What happened to her there? Well, that’s up to you to find out! A small hint: is she really there all-alone? Or…
When I first read the summary I thought it would be similar to “The Tempest Soul”, however, I was not correct. If in Tempest Soul Phipps builds a strong woman into glory and makes her even a stronger character. Here it’s different. We get to see how a storing woman gets to be broken to pieces. Though a question comes to mind: Was Victoria really a strong character from the beginning? That’s up to you to decide.
I believe everyone will enjoy this book. Everyone may see Victoria differently. For me she was a poor soul, who just tried to be above everyone else. The book makes you ask yourself the main question: who we are and where are we going? I hope you’ll take up this great book. It sure will leave a lot of mixed feelings in you after finishing it. Don’t forget to share your thoughts below!
October 24, 2015
Very good. A short read that I would have liked to be longer. But it was very intense so I recommend.
November 4, 2015
I really liked this book. I wish it had been longer. But that's the way I feel about all of this author's works. It seems he meant for it to be short and sharp.
April 27, 2017
I liked the book. It was interesting and really different. But, it was not the ending I was expecting. Still, Oliver once again kept me entertained on a Sunday afternoon.
December 15, 2017
Spooky ghost story feel. Love it
This book was very different from what I thought it would be. It is like a creepy ghost story. It is very interesting and I loved it. It starts out as Victoria, an educated British woman, boards an old steam ship to Europe. She is going to be a Nursing Officer and assist the surgeons.
Right away, she feels too intelligent for the people on the ship. She ends up insulting the people on the ship directly and indirectly. One woman puts Victoria in her place at dinner after growing tired of Victoria boasting all through dinner. All the men laugh and that embarrassed Victoria. She goes to sleep angry that night.
The next morning she woke on the floor as a large steam cargo ship crashed into theirs. She opened her cabin door to be greeted by smoke, fire and rising water. The ship is sinking. An explosion throws Victoria into the water. She manages to climb on a floating box and fall asleep.
The next morning she wakes up on an island. It has ancient ruins, statues, and a building. She finds a crazy lady on the beach she is terrified of and runs from. There is a cloaked women in the building but has no interest in harming Victoria.
This book is creepy and you must read it to find out what happens to Victoria. I love books by this Author which is why I said it was different than I thought. I buy his books knowing they will be a good read and they always are. I’ve read many of his books now and none are money wasted. I highly recommend this Author and his books.
This book was very different from what I thought it would be. It is like a creepy ghost story. It is very interesting and I loved it. It starts out as Victoria, an educated British woman, boards an old steam ship to Europe. She is going to be a Nursing Officer and assist the surgeons.
Right away, she feels too intelligent for the people on the ship. She ends up insulting the people on the ship directly and indirectly. One woman puts Victoria in her place at dinner after growing tired of Victoria boasting all through dinner. All the men laugh and that embarrassed Victoria. She goes to sleep angry that night.
The next morning she woke on the floor as a large steam cargo ship crashed into theirs. She opened her cabin door to be greeted by smoke, fire and rising water. The ship is sinking. An explosion throws Victoria into the water. She manages to climb on a floating box and fall asleep.
The next morning she wakes up on an island. It has ancient ruins, statues, and a building. She finds a crazy lady on the beach she is terrified of and runs from. There is a cloaked women in the building but has no interest in harming Victoria.
This book is creepy and you must read it to find out what happens to Victoria. I love books by this Author which is why I said it was different than I thought. I buy his books knowing they will be a good read and they always are. I’ve read many of his books now and none are money wasted. I highly recommend this Author and his books.
November 17, 2023
The details provided by the author allow you to truly immerse yourself in this fictional world. You find yourself connecting with the characters and waiting with bated breath to see how each of their stories unfold. Would definitely recommend this book!
November 18, 2023
loved this book. I will say I wanted more spice but it's a really great story. The main character is so much fun I love how realistic her talking back is it really works for me haha. I love the tiny pieces of information we get yet still know so little. It's like we are along for the ride with her.
January 5, 2024
Having never attended high school, I have never read the classics. This one was so good I wish I had read it sooner. I don't know how this was written compared to the original, but I really enjoyed reading it.
March 20, 2021
Oliver Phipps has published a great book again!! This is my second book by the author that I have thoroughly enjoyed! Thanks. 💗
April 5, 2021
I loved this book, it held my interest from the very beginning. The characters seemed so real and relatable. Couldn't wait to finish to know the ending. I would definitely recommend this book.
April 21, 2021
Got this my collection it’s really cute well made.
May 10, 2021
This story has enough depth I can imagine this on the big screen. Now to think about casting!
May 28, 2021
I enjoyed this book so much that I read it in a couple of sittings. It's a perfect book
June 13, 2021
A quick read with an unexpected ending. The characters were well-written.
June 24, 2021
Just unbelievable, more twist and turns than you can imagine in one book. Where is the next book already??? Still in shock.
September 28, 2021
This was a real page turner. It held my interest from the Prologue to the end. I have been reading certain chapters over and over again. I highly recommend this book.
June 1, 2022
I chose this rating because I consider this book a good read.
June 2, 2022
It is hard to stop reading even when it ends. Loved it.
June 2, 2022
One of the best books I've read in years. Not at all the ending I had imagined. I couldn't put it down.
June 28, 2022
I enjoyed this book and did not want it to end! Keep it up! Can't wait for the next one!😊 Such a sweet book.
August 3, 2022
So amazing!!! I absolutely loved the story and characters. Couldn't put this one down and finished it in one day!
September 4, 2022
It was such a good read! I had it finished within two nights! This is the second book of hers I’ve read and I’ve loved each one.
October 30, 2022
Excellent!!! Had me hooked from beginning to end! Many unexpected twists and turns. Couldn't out it down until completely finished.
October 30, 2022
I was not expecting the ending! Did not want to put it down with the twists. And turns. I would recommend.
March 2, 2023
You will not want to stop reading as there are never any dull moments!
March 2, 2023
Masterful plot twists that I didn't see coming at all.
March 5, 2023
I give this book five stars!!! This was an awesome book with an awesome twist and plot.
June 30, 2023
I would highly recommend it! I’ve read a few of Oliver Phipps’s books and he has never disappointed me. I take one book at a time. Each one has been different.
June 30, 2023
Rarely do I find a book that I enjoy so much that I hate to have to put it down. This was the one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews