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Wither: A Modern Gothic
A hypnotic debut novel of meltdown-by-algorithmic-horror.
Mick has been off-grid for more than a year, surviving in the Missouri woods. He’s on the wrong side of paranoid, haunted by the catastrophe that sent him running, and he needs antibiotics for a rotting wound. If he can return to civilization, maybe he can reclaim what he’s lost: a relationship with an environmental activist named Alison, a dream of escaping his small-time youth for Chicago, and the cutting-edge data-analytics tool that just might be his meal ticket.
But when Mick arrives in Bloom, Missouri, he’s confronted by a ghost town: there are cars in the driveways and cans in the cupboards, but the people are gone, and it looks like they left in a hurry. Mick should probably leave, too, but he’s looking for Alison, looking for redemption, and looking for Regression, the algorithmic black box that promised:
No one is invisible.
No more toiling in the dark.
All the world is knowable.
Told in alternating timelines, Wither is an unnerving, thought-provoking horror for our times.
Mick has been off-grid for more than a year, surviving in the Missouri woods. He’s on the wrong side of paranoid, haunted by the catastrophe that sent him running, and he needs antibiotics for a rotting wound. If he can return to civilization, maybe he can reclaim what he’s lost: a relationship with an environmental activist named Alison, a dream of escaping his small-time youth for Chicago, and the cutting-edge data-analytics tool that just might be his meal ticket.
But when Mick arrives in Bloom, Missouri, he’s confronted by a ghost town: there are cars in the driveways and cans in the cupboards, but the people are gone, and it looks like they left in a hurry. Mick should probably leave, too, but he’s looking for Alison, looking for redemption, and looking for Regression, the algorithmic black box that promised:
No one is invisible.
No more toiling in the dark.
All the world is knowable.
Told in alternating timelines, Wither is an unnerving, thought-provoking horror for our times.
317 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 29, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Did Not Finish
July 6, 2026I have opted not to leave a star rating on this one. It is a kindness.
This was a DNF. Honestly, I didn't even make it 10% through the book before giving up. If I were to write in the style of this book, it would be something like:
She sat at the computer in order to write a review, a critique, an assessment. She rested her fingers on the keyboard. Thumbs, index fingers, middle fingers, ring fingers, pinkie fingers. The slim brown appendages sat on the keyboard like review soldiers, warriors, troopers ready to do review battle. Having hydrated herself excessively, and stocked up on snacks, she felt she was ready. Her kitchen cabinet held so many neatly arranged snacks. There were Doritos, Lays, pretzels, sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, granola bars, energy bars, hard candies, trail mix, Twinkies. She had selected Pocky, its crisp sticks coated in sweet chocolate reminiscent of her grandpa, thin legs always encased in a pair of old brown pants.
She breathed. Air filling her lungs because that is how people breathe. She released her breath because that is also part of breathing, respiration, halitus. Stretching her fingers once, twice, three times, she began to type.
T
H
E
And....I'm done.
This was a DNF. Honestly, I didn't even make it 10% through the book before giving up. If I were to write in the style of this book, it would be something like:
She sat at the computer in order to write a review, a critique, an assessment. She rested her fingers on the keyboard. Thumbs, index fingers, middle fingers, ring fingers, pinkie fingers. The slim brown appendages sat on the keyboard like review soldiers, warriors, troopers ready to do review battle. Having hydrated herself excessively, and stocked up on snacks, she felt she was ready. Her kitchen cabinet held so many neatly arranged snacks. There were Doritos, Lays, pretzels, sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, granola bars, energy bars, hard candies, trail mix, Twinkies. She had selected Pocky, its crisp sticks coated in sweet chocolate reminiscent of her grandpa, thin legs always encased in a pair of old brown pants.
She breathed. Air filling her lungs because that is how people breathe. She released her breath because that is also part of breathing, respiration, halitus. Stretching her fingers once, twice, three times, she began to type.
T
H
E
And....I'm done.
May 26, 2026
Very good. Reminded me of “Annihilation” creepy, dual timelines, fear of AI. Dystopia.
October 3, 2026
Wither is a really interesting one for me because the concept was what initially grabbed me, and there’s a lot here that I found fascinating. It follows Mick, who has been living off-grid after things in his life fell apart, until he eventually makes his way back toward civilization and finds an almost completely abandoned town. From there, the mystery surrounding what happened to Alison, and the technology Mick was involved with, starts pulling everything together.
The ideas behind this story were probably my favourite part. There’s a lot being explored around technology, data, identity, and our constant desire to know more and push things further. Regression is quite a creepy concept when you really start thinking about the implications of it.
I will say the beginning was a little slow for me. I understood that the pacing was building toward something, but it took me a while to really feel invested. Once things started shifting more heavily into the horror side of the story, though, I found myself much more engaged.
I also found the writing style really interesting. It reminded me of some of the stylistic choices sometimes associated with Cormac McCarthy. Creating this short, stark, fragmented rhythm throughout. I'm not completely sure how I feel about the execution of it or if it was intentional. But I noticed it.
That said, I can't deny that Wither gave me a lot to think about. The premise is strange, unsettling, and very relevant to the way technology continues to creep further into every part of our lives. And I still enjoyed it overall.
Thank you so much to Bloomsbury Publishing for the #gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
The ideas behind this story were probably my favourite part. There’s a lot being explored around technology, data, identity, and our constant desire to know more and push things further. Regression is quite a creepy concept when you really start thinking about the implications of it.
I will say the beginning was a little slow for me. I understood that the pacing was building toward something, but it took me a while to really feel invested. Once things started shifting more heavily into the horror side of the story, though, I found myself much more engaged.
I also found the writing style really interesting. It reminded me of some of the stylistic choices sometimes associated with Cormac McCarthy. Creating this short, stark, fragmented rhythm throughout. I'm not completely sure how I feel about the execution of it or if it was intentional. But I noticed it.
That said, I can't deny that Wither gave me a lot to think about. The premise is strange, unsettling, and very relevant to the way technology continues to creep further into every part of our lives. And I still enjoyed it overall.
Thank you so much to Bloomsbury Publishing for the #gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
2.75 stars
Wither provides a good concept and interesting premise; however if falls somewhat short in the pacing, structure and overall character development. The story centers around Mick, a man hoping to find. the ideal tech job in a big city and build a life with his girlfriend. His life in his Ozark town unravels after he tests a mysterious tech device that essentially can create a digital replica of someone.
The themes and subject matter are compelling, our drive to push the boundaries of technology in order to achieve seemingly bigger and better things. Mick falls for this as he tries to improve his life and pays a great price. He retreats into the woods where he spends some time before going back into the town to discover a huge mystery.
The narrative structure is confusing and disjointed, and at times I found it difficult to follow the plot. Mick's character seems one note and his motivations are not always clear. Overall, a good idea that falls flat with its confusing and disjointed story telling.
Thank you to Net Galley, Bloomsbury Publishing and Dan Warner for Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.
Wither provides a good concept and interesting premise; however if falls somewhat short in the pacing, structure and overall character development. The story centers around Mick, a man hoping to find. the ideal tech job in a big city and build a life with his girlfriend. His life in his Ozark town unravels after he tests a mysterious tech device that essentially can create a digital replica of someone.
The themes and subject matter are compelling, our drive to push the boundaries of technology in order to achieve seemingly bigger and better things. Mick falls for this as he tries to improve his life and pays a great price. He retreats into the woods where he spends some time before going back into the town to discover a huge mystery.
The narrative structure is confusing and disjointed, and at times I found it difficult to follow the plot. Mick's character seems one note and his motivations are not always clear. Overall, a good idea that falls flat with its confusing and disjointed story telling.
Thank you to Net Galley, Bloomsbury Publishing and Dan Warner for Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.
August 31, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Wither.
There is a lot to unpack about this story, and while the premise was what initially drew me in, I had a bit of a tough time getting into it. The pacing was slow to begin with, which was expected so I persisted. I began feeling the need to continue reading to find out what was going to happen next. Then, approximately halfway through, the story shifted to creepy horror vibes. I spent a lot of time on edge waiting for the next thing to happen. I was stressed - but in a good way. In the way you want to be when reading something like this. I couldn't anticipate the ending, and had no idea what was going to happen, which is refreshing since I normally am able to predict these things.
I gave three stars because of the writing style. At times, it felt choppy and mechanical. Long, and drawn out. I was able to catch on pretty quickly that the main character was conversing with a muse, but it was not mentioned until much much later in the book who this muse originated from, which left me thoroughly confused about their relationship. I was left with more questions than answers, and the story ended unresolved.
There is a lot to unpack about this story, and while the premise was what initially drew me in, I had a bit of a tough time getting into it. The pacing was slow to begin with, which was expected so I persisted. I began feeling the need to continue reading to find out what was going to happen next. Then, approximately halfway through, the story shifted to creepy horror vibes. I spent a lot of time on edge waiting for the next thing to happen. I was stressed - but in a good way. In the way you want to be when reading something like this. I couldn't anticipate the ending, and had no idea what was going to happen, which is refreshing since I normally am able to predict these things.
I gave three stars because of the writing style. At times, it felt choppy and mechanical. Long, and drawn out. I was able to catch on pretty quickly that the main character was conversing with a muse, but it was not mentioned until much much later in the book who this muse originated from, which left me thoroughly confused about their relationship. I was left with more questions than answers, and the story ended unresolved.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The premise for this was intriguing, but it didn't quite live up to the execution. This aims for literary weirdness (and there is an explicit Vandermeer comp in the summary), but mostly goes with vibes and implication rather than any particular concrete happening. Mick is pretty flat as a character, and while the dual timeline structure is a solid attempt to draw out the mystery of what's happening, the reveal ends up flat as well. Better luck next time?
October 2, 2026
I really enjoyed this book! I listened to the audiobook and loved how vivid and descriptive the writing was. I could picture everything so clearly in my mind, almost like I was watching a movie as the story unfolded. The story had me hooked, and as I got into it I was dying to know what would happen next. I like where it landed. Beautiful writing and a fun listen.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Received an ARC copy of this book. The premise was interesting to me, but I think the execution of the story fell flat. The book felt very slow at the beginning but then towards the end it felt like it was trying to wrap it up quickly. The book didn't answer all the questions it presented.
September 5, 2026
1.5 rounded down.
The half star is because I do think there was a vision here that could have resulted in an interesting short story.
I do not know what this book was trying to say, or what the actual story even was. The style in particular with endless sentence fragments (I think meant to 1. Create a really active voice, and 2. Indicate how the narrator is also constantly gathering “data”) was exhausting and confusing. This book was 99% incomplete sentences pointing out inane details, while neglecting plot and character development. Where things are actually happening in the plot this style proves particularly ineffective because we never get clarity on motivations or how we are getting from point a to point b.
On top of that, any dialogue is choppy and depressing, and a caricature of every type of person represented in a way that is jarring and off putting rather than satirical as I suspect it was meant.
My final critique is that this book is seemingly meant to say something about modern AI, and also has no idea how the use of data in generative and agentic AI actually functions. Diving into the actual risks facing us today would have made for a far more interesting story than this fantastical imagining.
If this were indie published I might give more grace, but with access to Bloomsbury resources I expect more.
e-ARC provided by NetGalley and Bloomsbury publishing.
The half star is because I do think there was a vision here that could have resulted in an interesting short story.
I do not know what this book was trying to say, or what the actual story even was. The style in particular with endless sentence fragments (I think meant to 1. Create a really active voice, and 2. Indicate how the narrator is also constantly gathering “data”) was exhausting and confusing. This book was 99% incomplete sentences pointing out inane details, while neglecting plot and character development. Where things are actually happening in the plot this style proves particularly ineffective because we never get clarity on motivations or how we are getting from point a to point b.
On top of that, any dialogue is choppy and depressing, and a caricature of every type of person represented in a way that is jarring and off putting rather than satirical as I suspect it was meant.
My final critique is that this book is seemingly meant to say something about modern AI, and also has no idea how the use of data in generative and agentic AI actually functions. Diving into the actual risks facing us today would have made for a far more interesting story than this fantastical imagining.
If this were indie published I might give more grace, but with access to Bloomsbury resources I expect more.
e-ARC provided by NetGalley and Bloomsbury publishing.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews