• Last Request

  • A Victorian Gothic
  • By: Jeff Chapman
  • Narrated by: Caprisha Page
  • Length: 1 hr and 32 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (41 ratings)

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Last Request  By  cover art

Last Request

By: Jeff Chapman
Narrated by: Caprisha Page
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Publisher's summary

"For the love of God, cut off my head." The last request in Uncle Silas's will shocks everyone speechless, everyone except his favorite niece, Anna. More than death itself, the claustrophobic Silas fears a premature burial. Will her elders carry out his request? Anna is certain they will not. It's up to her to do the right thing, even if it is a bit grisly. Armed with butcher knife and candle, Anna heads for the crypt underneath the church in the dead of night. All does not go according to Anna's careful planning.

Step inside a dark story in the tradition of the penny dreadful, at times humorous and horrifying, but don't close the door behind you. Someone might lock you in.

©2014 Jeff Chapman (P)2014 Jeff Chapman

What listeners say about Last Request

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

quintessentially Victorian Gothic

This is a wonderful Victorian Gothic short story. It checks nearly all of the boxes when it comes to the characteristics of this genre. I listened to it while I was doing some gardening and it was a perfect companion. The author has a writing style well-suited to this genre and the narrator did a great job voicing the heroine of the tale. I could easily visualize the story as it progressed. I would have loved it if the author had given us an epilogue, but that doesn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the story.

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Perfect for a shorter trip

Anna is seventeen years old and absolutely stifled by her guardian Aunt Rachel. There are so many things proper ladies do not do. Anna repeatedly gets herself in trouble due to natural intelligence and curiosity. She has, fortunately, had her Uncle Silas, a co-conspirator in bending Aunt Rachel’s rules. Due to the time they spent together, Anna knew him better than anyone else in the family. When Silas died after an illness, Anna was not the least bit surprised that the last request of his will was to have his head cut off from his body. Silas had a horrible fear of claustrophobia due to a traumatic experience. He often told Anna if his head was cut off there would be no doubt he was dead and have nothing to fear.

Anna’s family wail and scream at the family lawyer until he calmly tells them the request is not legally binding but it is considered something the family should do. As Anna’s family rages around her, she realizes the reason for the request and also realizes her family will not honor it. What is a well-bred young woman to do? Let her favorite uncle down and follow the strict etiquette of the time? Or maybe handle the last request herself without letting the family know but risk a world of trouble if they find out?

Last Request is a short listen. Perfect for a shorter trip or sitting in a waiting room. The story is very well done. Short stories are difficult to write, more difficult than a novel. In a limited space, the author must tell his story, invest us in his characters, and ultimately fulfill our need for a good story with a satisfactory ending. Mr. Chapman does it so well I would like to read more stories involving Anna and the trouble she finds. The narration by Caprisha Page was excellent. She handled the different accents from Anna’s educated one to the sexton’s lower class words equally well. The male versus female characters was also well done. I highly recommend Last Request as an enjoyable yet thrilling story, perfect for Halloween moods.

There were no issues with the audio quality or production of this audiobook.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Ideal listen for a dark and stormy night

Last request is a short story set in Victorian England. It centers around a young woman, Anna, in the care of her aunt and takes place shortly after her uncle's death. The story starts during the reading of his last will and testament where the uncle makes an unusual request. While all the other family members are aghast, she is determined to fulfill her beloved uncle's request.

Last Request: A Victorian is a very enjoyable short story. The narrator does a lovely job. It is an ideal story to listen to on a dark and stormy night.

This book was gifted to me by Audiobook Blast in exchange for an unbiased review.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Fun Read

Any additional comments?

This was a most enjoyable read. I like the gothic feel of the book and the narration was spot on.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fun and Somewhat Creepy Gothic Story

If you could sum up Last Request in three words, what would they be?

Fun, Creepy, Gothic. Kind of taking the easy way out here but those do compose nearly the entire story.

What did you like best about this story?

I really liked the writing in general, behind the plot and everything that happened there was a level of writing that fit perfectly with the gothic theme and the masterpiece works of that genre from a century ago. With that done so well, the rest of it was just that much better.

What about Caprisha Page’s performance did you like?

I really appreciated how understandable she was throughout, and how she seemed to accentuate the positive points of the work. The fact that her voice is pleasant and has just enough personality to keep it from being ordinary didn't hurt either.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

It's Bad Luck Not To Honor a Last Request

Any additional comments?

I received this for free in exchange for an honest review and would honestly recommend it to anyone remotely interested in the genre or just in attempting to be exposed to different literature. I know that personally I'll be looking at other works by Chapman and Page as well.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Delicious delivery, superb turn of phrase

What made the experience of listening to Last Request the most enjoyable?

Caprisha Page has done a wonderful delivery.

If you could rename Last Request, what would you call it?

You MUST listen to this!

Any additional comments?

I thoroughly enjoyed Last Request. Not only was it very well written, Jeff has a wonderful turn of phrase. I have never come across so many exceptionally surprising descriptions ; "plunged him into a cold bath of loneliness" , "the open shears yawing toward the organist", ... The story was so enthralling it was hard to believe that a whole 1 1/2 hr. had passed rather than just a few minutes. Caprisha Page's clear and enunciated voice - with just a touch of an accent - provided a perfect delivery. Unfortunately as I am older now I may not have time to read or listen to all the books from a few authors Audible and Kobo have introduced me to. I was gifted this audio book by audioblastdotcom for an unbiased review. An Evi review

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Darkly Funny

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed this little tale. I received a free copy of the audiobook. It was a quick, entertaining listen, and it made me chuckle darkly right from the beginning with the request for decapitation. The characters were delightful and well-rounded. Well done for a short read, with a touch of spooky and a touch of grim humor.

If you can't handle a bit of gore, then this might not be for you. Otherwise, I'd say try this out if dark suits your style.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Listener received this title free

Very enjoyable - by Shana W

Jeff Chapman is a brilliant writer! This short story is entertaining, easy to read and so well written that you can picture everything (and every character) in great detail. Anna has resolved to fulfill her Uncle Silas' last request by severing his head from his body, but she has to go down to the family crypt to do so. The ensuing action is a mixture of horror, humour, and drama with a little twist. The narration by Caprisha Page really adds to the story, as she reads with good expression and her voice is easy to listen to.
I received an audiobook copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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Its okay

This was an interesting story. It is short but it does cover so much in the story. A man who wants his head chopped off just so he knew he was dead. But memories of the man goes through the story as she tries to do what the man wished at his death.

I received this book for free in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Loved it

I enjoyed this book, and the accents of the characters displayed by the narrator. Wonderful indeed.

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