Ever the wayward sky, a story of the Civil War, Oregon trail, ironclads, civil war ironclads, samurai, geisha, pirates.
Book by Oliver Phipps
Ever The Wayward Sky
The Civil War is over. But for Sergeant James Taft, there seems to be no end in sight. He had seldom considered what he would do after the war, because he never believed he would live through it.
James briefly returns to Pennsylvania in an unsuccessful attempt to work as a farmer. He then sets out to find peace and somehow vanquish the ghosts in his soul. What he can’t possibly foresee, as he rides west, is the epic story of tragedy, triumph and finding oneself.
The Civil War, Oregon trail, ironclads, civil war ironclads, samurai, geisha, pirates.
Editorial Review
If you like historical fiction with a military theme, Ever the Wayward Sky by Oliver Phipps is for you. Set in the period just after the American Civil War, it describes the travels of James Taft, a former sergeant in the Union cavalry. Having inflicted his share of death on the battlefield, James suffers from recurring nightmares. Not feeling able to return to a quiet Pennsylvania farm life, he gets on a horse and rides west, eventually ending up in Oregon. There, he’s adopted into a small band of Indians and takes a wife, finally believing that in her love and in his new life, he will find inner peace at last. But the tribal shaman warns him about a vision and James will find himself tragically lost to life once again.
Divine Zape
Readers' Favorite
4.3/5
65 Reviews
4.6/5
1630 Reviews
4.7/5
2100 Reviews
What People Say About This Book
Check out what amazing readers say about this book.
Karen Bennett
“I’ve read several books by Phipps and this story is one of my favorites. It’s a historical novel about a man’s struggle to get on with his life after the war. Within this backdrop, there are several other aspects of life that are interwoven. I felt as if I were transported to those distant times and experienced all the trials and triumphs with each character.”
Amazon review: Tara Botel
Five Stars! The healing of minds and hearts.
Review of Ever the Wayward Sky by Oliver Phipps
Experience. Sergeant James Taft has experience. Taft has finished defending his country and his core beliefs, and arrives at his boyhood home, but he can never truly go home. Plagued by recurring visions and suffering from depression, Taft has lost his identity and the meaning of life. The violence and blood lust he was praised for on the battlefield have no place in the traditions and customs of a still fractured country that finds itself difficult to forgive and forget.
So begins the journey of Taft in this historical novel set at the conclusion of the Civil War in America. Whether he is leading people on the Oregon Trail or keeping the company of a saloon girl, Taft has a problem reinventing himself and his causes.
Confucius wrote “By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection on, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and Third by experience, which is the bitterest.”
James Taft’s’ life experiences are unfathomable. We sympathize, empathize and pity the man, but his search for happiness, his place in and the meaning of life elude him.
From living with an Indian tribe and becoming a Samurai, Taft relearns about life and loss. By the end of the voyage, our mythic hero, Taft, who has been lost and fallen from grace, survives, redeems himself and learns to thrive in his own Shangri-La.
I recommend this novel for a unique and pivotal point of view of what did happen in our country to the men of battle and their journey to heal their minds as well as their hearts.
Five Stars! Another Fantastic Work By Oliver Phipps
Everyone knows just how much I love Oliver Phipp’s works, and when I got contacted by Oliver to tell me that there was a new book, I was ecstatic! He always changes his genres, but his books in the historical genre are just fantastic!
This time, the book covers a very today’s theme. What does a soldier do when he comes back from his service? Even though we are in the times after the Civil War, we can relate it to today’s world. Meet James Taft, a soldier who came back alive from war and now doesn’t know what he wants to do next.
If you think this will be your normal adventure, you’ll be both disappointed and excited as you’ll never know what will happen next. Oliver does a fantastic job at creating suspense that will leave you craving for more and not knowing what will happen in a minute.
Are you ready to dive in?
Amazon review: Marcus
Five Stars! Great Story, I loved it!
The war just ended, and it was time for James Taft to go home. Even tho he left the war was still inside of him. He had to leave home to deal with it. Then George Harvey ask him to help protect a wagon going up to the Oregon territory. He ends up meeting Sachisomi, who he gets married to, and fixing to have a child. Then he ends up fighting in the seas. This book is filled with adventure, There is so much more I want to say, but I don’t want to give away the whole story. I’m sure you will love it as much as I did.
Gallery
