📖 Overview
Cherie Priest is an American novelist known for her work across multiple genres including steampunk, horror, and Southern Gothic. Her breakthrough novel "Boneshaker" (2009) established her as a prominent voice in steampunk fiction and won several notable science fiction awards.
The author's diverse bibliography includes the Clockwork Century series, set in an alternate-history American Civil War, and the Eden Moore series of Southern Gothic ghost stories. Her novel "Maplecroft" reimagines the Lizzie Borden case with a Lovecraftian horror twist, demonstrating her ability to blend historical elements with supernatural fiction.
Priest holds degrees from Southern Adventist University and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, influences that surface in her Southern-set works. Her writing career spans multiple formats, including novels, short stories, and novellas, with her work appearing from major publishers such as Tor Books and Subterranean Press.
Born in Tampa, Florida, Priest has lived in various locations across the American South and Pacific Northwest, with both regions featuring prominently in her fiction. She remains active in the science fiction and fantasy community, regularly appearing at conventions and contributing to genre discussions.
👀 Reviews
Readers appreciate Priest's worldbuilding and atmosphere, particularly in her Clockwork Century series. Her pacing keeps pages turning, with horror elements that create tension without relying on gore. Many note her skill at writing strong female protagonists who feel authentic to their historical settings.
Common criticisms include uneven character development and plots that sometimes lose momentum in the middle sections. Some readers find her endings rushed or unsatisfying. Several reviews mention wanting more depth in secondary characters.
Average ratings across platforms:
Goodreads: 3.7/5 (based on 80,000+ ratings)
Amazon: 4.1/5 (5,000+ reviews)
LibraryThing: 3.8/5 (2,000+ ratings)
From reader reviews:
"Creates vivid worlds but sometimes struggles to populate them with equally vivid characters" - Goodreads
"Great at building suspense, less successful at paying it off" - Amazon
"Her horror scenes are precise and unsettling without being gratuitous" - LibraryThing
📚 Books by Cherie Priest
Boneshaker - Set in an alternate 1880s Seattle, this steampunk novel follows a mother searching for her son in a walled city filled with zombies and toxic gas.
I Am Princess X - A contemporary young adult thriller about a teenage girl who discovers her supposedly dead best friend may be alive when their shared comic book character appears in mysterious web comics.
Maplecroft - A Lovecraftian horror reimagining of Lizzie Borden's story, where she fights mysterious supernatural forces with her sister Emma.
Dreadnought - Part of the Clockwork Century series, this novel follows a Civil War nurse who must transport a mysterious weapon across the country by train.
Bloodshot - An urban fantasy about a neurotic vampire/thief who takes an assignment that leads her into supernatural espionage.
Four and Twenty Blackbirds - A Southern Gothic tale following Eden Moore, a young woman who can see ghosts and must uncover dark family secrets.
Clementine - A steampunk adventure featuring a stolen Confederate airship and the former slave turned Union spy who pursues it.
Those Who Went Remain There Still - A historical horror novel about feuding Kentucky families who must confront an ancient monster in a cave.
I Am Princess X - A contemporary young adult thriller about a teenage girl who discovers her supposedly dead best friend may be alive when their shared comic book character appears in mysterious web comics.
Maplecroft - A Lovecraftian horror reimagining of Lizzie Borden's story, where she fights mysterious supernatural forces with her sister Emma.
Dreadnought - Part of the Clockwork Century series, this novel follows a Civil War nurse who must transport a mysterious weapon across the country by train.
Bloodshot - An urban fantasy about a neurotic vampire/thief who takes an assignment that leads her into supernatural espionage.
Four and Twenty Blackbirds - A Southern Gothic tale following Eden Moore, a young woman who can see ghosts and must uncover dark family secrets.
Clementine - A steampunk adventure featuring a stolen Confederate airship and the former slave turned Union spy who pursues it.
Those Who Went Remain There Still - A historical horror novel about feuding Kentucky families who must confront an ancient monster in a cave.
👥 Similar authors
China Miéville blends steampunk and weird fiction elements in his Bas-Lag series, creating complex urban worlds with both technological and supernatural elements. His work shares Priest's interest in alternate histories and industrial-era settings.
Sarah Monette writes gothic horror and fantasy that combines historical elements with supernatural threats. Her work features similar atmospheric tensions and dark mysteries as found in Priest's ghost stories and horror novels.
Elizabeth Bear crafts alternate history stories with strong steampunk elements and supernatural twists. Her Karen Memory series shares themes with Priest's Clockwork Century, including reimagined American frontiers and strong female protagonists.
Catherynne M. Valente creates narratives that mix historical settings with mythological and supernatural elements. Her work demonstrates the same facility with genre-blending and historical reimagining that characterizes Priest's novels.
Caitlín R. Kiernan writes Southern Gothic and Lovecraftian horror that explores supernatural themes in historical settings. Her work shares Priest's interest in ghost stories and cosmic horror, particularly in how they intersect with American history and culture.
Sarah Monette writes gothic horror and fantasy that combines historical elements with supernatural threats. Her work features similar atmospheric tensions and dark mysteries as found in Priest's ghost stories and horror novels.
Elizabeth Bear crafts alternate history stories with strong steampunk elements and supernatural twists. Her Karen Memory series shares themes with Priest's Clockwork Century, including reimagined American frontiers and strong female protagonists.
Catherynne M. Valente creates narratives that mix historical settings with mythological and supernatural elements. Her work demonstrates the same facility with genre-blending and historical reimagining that characterizes Priest's novels.
Caitlín R. Kiernan writes Southern Gothic and Lovecraftian horror that explores supernatural themes in historical settings. Her work shares Priest's interest in ghost stories and cosmic horror, particularly in how they intersect with American history and culture.