Maplecroft

Lizzie Borden lives in Fall River, Massachusetts with her sister Emma years after being acquitted of murdering their father and stepmother with an axe. The sisters conduct scientific research in their basement laboratory while investigating a creeping supernatural threat that endangers their town. Dr. Owen Seabury, a brilliant researcher from Miskatonic University, corresponds with the Borden sisters about their findings. Multiple perspectives reveal an accelerating pattern of bizarre occurrences and transformations affecting the local population. The novel combines historical elements from the real Lizzie Borden case with Lovecraftian cosmic horror and scientific investigation. The story unfolds through letters, journal entries, and documents that piece together mounting evidence of an ancient evil force. The text explores themes of family loyalty, scientific rationality versus unknowable forces, and the price of survival in the face of cosmic horror. It raises questions about guilt, redemption, and what humans will do when confronted with threats beyond their comprehension.

Readers found the book to be a slow-burning horror story that reimagines Lizzie Borden as a monster hunter. Many describe it as a blend of Lovecraftian horror with historical fiction. Readers appreciated: - The atmospheric New England setting - Strong character development of Lizzie and Emma Borden - Detailed scientific and medical elements - The epistolary format through multiple perspectives Common criticisms: - Pacing drags in the middle sections - Some found the scientific descriptions too dense - Multiple viewpoints can be hard to follow - The ending left questions unanswered Ratings: Goodreads: 3.7/5 (2,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4/5 (150+ reviews) LibraryThing: 3.8/5 (200+ ratings) Several readers noted it works better as a Gothic horror novel than a Lovecraftian tale. One reviewer called it "a Victorian X-Files meets Cthulhu." Others mentioned the book requires patience but rewards careful reading.

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🦑 Maplecroft blends real historical figures with Lovecraftian horror - the protagonist, Lizzie Borden, was actually acquitted of murdering her father and stepmother with an ax in 1892. 🏠 The book's title comes from the real house where Lizzie Borden lived after her acquittal, which she purchased and named Maplecroft. The house still stands today in Fall River, Massachusetts. 🏆 Author Cherie Priest won the Locus Award for Best First Novel for her debut book Four and Twenty Blackbirds, and is known for helping establish the "Southern Gothic" subgenre in modern fantasy. 🔍 The novel reimagines Lizzie's infamous ax murders as desperate acts to stop her father and stepmother from transforming into otherworldly creatures, drawing parallels to H.P. Lovecraft's stories about cosmic horror in New England. 📚 Maplecroft is the first book in "The Borden Dispatches" series, which continues with Chapelwood and explores a dark alternate history where the infamous murders were just the beginning of a larger cosmic threat.