Book Spotlight & Review: Begotten by Kate Cherrell

Step into the shadowed parlours and fog-drenched corridors of Victorian England with Begotten, the gothic horror debut by Dr Kate Cherrell. Known for her work as a paranormal historian and writer behind Burials and Beyond, Cherrell brings a historian’s eye and her own flair to this chilling, richly atmospheric tale of spiritualism, family secrets, and creeping dread.

Set in the fictional, decaying county of Duncain, Begotten follows Alice Crofton, a woman reluctantly returning from polite London society to her ancestral home after the death of her father. What awaits her is not the mourning house of a grieving widow, but a cold, crumbling manor filled with suspicion, isolation, and increasingly strange events. Her younger sister, Elsie, is locked away; her mother is deep in mourning — and deeper still in spiritualist circles, influenced by a dangerously persuasive medium whose intentions may be far darker than they appear.

As Alice begins to question her own sanity, the lines between reality and illusion, memory and madness, start to dissolve. Ghostly visions, grotesque apparitions, and unsettling encounters begin to mount, and soon she finds herself not only fearing for her life, but also doubting everything she thought she knew about her past, her family — and herself.

Cherrell’s writing in Begotten is dripping with gothic flourish, masterfully layered with period-accurate detail. From the cut of a mourning gown to the creak of rotting floorboards, the world of Duncain is vividly constructed and wholly immersive. Her understanding of Victorian death culture and 19th-century spiritualism is not only accurate, but alive — lending an authenticity to the supernatural elements that makes them all the more unsettling.

The story echoes the gothic greats — think Wilkie Collins meets Susan Hill — with a touch of black humour and a protagonist whose journey is as psychological as it is paranormal. Alice is both empathetic and unreliable, and readers may find themselves one step ahead of her, watching helplessly as she is drawn deeper into the web that binds her haunted home.

Critics and early readers alike have praised Begotten as a triumph of modern gothic fiction:

“Begotten is a work of rich and impassioned gothic splendour, from a writer deeply versed in the history and intricacies of the occult. This immersive, atmospheric novel speaks powerfully to the dark forces of a lost era. Readers will get utterly lost in it.” — Guy Mankowski

Indeed, Begotten feels like the kind of story made to be read by candlelight on a winter’s night. It’s claustrophobic, tense, and soaked in creeping dread — with stunning set pieces and an ending that’s both shocking and satisfyingly earned.

For fans of Victorian gothic horror, spiritualism, and literary hauntings, Begotten is not to be missed. And while this is Cherrell’s first foray into fiction, it’s a striking debut that promises much more to come — one can only hope for a return to Duncain, and another descent into its shadowed halls.

You can listen to my chat with Dr. Kate Cherrell here: https://www.podpage.com/haunted-history-chronicles/the-world-of-begotten-seances-ghosts-and-gothic-fiction-with-dr-kate-cherrell/ 

About the Author
Dr Kate Cherrell is a writer, researcher, and historian specialising in 19th-century spiritualism and the history of death culture. She has written both academically and commercially on the paranormal, and is known to many through her long-running blog Burials and Beyond. She has appeared on paranormal series such as Haunted Homecoming (2022) and Unexplained: Caught on Camera (2023), bringing historical context and critical insight to stories of the supernatural. Begotten is her debut novel.

Publication Date: 13 May 2025
Genre: Gothic Horror
Themes: Victorian death culture, spiritualism, grief, betrayal, family secrets, and the unseen forces that shape our reality.