The Serpentarium: A Victorian Gothic Romance

London, 1888. Beneath a shroud of fog and whispers, the Serpentarium awaits. A conservatory of glass and iron, it breathes a humid, perfumed air, a stark contrast to the smoggy city streets. Within its decaying grandeur, the late Dr. Iolanthe Elmsworth conducted forbidden experiments, blurring the lines between botany and the arcane. Now, her niece, Dr. Amelia Hart, inherits not a fortune, but a shadowed legacy entwined with exotic flora that pulse with an unsettling life of their own.

Phosphorescent orchids cast an eerie glow upon carnivorous blooms, their crimson mouths open in silent invitation. A sentient fungal entity, the Mycorrhizal Mind, resides within the conservatory's very structure, a silent, parasitic consciousness feeding on the grief and regret of those who enter its domain. It was this entity that fueled Iolanthe’s descent into obsession, promising immortality through a perilous symbiotic relationship.

Amelia is not alone in her exploration. Ethan Blackwood, an artist haunted by a tragic loss within the Serpentarium years before, emerges from his self-imposed seclusion, his art now chilling premonitions of the darkness he carries within. He sees unsettling echoes of his lost sister in Amelia, a painful reminder of his failure to protect her.

Their shared fascination overrides their differences, forging a fragile alliance. Amelia, a woman of logic, approaches the conservatory with scientific rigor. Ethan, driven by grief and guilt, seeks answers to the tragedy that shattered his world. Their investigation leads them into the heart of Victorian London, uncovering whispers of forgotten botanical magic and a chilling prophecy foretelling the Serpentarium’s impending bloom—a catastrophic event that threatens to consume not only the conservatory but all of London.

The curse manifests in terrifying ways, twisting plants into unsettling visions and blurring the lines between reality and hallucination. Amelia’s rational mind is besieged by the escalating horrors, while Ethan finds a perverse solace in the curse, drawing him towards a dangerous embrace of its promises. Their forbidden love, blossoming in this venomous paradise, becomes a lifeline in the encroaching darkness.

But they are not alone in their pursuit of the Serpentarium’s secrets. Silas Crowe, a charismatic botanist obsessed with Iolanthe’s research, sees Amelia and Ethan as obstacles. He manipulates the conservatory’s flora against them, using the Mycorrhizal Mind’s power to deepen their hallucinations and sow discord.

As the Serpentarium’s bloom approaches, Amelia and Ethan must decipher the secrets of the Mycorrhizal Mind and sever its connection to the human world before it consumes them all. Their love, their sanity, and the fate of London hang in the balance. Dare you enter the Serpentarium?

© 2024 PublishDrive (Ebook): 6610000677504

Release date

Ebook: 21 November 2024