Loonatic's Favorite Steampunk Novels

Loonatic Favorites

1. The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter (Rod Duncan)

Although this novel is set in the 21st century, this alternate history takes us into a timeline where dangerous inventions have been suppressed and technology and culture remains in a stagnant Victorian age. This is the first novel of Rod Duncan's Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire series, in which private detective and fringe dweller Elizabeth Barnabus gets involved with a case of a missing aristocrat and a mysterious alchemical device. The journey to the truth involves lots of gripping action and clever twists. It and its sequels are very good at raising the stakes and giving us the perspective of one who stands outside of traditional Victorian customs and values. Great book, pretty good series.



2. Clockwork Heart (Dru Pagliassotti)

This novel is possibly the most steampunk book I've read so far. It magnifies many elements of the steampunk genre and creates a whole new world for them in which to play. Set in an industrial, caste-driven city full of difference engines and masked elites, we meet the metal-winged messenger Taya. One fateful day she executes a daring aerial rescue, and is unwittingly drawn into a plot full of nobles, anarchists, and foreign agents all vying to protect, sabotage, or steal the secrets of the great clockwork city. Although many works would dwell on the grime and injustices of a rigid, industrial society, this book is influenced by the decidedly optimistic outlook of the protagonist. In other words, it's not a downer. Very imaginative and entertaining! The author has since written sequels, but I haven't read them yet so I can't say if they live up to the original.

3. Ganymede (Cherie Priest)

All of the Clockwork Century books by Cherie Priest are fantastic examples of steampunk done right. There's plenty to be had in alternate timelines, airships, monsters, mechanicals, and adventures. However, a particular favorite of mine is the novel Ganymede. In Civil War-occupied New Orleans, bordello owner Josephine Early and former air pirate Andan Cly team up to try and slip an advanced submersible out to Union forces. To be successful they'll have to use all their ingenuity and resources to overcome their occupiers, spies, drug-created zombies, and the mysteries of the submersible itself. The book gets the feel of New Orleans spot on, and it's fun to watch these complex, ragtag characters running the risks as if they were foxes among the hounds.


4. Finch (Jeff VanderMeer)

Maybe this one isn't technically steampunk. But it is an incredible noir with a style and feel that is hard to match, mixing in dark lines and shadows of urban fantasy. Detective John Finch gets saddled with a murder case that's unusual even by the standards of the strange city of Ambergris. Under the watchful eye of his fungal-enhanced overlords, his main goal is not so much to solve the case as to survive it. Every character has a mysterious backstory, and each one of them is suspect of something. It's often hard to nail first-person POV, but the terse, paranoid, visceral style makes it a gripping narrative. And it's set in a crumbling city of a bygone vaguely British empire, being transformed into something else. It's the third in the Ambergris Cycle, but this one is definitely my favorite.