A scan through the library catalog using steampunk as the subject of research reminds me of some of the stories I have read and enjoyed. I am frustrated because I can’t quite remember some of my favorites (it’s terrible when one’s mental filing cabinet becomes too crowded to access everything one wants to, lol), but hopefully some of you readers can help jog my memory.
I think that some readers would be surprised to realize how much the elements of steampunk run through stories they are familiar with, whether that be the strange devices that populate Amanda Quick/Jayne Castle/Jayne Anne Krentz’s connected stories featuring the Arcane Society or the eerie environment showcased in Phillip Pullman’s young adult “Dark Materials’ series. One of my favorite fantasy authors, Mercedes Lackey, has a series set in historical London (Elemental Masters) that primarily focuses on magic but also evokes the environment featured in steampunk stories.
Among the stories in this genre I have had the pleasure of reading and reviewing are series by Bec McMaster (London Steampunk), Jillian Stone (Phaeton Black), Emma Jane Holloway (The Baskerville Affair), and Stephanie Burkhart (Windsor Diaries) as well as titles by Rachel Grace/R.G. Alexander, Corrina Lawson, and Diana Green. I was a little less enchanted with the title I read by James P. Blaylock, as the one story I read was pretty dark and macabre, but I am sure that some of you are more enamored of that type of story than I!
Who are some of your favorite authors in steampunk? What do you like or dislike about the elements featured in this genre?
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