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?
10 COMMENTS
Colleen
9 years agoI have not read too much in this genre… need to expand!
Crystal
9 years agoThanks for the list of suggestion! I don’t have a favorite yet but maybe after today I will find a few 🙂
Stanalei Fletcher
9 years agoI’ve not read much steampunk, but I have critique partner who has written a short story in the genre. I have to say I liked it very much and I have interested in reading more.
CJ
9 years agoI like the Meljean Brooks series although I think the first was the best. I like the Bec McMaster series and the Jillian Stone’s Phaeton Black.
Jess1
9 years agoI really like Bec McMaster and Meljean Brooks. I have some unread books by Gail Carringer and Lynn Viehl, so hope to try out these authors too. I love the imagination and creativity of steampunk.
Mary M.
9 years agoI enjoy McMaster and Brooks. One series I enjoy as well is The Glorious Victorious Darcys by Beth Ciotta, starting with Her Sky Cowboy. I love all the mechanisms and also the fashions.
Shadow
9 years agoYou just named so many awesome authors! They can really spin a fantastic story! And i agree with you on the mind thing. I wish i could access mine. lol I have such terrible memory here anymore. I hate it when ive read a book, think of it later and have no clue who the author is or the title. And being teased with snippets of the book that i remember..*sigh*
Thank you for sharing!
CeciliaDominic
9 years agoI *love* the Elemental Masters series. Also Cassandra Clare’s trilogy that starts with Clockwork Angel, although I haven’t read the third one yet, Shelly Adina’s Lady of Devices series, and of course Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate. I want to read the related YA series, too. Oh, and Lynn Viehl’s books are great, too. As you can see, I’m all about the feisty, smart female heroines. 🙂
ELF
9 years ago AUTHORSo many books…just not enough hours in the day, lol. Thanks for sharing even more great authors’ names!
AR DeClerck
9 years agoI adore Bec McMaster and Gail Carriger. I love Romulus Buckle and the City of the Founders and Boneshaker. I just wrote a blog post about Victorian Restrain and Modern Sexuality in Steampunk Romance and that is one of things I find myself having a hard time getting around as a romance reader looking at steampunk. However, many of the books do an AMAZING job managing the romance with the time period. I love dry British humor and sexual innuendo.