Steampunk is an immensely enjoyable genre. Who can say no to the aesthetic? The worlds? The sheer imagination? You want a pirate whose ship is a zeppelin? You’ll likely find it. You want vampires and werewolves living in Victorian London society? That one exists.
Here are five steampunk books to read.
1. “boneshaker”
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A search for gold? Zombies? Steampunk? Boneshaker promises a tantalizing read with those hooks. Cherie Priest‘s book introduces us to Leviticus Blue, an inventor commissioned by Russian prospectors to create a machine that will break through Alaska’s ice so that they can mine for resources. While the machine was a success, it hit a vein of gas that turned all who breathed it in into zombies. Leviticus leaves behind a widow and a son, and it is his son Ezekiel who takes on a mission that will put him up against zombies, pirates, and criminals. This book most certainly offers readers a fantastic adventure!
2. “leviathan”
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Scott Westerfield is well known for his series Uglies, but have you heard of his book Leviathan? Prince Aleksander is fleeing from his own kingdom with a small crew of loyal men following him. Deryn Sharp is a member of the British Air Service–an extremely talented airman, and also a woman in disguise so that she can follow her dreams. With a war brewing, these two end up crossing paths, and they are swept up in an epic adventure.
3. “mortal engines”
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Philip Reeve‘s Mortal Engines is the first installment in the series. London is a small city that literally hides in the mountains to avoid the hungrier cities that would consume it. Thaddeus Valentine and his daughter Catherine are in the Gut of London when an assassin tries to kill Thaddeus, but she is thwarted when an apprentice named Tom stepping in. The assassin jumps to her death, but not before demanding that Thaddeus come clean about the crime he committed against Hester Shaw. Pick up this book to find out what happens!
4. “soulless”
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Gail Carriger‘s Parasol Protectorate series is a delight. Soulless, the first installment in the series, is no exception to this. Alexia Tarabotti is a woman who doesn’t possess a soul–which gives her the ability to negate all supernatural powers. It is because of lack of soul that, when vampires begin to go missing, Alexia is blamed. It is now up to Alexia to discover who, really, is behind these crimes, and she teams up with Scotland Yard’s Lord Macon (who just happens to be a werewolf), to get to the bottom of this conspiracy.
5. “perdido street station”
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This book takes place in a city that is housed within the rib cage of a massive, dead beast. China Miéville‘s Perdido Street Station introduces readers to Isaac, a scientist who is approached by a half-human, half-bird creature known as a Garuda with a challenge that proves to be quite daunting. Isaac takes on this challenge, and as he does so, the very city that he lives in begins to alter.
Cover image via Gematsu