# Steampunk for Newbies



## EchelonPress (Sep 30, 2010)

I have fallen truly, madly, and deeply in love with the Steampunk genre. It is just such a breath of fresh air. Even though it has been out there for a while, I just never realized.

I got hooked when I purchsed Nick Valentino's THOMAS RILEY to publish. And from then on it has been a glorious expedition.


I recently read The Affinity Bridge: A Newbury & Hobbes Investigation by George Mann. I don't know what I expected, but I was thrilled by the end of the book.


If you aren't sure about Steampunk and want a great place to get a taste, you can try either Nick's book or the Mann book. Two very different takes on the genre, but both wonderful reads.


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## Marc Vun Kannon (Mar 6, 2011)

_--- edited... no self-promotion in posts outside the Book Bazaar forum. please read our Forum Decorum thread._


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## Basilius (Feb 20, 2010)

EchelonPress said:


> I have fallen truly, madly, and deeply in love with the Steampunk genre. It is just such a breath of fresh air. Even though it has been out there for a while, I just never realized.
> 
> I got hooked when I purchsed Nick Valentino's THOMAS RILEY to publish. And from then on it has been a glorious expedition.
> 
> ...


I _always_ recommend the following two steampunk books:



and


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## Joseph Robert Lewis (Oct 31, 2010)

If you want to go hard core, I recommend The Difference Engine, which doesn't seem to be on kindle.

And if you want more variety in your steampunk, I recommend the Vandermeer anthology Steampunk, which also doesn't seem to be on kindle.


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## DavidRM (Sep 21, 2010)

I really enjoyed the anthology "Extraordinary Engines". No idea if it's on Kindle, though.

-David


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## Jenny Schwartz (Mar 4, 2011)

I just finished Meljean Brook's "The Iron Duke" and was looking for Steampunk recommendations. So this is a great thread. Thanks for your recs


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## Leigh Reynolds (Mar 2, 2011)

This anthology is a good guide, too :-



Steampunk


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## Tara Maya (Nov 4, 2010)

I've heard Souless is very good. I think it combines steampunk and vampires, although I haven't read it yet myself, it's still on my TBR list.


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## jason10mm (Apr 7, 2009)

Oh man, I HATED "Boneshaker". Maybe it was just the audio readers, Wil Wheaton was one, but that book drove me to insanity with the annoying characters and half realized world.

Leviathan was ok, for a YA book. I think the audio book reader hurt that one as well (male falsetto for the female voice, lots of "barking spiders" references). I liked the tech vs biologic difference, but not sure the biologics would have a chance.


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## Joseph Robert Lewis (Oct 31, 2010)

I think Boneshaker would make a better movie than it did a novel. It's mostly about running from or fighting zombies.


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## sighdone (Feb 4, 2011)

What exactly is Steampunk? It feels like something I might like, but I'd appreciate a bit of an overview before dipping my toe in.


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

I haven't tried steampunk books yet but I love the steampunk inspired costumes and jewelry.


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## sighdone (Feb 4, 2011)

I love the Steampunk R2D2 unit a guy built.


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## davidhburton (Mar 11, 2010)

Tara Maya said:


> I've heard Souless is very good. I think it combines steampunk and vampires, although I haven't read it yet myself, it's still on my TBR list.












Why can't I find this as an ebook?

This one is on my TBR:


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## davidhburton (Mar 11, 2010)

Dara England said:


> I haven't tried steampunk books yet but I love the steampunk inspired costumes and jewelry.


I love the work of Daniel Proulx:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/catherinetterings


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## Straker (Oct 1, 2010)

davidhburton said:


> Why can't I find this as an ebook?


Right here:



But perhaps not available to you in Canada for some reason? Just guessing.


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## Nathan Lowell (Dec 11, 2010)

sighdone said:


> What exactly is Steampunk? It feels like something I might like, but I'd appreciate a bit of an overview before dipping my toe in.


Steampunk has been described as more aesthetic than genre. Many examples from jewelry and fashion to the steampunk keyboard abound in the aethernet. The aesthetic embraces the look and feel of brass and bronze, wood and leather. It embodies the notion of the "custom crafted" over "mass produced." The tropes include cogs and goggles, corsets and top hats, airships and steam engines. Cross Jules Verne with William Gibson and season with a little Rudyard Kipling, and I think you'll begin to get a feel for it.

I think everybody involved in the genre has a different entry point, but for me S M Stirling's Peshawar Lancers is still the purest representative of the genre. More recently, Cherie Priest's Boneshaker (previously mentioned) and Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series (beginning with Soulless) both use Steampunk tropes and mix in supernatural elements for some fun genre-bending reads.

The Wikipedia article on Steampunk is an excellent resource to begin the investigation.


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## davidhburton (Mar 11, 2010)

Straker said:


> Right here:
> 
> 
> 
> But perhaps not available to you in Canada for some reason? Just guessing.


Thanks for the link. You're right...not available in Canada.


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## sighdone (Feb 4, 2011)

Thank you Nathan.

I've always thought of Steampunk visually, so that explains why.


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## D.R. Erickson (Mar 3, 2011)

I've been intrigued by this title since reading the sample, but I haven't gotten around to buying it yet. The sample is very well-written. I think it's steampunk.

The Translated Man and Other Stories (The Corsay Books)


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## Seleya (Feb 25, 2011)

EchelonPress said:


> I have fallen truly, madly, and deeply in love with the Steampunk genre. It is just such a breath of fresh air. Even though it has been out there for a while, I just never realized.
> 
> I got hooked when I purchsed Nick Valentino's THOMAS RILEY to publish. And from then on it has been a glorious expedition.
> 
> ...


I'd be more than happy to read them both...If they were available to people in Europe.


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## Klip (Mar 7, 2011)

Yes how frustrating. Most of these books are not available in Africa.


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## EchelonPress (Sep 30, 2010)

Seleya said:


> I'd be more than happy to read them both...If they were available to people in Europe.


Seleya,

I cannot speak for The Affinity Bridge, but I can tell you that within the next 48 hours THOMAS RILEY will be available at Smashwords and OmniLit.com in a variety of formats (Both inckuding Kindle-Mobi), and I think you can purchase from both places if you are in Europe. If not, being a full service publisher, I WILL find a way to sell you a copy. You mark my words.


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## Seleya (Feb 25, 2011)

Thank you, that's wonderful news!


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## crash86 (Oct 8, 2010)

The Windup Girl Is the first (and so far only) Steampunk book I have read and really enjoyed it and recommend it.


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## Averydebow (Jan 20, 2011)

davidhburton said:


> This one is on my TBR:


I wanted to read it just by the cover alone. The synopsis seems right up my alley. Thanks for sharing. I'm adding it to my TBR list, as well.


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## EchelonPress (Sep 30, 2010)

crash86 said:


> The Windup Girl Is the first (and so far only) Steampunk book I have read and really enjoyed it and recommend it.


This [The Windup Girl] is what I am listening to now. I am also reading Clare's *Clockwork Angel*. My big problem is I love the Steampunk, but not overly fond of vampires and zombies. A little bit goes a VERY long way for me.


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## Basilius (Feb 20, 2010)

crash86 said:


> The Windup Girl Is the first (and so far only) Steampunk book I have read and really enjoyed it and recommend it.


While a brilliant book, and one of my favorite reads last year, I really hesitate to call _The Windup Girl_ steampunk. One of the hallmarks of steampunk as I see it is an acceleration of steam- or clockwork-related technologies before electricity takes over. _The Windup Girl_ is based in the future, post peak oil.

It's a lot closer to post-apocalyptic than steampunk.


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## crash86 (Oct 8, 2010)

Basilius said:


> While a brilliant book, and one of my favorite reads last year, I really hesitate to call _The Windup Girl_ steampunk. One of the hallmarks of steampunk as I see it is an acceleration of steam- or clockwork-related technologies before electricity takes over. _The Windup Girl_ is based in the future, post peak oil.
> 
> It's a lot closer to post-apocalyptic than steampunk.


Post-apocalyptic yes but it also had strange elephant like creatures turning cogs to make machines work and ok I get that it wasn't heavily steam driven, clockwork type of machines but there was a strong lack of electricity in the book and use of wind up mechanisms. But that's just me.


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## Nathan Lowell (Dec 11, 2010)

crash86 said:


> The Windup Girl Is the first (and so far only) Steampunk book I have read and really enjoyed it and recommend it.


FWIW, a friend and fellow author - Brand Gamblin - has just released his new steampunker - Hidden Institute - on kindle. I'm not sure what he's got for distribution on it (international? dunno), but if you're interested in the genre, there's a lead for you. It's so new, I haven't even had a chance to download it myself yet 

disclaimer: i know him. i read it. i like it. no fiscal connection or responsibility. your mileage may vary. use at your own risk. contents may settle in shipment.


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## davidhburton (Mar 11, 2010)

If anyone is interested from a kids' perspective, Arthur Slade's The Hunchback Assignments is also steampunk and one I'm looking forward to reading.


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## EchelonPress (Sep 30, 2010)

Nathan Lowell said:


> FWIW, a friend and fellow author - Brand Gamblin - has just released his new steampunker - Hidden Institute - on kindle.


Just checked this one out on the site and it looks fascinating. I added it to my wishlist.

I am reading submissions right now for a Steampunk Anthology we are doing at Echelon Press. I am excited about it. It is called HER MAJESTY'S MYSTERIOUS CONVEYANCE and has a nice little lineup of authors:

Nick Valentino (US)
Elizabeth Darvill (US)
Sean Hayden (US)
Adam Christopher (UK)
Kim Lakin-Smith (UK)
Jennifer Williams (UK)

We are all quite excited.


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## spiritualtramp (Feb 3, 2011)

I'll echo the love for Brand's new book. While a purist may not call it "steampunk" I say it gets the feel right. 

The way I see it the *punk is genre fiction where the * = whatever powers the vast amount of technologies. So I've seen dieselpunk (The Gearheart), steampunk (Difference Engine is a good one), manapunk (same sort of sensibilities but with magic, wrote one with a friend recently), and of course what I'm guessing is the granddaddy, cyberpunk. They all, at least the ones I've read, have a gritty feel to them to varying degrees and the better ones have a pulsing heart or adventure and characters that are on the fringe of society.


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## Strapped-4-Cache (Dec 1, 2010)

Nathan Lowell said:


> Steampunk has been described as more aesthetic than genre. Many examples from jewelry and fashion to the steampunk keyboard abound in the aethernet. The aesthetic embraces the look and feel of brass and bronze, wood and leather. It embodies the notion of the "custom crafted" over "mass produced." The tropes include cogs and goggles, corsets and top hats, airships and steam engines. Cross Jules Verne with William Gibson and season with a little Rudyard Kipling, and I think you'll begin to get a feel for it.


I admit that I got bitten by the steampunk bug, probably encouraged by a huge assortment of costumes and props that showed up at DragonCon the last few years.

I saw some of Datamancer's keyboard creations and love to tinker, so I had to build my take on a steampunk keyboard made of aluminum, copper and stainless. I've included a couple of pics. Forgive the poor lighting. I need to build a lightbox to prevent glare and allow proper focus.



















I have the only unique keyboard in the building, though I've been asked to make more.

Back on the subject of books, I'd like to thank everyone for the suggestions already posted. My TBR list is already huge, but I'll be adding quite a few of the suggested books to that list.

- Mark (S-4-C)


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## Jenny Schwartz (Mar 4, 2011)

It's gorgeous!


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## Joseph Robert Lewis (Oct 31, 2010)

KateDanley said:


> Thank you for this thread! I LOVE the look of Steampunk and had tried to find books in the genre, without much luck. The one I did find that i enjoyed was a graphic novel called Hatter M. I'll check out these others, too, though!


What did you think of Hatter M? I keep meaning to ask someone about that...


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## CJArcher (Jan 22, 2011)

KateDanley said:


> I absolutely LOVED the Hatter M graphic novels. They are gorgeously illustrated and I think it is the perfect medium for his storytelling style. His Looking Glass War books are so imaginative, but they read a little like someone is describing a storyboard. The graphic novel turned out to be exactly what the doctor ordered. I'm a word lover and sometimes find it hard to read comics and graphic novels (I skip to the word balloons instead of looking at the pictures, which sort of defeats the purpose), but I am completely addicted to Hatter M.


Maybe I should read them. I couldn't finish the Looking Glass Wars books even though I loved the premise. I can't really pinpoint what I didn't like about them but they felt...underdeveloped maybe. Not sure.

I loved Gail Carriger's Soulless and enjoyed Boneshaker by Cherie Priest but Meljean Brooke's The Iron Duke didn't click with me. It had a lot of hype in the romance industry before it came out and readers seem to love it. Goodreads have a great steampunk romance list if anyone is interested in exploring that niche further.


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## Grace Elliot (Mar 14, 2011)

I'm loving the idea of Steampunk...its going on my TBR genre list~


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## Steampunk Kindle (Apr 16, 2011)

For those who enjoyed "The Affinity Bridge": A Newbury & Hobbes Investigation by George Mann, you may like the free eBook "The Hambleton Affair" (another Maurice Newbury Steampunk Mystery). It's a shorter read, so maybe more suited for a newcomer to the genre...


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## Pnjw (Apr 24, 2011)

Tara Maya said:


> I've heard Souless is very good. I think it combines steampunk and vampires, although I haven't read it yet myself, it's still on my TBR list.


I've read the whole series and yes they are very good. They combine steampunk, romance, paranormal and a fair amount of humor. Fun reads.


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## Tamara Rose Blodgett (Apr 1, 2011)

My teenage son brought steampunk and its coolness to my attention before I began my latest novel and so I took....certain "steampunk liberties..." with it~! You're right, it IS a breath of fresh air. And very Victorian!


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## MeiLinMiranda (Feb 17, 2011)

More in the "Soulless" vein than the more scifi steampunk stuff is MK Hobson's The Native Star, which is super good. It's steampunk and magic and just rips along at a breathtaking pace. Made me want to stay up to find out wha' happa'.


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## Steampunk Kindle (Apr 16, 2011)

For DChase (and all the other fans of Gail Carriger's Soulless, Changeless, and Blameless Alexia Tarabotti novels) the cover has just been released for the final book in the series, Timeless:


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## Grace Elliot (Mar 14, 2011)

Great thread. I am a Steampunk 'virgin' and have to find some books for a club read in June...so this thread is a godsend. Thank you!


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## MarionSipe (May 13, 2011)

I, too, have been looking to get into Steampunk, because the aesthetic is fantastic.  It's great to get some recs!  Are there really a lot of zombies?  I kinda hate zombies.  (Yeah, I know, I know.  Stop it with the rotten tomatoes. ;-)  But I love the idea of using different eras in our own history as a jumping off point for tech levels and social structures, etc.  Are there many secondary world Steampunk settings?


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## MeiLinMiranda (Feb 17, 2011)

Marion, I *hate* zombies and yet I found the ones in "Boneshaker" to be acceptable even though they're a major plot point. There are zombies in "The Native Star," but only briefly touched upon.


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## D Girard Watson (Apr 4, 2011)

This is a great thread.  I know lots of sci fi readers who hate steampunk because they think it's too mainstream.  Lots of steampunk novels have lots of "steam", but not so much "punk".  Right now steampunk feels more like an aesthetic than a coherent genre, but I think that's changing.

Oh, and I love Howl's Moving Castle as an example of the genre.  It's a movie, not a book, but it's great!


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## MLPMom (Nov 27, 2009)

Cindy Spencer Pape is a good one as well if you like yours with romance thrown in. Her one book Photographs and Phantoms was free for awhile on Amazon, it might still be.


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## kCopeseeley (Mar 15, 2011)

Oh, thank you for this thread!  I've been wanting to expand my steampunk books, but there isn't much on goodreads at this point.  This thread is going to be bookmarked.


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## MarionSipe (May 13, 2011)

MeiLinMiranda said:


> Marion, I *hate* zombies and yet I found the ones in "Boneshaker" to be acceptable even though they're a major plot point. There are zombies in "The Native Star," but only briefly touched upon.


That's good to know! Boneshaker looks like a popular read, so I think I'm going to give it a try! Er, now I just have to finish some of what I'm already readings! :-D


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## tensen (May 17, 2011)

davidhburton said:


> If anyone is interested from a kids' perspective, Arthur Slade's The Hunchback Assignments is also steampunk and one I'm looking forward to reading.


Ooh. Thanks for posting that one. I read the first chapter months before it was released and put that on one of my lists to pick up later, but lost the list. I definitely have to snag that one.


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## Steampunk Kindle (Apr 16, 2011)

Our respected friend The Steampunk Scholar, has just written up this very helpful list of his favorite Steampunk books- We found a few new gems and hope you will too!

Top Ten Steampunk Books

Against the Day by Thomas Pynchon
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld 
Glass Books of the Dream Eaters by Gordon Dahlquist
The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack by Mark Hodder
Dreadnought by Cherie Priest
Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia
Fitzpatrick's War by Theodore Judson
Skybreaker by Kenneth Oppel
Anubis Gates by Tim Powers
The Adventures of Langdon St. Ives by James P. Blaylock 

Top Five Classic Steampunk (1971-1999)

The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers
Anno Dracula by Kim Newman
The Adventures of Langdon St. Ives by James Blaylock
The Steampunk Trilogy by Paul DiFilippo
The List of 7 by Mark Frost

Top Ten New Steampunk (2000-2009)

Against the Day by Thomas Pynchon
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters by Gordon Dahlquist
Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia
Fitzpatrick's War by Theodore Judson
Skybreaker by Kenneth Oppel
Boilerplate by Paul Guinan and Anina Bennett
Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
Soulless by Gail Carriger
Whitechapel Gods by S.M. Peters

Top Five Steampunk Comics/Graphic Novels

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, (volumes I & II) by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill
Doctor Grordbort's Contrapulatronic Dingus Directory by Greg Broadmore
Gotham by Gaslight by Brian Augustyn and Michael Mignola
Steampunk (Manimatron and Drama Obscura) by Chris Bachalo and Joe Kelly
Clockwork Angels by Lea Hernandez

Top Five Steampunk of 2010 (the first year you could really do such a list!)

The Strange Affair of Spring-Heeled Jack by Mark Hodder
Dreadnought by Cherie Priest
The Half-Made World by Felix Gilman
Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld
Blameless by Gail Carriger


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## Will Granger (Apr 12, 2011)

The covers are awesome. I don't really know what steampunk is, but I like it whenever I see it. I think the famous video game Myst contains some steampunk vehicles and contraptions. In the past year, I have been building automatons, and I hope to start adding steam punk elements to my designs.

Will Granger


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## Will Granger (Apr 12, 2011)

Thanks for posting this great list!


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## alex.metcalf (May 17, 2011)

I know it was mentioned higher up in the threat, but I want to second

The Difference Engine by Gibson and Sterling. 
Even though it's not available on Kindle.
This is the novel that created the entire genre...


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

I love horror, thrillers, pulp fiction and comic books.  If you had to recommend a Steampunk book for a guy with those interest, what would it be?  I find the entire idea of the genre fascinating, but I keep looking up the books recommended here and it seems like readers are so divided.


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## tensen (May 17, 2011)

balaspa said:


> I love horror, thrillers, pulp fiction and comic books. If you had to recommend a Steampunk book for a guy with those interest, what would it be? I find the entire idea of the genre fascinating, but I keep looking up the books recommended here and it seems like readers are so divided.


Liking horror and thrillers I think I'd direct you to the New Weird side of steampunk.

Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
Whitechapel Gods by S.M. Peters


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## Alessandra Kelley (Feb 22, 2011)

The very first steampunk novel (he coined the term in 1987 to describe it) was _Infernal Devices_ by K.W. Jeter.

It's fun, although it is also very weird and not at all typical steampunk. It's the story of a somewhat annoying young man haunted by his father's legacy of a watch repair shop and a lot of strange mechanical entities.

It's a wild read.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

Thanks for these suggestions!


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## scbarrus (Nov 26, 2013)

I would highly recommend "Perdido Street Station" by China Mieville if you're looking for something completely different.


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## KarlaGomez (Mar 16, 2012)

sighdone said:


> What exactly is Steampunk? It feels like something I might like, but I'd appreciate a bit of an overview before dipping my toe in.


 bless you for asking this question lol


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## scbarrus (Nov 26, 2013)

KarlaGomez said:


> bless you for asking this question lol


Steampunk is probably best known for its fashion style, but that fashion aspect is only one facet of steampunk. it actually began as a science fiction sub genre. Modern steampunk borrows from elements of Jules Verne and H.P. Lovecraft among other classic authors (20,000 leagues under the seas and call of cathulu are considered grandfathers of steampunk).

Most steampunk is better understood as retro-scifi. Often it takes place in the victorian era, or in a fictional world with victorian elements (but not always). Steampunk often features supernatural elements, but not always. And finally, there is usually a technology aspect with tech usually steam or gear powered, but not always.

There's a game coming out to PS4 called The Order: 1886 which is a good example of the genre if you want a visual introduction. http://youtu.be/2FK8dgzW0o8


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## Dragle (Dec 10, 2011)

I'm bookmarking this thread! Here's a good one that I really enjoyed!:


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## KarlaGomez (Mar 16, 2012)

Deanna Chase said:


> I've read the whole series and yes they are very good. They combine steampunk, romance, paranormal and a fair amount of humor. Fun reads.


Oh that for sound good. By who?


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