# First Steampunk Recommendations?



## Alpha72 (May 9, 2012)

I'd like to read some steampunk books, but I'm not sure where to start. Any suggestions?


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## CoraBuhlert (Aug 7, 2011)

_Boneshaker_ and its sequels by Cherie Priest, _The Iron Duke_ and _Heart of Steel_ by Meljean Brook, the _Mainspring_ trilogy by Jay Lake, _Soulless_ and its sequels by Gail Carriger, the _Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences_ series by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris, _The Greyfriar_ by Clay and Susan Griffith, _The Affinity Bridge_ and sequels by George Mann.


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## derek alvah (Jul 2, 2010)

Leviathan trilogy by Scott Westerfeld

Thomas Riley by Nick Valentino


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## Rook (Sep 6, 2011)

Soulless is a great one to start with, particularly for readers who like paranormal romance with a twist, but it's the distinctively stubborn protagonist Miss Tarabotti who makes it memorable.

Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate)


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## Twofishes (May 30, 2012)

I am of a mind that thinks that William Gibson and Bruce Sterling's _The Difference Engine_ is the quintessential steampunk. But you probably also have to read Paul Di Filippo's _The Steampunk Trilogy_(for context because I know some folks who think its definitive).

Then and also, I really like China Mieville, _Perdido Street Station, The Scar, Iron Council_ all really great steampunk novels.

And like you might even get around to _Against the Day_(Pynchon).


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

A third rec for Soulless, the Parasol Protectorate series. I'm not a huge steam punk fan, but this series I found easy and likable.


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## charlesatan (May 8, 2012)

For starters, I'd probably go for the anthology Steampunk (and Steampunk II: Reloaded) edited by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer to give you an overview of the genre, as well as giving you a taste from a variety of authors. (Not to be confused with The Steampunk Bible by Jeff VanderMeer and SJ Chambers, a nonfiction book which provides an overview of the field, esp. the art and fandom that surrounds it.)

From there, you can probably gauge what kind of steampunk you want (i.e. leaning more towards fantasy, more towards science fiction, or something else entirely).


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## gina1230 (Nov 29, 2009)

Another vote for Souless.  I listened to the audiobook from Audible, and I really enjoyed it.


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## MLPMom (Nov 27, 2009)

The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross is really good too.


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## lindnet (Jan 25, 2009)

Ummm.....what is "Steampunk"?


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## jeffaaronmiller (Jul 17, 2012)

lindnet said:


> Ummm.....what is "Steampunk"?


Steampunk is awesome, that's what it is. But, more specifically, steampunk is a kind of alternate history setting that fuses Victorian era fashion and steam powered machinery with futuristic science fiction.


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## lindnet (Jan 25, 2009)

jeffaaronmiller said:


> Steampunk is awesome, that's what it is. But, more specifically, steampunk is a kind of alternate history setting that fuses Victorian era fashion and steam powered machinery with futuristic science fiction.


Oh wow, sounds cool! Thanks for the explanation!


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## tahliaN (Nov 6, 2011)

You could check out my steam punk reviews http://tahlianewland.com/category/reviews/steampunk/
My favorites are Agatha & the Airship City which is slapstick http://tahlianewland.com/2011/06/17/review-agatha-h-and-the-airship-city-by-phil-and-kaja-foglio/ and Pheonix Rising http://tahlianewland.com/2011/06/07/review-phoenix-rising-by-pip-ballantine-tee-morris/ Girl in the clockwork collar & it's sequel are good YA too http://tahlianewland.com/2011/05/07/review-the-girl-in-the-steel-corset-by-kady-cross/
Worldshaker is quite young, but has an interesting political analogy.


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## JamesVenn (Aug 10, 2012)

Twofishes nailed it, begin with the "Difference Engine" and follow onto China Meiville.  China Meiville's bag is really dark urban fantasy, like Neil Gaiman, but good steampunk is often indistinguishable from dark urban fantasy.  

Try Phillips Reeve's Mortal Engine Series, too.  And Neil Stephensons The Diamond Age.  Both these authors propose future cultures that exemplify steampunk themes or neovictorianism.  

And be wary of steampunk books that assume if they added a clockwork gear there work is done.  Theres a lot of steampunk lit that uses the common tropes without doing anything interesting with them.


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## kindlequeen (Sep 3, 2010)

I also vote for Soulless.  It's really good but I read the first 4 or 5 books in a row and grew a bit tired; they're good fun in spurts.

The Emporer's Edge by Lindsay Buroker is an entertaining light read, I've enjoyed the entire series and it's free right now.  I enjoyed her characters and you learn more about the "supporting" cast as each member's backstory comes out in each of the books.  There's a good deal of mystery there also to keep you coming back for more.  (these are on the edge of steampunk)

Lady of Devices by Shelley Adina was also a good, quick read.


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## Alpha72 (May 9, 2012)

Very nice! Thanks so much everyone!


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## ryansumo (Aug 1, 2012)

I second the China Mieville recommendations.  They're the last bit of fiction I've read in years and they rally blew me away.


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## Jarrah Loh (Oct 8, 2012)

This thread's a month old, I know, but I'm reading my first steampunk 'Boneshaker' and really liking it!

Not the best dialogue, but great setting and story.

I'm digging it! About halfway through.


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## Kristine McKinley (Aug 26, 2012)

I appreciate this thread, steampunk is a genre I just got into with the Iron Duke by Meljean Brook so I was looking for recommendations. Thanks!


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## Harmakhet (Feb 12, 2009)

Ah, one of my favorite sub-genres.  Most recently I enjoyed a Trilogy by Mark Hodder that had Sir Richard Francis Burton as the main character...thoroughly enjoyed it.

The first book is call "The Mysterious Affair of Springheeled Jack"


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

Another suggestion for a starting point is Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld. Its listed for grades 7 and up - and it is YA but quite a lot of fun.


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## Allen_Dusk (Oct 3, 2012)

These are great examples. Thanks for posting. I'm starting to research some of the more popular titles for a future project.


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## zzzzzzz (Dec 6, 2011)

Well, I've been writing and publishing it for about a year now, so feel free to message me if you have any questions.


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## CoraBuhlert (Aug 7, 2011)

Kristine McKinley said:


> I appreciate this thread, steampunk is a genre I just got into with the Iron Duke by Meljean Brook so I was looking for recommendations. Thanks!


Kristine, if you like _The Iron Duke_, there are two other full length novels in the series, _Heart of Steel_ (featuring two supporting characters from _The Iron Duke_) and _Riveted_ (new characters, same world) as well as three novellas.


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## Alessandra Kelley (Feb 22, 2011)

I recommend the first steampunk novel, _Infernal Devices_ by K.W. Jeter, a very strange story of a frustrated young inventor and his father's legacy.

Jeter coined the term "steampunk" in a letter to "Locus" magazine in 1987.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

Not sure this would be a good first steampunk novel as it is a sequel to his excellent Mistborn series  (which was more medieval, the sequel then set a hundred or so years later when tech had reached the steampunk stage)


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## heidi_g (Nov 14, 2013)

Going to bookmark this thread, as good steampunk is hard to find!

Cora, I've read the first two books in *The Greyfriar series*  (reminds me, the third's sitting on my Kindle!) and liked those. Although, I thought the first installment had more steampunk elements. (That could just be my fuzzy memory!) I've got a couple of other books folks have mentioned, but nothing by China Meiville. Kind of curious about those...


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## anguabell (Jan 9, 2011)

Alessandra Kelley said:


> I recommend the first steampunk novel, _Infernal Devices_ by K.W. Jeter, a very strange story of a frustrated young inventor and his father's legacy.


Downloaded a sample. Devoured it. Got the book. Thanks for recommendation Alessandra!

I am a great fan of Gordon Dahlquist's Glass Books but kind of hesitate to recommend them because they are not everyone's cup of tea, and many people hate them with passion. I, on the other hand, could re-read them again and again - and completely forget I am sitting in my dentist's waiting room...


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## Alessandra Kelley (Feb 22, 2011)

anguabell said:


> Downloaded a sample. Devoured it. Got the book. Thanks for recommendation Alessandra!


Yay! Isn't it fun? And a little idiosyncratic, which is only to be expected for the first of something.


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## Nancy Beck (Jul 1, 2011)

What about Lindsey Buroker's Emporer's Edge series? The subtitle is "a fantasy novel in an era of steam." I've read the first 2 and will get to the rest of the series some day, lol. 

The first one is permafree:


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## alawston (Jun 3, 2012)

Another voice here for Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, and The Difference Engine (though not necessarily in that order).

I'm also a big fan of the Space Captain Smith series, though it's not strictly steampunk in the accepted sense, I don't think.


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## 31842 (Jan 11, 2011)

Steampunk is so much fun! Making notes on your recommendations! And add another vote for Souless! And here are a couple others I enjoyed:





And then this is a free short story by Cory Doctorow that I absolutely loved. It's part of a larger anthology that is fantastic.


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## Alessandra Kelley (Feb 22, 2011)

KateDanley said:


> And then this is a free short story by Cory Doctorow that I absolutely loved. It's part of a larger anthology that is fantastic.


That's a good book, although a sixteen-year-old friend of mine who read it asked if all steampunk stories had sad endings. Many of the stories are bittersweet, and Doctorow's is actually one of the happiest in the anthology.


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