Steampunk is one of those sub-genres of Fantasy that you really have to
suspend belief to accept the
worlds of the book. Once upon a time, I swore off these stories because I
couldn't quite wrap my
imagination around flying machines that ran on steam power, or the
fantastical devices character
wielded. Now, I'm a much happier reader because I keep discovering authors
who play with the norm
and provide touches from paranormal.
Husband and wife writing teams must know the
secret to a good
marriage is cranking out awesome novels. The Martins have serious street
cred for writing genre fiction,
so it's no surprise they've team up with this new series. Dark magic,
vampires, and industrial sabotage
sounds like the right way to start.
About: A Steampunk
adventure novel set in the fictional city of New Pittsburgh.
New Pittsburgh in 1898, a crucible of invention and intrigue, the hub of
American industry at the height
of its steam-driven power. Born from the ashes of devastating fire, flood
and earthquake, New
Pittsburgh is ruled by the shadow government of The Oligarchy. In the
abandoned mine tunnels beneath
the city, supernatural creatures hide from the light, emerging to feed in
the smoky city known as 'hell
with the lid off.'
Jake Desmet and Rick Brand, heirs to the Brand & Desmet Import Company,
travel the world to secure
treasures and unusual items for the collections of wealthy patrons,
accompanied by Jake's cousin,
Veronique 'Nicki' LeClercq . Smuggling a small package as a favor for a
Polish witch should have been
easy. But when hired killers come after Jake and a Ripper-style killer
leaves the city awash in blood, Jake,
Rick and Nicki realize that dark magic, vampire power struggles and
industrial sabotage are just a
prelude to a bigger plot that threatens New Pittsburgh and the world.
Stopping that plot will require
every ounce of Jake's courage, every bit of Rick's cunning, every scintilla
of Nicki's bravura and all the
steampowered innovation imaginable.
I was hooked the moment I saw "Egypt's
vampiric god-kings" and
two mysterious murders at the hands of machines. This one has adventure,
supernatural creatures,
alternate versions of Rome and Sweden, and a world in trouble.
About: In a world where
lightning sustained the Roman Empire, and Egypt's vampiric god-kings spread
their influence through
medicine and good weather, tiny Prytennia's fortunes are rising with the
ships that have made her
undisputed ruler of the air.
But the peace of recent decades is under threat. Rome's automaton-driven
wealth is waning along with
the New Republic's supply of power crystals, while Sweden uses fear of Rome
to add to her
Protectorates. And Prytennia is under attack from the wind itself.
Relentless daily blasts destroy crops,
buildings, and lives, and neither the weather vampires nor Prytennia's
Trifold Goddess have been able to
find a way to stop them.
With events so grand scouring the horizon, the deaths of Eiliff and Aedric
Tenning raise little interest.
The official verdict is accident: two careless automaton makers, killed by
their own construct.
The Tenning children and Aedric's sister, Arianne, know this cannot be true.
Nothing will stop their
search for what really happened.
Not even if, to follow the first clue, Aunt Arianne must sell herself to a
vampire.
Whenever a hero must "face his inner
darkness," I'm usually
scrambling to find quiet time to read. Steampunk with magic increases the
joy quotient for me, and this
one has my attention.
About: London 1869
A dark wizard has arrived in London, at exactly the time unrest among the
non- magical community is
coming to a head. London is under the protection of wizard and alchemist
Icarus Kane and his loyal
friends Cora Mae Jenkins and Archimedes Merriweather, and together they must
chase down the threat
while dodging the riots and the angry poor along the way. Icarus has no use
for science, but there will
be no escaping it as the aether, the very heart of magic, is threatened. All
of London may perish if the
dark wizard gets his way, and Icarus could lose his best friend and his
lover in the battle. All the world
could be destroyed under the tide of the oncoming storm unless Icarus can
face his own power and
embrace his inner darkness.