Best Steampunk Books
Wikipedia defines steampunk as:
"A subgenre of fantasy and speculative fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often set in Victorian era England—but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date. Other examples of steampunk contain alternate history-style presentations of "the path not taken" of such technology as dirigibles or analog computers; these frequently are presented in an idealized light, or a presumption of functionality."
"A subgenre of fantasy and speculative fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often set in Victorian era England—but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date. Other examples of steampunk contain alternate history-style presentations of "the path not taken" of such technology as dirigibles or analog computers; these frequently are presented in an idealized light, or a presumption of functionality."
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Soulless (Parasol Protectorate, #1) by Gail Carriger (Goodreads Author)    3.94 avg rating — 14,156 ratings
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Leviathan (Leviathan, #1) by Scott Westerfeld 3.91 avg rating — 14,978 ratings
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Boneshaker (The Clockwork Century, #1) by Cherie Priest (Goodreads Author) 3.57 avg rating — 7,371 ratings
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The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, #1) by Philip Pullman 3.83 avg rating — 278,663 ratings
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Perdido Street Station (New Crobuzon, #1) by China Miéville (Goodreads Author) 3.97 avg rating — 10,618 ratings
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Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1) by Cassandra Clare (Goodreads Author)  4.27 avg rating — 49,713 ratings
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Changeless (Parasol Protectorate, #2) by Gail Carriger (Goodreads Author) 3.97 avg rating — 7,079 ratings
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The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer by Neal Stephenson 4.15 avg rating — 17,677 ratings
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The Time Machine by H.G. Wells 3.69 avg rating — 44,204 ratings
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Howl's Moving Castle (Castle, #1) by Diana Wynne Jones 4.27 avg rating — 26,440 ratings
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Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne 3.67 avg rating — 27,256 ratings
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Behemoth (Leviathan, #2) by Scott Westerfeld 4.24 avg rating — 6,402 ratings
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The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials, #2) by Philip Pullman 4.03 avg rating — 71,828 ratings
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Blameless (The Parasol Protectorate, #3) by Gail Carriger (Goodreads Author) 3.98 avg rating — 5,827 ratings
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The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials, #3) by Philip Pullman 3.97 avg rating — 66,641 ratings
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The Difference Engine by William Gibson 3.33 avg rating — 5,453 ratings
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The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1 by Alan Moore 3.93 avg rating — 12,211 ratings
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Frankenstein by Mary Shelley 3.61 avg rating — 315,150 ratings
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Airborn (Matt Cruse, #1) by Kenneth Oppel 4.19 avg rating — 4,873 ratings
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The Scar (New Crobuzon, #2) by China Miéville (Goodreads Author) 4.14 avg rating — 5,480 ratings
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Incarceron (Incarceron, #1) by Catherine Fisher 3.68 avg rating — 14,386 ratings
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The Iron Duke (Iron Seas, #1) by Meljean Brook (Goodreads Author) 4.06 avg rating — 2,740 ratings
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Girl Genius, Vol. 1: Agatha Heterodyne and the Beetleburg Clank by Phil Foglio 4.14 avg rating — 906 ratings
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Mortal Engines (The Hungry City Chronicles, #1) by Philip Reeve 4.00 avg rating — 2,591 ratings
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His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire, #1) by Naomi Novik (Goodreads Author) 4.05 avg rating — 11,772 ratings
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Goliath (Leviathan, #3) by Scott Westerfeld 4.34 avg rating — 3,428 ratings
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The Affinity Bridge (Newbury and Hobbes, #1) by George Mann 3.50 avg rating — 1,261 ratings
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Larklight (Larklight, #1) by Philip Reeve 3.81 avg rating — 1,341 ratings
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The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi 3.71 avg rating — 8,201 ratings
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Airman by Eoin Colfer 4.08 avg rating — 4,146 ratings
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The Girl in the Steel Corset (Steampunk Chronicles, #1) by Kady Cross 3.83 avg rating — 2,599 ratings
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Blood in the Skies (The Hellfire Chronicles, #1) by G.D. Falksen (Goodreads Author) 4.51 avg rating — 49 ratings
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Steampunk by Ann VanderMeer 3.44 avg rating — 640 ratings
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Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliasotti 3.81 avg rating — 437 ratings
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Un Lun Dun by China Miéville (Goodreads Author) 3.77 avg rating — 4,348 ratings
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Girl Genius, Vol. 3: Agatha Heterodyne and the Monster Engine by Phil Foglio 4.40 avg rating — 494 ratings
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Girl Genius, Vol. 2: Agatha Heterodyne and the Airship City by Kaja Foglio 4.33 avg rating — 573 ratings
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The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters (Miss Temple, Doctor Svenson, and Cardinal Chang, #1) by Gordon Dahlquist 3.44 avg rating — 2,035 ratings
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The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack (Burton & Swinburne, #1) by Mark Hodder 3.75 avg rating — 886 ratings
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Retribution Falls (Tales of the Ketty Jay, #1) by Chris Wooding 3.99 avg rating — 777 ratings
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Skybreaker (Matt Cruse, #2) by Kenneth Oppel 4.24 avg rating — 2,466 ratings
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Girl Genius, Vol. 5: Agatha Heterodyne and the Clockwork Princess by Phil Foglio 4.45 avg rating — 462 ratings
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The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers 4.02 avg rating — 3,049 ratings
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Mainspring (Clockwork Earth #1) by Jay Lake (Goodreads Author) 3.11 avg rating — 732 ratings
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Iron Council (New Crobuzon, #3) by China Miéville (Goodreads Author) 3.67 avg rating — 2,941 ratings
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Dreadnought (The Clockwork Century, #3) by Cherie Priest (Goodreads Author) 3.94 avg rating — 1,717 ratings
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The Steampunk Trilogy by Paul Di Filippo 3.40 avg rating — 272 ratings
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Girl Genius, Vol. 4: Agatha Heterodyne and the Circus of Dreams by Phil Foglio 4.43 avg rating — 477 ratings
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Girl Genius, Vol. 6: Agatha Heterodyne and the Golden Trilobite by Phil Foglio 4.41 avg rating — 410 ratings
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The Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia 3.61 avg rating — 603 ratings
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Scar Night (Deepgate Codex, #1) by Alan Campbell 3.52 avg rating — 1,225 ratings
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Whitechapel Gods by S.M. Peters 3.05 avg rating — 515 ratings
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Foundling (Monster Blood Tattoo, #1) by D.M. Cornish (Goodreads Author) 3.82 avg rating — 1,852 ratings
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The Hunchback Assignments (The Hunchback Assignments, #1) by Arthur Slade (Goodreads Author) 3.62 avg rating — 744 ratings
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Heartless (The Parasol Protectorate, #4) by Gail Carriger (Goodreads Author) 4.06 avg rating — 3,874 ratings
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The Eyre Affair (Thursday Next, #1) by Jasper Fforde 3.89 avg rating — 31,883 ratings
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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson 3.65 avg rating — 37,758 ratings
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Fever Crumb (The Hungry City Chronicles Prequel, #1) by Philip Reeve 3.61 avg rating — 1,445 ratings
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Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin 4.14 avg rating — 4,670 ratings
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The Court of the Air (Jackelian #1) by Stephen Hunt (Goodreads Author) 3.20 avg rating — 1,277 ratings
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| 61 |
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Starclimber (Matt Cruse, #3) by Kenneth Oppel 4.21 avg rating — 1,556 ratings
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Steamed by Katie MacAlister (Goodreads Author) 2.85 avg rating — 1,096 ratings
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The Warlord of the Air (Oswald Bastable, #1) by Michael Moorcock 3.63 avg rating — 277 ratings
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| 64 |
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Infernal Devices by K.W. Jeter 3.56 avg rating — 353 ratings
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| 65 |
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Extraordinary Engines: The Definitive Steampunk Anthology by Nick Gevers 3.32 avg rating — 226 ratings
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| 66 |
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The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 2 by Alan Moore 3.85 avg rating — 5,466 ratings
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| 67 |
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A Nomad of the Time Streams (Eternal Champion, #4) by Michael Moorcock 3.83 avg rating — 304 ratings
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| 68 |
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New Amsterdam by Elizabeth Bear (Goodreads Author) 3.66 avg rating — 401 ratings
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| 69 |
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Predator's Gold (The Hungry City Chronicles, #2) by Philip Reeve 4.05 avg rating — 1,208 ratings
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| 70 |
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The Haunting Of Alaizabel Cray by Chris Wooding 3.95 avg rating — 1,144 ratings
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| 71 |
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Infernal Devices (The Hungry City Chronicles, #3) by Philip Reeve 4.00 avg rating — 906 ratings
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| 72 |
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A Darkling Plain (The Hungry City Chronicles, #4) by Philip Reeve 4.27 avg rating — 743 ratings
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| 73 |
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Starcross (Larklight, #2) by Philip Reeve 3.96 avg rating — 562 ratings
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| 74 |
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The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard, #1) by Scott Lynch 4.25 avg rating — 10,233 ratings
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| 75 |
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The Native Star (The Native Star, #1) by M.K. Hobson (Goodreads Author) 3.71 avg rating — 953 ratings
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| 76 |
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Mothstorm (Larklight, #3) by Philip Reeve 4.11 avg rating — 345 ratings
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| 77 |
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The Greyfriar (Vampire Empire, #1) by Clay Griffith (Goodreads Author) 3.99 avg rating — 1,019 ratings
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| 78 |
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Clementine (The Clockwork Century, #2) by Cherie Priest (Goodreads Author) 3.68 avg rating — 835 ratings
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| 79 |
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Neuromancer by William Gibson 3.66 avg rating — 74,202 ratings
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| 80 |
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Steampunk II: Steampunk Reloaded by Ann VanderMeer 3.73 avg rating — 142 ratings
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| 81 |
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The Dark Volume by Gordon Dahlquist 3.36 avg rating — 485 ratings
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| 82 |
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Phoenix Rising (Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, #1) by Pip Ballantine 3.80 avg rating — 768 ratings
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| 83 |
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The Bookman (The Bookman Histories, #1) by Lavie Tidhar 3.41 avg rating — 266 ratings
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| 84 |
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The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, #3) by Neal Stephenson 4.24 avg rating — 5,462 ratings
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| 85 |
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Cold Magic (The Spiritwalker Trilogy #1) by Kate Elliott (Goodreads Author) 3.89 avg rating — 1,064 ratings
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| 86 |
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Escapement (Clockwork Earth #2) by Jay Lake (Goodreads Author) 3.56 avg rating — 190 ratings
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| 87 |
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The Kingdom Beyond the Waves (Jackelian #2) by Stephen Hunt (Goodreads Author) 3.61 avg rating — 461 ratings
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| 88 |
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Iron Angel (Deepgate Codex #2) by Alan Campbell 3.53 avg rating — 517 ratings
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| 89 |
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The Land Leviathan: A New Scientific Romance by Chris Achilleos 3.56 avg rating — 180 ratings
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| 90 |
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A Clockwork Fairytale by Helen Scott Taylor (Goodreads Author) 4.18 avg rating — 22 ratings
score: 799,
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| 91 |
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Black Lung Captain (Tales of the Ketty Jay, #2) by Chris Wooding 4.27 avg rating — 337 ratings
score: 782,
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9 people voted
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| 92 |
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Throne of Jade (Temeraire, #2) by Naomi Novik (Goodreads Author) 3.85 avg rating — 6,568 ratings
score: 770,
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9 people voted
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| 93 |
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The Light Ages by Ian R. MacLeod 3.45 avg rating — 277 ratings
score: 744,
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9 people voted
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| 94 |
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The Twisted Tale of Stormy Gale by Christine Bell (aka Chloe Cole) (Goodreads Author) 3.56 avg rating — 142 ratings
score: 708,
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8 people voted
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| 95 |
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Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale (Goodreads Author) 4.15 avg rating — 728 ratings
score: 704,
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8 people voted
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| 96 |
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The Baby Killers by Jay Lake (Goodreads Author) 5.00 avg rating — 11 ratings
score: 679,
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7 people voted
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| 97 |
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The Alienist (Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, #1) by Caleb Carr 3.96 avg rating — 26,840 ratings
score: 678,
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7 people voted
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| 98 |
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The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man (Burton & Swinburne, #2) by Mark Hodder 4.04 avg rating — 243 ratings
score: 665,
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7 people voted
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| 99 |
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Sapphique (Incarceron, #2) by Catherine Fisher 3.70 avg rating — 5,025 ratings
score: 662,
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8 people voted
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| 100 |
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The Steel Tsar (Oswald Bastable, #3) by Michael Moorcock 3.66 avg rating — 97 ratings
score: 574,
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7 people voted
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309 books ·
1,378 voters ·
list created August 12th, 2008
by Keely Hyslop (votes).
Tags:
best, fantasy, future, sci-fi, science-fiction, scifi, and steampunk
Lists are re-scored approximately every 500 seconds.
Comments (showing 1-21 of 21) (21 new)
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There's a great graphic novel called Vogelein: The Clockwork Faerie by Jane Irwin, that should be on this steampunk list; also a #2 Vogelein: Old Ghosts.
I'm surprised Ginn Hale's Wicked Gentlemen isn't higher up on the list. It's a superb example of the genre.
Lamplighter This is a great series (Monster Blood Tattoo) and I can't believe it hasn't gotten more notice!
The Iron King is so NOT steampunk. It is not set in the 19th century nor is it set up in England. It's just a modern fantasy book.
Technically, Steampunk does not have to take place in England, merely the Victorian age.Besides, at the time the British Empire was about a quarter of the globe, so plenty of room there.
Mendy wrote: "The City of Ember is not steam punk. It's dystopian/ post apocalyptic book."I second that.
Snow Crash doesn't belong up there either, it's futuristic sci-fi or cyber-punk or whatever, but there is nothing remotely steam punk about it. I think there should be a button that allows you to vote to remove a book if it doesn't belong.
Cyrus Darian and the Technomicron
Goodreads Giveaway - ends October 1st
Released earlier this month at The Weekend at the Asylum Steampunk Event at Lincoln - this is true steampunk at its finest.
The Technomicron; ancient, deadly, powerful and in 1860s London every seeker of power - natural or supernatural - wants to wield it. And they are prepared to stop at nothing to get it. Enter Cyrus Darian; hedonist, philanderer, alchemist and necromancer, hired by wealthy American Zachariah P. Dedman to find it. Dedman's life, the honour of his beautiful, haughty daughter Athena and the future of the world itself rest in the hands of Cyrus Darian. What could possibly go wrong? Steampunk, sex and magic in a heady mix that will make your head spin.
Search on Google for "Raven Dane" Cyrus Darian The Asylum and then click images - for some great pictures from the event & the book launch.
I don't think Howl's Moving Castle is steampunk; while the movie certainly contains some of those elements, the book is as straight a fantasy as they come.
Whoa, there are so many books on this list that are not steam punk! Temeraire, the Baroque Cycle, the Lies of Locke Lamora just to name a few. Who categorised this list?
I'm in favor of the widest possible definition of steampunk. Genre police are boring. They're a big part of the reason genre fiction doesn't get the respect it deserves. If it has any technology—any, not just steam-powered stuff—that's an extrapolation of Victorian-era technology or Victorian-era notions of where technology was headed, without necessarily having any regard for how plausible or realistic these notions were, I think it's close enough to be included in the genre. Who cares what kind of supernatural, cryptozoological, or anachronistic stuff is added to the story on top of that?
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