Browsing all articles tagged with steampunk.
Darkhaven by A.F.E. Smith – Series Review
You could be forgiven for assuming A.F.E. Smith’s debut is a tame, fluffy tale about a magical unicorn. I assumed the same. But trust me when I say that there’s *nothing* tame or fluffy about Darkhaven. Firstly, let’s get one thing straight: that’s not actually a unicorn. It’s an alicorn; a hybrid of the ‘pure’ […]
Everfair by Nisi Shawl
“The settlers of Everfair had come here naively at best, arrogantly at worst. Due to the orders of the king they had found the country seemingly empty. In the fight against Leopold, their assistance had been most valuable, and they had also brought to the cause the help of Europeans and Americans who would never […]
Metronome by Oliver Langmead
Metronome is an engaging high concept fantasy, incredibly readable and beautifully written. Its unusual hero is William Manderlay, an old sailor who lives in a care home, crippled by arthritis and his memories of happier times. An erstwhile musician, he can no longer play the violin, but one night, while asleep, he discovers that his […]
The Wall of Storms by Ken Liu
“History is the long shadow cast by the past upon the future.” “Killing the emperor was easy. Building a world that is more just and persuading those in power to exercise it wisely have been far harder.” In The Grace of Kings (2015), the first book in the Dandelion Dynasty series, Ken Liu traced the […]
Arm of the Sphinx by Josiah Bancroft
Spoiler Warning: This review contains spoilers for Senlin Ascends. Please read with caution if you have yet to finish the first book. Having steadily accelerated in devouring Senlin Ascends (the first of the books of Babel), I fell with almost unseemly haste into its sequel, Arm of the Sphinx. I will try to avoid giving […]
Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft
This is an exceedingly rich book. A depth of imagination married with a poetic turn of phrase and an engaging cast of characters (both those we meet and those who keep us waiting) conspire to deliver an epic story soaring high above the clouds. The engine of the fantastic story is a terrifyingly ordinary dilemma. […]
The Iron Ship by K. M. McKinley
I started off intending to simply review K. M. McKinley’s steampunk fantasy novel. I was surprised at its relatively low number of Goodreads and Amazon reviews despite being out for over a year. Perhaps it had not tickled the fancy of others in quite the same way that it worked for me. However, in setting […]
The Waking Fire by Anthony Ryan
In the first book of this new series, Ryan introduces readers to a fascinating world where nations have been replaced by companies, and the most precious resource available is the blood of a drake, which can be used by Blood-burners to fuel their magic. Similar to the way that different metals provided different skills in […]
The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
My first impression after reading the title was, “Will I turn invisible once I enter? Can no one find me?” A place where I can read, undisturbed and uninterrupted? Sign me up ASAP! But alas, it was not to be, for me at least. If you’re a Librarian, however, worlds are at your fingertips. You […]
Tara Sim Interview
Today we are lucky enough to have author Tara Sim here to talk about her upcoming novel Timekeeper (Sky Pony Press, Fall 2016). She can often be found in the wilds of the Bay Area, California. When she’s not writing about mischievous boys in clock towers, Tara spends her time drinking tea, wrangling cats, and […]
Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear
Call it what you will: a bordello, a brothel, or a whorehouse. No matter what your name for it, a building that holds prostitutes (or courtesans, Companions, or soiled doves) is a vital part of scenery for certain genres. Westerns in particular spring to mind, though I will admit that most of my knowledge of […]
Steal the Sky by Megan E. O’Keefe
Detan Honding is a thief of noble birth, ever accompanied by Tibs, his right hand man. The pair find themselves in the desert city of Aransa, roped in to a plan to steal a great airship called The Larkspur. Meanwhile, a series of murders across the city cause panic and a manhunt ensues for a […]
