
New tales from Nisi Shawl, P. Djèlí Clark, and Sarah Brooks were among the major literary releases in 2024. Steampunk fans can also look forward to several book projects that were crowdfunded last year and are now slated for release in 2025.
Nisi Shawl Returns to Everfair
One major title came early in the year from Tor Books: Nisi Shawl’s Kinning, the sequel to their acclaimed 2016 steampunk novel Everfair. The first book, spanning three decades between 1889 and 1919, told the story of a fictional utopia established in Central Africa by the British Fabian Society and African-American missionaries.
The new tale is set mostly in 1921, as Everfair’s king has abdicated the throne and his two children compete to take his place. Meanwhile, Tink, the inventor who brought advanced technology to the young nation, is traveling the world with his sister Bee-Lung, spreading fungal spores that create bonds of empathy between people.
The book has received positive reviews. Gary K. Wolfe, writing in Locus, described it as “a rare sequel that says something entirely new, while deepening the central themes of the original.”
It’s available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover formats. See the publisher’s website for more information and links to booksellers.
Latest from P. Djèlí Clark
Tordotcom released The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, a novella from the author best known to steampunk fans for A Master of Djinn and The Haunting of Tram Car 015. This one is a noirish fantasy tale about Eveen, a member of a band of undead assassins who has lost all memory of her past life.
Clark’s “Dead Djinn” stories are set in an alt-history version of 1912 Cairo. The new one takes place in the fictional port city of Tal Abisi, which is holding its annual Festival of the Clockwork King.
The author described his pitch for the story as “John Wick meets Dungeons and Dragons.”
Is it steampunk? The publisher labeled it simply as “fantasy,” and Amazon tagged it as “gaslamp fantasy.” Fans of the author’s previous works will probably enjoy it regardless of the label. Learn more on the publisher’s website.
Praise for a “Steampunk Climate Fiction Eco-Fable”
Sarah Brooks’ debut novel, the historical fantasy The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to The Wastelands, garnered lots of literary buzz, with positive reviews in The Times (U.K.), The Guardian, Financial Times, Locus Magazine, and Glamour.
It tells the story of a journey between Beijing and Moscow on the Great Trans-Siberian Express, which takes passengers through a wasteland populated by terrifying creatures.
“The cautious reviewer can perhaps classify this novel as a steampunk climate fiction eco-fable, with a dash of romantasy and an anti-capitalist bent,” wrote Suzi Feay in a review for The Guardian.
The novel was released, with different covers, by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in the U.K. and Macmillan imprint Flatiron Books in the U.S.
Paul Eccentric Wraps The Periwinkle Perspective
Caffeine Nights released the sixth and final volume in The Periwinkle Perspective, the steampunk series by Paul Eccentric. Entitled What We Leave Behind, the book is set in May 1900 as protagonists Captain Gordon Periwinkle and Professor Hamble Blaise prepare for a voyage to Venus. But complications arise, including Queen Victoria’s decision to abdicate the throne and join the space travelers.
The book wrapped up the “inaugural cycle” of the series, the publisher said, hinting that more stories are to come.
It followed the earlier release of The Brotherhood of Man, a collection of 15 short stories featuring the same characters, but in alternate realities.
Caffeine Nights also released The Poisoned Chalice, a graphic novel set in the same world. Eccentric successfully crowdfunded the comic in 2023.
Learn more on the Caffeine Nights website.
Two More in the Qavnerian Protectorate
WMG Publishing released two books in the steampunk fantasy series Qavnerian Protectorate. Author Kristine Kathryn Rusch described it as a “side series” to The Fey, her long-running fantasy series.
The publisher released a prequel, The Reflection on Mount Vitaki, in 2022, followed by the first book, The Kirilli Matter, in 2023.
In the second book, Barkson’s Journey, a woman is hired to deliver an important warning to members of a far-flung family, only to find herself going against “warriors from the greatest military in the world—The Fey.”
The third book, The Incident at Serebro Academy, tells a story of “magical maps, Fey spies, treachery, and dangerous secrets,” all involving a sprawling academy in a land of dangerous magic.
All three books in the series were funded on Kickstarter. The author says they can be read in any order.
WMG Publishing is run by Rusch and her husband, Dean Wesley Smith, who is also an author. Learn more on the publisher’s website.
More Anthologies from eSpec Books
Indie publisher eSpec Books had a busy year, releasing four steampunk anthologies along with two novels. Most were funded on Kickstarter.
A Cry of Hounds features stories inspired by the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It’s Book Two in Forgotten Lore, a series associated with the Tell-Tale Steampunk Festival in Baltimore. Each book’s theme corresponds to the theme of the convention.
Still to come is Book Three, An Assembly of Monsters, which draws from the works of Bram Stoker and Mary Shelley. That one is slated for release in May.
eSpec also released Other Aether, featuring stories set outside England; The Chaos Clock, focusing on cosmic horror; and Echoes of the Divine, which compiled stories from earlier collections.
The new novels were Aéros & Héroes by Ef Deal and A Curse of Time and Vengeance by Christine Norris.
Aéros & Héroes is the second book in The Twins of Bellesfées, a steampunk fantasy series that tells the story of twin sisters in an alt-history France.
A Curse of Time and Vengeance is a time travel adventure that begins in Philadelphia in 1884.
Both novels received honors in the Critters Annual Readers Poll, presented by the Critters online writers’ workshops. Aéros & Héroes was named Best Steampunk Novel, while A Curse of Time and Vengeance was a runner up in the same category.
See the publisher’s website for more info.
Carriger Concludes San Andreas Shifters
Gail Carriger, writing as G.L. Carriger, released The Dratsie Dilemma, the fourth and final volume in her San Andreas Shifters urban fantasy series. It tells the story of Trick, a shape shifter who takes the form of a river otter.
It is definitely not steampunk, but she has a huge following among steampunk fans, many of whom will read pretty much anything with her name on it.
You can purchase the title from online booksellers or directly from the author.
Honors for Moniquill Blackgoose
To Shape a Dragon’s Breath, the 2023 steampunk fantasy novel by Moniquill Blackgoose, received two prestigious honors last year: The Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction, presented as part of the Nebula Awards from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, and the Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book, presented alongside the Hugo Awards at Worldcon in Glasgow, Scotland.
Blackgoose herself was a finalist for the Astounding Award for Best New Writer, also presented during the Hugo ceremony.
Other Releases
Shelley Adina released The Automaton Empress, Book Two in her series Lady Georgia Brunel Mysteries. In this story, Lady Brunel discovers that the brilliant young Empress of Prussia has been replaced by a lifelike automaton.
The series is set in the same world as Adina’s Magnificent Devices books. See the author’s website for more info.
Baen Books released The Eccentrics, the third book in the Knight Watch urban fantasy series by Tim Akers. The title refers to a band of geniuses “led by the eighth incarnation of Nikola Tesla,” who “travel the world in their airship, righting wrongs and rescuing troubled suitors, mad scientists, and optimistic engineers, often from monsters of their own creation.”
Learn more on the publisher’s website and author’s website.
Brent A. Harris released Twisted Expectations, the third book in his steampunk trilogy A Twist In Time. The series draws on the works of Charles Dickens, focusing on “London’s most famous orphan,” Oliver Twist.
The novel tied for second place in the Critters Annual Readers Poll steampunk novel category. It’s available from Amazon and Bookshop.org.
Laura Strickland was the other second-place finisher, receiving the honor for Snow City, Book 10 in her Buffalo Steampunk Adventures. It’s a story of romance between two “Buffalo-born opposites,” a woman with healing powers and a man who keeps dying and is mysteriously brought back to life each time. You can find links to booksellers at The Wild Rose Press.
Anne Renwick released Flight of the Scarab, Book 7 in her Elemental Web Tales steampunk romance series. The story begins when a woman discovers her estranged husband’s corpse in a cemetery. As she stumbles, a clockwork scarab flies off. Learn more on the author’s website.
Simon Brading released two books in his Misfit Squadron steampunk series. The stories are set in alternate World War II in which Britain’s Royal Aviation Corps battles the forces of the Prussian Empire.
Book 9, The Home Front, “is a collection of short and not so short stories which bring to a close the first phase of the series,” he said. Book 10, Taking to the Skies, tells the story of young recruits in June 1941 as a Prussian invasion is imminent. Learn more on his website.
Bonsart Bokel released The Casket Girls #1, an illustrated novelette set in his Association of Ishtar universe. He described the story as a “steampunk mecha adventure” with elements of cosmic horror. He successfully funded publication via Kickstarter. It's available from his online store.
Myrenne Mae released Three Coins From a Dead Man’s Pocket, Book One in what she described as a “steampunk epic fantasy romance series.” She successfully funded the book on Kickstarter, raising close to $5,000. It’s available in digital, paperback, and hardcover editions. See her website and link page for more information.
Conquest Publishing released The Darkness of Dying in the Light, a YA steampunk novel by S.E. Reed. The author described it as a “steampunk reimagining of Romeo and Juliet.” It tells the story of star-crossed lovers Sephony Roulette, a young automaton, and Marcus Wexhaven, who is called in to repair her damaged heart. See the publisher’s website and author’s website for more info.
Amy Campbell released Dragon Meridians, Book Two in her Airship Dragons series. She described the series as a “fantasy adventure with dragons, magic, steampunk, prophecies, a hidden library with a deadly past, slow burn romance, and sprayed edges.” She funded the book on Kickstarter. Learn more on her website.
Brigid Collins released Clockwork Princess, described as “a steampunk fantasy adventure involving princesses, queens, and sky pirates.” It’s not to be confused with Cassandra Clare’s YA fantasy novel of the same name. Collins funded publication on Kickstarter. Learn more on her website.
Tabitha Bouldin, writing as Tabitha Corvin, released the first two books in her Beyond Wonderland YA steampunk fantasy series. Book 1, Malice in Wonderland, was inspired by Alice in Wonderland and Frankenstein. Book 2, Rage in Wonderland, draws from Through the Looking Glass and Red Riding Hood.
She funded both releases on Kickstarter. See her website for more info.
Robert Dahlen released A Wiggle of Slimes, a novelette about a crew that specializes in “humanely catching and relocating unusual and difficult pests.” He described it as a cozy fantasy blended with “a touch of steampunk and a dollop of humor.”
L.J. Black released Fear & Sand, an LGBTQ YA steampunk fantasy novel. It’s the second book in a trilogy dubbed The Anchor, telling the story of two witches in a world at war. She crowdfunded the publication on Indiegogo. Learn more on her website.
Kyro Dean released The Lady Witch's Watchmen, Book 4 in her Rogue Royals series. Each story features different lead characters, and in this one the protagonist has returned from the dead. She successfully crowdfunded the book on Kickstarter.
She publishes books under her own imprint, Eight Moons Publishing. They're available on the website and at Amazon.
Keith Dickinson celebrated International Steampunk Day (June 14) by releasing The Hammersmyth Tales, a free collection of five short stories featuring characters from his steampunk mystery novels Dexter & Sinister: Detecting Agents and The Dragonfly Delivery Company. It’s available on Smashwords and Amazon.
More Books on Kickstarter
Here are some other notable Kickstarter campaigns from 2024 that involved steampunk books.
Baby Tattoo raised US$93,127 to fund Bedtime Stories for Your Octopus, a new “Otto and Victoria” adventure from writer and illustrator Brian Kesinger.
The publisher described it as “a whimsical book that centers around the eccentric Victoria Prismall and her ever loyal Otto the octopus as they journey into some of the world’s most famous fairytales, fables, and legends.”
Baby Tattoo estimates delivery to backers in July 2025.
Authocracy Studios, a publisher in Reading, U.K., raised £13,606 (US$16,569) to fund Ruin: Rise of the Liberator, a lavishly illustrated novel set in a post-apocalyptic steampunk world. The campaign also included a companion adventure, the Expedition Journal, in which backers help determine the story.
The campaign ran through Oct. 17 but is still open for late pledges. They begin at £15 (US$21) for digital editions of both volumes and £29 (US$39) for a hardcover edition of Ruin.
The publisher estimates digital delivery in April 2025 followed by printed editions in July. See the Kickstarter page for more info.
Eric R. Asher raised US$9,789 to fund a limited-edition hardcover book featuring the first three novels in his Steamborn series: Steamborn, Steamforged, and Steamsworn. The series was inspired by Hayao Miyazaki movies and post-apocalyptic adventures, telling the story of a tinker’s apprentice who goes on the run after his village is besieged by terrifying creatures. Learn more on his website.
Jonathan Fesmire successfully funded two novels set in his “Creed-verse,” a steampunk zombie Western series. Anna, Daughter of Creed is a spin-off of the original trilogy The Adventures of Bodacious Creed. He described it as the start of a new trilogy entitled the Anna Lynn Chronicles. He plans to release it “in or by April 2025.”
Guts & Gears is a story collection set in the same world. It’s slated for release in February. Learn more on his website.
E. R. Paskey crowdfunded an anniversary edition of The Other Side of the Horizon, described as a “rollicking, steampunk-powered YA portal fantasy adventure with a dash of mystery and a hint of romance.” The first edition came out in 2013 and remains available from her publisher, E Minor Press. Learn more on her website.