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Book Review: A (Non) Comprehensive Guide to Sea Serpents (Sorcerer’s Grimoire #1) by A.J. Sherwood
One of the reasons I got burned out on mainstream speculative fiction was the lack of diversity. Luckily, I’ve since found amazing indie authors who fill that niche whenever I get the craving for a certain genre. This particular open-world urban fantasy may be set in the stereotypical setting of historic England, but Sherwood makes…
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Book Review: The Ashes of Ackonir by Jennifer Cody
Cody is one of the most imaginative authors I know, so I already knew I was in for a wild ride when I learned she was working on a romance set in a steampunk/fantasy world. The notes at the front of the text are useful, but Cody also includes enough useful details in the first…
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Review: The Armored Saint (Sacred Throne #1) by Myke Cole
I got pretty burned out on reading epic fantasy once I started paying attention to diversity within the pages, so I’m always thrilled to find an offering in the genre that bucks stereotype. Add a dash of steampunk and I’m hooked. Its easy to draw “Joan of Arc” comparisons to the character of Heloise on…
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Review: The Clockwork Witch by Michelle D. Sonnier
Disclaimer: I consider the author a friend; however, I purchased the hardcopy version of this book for full price. As a reader who loves period dramas where the characters are often committed to the correct manners and more, importantly, the correct clothes, I couldn’t go wrong with a version of England with TWO forms of…
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Review: Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs Aliens edited by Patricia Bray & Joshua Palmatier
This was a fun anthology that I easily read over the course of a weekend of airplane flights. The stories were dissimilar enough that they were easily distinguishable, despite the thematic elements that tied them all together. I especially enjoyed that the stories did not all take place in England or even Europe, and that…
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Review: STEAMPUNK WORLD edited by Sarah Hans
DISCLAIMER: I share a publisher with one of the authors discussed below. However, I purchased my copy of the book at full price from the anthology’s editor, not the author, and I do not consider our relationship to have bearing on my review choices. I was not a contributor to the Kickstarter campaign that initially…
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Review: ETIQUETTE & ESPIONAGE by Gail Carriger
Gail Carriger’s foray into young adult fiction is set in the familiar world of her Parasol Protectorate series, but with a bit more…everything. Which is funny, because her adult series is pretty awesomely extreme all on its own. This novel drew much more from the steampunk genre than on the supernatural in regards to plot,…
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Review: THE CURIOUS CASE by Gail Carriger
This is a short story, rather than a novel, so you’ll forgive me if my review of it is short and sweet as well. This story serves as a lovely taste of the shared world of Gail Carriger’s three series, the Parasol Protectorate, Custard Protocol, and Finishing School, in terms of both world-building and writing style. The…
