Reviews by year

Steampunk Reviews

You'll find reviews of steampunk and alternate history here. Maybe a bit of clockpunk and dieselpunk too.

Books

Empire State by Adam Christopher

Superheroes, robots and strange memory blocks baffle a private eye in this retro mystery.30th December 2011

The Alchemist of Souls by Anne Lyle

In an alternative Elizabethan England magic and treachery abound, and the theatrical players are not the only ones putting on an act.19th March 2012

Railsea by China Mieville

In a world of looping rails stretching to the horizon, a young man sets out to discover what is at the end of the tracks.25th November 2013

Soulless: The Manga: Volume One by Gail Carriger and Rem

Alexia is soulless, which means she stands between the supernatural world and the human one. A graphic novel.25th March 2014

Johannes Cabal the Detective by Jonathan L. Howard

The necromancer is caught up in an airborne murder mystery in this Cluedo-meets-zombies adventure.12th July 2010

Triumff: Her Majesty's Hero by Dan Abnett

Sir Rupert Triumff fights for queen, country, and sobriety in this humorous alternate history.
Ancient Appetites by Oisin McGann

Nate Wildenstern hunts for his brother's murderer in a historic version of Ireland populated by living machines.
The Great Game by Lavie Tidhar

Lizards, aliens, robots and spies are some of the players in a high stakes shadow game for the future of the empire. The third in the Bookman series.22nd February 2012

Soulless: The Manga: Volume Two by Gail Carriger and Rem

Werewolves and other supernatural creatures are affected by a curse that stops them from using their powers. A graphic novel.16th June 2014

The Steampunk Bible by Jeff Vandermeer and S. J. Chambers

This guide covers the creative side of steampunk, including literature, fashion, art, music, and much more.15th December 2015

Phoenix Rising by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris

Armoured corsets and steampunk style abound in the adventures of agents Books and Braun. The first Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences novel.1st April 2011

Infernal Devices by K. W. Jeter

George Dower gets to grip with the peculiar and terrible creations his late father left the world.27th July 2011

Morlock Night by K. W. Jeter

The Morlocks meet King Arthur and the legend of Atlantis in this steampunk and time travel novel.25th July 2011

Kultus by Richard Ford

Steampunk occult mayhem as thug with demonic powers takes on cultists, otherworldly adversaries and anyone else unwise enough to get in his way.25th January 2012

Camera Obscura by Lavie Tidhar

In this steampunk fantasy Milady de Winter investigates a gruesome murder inside a locked room in Paris.6th May 2011

1602 by Neil Gaiman, Andy Kubert and Richard Isanove

Why are the superheroes and villains of the Marvel universe turning up in Elizabethan times? A graphic novel.16th February 2011

Dinosaur Summer by Greg Bear

In this sequel to The Lost World, a young man and his father accompany a travelling dinosaur circus.

Films

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow directed by Kerry Conran

Steampunk has never looked so glamorous.

Unreviewed books

Temeraire by Naomi Novik
At the time of the Napleonic wars, British sailors capture a French ship carrying a dragon egg. When it hatches the dragon must choose a rider, a close bond that will utterly change the rider's life. The first book in the Temeraire series.

The Years Of Rice And Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson
In the middle ages plague wiped out most of the people in western Europe. This is the story of history as it might have been if oriental civilisations had shaped it.

A Darkling Plain by Philip Reeve
The fourth book in the Hungry City Chronicles.

Lady Mechanika Volume 5: La Belle Dame Sans Merci by Joe Benitez, M. M. Chen, Martin Montiel, and Beth Sotelo
Lady Mechanika is searching for clues to her past when her friend Mr Lewis falls for a mysterious and beautiful woman, and he is gripped by a creative frenzy. A graphic novel.

Lady Mechanika Volume 4: The Clockwork Assassin by Joe Benitez, M. M. Chen, Martin Montiel, and Beth Sotelo
Lady Mechanika and her friends investigate a series of murders which only an assassin with mechanical strength could have carried out, in this graphic novel. Her friend Mr Lewis confronts demons from his past.

Lady Mechanika Volume 3: The Lost Boys of West Abbey by Joe Benitez, M. M. Chen, Martin Montiel, and Beth Sotelo
Lady Mechanika and her friends look into the disappearance of children from a poor area of the city. But this case triggers nightmares about her own forgotten past in this graphic novel.

Death To The Witch-Queen by P. K. Lentz
A talkative and ill-informed troublemaker is rescued from death by a taciturn cyborg, and accompanies her on adventures to save the universe in this steampunk novella.

Lady Mechanika Volume 2: The Tablet of Destinies by Joe Benitez, M. M. Chen, Martin Montiel, and Mike Garcia
In this graphic novel comes to the rescue of a young friend in an adventure that takes her to Africa in search of ancient artifacts.

Lady Mechanika: Volume 1 by Joe Benitez
A part-mechanical woman searches for clues to her forgotten past life whilst working as a private investigator. The first graphic novel in the Lady Mechanika series.

Soulless: The Manga: Volume Three by Gail Carriger and Rem
The soulless Alexia has fallen out with her werewolf husband, and leaves for Italy for adventure, answers to her questions, and the chance to clear her name.

Emilie And The Hollow World by Martha Wells
A young stowaway encounters a whole new world of adventure when she chooses the wrong vessel to hide in.

Odd Men Out by Matt Betts
In a post-Civil War United States overrun by zombies, a group of government peacekeepers attempt to stop a military splinter group and a giant lizard from destroying the West Coast.

From The Deep Of The Dark by Stephen Hunt
The sixth book in the Jackelian series.

Jack Cloudie by Stephen Hunt
The fifth book in the Jackelian series.

The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook
The first novel in the Iron Seas series.

Infernal Devices by Philip Reeve
The third novel in the Hungry City Chronicles.

Predator's Gold by Philip Reeve
The second book in the Hungry City Chronicles.

Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve
The first book in the Hungry City Chronicles.