Sep242009

30+ Best Early Steampunk Books: An Entirely Non Preferential List from Gail Carriger (2009)

Much discussion recently on the subject of steampunk literature as I enter into the field for the first time with Soulless. (Yes look at the date of this blog post, it’s from 2009.)

Here’s a steampunk booklist (as of 2009*):

  1. The Windup Girl ~ Paolo Bacigalupi
  2. New Amsterdam ~ Jonathan Barnes
  3. The Somnambulist ~ Elizabeth Bear
  4. Crystal Rain ~ Tobias S. Buckell
  5. Scar Night ~ Alan Campbell
  6. The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters ~ Gordon Dahlquist
  7. The Steampunk Trilogy ~ Paul Di Filippo
  8. The Difference Engine ~ William Gibson
  9. Thunderer ~ Felix Gilman
  10. Neverwhere ~ Neil Gaiman
  11. The Court of the Air ~ Stephen Hunt
  12. Morlock Night ~ K. W. Jeter
  13. The Age of Unreason ~ J. Gregory Keyes
  14. Escapement ~ Jay Lake
  15. The Affinity Bridge ~ George Mann
  16. Perdido Street Station ~ China Mieville
  17. The Nomad of the Time Streams ~ Michael Moocock
  18. Anno Dracula ~ Kim Newman
  19. Airborn ~ Kenneth Oppel
  20. Whitechapel Gods ~ S.M. Peters
  21. The Anubis Gates ~ Tim Powers
  22. The Boneshaker ~ Cherie Priest
  23. The Golden Compass ~ Phillip Pullman
  24. The Alchemy of Stone ~ Ekaterina Sedia
  25. The Hunchback Assignments ~ Arthur Slade
  26. Eyes of Silver ~ Michael A. Stackpole
  27. Diamond Age ~ Neil Stephenson
  28. The Fall of Ile-Rien ~ Martha Wells (yes of Murderbot fame)
  29. Extraordinary Engines Anthology ~ Nick Gevers (ed.)
  30. Steampunk ~ Ann & Jeff VanderMeer (eds.)
  31. Walking Your Octopus: A Guidebook to the Domesticated Cephalopod ~ Brian Kesinger

Some newer offerings I’d particularly like to mention

Gail from the future:

More Steampunk Must Read Book Lists?

2020 – Because I am now an established author in this genre, I’m not entirely comfortable recommending my peers. Instead I will direct you, if you’re looking for newer steampunk books, to other recommendation voices.

Steampunk Book Suggestions – notes from a convention

BOOK DE JOUR!

Prudence: Custard Protocol Book 1

Prudence Teacup Pin Merch Spotted Custard Crew Gail Carriger

PICK YOUR VENDOR!

Percy is off to Japan, but will Japan survive Percy?

Bookish and proper Percival Tunstell finds himself out of his depth when floating cities, spirited plumbing, and soggy biscuits collide in this delightful conclusion the Custard Protocol series.

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~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

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