This list looks at the most exciting, adventurous, and mysterious books in the Steampunk genre.
In these stories, you can follow heroes as they take on corruption, murder, and betrayal while striving to save themselves, their worlds, and often search for love in the process.
Each of these books will take you on an exciting adventure with heroes and heroines from all walks of life from criminals to socialites. This list has collected a wide range of Steampunk books to help you find the perfect next story to fall into.
From authors like Cassandra Clare, Gail Carriger, and Jules Verne, these books are a must-read in the genre.
What is Steampunk?
The Steampunk genre is a subgenre of Science Fiction. It is known for its combination of technology and historical fiction, often focusing on eras ruled by the invention of steam-powered industrial machinery. This genre is heavily influenced by the aesthetic of 19th-century British Victorian era or American Wild West. The stories often look at alternate histories and frequently use the fantastical or supernatural to add twists to an era and history that are well known. The historical fashions, society, and aesthetic mix in intricate ways with technology that ranges from newly imagined inventions of the time to technologies we can barely imagine now.
Steampunk is often a hybrid genre with fantasy, historical fiction, horror, and speculative fiction. It ranges greatly in its use of realism; sometimes being set in a history, we know with a twist while other times being set in more urban fantasy or full fantasy worlds. This freedom in the steampunk genre creates highly imaginative, exciting, and extraordinary worlds, characters, and adventures. Although first used as a term in 1987, the Steampunk genre has retroactively been associated with many great works from earlier periods. Steampunk as a genre and aesthetic continue to be popular and capture the imaginations of its readers.
Searching for the best steampunk books?
If you’re an avid steampunk reader or just delving into the distinctive and exciting world of steampunk we hope this short list helps you find your next must-read steampunk book.
Here it is the best steampunk books your have to read:
Soulless By Gail Carriger
Soulless is the first book in the Parasol Protectorate series by author Gail Carriger.
Published in 2014, Soulless follows the trying adventures of Alexia Tarabotti, a high society spinster without a soul. After being unceremoniously attacked by a vampire, and subsequently accidentally murdering said vampire, Alexia finds herself caught in the middle of an investigation into the supernatural world of London high society.
Taking the blame for the mystery, Alexia has to look for the answers herself to clear her name. Luckily her soulless state has left her the ability to negate supernatural powers.
In a world full of vampires and werewolves, Alexia must search for the real enemy in their midst.
Leviathan By Scott Westerfeld
Their lives couldn’t be more different, but Alek and Deryn are going to need each other if they want to survive an adventure that will change their lives forever.
Alek is the Prince and future heir of the Austro-Hungarian empire, but his people have turned their backs on him, and he is now on the run with a small crew of loyal men.
Deryn Sharp is a commoner but an expert airman in the British Airforce holding on to a life-threatening secret, Deryn is a girl.
Alek and Deryn paths cross at the brink of World War I, and together they embark on a fantastical worldwide adventure.
Leviathan was written in 2009 by Scott Westerfeld.
Perdido Street Station By China Miéville
Isaac is an eccentric and gift scientist living in New Crobuzon.
New Crobuzon is a city that lies beneath the ribs of an ancient beast, and its inhabitants are very familiar with unsavory deals.
Isaac is quietly working on his unique research when a half-bird half-human creature known as the Garuda comes to him. The Garuda asks a request of him that is scientifically daunting, but his own curiosity takes hold, and he cannot turn it down.
Something is coming, and no one in New Crobuzon will be safe.
Written by China Mieville, this first book in the New Crobuzon series was published in 2000.
The Little Ships By J.A. Sutherland
Written by J.A Sutherland in 2015, The Little Ships is the third book in the Alexis Carew series.
This book follows Alexis as she is commissioned as a lieutenant on the HMS Shrewsbury, a magnificent 74-gun vessel in New London’s Space Navy.
Assuming that she will be sent straight into the action in the war against Hanover, Alexis soon discovers that her new ship is a pivotal part of a plot that will bring the French Republic into the war and potentially end the threat of Hanover forever.
This harrowing and life-threatening adventure will test Alexis, but the stakes are far too high for her not to succeed.
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea By Jules Verne
Dr. Aronnax is a French naturalist who has set out on a mission to hunt down a sea creature that is threatening humanity, but when he is knocked out of his boat, he instead discovers the Nautilus, an incredible submarine built and captained by Nemo.
Dr. Aronnax, his two fellow monster hunters, and Captain Nemo experience extraordinary wonders at the bottom of the sea, traveling from Atlantis to the South Pole. But Dr. Aronnax discovers that Captain Nemo is on his own mission of revenge and will let nothing get in his way.
This classic tale is by author Jules Verne and was first published in 1869.
Notable Steampunk Books
Storming: A Dieselpunk Adventure by K.M. Weiland
Set in the exciting times of 1920’s aviation, pilot Robert Hitchcock’s life is forever changed when a strange woman falls from the sky and lands on his biplane. The woman, Jael, agrees to help Robert in his failing air show by wing walking on the condition that he return her to the sky. Robert thinks Jael must be crazy but flies her into the sky onto to find a strange giant airship with a world all of its own aboard. Narrowly escaping crashing into it, Robert and Jael find themselves caught between a corruption plot and newfound enemies. Written by K.M. Weiland.
The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials) by Philip Pullman
Lyra is ready to set out on a dangerous adventure, one that will lead her north. North is where the witch clans and armored bears rule, but it is also where the Gobblers have been taking children like Lyra’s best friend, Roger. Lyra is young, but she is smart, brave, fierce, and doesn’t mind lying but Lyra may be over her head as she is swept up in secret plots and finds that her uncle Asriel, on his own quest to build a bridge to a parallel world, might stand in her way to saving Roger. The Golden Compass is the first book in the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman.
Beneath London: A Tale of Langdon St. Ives by James P. Blaylock
Langdon St. Ives and his friends are sent to investigate when an embankment of the Victoria collapses and reveal a secret passage that leads to a hidden realm beneath the city. Once inside St. Ives must investigate a series of horrendous crimes: the gruesome murder of a witch, the kidnapping of a young, blind, psychic girl, and the secret experiments in the hospital that include medical electricity and vampire fungi. But these will not be the worst of what St. Ives faces, with secret plots to keep the realm hidden and those with murderous intent, finding the true villain will be as hard as it is dangerous. Written by James P. Blaylock.
The Difference Engine by William Gibson & Bruce Sterling
Part detective mystery and part historical thriller, The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling looks at the 1855 industrial revolution. An exciting time when the steam-driven cybernetic engine made its debut. When Charles Babbage perfects the analytical engine, the computer age arrives a century ahead of its time. It is at this point when three characters, Sybil Gerard, Edward Mallory, and Laurence Oliphant, each with their own power and secrets, discover a box of punched engine cards. They do not know the purpose of these cards or where they came from, but they do know that someone is willing to kill for them.
The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook
The Iron Duke freed England from the horde and became a national hero to the people, but now Rhys Trahaearn has amassed a great deal of control and power through a merchant empire and making people fear his very name. Mina Wentworth was sent to investigate a mysterious body dropped at Rhys’s door and immediately becomes Rhys’s next obsession. But behind the name of the dead body lies a conspiracy that threatens all of England, forcing Rhys and Mina to run through Zombie infested lands to save their country. The Iron Duke is the first book in The Iron Seas series by Meljean Brook.
Changeless by Gail Carriger
Alexia Maccon, now Lady Woolsey, is awakened one night when her husband, a werewolf, starts screaming at the top of his lungs and disappears into the night, leaving her to deal with the supernatural soldiers who arrive on her doorstep. Alexia must take her soulless self to Scotland to investigate the werewolf packs there and perhaps track down her husband. Armed with her parasol, the latest London fashions, and a sharp wit, Alexia is prepared for whatever danger her investigations may lead her to. Changeless is the second book in the Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger, published in 2010.
The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross
Finley Jayne has always been alone, except for the “thing” inside her. But when a young lord tries to take advantage of her, her unexplained victory over him catches the attention of 1897 England. Griffin King not only sees that she has dark magic inside of her but knows that she is one of them. He takes her in, much to the disgruntlement of the rest of his misfit band. Finley becomes wrapped up in Griffin’s investigation into a criminal called the Machinist and is thrilled to finally be part of something. But the Machinist will stop at nothing to tear the group apart. Written by Kady Cross.
Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld
Behemoth, published in 2010, is the second book in the Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld. This book continues the adventures of Deryn, a girl who has disguised herself as a boy to enter the British Air Service, and Alek, heir to the Austro-Hungarian empire who is pretending to be a commoner because his country turned on him. While aboard the navy ship Leviathan, a peace mission goes terribly wrong and leaves them stranded alone and hunted in enemy territory. And then there is The Behemoth, a fierce creature in the British navy. It can swallow battleships whole, and it is the key to victory if they can keep their enemies from taking it.
Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding
Captain Frey goes from living the high rogue life to being public enemy number one in one big boom. Frey is the Captain of the Ketty Jay, a band of air criminals that live their lives by running contraband, robbing airships, and generally making a nuisance of themselves. But when an easy target explodes, Frey finds himself the center of attention and must run for his life. His only hope is to prove that he was set up. What no one else knows is that the ship was rigged to blow which means he is being framed. It is going to take all of his unlawful skills to prove that he is not the criminal everyone thinks he is. Written by Chris Wooding.
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
In the magical underworld of Victorian London, monsters roam. From vampires to werewolves, to demons to fairies but where there are monsters, there are hunters. The Clave is a society of Shadowhunters that help keep order in the underworld. Tessa Gray has finally found safety among the Clave, but that safety is on rocking footing as secret plots run rampant. Tessa must rely on her closest friends, Jem, and Will as she discovers that the Magister’s war is more personal than she thought. On a journey to uncover hidden secrets of the past, Tessa must find a way to separate love and lies to discover who she can trust. Written by Cassandra Clare.
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
Finn and Claudia could not be living more different lives. Finn is living in Incarceron, a futuristic prison where the descendants of the original prisoner now live in a dark hidden world or savagery. Finn has never known anything but Incarceron, but he has haunting visions of a past life. Claudia is the daughter of the warden and only knows that Incarceron exists but nothing else. She lives in a futuristic world that is constructed to look like a beautiful past era and is waiting in death for her imminent marriage. Simultaneously both find a crystal key through which they can talk to each other and start planning Finn’s escape. Written by Catherine Fisher.
Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger
At age 14, Sophronia is not quite what her mother would have hoped. Rather than learning proper manners and working on her curtsey, she prefers dismantling clocks and climbing trees. As a last hope for her daughter, Mrs. Tremminnick sends Sophronia to Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. Once at school, Sophronia learns that the arts of dance, dress, and etiquette are not the only lessons to be learned. The girls are also taught death, diversion, and espionage – in the politest way possible of course. This is the first book in the Finishing School by Gail Carriger.
Lady of Devices Shelley Adina
Clare Trevelyan’s life takes a sudden turn when her father gambles away his fortune. Clare had always been expected to marry rich and live a high-class dignified life, but she much preferred working in the lab. When her fortune changes and she must use her intellect to survive on the streets of London, a mysterious new leader of the underworld emerges, known only as the Lady of Device. When she meets Andrew, a member of the Royal Society of Engineers, she realizes her talents might have other uses. If they can stay alive long enough, they might just be able to help each other reach their dreams. Written by Shelley Adina.
Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
During the early days of the civil war, a rumor of gold along the Pacific Northwest creates a race for wealth. Russian prospectors commission inventor Leviticus Blue to create a machine that could mine through Alaska’s ice. But the first test of his Boneshaking Drill Engine goes horribly wrong. It blasts several blocks of Seattle apart and unearths a gas that turns all those who breathe it into the living dead. Blue’s widow Briar and son Ezekiel are left with nothing but a ruined reputation. Ezekiel decides to rewrite history by going under the wall into the teeming city of the undead. Written by Cherie Priest.
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
In the book Neverwhere, written by Neil Gaiman, there is a city under the streets of London. Here monsters, saints, murderers, angels, knights in armor, and pale girls in black velvet all live together, a city of those that have fallen through the cracks. A young businessman named Richard Mayhew learns about his world when a single act of kindness sends him from his ordinary life to the eerily familiar world yet utterly bizarre world that is Neverwhere. It is here that destiny finds him. This is the first book, The London Below, the World of Neverwhere, published in 1996.