Prepare to take a journey into alternate worlds where Victorian style combines with steam-powered yet futuristic machines and inventions.
What are steampunk books? They combine charm, fashion, culture, and the wonder of fantastic technology. Whether you’re taking your first steps into the genre or are a seasoned fan, these 17 best steampunk books will help you explore new worlds of adventure.
The Aeronaut’s Windlass
Bestselling author of The Dresden Files series brings another great start to a series with this steampunk book. Merchant ship captain Grimm’s loyal to the aristocrat-controlled Spires, but when his ship is damaged in battle, he learns more about the conflict and a mysterious ancient danger that begins to awaken.
Boneshaker
An Alaskan gold rush brings hopefuls, including the bone-shaking ice drill inventor Leviticus Blue, to the frozen north.
This book takes place 16 years after disaster strikes — toxic cities and walking undead––with Blue’s widow, Briar Wilkes, trying to live her best life. Their teenage son is called on another adventure, and his mother must rescue him.
Leviathan
War machines and whale airships thrill steampunk book fans in this World War I fantasy story.
Two men at odds with each other’s philosophies and politics end up together on the Leviathan for a dangerous and life-changing global adventure.
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
The ultimate classic of steampunk and science fiction literature, this story follows brave adventurers far beneath the sea.
Captain Nemo pilots his unique submarine, The Nautilus, to explore and escape the trappings of the ‘real’ world on land.
Airborn
This book follows a simple airship cabin boy, Matt Cruse, on a wild adventure to discover magical flying beasts among the clouds.
This steampunk book resembles a classic pirate adventure tale with delightful fantasy twists.
Mortal Engines
Another very popular addition to the must-read steampunk book list, this book includes mobile cities that hunt down other pieces of land to strip them of all resources.
Historian guild apprentice Tom stops a murder, gets stranded in the unprotected countryside, and must follow the city despite the dark warnings and danger that threaten on all sides.
The Difference Engine
Steam-powered machines rule in this Industrial Revolution-era story, but the computer age beckons with a unique Analytical Engine.
Unique and distinct characters come together – a politician’s mistress, a paleontologist, and a mystical diplomat – to figure things out before it’s too late and stop the punch cards from falling into the wrong hands.
The Diamond Age
The main character, John Percival Hackworth, illegally copies a device designed to allow young ladies to think for themselves in a neo-Victorian world.
Instead of staying with the upper class intended, it falls into the hands of a lower-class, tribeless young lady named Nell. They each journey through rigid protocols, underworld crime, and, ultimately, a mysterious repository of knowledge that may upset the whole world.
Soulless
This steampunk book injects a bit of humor into the usual adventure and magical forces. Spinster Alexia Tarabotti struggles with social graces, a vampire attack, and an unseemly werewolf investigator in this unique mystery story.
Will being soulless help her navigate the supernatural powers surrounding her? It might all come down to manners and hot tea instead.
The Anubis Gates
Poetry scholar Brendan Doyle travels back in time only to get stuck in London in 1810.
Readers come across real-world literary legends, Egyptian dark magic, street gangs, and all sorts of deadly and fantastical beings and situations. This journey goes far beyond studying a poet.
The Time Machine
Another absolute classic, this time-traveling adventure sends a man more than 800,000 years into the future to a time where humanity has evolved into two distinct forms.
The main character seeks to learn and explore but struggles to return to his timeline.
Perdido Street Station
This multi-award-winning novel is influential in the world of modern fantasy.
People and arcane beings survive under Parliament in a dark land. When a stranger arrives and unleashes an alien terror, people must come together to find a way out of the darkness.
Retribution Falls
Darian Frey, airship captain, leads a crew of misfits on a heist to steal priceless gemstones. After things go wrong, he becomes the most wanted man in the world.
Retribution Falls is a pirate haven, according to legend, but it takes more than a strong wind for the ship to reach it.
Clockwork Angel
Tessa Gray is a shapeshifter, a rare type of magic that can help her escape from the secret cult that kidnapped her.
The story follows her quest to save her brother amid unique magics, demon hunter protectors, and dark forces that tempt her with promises of love.
The Half-Made World
Two strong forces seek to control the Wild West in a world not yet completely formed.
One focuses on unchecked industry, the other on violence. Liv Alverhuysen, a psychology doctor, travels in hopes of healing their minds, uncovering secrets with the help of a gunman, John Creedmoor, and helping the world form in better ways.
The Iron Duke
The first book in the “Iron Seas” series, this story follows Rhys Trahaearn, merchant empire ruler, through a sensual and adventure-filled time.
When Detective Mina Wentworth appears, mysterious deaths, romance, and danger grow on all sides.
The Alchemy of Stone
This steampunk story follows a well-designed and sentient automaton named Mattie through a battle between various factions and creatures.
Created by a Mechanic who holds the key to her heart, she discovers treachery and secrets along the way to the thrilling conclusion.
If you enjoyed exploring the imaginative worlds of steampunk, don’t stop there—dive into dark fantasy tales, thrilling sci-fi books, the eerie stories by H.P. Lovecraft, or the epic books by Brandon Sanderson to discover even more incredible genres!
