Where Fiction and Reality Meet
Title: The Gangster Series: Magic & Steam: Book Two Author: C.S. Poe Publisher: Self-Published Length: 242 Pages Category: Steampunk Rating: 5 Stars At a Glance: Kudos and my compliments to author C.S. Poe for handing me my first book hangover of the new year, with a cliffhanger ending that belongs in the "Whoa, I Did... Continue Reading →
Title: Witchmark Series: The Kingston Cycle: Book One Author: C.L. Polk Publisher: Tor Books Length: 320 Pages Category: Fantasy At a Glance: Witchmark is a crunchy sweet paranormal fantasy steampunk lover's brain candy. I recommend treating yourself to it. Reviewed By: Lisa Blurb: In an original world reminiscent of Edwardian England in the shadow of... Continue Reading →
Title: The 7th of Victorica Series: Gadgets and Shadows: Book Two Author: Beau Schemery Publisher: Harmony Ink Press Length: 350 Pages Category: Steampunk, Teen Fiction At a Glance: The 7th of Victorica reads like the opening salvo for something much greater and more supernaturally sinister on the horizon. Despite a few rough patches, it ultimately... Continue Reading →
Title: The Whore of New Slum Author: T.A. Chase Publisher: MLR Press Length: 119 Pages Category: Fantasy, Cyberpunk/Steampunk, Alt U, Dystopian At a Glance: Fascinating dystopian world where the savior is not someone others would consider a hero. Reviewed By: Jennifer Blurb: While visiting his dying sister, Wendall meets a man who changes his life, putting into... Continue Reading →
Title: Mongrel Trilogy Bundle Author: K.Z. Snow Publisher: Dreamspinner Press Length: 475 Pages Category: Steampunk, Paranormal Fantasy At a Glance: I loved this series, folks. I’m so very glad I read it; and read it again. Reviewed By: Jules Blurb: One day a shadow is cast on the Mechanical Circus, a rollicking seaside carnival where... Continue Reading →
Title: The Seer Author: Jordan Reece Publisher: Self-Published Pages/Word Count: 249 Pages At a Glance: Jess Faraday, Tamara Allen, KJ Charles, Jordan L. Hawk--author Jordan Reece's The Seer notches right in there with some of my fave historical/historical fantasy authors. Reviewed By: Lisa Blurb: Detective Laeric Scoth is good at his job, but he’s also... Continue Reading →
Title: Clockwork Heart (Clockwork Love: Book One) Author: Heidi Cullinan Publisher: Samhain Publishing Pages/Word Count: 250 Pages At a Glance: I think Heidi Cullinan has just scratched the surface of this world, and I truly can’t wait to see more! Reviewed By: Jules Blurb: Love, adventure and a steaming good time. As the French army... Continue Reading →
Title: Under the Rushes Author: Amy Lane Narrator: Nick J. Russo Publisher: Dreamspinner Press Run Time: 11 hours and 52 minutes At a Glance: Amy Lane…you take my breath away. Reviewed By: Amy Blurb: Ten years after Dorjan trusted a boy’s word over his superior officer’s, he and his best friend, Areau, are still living... Continue Reading →
Title: Keys (City of Keys: Book One) Author: Amber Kell Publisher: Dreamspinner Press Pages/Word Count: 200 Pages At a Glance: Keys is an excellent steampunk/dystopian story, in the grand tradition of the Steampunk genre, but it is a world all of its own. Reviewed By: Angel Blurb: My name is Octavius Septimus Stalk, but my... Continue Reading →
Title: Blue on Black Author: Carole Cummings Publisher: DSP Publications Pages/Word Count: 380 Pages At a Glance: Blue on Black is an alternate universe, twisted history, sci-fi/fantasy/steampunkish feast for the imagination and senses. Reviewed By: Lisa Blurb: Kimolijah Adani—Class 2 gridTech, beloved brother, most promising student the Academy’s ever had the privilege of calling their... Continue Reading →
Title: Jack Wolf (A Daily Dose Story) Author: Kay Walker Publisher: Dreamspinner Press Pages/Word Count: 44 Pages At a Glance: Steampunk and shifters collide in this fun daily dose story. Reviewed By: Jennifer Blurb: Henry Dalton is sent across the country by train to the western town of Woolridge in order to investigate the werewolf... Continue Reading →
Title: Winter’s Bees (Mechanical Universe: Book Three) Author: E.E. Ottoman Publisher: Less Than Three Press Pages/Word Count: 105 Pages At a Glance: A decent entry to a series set in an interesting world, but this story is filled with overused elements. Reviewed By: Jennifer Blurb: Lord Marcel de la Mont de Anges, the Marquis de... Continue Reading →
Title: The Gilded Scarab Author: Anna Butler Publisher: Dreamspinner Press Pages/Word Count: 314 Pages At a Glance: When this novel gets a good head of steam going, it’s an adventurous and entertaining jaunt through an alternate reality London. Reviewed By: Lisa Blurb: When Captain Rafe Lancaster is invalided out of the Britannic Imperium’s Aero Corps... Continue Reading →
Title: Alchemy Ever After Author: Raine & Siôn O’Tierney Publisher: Dreamspinner Press Pages/Word Count: 56 Pages At a Glance: Short story with a sweet, innocent apprentice, a grumpy alchemist, and a sculpture come to life. Reviewed By: Jennifer Blurb: The city of New Alexandria is filled with powerful magicians-in-training and mechanical follies, the world’s largest... Continue Reading →
Title: Alchemy Ever After Author: Raine & Siôn O’Tierney Publisher: Dreamspinner Press Pages/Word Count: 56 Pages At a Glance: Short story with a sweet, innocent apprentice, a grumpy alchemist, and a sculpture come to life. Reviewed By: Jennifer Blurb: The city of New Alexandria is filled with powerful magicians-in-training and mechanical follies, the world’s largest... Continue Reading →
Title: Clockwork Pirate Author: Lyn Gala Publisher: Loose Id Pages/Word Count: 278 Pages At a Glance: As alt-history steampunk adventures go, I’d say Clockwork Pirate is a fun one. As romances go, though, I’d say this one relied too much on telling rather than showing. Reviewed By: Lisa Blurb: Alex hid his unnatural attraction to... Continue Reading →
Title: Hammer and Bone Author: Kirby Crow Publisher: Riptide Publishing Pages/Word Count: 236 Pages At a Glance: Haunting and beautiful, Hammer and Bone is an impressive and inspired collection. Reviewed By: Lisa Blurb: The purest evil lives in the hearts of men Carnival mystics. Zombie tribes. Bad magic in the Bayou. Mage-princes, alien cities, and... Continue Reading →
Title: Liberty & Other Stories Author: Alexis Hall Publisher: Riptide Publishing Pages/Word Count: 308 Pages At a Glance: A pastiche that's done not just amazingly well but with unexpected touches of hilarity in deeply serious moments. Reviewed By: Rena Blurb: For the delight and edification of discerning readers, we present diverse stories concerning the lives,... Continue Reading →
Title: Liberty & Other Stories Author: Alexis Hall Publisher: Riptide Publishing Pages/Word Count: 308 Pages At a Glance: A pastiche that's done not just amazingly well but with unexpected touches of hilarity in deeply serious moments. Reviewed By: Rena Blurb: For the delight and edification of discerning readers, we present diverse stories concerning the lives,... Continue Reading →
Title: The Mechanical Chrysanthemums Author: Felicitas Ivey Publisher: Dreamspinner Press Pages/Word Count: 90 Pages At a Glance: A mixture of genres that somehow work perfectly together Blurb: Hachisuka Narihiro is a pilot in the Shogun’s elite unit of musha-ki, robotic armor automated by steam and magic for the defense of Nippon in a slowly modernizing 19th Century,... Continue Reading →
Title: London Steam Author: Lynn Townsend Publisher: JMS Books Pages/Word Count: 99 Pages At a Glance: Two loosely related novellas and a surprise M/F ending in the second, make for an overall uneven read Blurb: In a reimagined 1890's London, where steam-driven airships rule the skies and monsters roam the streets, the Galileo Observatory's Club... Continue Reading →
Title: Precious Metals (Metals: Book Two) Author: L.A. Witt Publisher: Riptide Publishing Pages/Word Count: 150 Pages Rating: 4 Stars Blurb: For Constable Paul Benson of the North-West Mounted Police, monotony is a blessing. As a provision inspector below the Chilkoot Pass during the Klondike Gold Rush, he’s seen miserable conditions and gold fever turn civilized... Continue Reading →
Title: The Circus of the Damned Author: Cornelia Grey Publisher: Riptide Publishing Pages/Word Count: 274 Pages Rating: 4 Stars Blurb: Magician Gilbert Blake has spent his entire life conning drunkards in the seediest pubs in the darkest towns, careful to hide the true depths of his power. But when he spends a little too much... Continue Reading →
Title: Prosperity Author: Alexis Hall Publisher: Riptide Publishing Pages/Word Count: 190 Pages Rating: 5 Stars Blurb: A breathtaking tale of passion and adventure in the untamed skies! Prosperity, 1863: a lawless skytown where varlets, chancers, and ne’er-do-wells risk everything to chase a fortune in the clouds, and where a Gaslight guttersnipe named Piccadilly is about... Continue Reading →
The Novel Approach Reviews 