Every week in Friday Free Web Fiction I post a first draft scene from my work in progress (WIP), or a short story, or an excerpt from one of my books. Today’s offering is from my Prunella Smith WIP, The Lock Smith's Secret. One strand of this book is a steampunk novel that Ella is writing. The protagonist in it is Nell. Nell leaned back in her chair and twisted her mouth into several different positions before settling on a grin with her lips pressed together and a knowing shake of her head. The solution was simple, Bert could publish a short piece to counteract the smear on her name Lord Burnett had written in his latest column in the Burnett Weekly. Her boss would do that for her, wouldn’t he? She stood and smoothed her hands down her leather corset. Like all modern-thinking women, she wore something more practical than the huge skirts favoured by the older women and those of traditional mind sets. Nell giggled, who would have thought, just a few years ago, that women would be … [Read more...]
Another good one from Kady Cross: Review of ‘The Girl with the Iron Touch’
Title: The Girl with the Iron Touch The Steampunk Chronicles: Book 3 Author: Kady Cross Publisher: Harlequin, Harlequin Teen Genre: Steampunk The Girl With the Iron Touch delivers the same kind of good YA steampunk read as the previous two books in this series by Cady Cross. We have the same team, Emily, Sam, Griffin, Finley and Jasper, though Jasper is very much on the sidelines, taking off on his own intrigue with Wildcat for much of the book. Jack Dandy plays a pivotal role and we get to see a little of the real man for a moment when his cockney mask slips at one point. By the time we get to the finale, they also have a new member on the team, Mia, a girl who began life as a machine, but organites using flesh from no other than 'the team', turned her into a human. Mia was created by Garabaldi, the mad mastermind behind their troubles in book one - I don't remember if he had anything to do with the events on book two or not. Garabaldi should be dead - Griffin did bring a … [Read more...]
Steampunk time-travel romance review: Asher’s Dilemma by Coleen Kwan
Title: Asher's Dilemma Author: Coleen Kwan Publisher: Carina Press Genre: steampunk time-travel romance Asher's Dilemma is a clever story about the inventor of a time machine who, with some metaphysical intervention, discovers that misuse of his machine has caused the love of his life to cease to exist. He finds himself eight months in the past, trying to convince his earlier self to destroy the machine before the woman they both love disappears and they forget she ever existed. Someone in their future must use the machine to go into the past and erase her. But why would anyone want to do that to such a sweet girl? The answer is shockingly close to home. The story brings us the most unusual situation of having two versions of the same character, past and present, in one room. They are the same person, but not the same because the future Asher has experienced a world without Minerva. The plot is totally unpredictable and ends up poignantly tied up in accordance with the … [Read more...]
Steampunk review: The League of Illusion: Legacy by Vivi Anna
Title:The League of Illusion: LegacyAuthor: Vivi AnnaPublisher: Carina PressGenre: steampunk The League of Illusion, Legacy is a fairly typical steam punk novel set in a world of dirigibles and steam cars where magic exists unknown to the majority of the world. The story is about a sorcerer, Jovan and a Druid tracker, Skylar who are on a mission to find Jovan's older brother, so he can take over their dying father's place at the head of the council of magic. Skylar and Jovan were lovers once and the attraction hasn't gone away, but past hurts must be faced and forgiven before the two can resume their relationship. That's the gist of the romance.Of course, every story must have an antagonist, and this one has Darin, a sorcerer who tries to stop Jovan from finding his brother so that Darin can take the seat at the head of the council for himself. Perhaps I have read too many stories like this, but Darin seemed a little too much the stereotypical evil sleaze bag. Not only does he want … [Read more...]
Steampunk review: A Conspiracy of Alchemists by Liesel Schwarz
Title: A Conspiracy of Alchemists Book One in The Chronicles of Light and Shadow Author: Liesel Schwarz Publisher: Del Rey, Random House Publishing Group Genre: Steampunk romance My Review I loved this book. It had everything I need for an enjoyable read, a plucky heroine, a handsome warlock with an air of mystery, a cute small helper—in this case a fairy—and a great story full of action, intrigue and surprises. How well we like the characters often makes the difference between liking and loving a book, and the characters in this were the kind I love. Elle wasn’t going to let anyone push her around, or wait for a rescue that might never come. Her stubbornness was both a flaw and a strength. Hugh—handsome, of course—was charming and somewhat conflicted about where his allegiances lay, until the end when it became obvious. Instead of the usual powerful hero, he was a man whose power, like all the warlocks in this story, was on the wane. This gave him a vulnerability that he had … [Read more...]
Review: Automatic Woman by Nathan L. Yocum
Title:Automatic Woman Author:Nathan L. Yocum Publisher:Curiosity Quills Press Category: Action & Adventure I ordered Automatic Woman from Netgally because I thought it was steampunk, and I like steampunk, but I didn’t like this very much, possibly because it wasn’t really steampunk, just an action story with a murderous automaton. It also had a little too much gore for my taste. After setting the events in motion, the automaton pretty much disappeared from the story, and we were left with a man playing a pawn in a deadly game between Charles Darwin and his nemesis. The story is unusual, one where we’re not quite sure who Jolly should be siding with. It’s well-structured and well-paced with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. I had to keep reading to find out how Jolly was going to get himself out of his double bind. Mary’s presence was a welcome addition. Without her and the touch of love and humanity that she brought, it would have been a barren story indeed. As it … [Read more...]
Review: Moonlight and Mechanicals by Cindy Spencer Pape
Title: Moonlight & Mechanicals Author: Cindy Spencer Pape Publisher: Carina Press Genre: Steampunk romance Description London, 1859 Engineer Winifred "Wink" Hadrian has been in love with Inspector Liam McCullough for years, but is beginning to lose hope when he swears to be a lifelong bachelor. Faced with a proposal from a Knight of the Round Table and one of her closest friends, Wink reluctantly agrees to consider him instead. Because of his dark werewolf past, Liam tries to keep his distance, but can't say no when Wink asks him to help find her friend's missing son. They soon discover that London's poorest are disappearing at an alarming rate, after encounters with mysterious "mechanical" men. Even more alarming is the connection the missing people may have with a conspiracy against the Queen. Fighting against time-and their escalating feelings for each other-Wink and Liam must work together to find the missing people and save the monarchy before it's too late... My … [Read more...]
Review: Courting Trouble by Jenny Schwartz
Title: Courting Trouble Author: Jenny Schwartz Publisher: Carina Press Gennre: Historical/steampunk romance Courting Trouble is a delightful romance with wonderful characters and plenty of action set in Swan River Colony, Australia, in 1895. Next time you’re thinking of watching a movie, pick this up instead. It’ll take a similar amount of time and it’s great entertainment. Unlike many romances, the story doesn’t revolve completely around the issue of two people getting together. This one has a plot which makes it suitable for a much wider readership. The romance is not cloying, and is chastely in tune with the era. Blurb All suffragette Esme Smith wants is respect. Her beau, American inventor Jed Reeve, may be more enlightened than most men, but lately his need to protect her is at odds with her need for independence. Esme begins to wonder if a modern woman can share her life with a man without losing some of herself. With his courtship of Esme stalled, the last thing Jed … [Read more...]
Review: The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross
Title: The Girl in the Clockwork Collar SubTitle: Book 2 in the The Steampunk Chronicles series Author: Kady Cross Publisher: HarlequinTEEN Pub Date: May 29, 2012 Category: Young adult steampunk The Girl in the Steel Corset was an excellent novel and this, the sequel is quite possibly even better. It certainly has all the wonderful characters and great action of the first and it’s not too heavy, depressing and relentless like a lot of the young adult books coming out these days. Thank you, Harlequin Teen. The Girl in the Clockwork Collar is set in an alternate version of Queen Victoria’s era where steam power and mechanics became the pervading technology, not electricity. Steampunk is the name of this genre which could also be thought of as science fiction as people in the Victorian era might have imagined it. The beauty of this genre for modern readers is that it brings together the best of that era without the worst of it. Women wear Victorian era clothes with the addition of … [Read more...]
Review – Liberator by Richard Harland
Here's the last in this series of Steampunk reviews. More Steampunk reviews here Title - Liberator Author - Richard Harland Published in Australia by Allen & Unwin, by Helium in Frnce, Templar in the UK and Jacoby & Stuart in Germany. It'll come out from Simon & Schuster in the US, but the release date there hasn't arrived yet. ISBN13: 9782358510578) This is a good book and well worth a read, but read the sequel, 'Worldshaker' first. In it you'll meet the juggernauts, huge machines on rollers or tracks that travel the world on steampower and use masses of coal. The jugernauts are basically cities on wheels and have a similar social strata as the real Victorian period. The world Richard has created is quite amazing and well thought through. The machinery that runs these juggernauts are well described so that you get a sense of their enormous scale and complexity. The events in Le liberator take place post revolution and the problems now are inner power struggles and … [Read more...]
