Featured Author: Gail Carriger

Q: What do you get when you mix paranormal romance, steampunk, Victorian fashion, adventure action, humor and parasols?

A: The Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger.

"Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.

"Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire -- and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.

"With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

"Soulless is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking."

-- from the back cover

The Parasol Protectorate series gives readers a clever, cheeky, saucy romp through an alternate Victorian London where airships soar above, vampires are Lords, and army officers are werewolves. Alexia Tarabotti is a heroine well before her time, busy dealing with her own special nature, the restrictions of "proper behavior for a lady", and the challenge of staying fashionably dressed while having extraordinary adventures. Author Gail Carriger is herself something of a fashion statement, known for attending events in authentic 1950s ensembles. Her website is an entertainment all by itself and worth a visit, full of information about Victorian London, links to steampunk sites, and of course fashion advice.

• Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate, Book the First)


• Changeless (The Parasol Protectorate, Book 2)


• Blameless (The Parasol Protectorate, Book 3)


• Heartless (The Parasol Protectorate, Book the Fourth)


• Timeless (The Parasol Protectorate, Book 5)

Steamy Reads

Steampunk is a term not a lot of people understand, but for those that do, it is an exciting new genre that brings together modern technology, steam-powered engines and Victorian literature in one seamless package.  The actual word was coined by K.W. Jeter in a letter to Locus Magazine when trying to describe Victorian fantasy as a one-word term that would interest more people in these types of novels. 

There are several recent authors that have become part of the steampunk scene: Gail Carriger, Neal Stephenson, Cherie Priest, China Miéville, Jay Lake, and Alan Moore, who find themselves in great company of the early authors who blazed the way.  Who would have thought that Jules Verne or H.G. Wells would have been considered leaders in this movement all those years ago when we were starry-eyed kids reveling in the adventures of Captain Nemo or going along on a wild time-travel ride to the land of the Morluks, Eloi and Weena?  ABC Libraries has added a few new titles to the system for your perusing pleasure. 

Brand new to the catalog are:

Steampunk Emporium: Creating Fantastical Jewelry, Devices and Oddments from Assorted Cogs, Gears and other Curios by Jema Hewitt

The Steampunk Bible: An Illustrated Guide to the World of Imaginary Airships, Corsets and Goggles, Mad Scientists and Strange Literature by Jeff Vandermeer

Steampunk-Style Jewelry: Victorian, Fantasy and Mechanical Designs, Necklaces, Bracelets and Earrings by Jean Campbell

Metalwork Jewelry: 35 Step-by-Step Projects Inspired by Steampunk by Linda Peterson

Steampunk!: An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories edited by Kelly Link and Gavin Grant.

1,000 Steampunk Creations: Neo-Victorian, Fashion, Gear & Art by Dr. Grymm with Barbe Saint John

All Men of Genius by Lev AC Rosen

Steampunk Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos: A Maker's Guide to Creating Modern Artifacts, by Tab Books

Also, these are some other titles that you may be interested in checking out:

Infernal Devices: A Mad Victorian Fantasy by K.W. Jeter

The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson

The Iron Council by China Mieville

Dreadnought by Cherie Priest

Mainspring by Jay Lake

Worldshaker by Richard Harland

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Anno Dracula by Kim Newman

The Peshawar Lancers by S.M. Stirling

Corsets & Clockwork: 13 Steampunk Romances edited by Trisha Telep

The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

The Half-Made World by Felix Gilman

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Here are a few other links that may pique your interest from the Steampunk world:

-There is going to be a Steampunk ball on Friday, November 11, 2011 at the Launchpad, starting time is 9:00 PM.  It's called Captain Lionel Gearpunk's Steam-Powered Ball and will feature local bands, steampunk crafts, and a costume contest!

-The Steampunk Tribune  A great site related to all things Steampunk since 2007

-Steampunk Tales  An online website of Steampunk stories and you can even read them on your iPhone!

-Steampunk Week and Beyond from Tor Books

There are also several Facebook pages relating to Steampunk which you can find from a link on The Steampunk Tribune website. 

The Ubiquitous Steampunk

I've been reading a lot about the steampunk phenomenon this year, so the Omnivoracious blog's post "Steampunk Unloaded, Uploaded, Reloaded, Remixed, Cooked, Stuffed, and Codified" made me wonder why I had not written more about it (although in August I recommended Cherie Priest's Boneshaker). Not familiar with the steampunk genre? Check out this New York Times article, "Steampunk Moves Between Worlds", or "Steam Dream" from the Boston Phoenix. Also TVTropes has a good explanation of the genre, which they start by summing up as "Retro-style Speculative Fiction set in periods where steam power is king."



Looking for steampunk fiction in the catalog? Our collection is small, but growing! Click here to see some titles.

Also consider visiting The Steampunk Workshop & Steampunk Magazine. Steampunk.com has many book reviews.

Check out this video from the steampunk episode of ABC's show Castle!