Most Read Steampunk Books

Sciona Freynan has spent twenty years preparing to become the first woman ever admitted to Tiran's High Magistry. She gets there — and is handed a janitor instead of a lab assistant. Thomil is Kwen, a survivor of the catastrophe that destroyed his people, and the research the two of them refuse to stop pursuing leads straight to the source of the city's magic. A standalone dark academia fantasy about ambition, prejudice, and whether anyone who has thrived inside a monstrous system can ever be innocent of it.

• dark academia
• morally grey
• academy

A frontier lawman returns to city life and is pulled into a kidnapping conspiracy in Scadrial's industrial age, 300 years after the original trilogy.

• heist
• quest
• court intrigue
• redemption arc

Waxillium Ladrian is now a reluctant constable in Elendel, balancing his duties to the law with his obligations as a house lord. When a series of murders begins destabilizing the city's political factions, Wax and Wayne must track down a kandra who has gone rogue — capable of perfectly mimicking any person, driven by a philosophy that Wax will find uncomfortably difficult to dismiss outright. Shadows of Self deepens the political world of Elendel established in The Alloy of Law and develops Wax's personal relationships — particularly his engagement to the pragmatic Steris Harms — while escalating the mystery around the hidden manipulators behind Elendel's factions.

• marriage of convenience
• morally grey

Tessa Gray travels to Victorian London hoping to find her brother, but instead finds herself entangled in a world of demons and Shadowhunters. Kidnapped by a secret organization, she discovers a rare power within herself. As she seeks refuge with the demon-hunting Shadowhunters, she finds herself drawn to two young men, James and Will.

• love triangle
• forbidden love
• found family

The Bands of Mourning's revelations have upended what the crew thought they knew about Scadrial's history and its threats. As Marasi pursues a conspiracy connecting the southern Malwish confederacy to Elendel's underworld, and Wax confronts a threat that draws in the full Cosmere, the final Era 2 volume closes out the stories of Wax, Wayne, Marasi, and Steris while bridging toward Mistborn Era 3, set in Scadrial's far future. The Lost Metal is the most overtly Cosmere-connected book in Era 2, with characters and elements from other Cosmere works appearing directly in the plot, and it ends with consequences that echo across the entire universe.

• heist
• sacrifice
• court intrigue
• morally grey

A mythical set of metalminds said to grant the abilities of the Originators — the godlike figures of Scadrial's history — has been found, or at least reported found, in the southern continent. Wax, Wayne, Marasi, and Steris travel to the city of New Seran following the trail of the bands and the mysterious Lord Sequence who controls them. The Bands of Mourning widens the geographical scope of Scadrial considerably, introducing new cultures and new understanding of the world's technology, while delivering answers to mysteries planted across the first two Era 2 books. It ends on a significant revelation that sets the stage for the series' final volume.

• quest
• mystery box
• betrayal
• family saga

In an alternate 1912, Cairo is the beating heart of a world transformed. Decades earlier, a mysterious figure called al-Jahiz tore open the boundary between worlds, and djinn, angels, and magic returned to reshape history—turning Egypt into a great power that threw off colonial rule and now hums with clockwork wonders and supernatural intrigue. Agent Fatma el-Sha'arawi is one of the few women in the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities, a sharp, bowler-hatted investigator who handles the strange and dangerous. When a secret brotherhood devoted to al-Jahiz is slaughtered by someone claiming to be the vanished mystic himself, Fatma must determine whether a legend has truly returned or a very human impostor is stoking chaos. With her enigmatic partner Siti and a determined new recruit, she races through a Cairo of automatons, gods, and revolutionaries as the case threatens to ignite a war between realms. A Master of Djinn is the first full-length novel in P. Djèlí Clark's Dead Djinn Universe, a richly imagined blend of historical fantasy, steampunk invention, and mystery. Vivid, propulsive, and grounded in Egyptian culture, it expands a world first glimpsed in his acclaimed novellas.

• secret identity
• mystery box

Months after arriving at the London Institute, Tessa Gray finds herself caught between Will Herondale and Jem Carstairs as the Shadowhunters race to stop Mortmain, an industrialist building an army of clockwork automatons meant to destroy the Nephilim. When political rivals move to strip Charlotte of her leadership of the Institute, Tessa's own safety is put at risk, forcing her deeper into Shadowhunter politics and closer to uncovering the truth about her own nature.

• love triangle
• forbidden love
• court intrigue

Tessa Gray's world is turned upside down as she navigates a dangerous path between two powerful young men, each with their own secrets and claims on her heart. As the Shadowhunter world faces a new threat, Tessa must uncover the truth about her own identity and decide where her loyalties truly lie. The fate of London, and perhaps much more, hangs in the balance.

• love triangle
• sacrifice

A mild-mannered schoolmaster travels to the colossal Tower of Babel for his honeymoon, only to have his wife vanish upon arrival. To find her, he must descend through the Tower's bizarre and perilous levels, confronting dangers and betrayals that will force him to discover a hidden strength within himself.

• fish out of water
• quest
• betrayal

When advanced Martian machines land in England, a man must fight for his survival against an alien force that threatens to wipe out humanity. This classic science fiction novel depicts a desperate struggle against overwhelming odds, exploring the resilience of the human spirit when civilization itself is at stake.

• survival

Imagine a world where literature is a battlefield and books are portals to other realities. When a criminal steals a famous manuscript and abducts a literary character, it's up to literary detective Thursday Next to dive into the pages and set things right. Get ready for a wild ride where fiction and reality collide, and literary crimes have very real consequences.

• portal fantasy
• quest

Separated and stranded in the Mortmain Mountains, the Baudelaire orphans must navigate freezing temperatures and a treacherous climb to find one another. While Violet and Klaus face a steep ascent, Sunny is held captive by the wicked Count Olaf and his troupe. They must decode secret messages and survive the harsh wilderness if they hope to uncover the truth about their family's past.

• unreliable narrator
• survival
• mystery box
• coming of age

The Baudelaire orphans are sent to Prufrock Preparatory School, a dismal boarding school where the motto literally warns them of their own mortality. Forced to live in a fungus-filled shack and endure grueling punishments, the siblings must stay alert as Count Olaf lurks nearby in a new disguise. It is a grim chapter in their lives that introduces them to new friends who share their unfortunate circumstances.

• academy
• found family
• unreliable narrator
• survival

Nimona is a young shapeshifter with a knack for chaos and a dream of becoming a supervillain's sidekick. She finds her perfect partner in crime with Lord Ballister Blackheart, and together they set out to expose the kingdom's so-called heroes. But Nimona's unpredictable nature and hidden past make her a wild card, threatening to derail their plans.

• anti hero
• morally grey

The Baudelaire orphans find themselves on the run and hiding in the Heimlich Hospital, where they must evade the villainous Count Olaf. While searching for information about a mysterious fire, they face the terrifying prospect of a cranioectomy they don't actually need. It is a grim chapter in their lives filled with narrow escapes and unsettling medical mysteries.

• survival
• mystery box
• unreliable narrator
• coming of age

In 1883 London, a telegraphist named Thaniel Steepleton finds a mysterious gold pocketwatch that saves his life during a massive bombing. His search for the watch's maker, the enigmatic Keita Mori, pulls him into a hidden world of clockwork and music. Meanwhile, Grace Carrow, a physicist, is determined to prove the existence of the luminiferous ether. As their lives intertwine, they uncover secrets and face unexpected dangers in a magical past where time and destiny collide.

• multiple povs
• mystery box

Jacob Portman and his peculiar friends are on the run, searching for a cure for their friend Emma. Their journey takes them to Hollow City, a hidden sanctuary for peculiars in London. They must navigate this new world, facing dangers and making new allies, as they race against time to save Emma and their kind.

• quest
• found family

Prince Alek is a fugitive, accompanied only by a war machine and a few loyal men. Meanwhile, Deryn disguises herself to serve in the British Air Service. Their lives intersect aboard the colossal airship Leviathan, forcing them to cooperate despite their opposing roles in a global conflict, and an unexpected attraction begins to grow between them.

• enemies to lovers
• secret identity
• rivals
• forbidden love

In a world where art deco beauty meets steampunk horror, Maika Halfwolf, a teenage survivor of a devastating war, searches for answers about her past. Hunted by those who wish to exploit her, Maika must confront the awakening monster within herself. This epic story explores themes of oppression and danger as she navigates a perilous landscape.

• chosen one
• reluctant hero
• quest

Prince Alek and Deryn Sharp arrive in Constantinople aboard the massive living airship Leviathan, only to find themselves caught in a web of political schemes. As the Clanker and Darwinist powers clash, they must prevent a global war while keeping their own secrets hidden from both friends and enemies. The city's mechanical wonders and biological horrors provide a dangerous backdrop for their desperate mission.

• secret identity
• found family
• coming of age
• court intrigue

Sophronia's family hopes a finishing school will teach her proper manners, but she's more interested in tinkering and climbing. To their surprise, Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality teaches more than just etiquette. Sophronia and her friends soon discover that alongside dance and dress, they'll be learning the fine arts of death, diversion, and espionage. Get ready for a thrilling first year as these young ladies navigate a world of polite peril.

• academy
• fish out of water
• coming of age

A Ministry investigator probes the death of a powerful djinn in an alternate 1912 Cairo, uncovering a conspiracy that threatens the fragile peace between humans and supernatural beings.

• mystery box

Four very different people—a paladin, an assassin, a forger, and a scholar—must work together to stop a city-wide threat. They need to sneak into enemy territory and discover the secret behind the mechanical soldiers known as the Clockwork Boys. If they succeed, they'll earn their freedom, but failure means ruin, and they might just turn on each other before the enemy does.

• found family
• quest
• morally grey

Alexia Tarabotti is a Victorian spinster with a unique problem: she has no soul, a condition that allows her to nullify the powers of any supernatural being she touches. When she accidentally kills a vampire who attacked her, the burly and abrasive werewolf Lord Maccon arrives to investigate on behalf of the Queen. Alexia must navigate high society scandals and a growing conspiracy while dealing with her inconvenient attraction to the man sent to watch her.

• enemies to lovers
• grumpy sunshine
• court intrigue
• mystery box

Professor Lidenbrock and his nephew Axel follow a coded message to Iceland, leading them to a volcanic passage that plunges deep into the Earth. Inside, they discover a lost world filled with prehistoric wonders and dangerous natural forces. This classic adventure chronicles their perilous journey through the planet's hidden interior.

• quest
• survival
• fish out of water

In a future Thailand struggling with the harsh realities of climate change and corporate control, genetically engineered 'windup' girls are a stark part of life. When a new plant species emerges, it disrupts the fragile balance, forcing a young woman into a dangerous game of bio-terrorism and corporate espionage. This is a story about fighting for humanity in a world pushed to its limits.

• morally grey
• survival
• anti hero