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

Lyra Belacqua is content to run wild among the scholars of Jordan College, her wolf-like daemon always by her side. But when her formidable uncle Lord Asriel arrives with a desperate mission, Lyra is drawn into a struggle that spans worlds — against the Gobblers who steal children and the Magisterium's attempt to bind every soul through their alethiometers.

• coming of age
• betrayal
• quest

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lyra and Will find their lives irrevocably changed as they are drawn into a new world, Cittàgazze, a place plagued by spectral beings that steal souls. Together, they must navigate this dangerous new reality, seeking a powerful object that could alter the course of their destinies and confront a growing darkness.

• portal fantasy
• quest
• survival
• forced proximity

Lyra and Will face their biggest challenges in the final installment of this epic trilogy. They must journey to a world beyond imagination to stop a cosmic war that threatens all reality. The fate of every world rests on the courage of these two children and the power of their story.

• chosen one
• quest
• sacrifice
• survival

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

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

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

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

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

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

Emperor Mapidere has beaten the six other Tiro states into a single empire across the islands of Dara — and his death leaves it seething. Kuni Garu, a charming bandit with a gift for people, and Mata Zyndu, the towering last son of a deposed noble clan, meet in the uprising against the throne and become the closest of friends. When the empire falls, the two find themselves leading rival factions with irreconcilable ideas about power, honour and what justice is for. Ken Liu's debut novel retells the Chu-Han Contention that founded China's Han dynasty as "silkpunk" epic fantasy, complete with silk-draped airships and shapeshifting gods. Winner of the 2016 Locus Award for Best First Novel.

• rivals
• court intrigue
• multiple povs
• betrayal

Join a French professor and his companions as they become unwilling guests aboard the Nautilus, a magnificent electric submarine commanded by the enigmatic Captain Nemo. They are swept into an extraordinary journey exploring the hidden depths of the world's oceans. This classic tale blends scientific marvels with thrilling adventure, questioning the boundaries of human knowledge and ambition.

• survival
• quest

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

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
• 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
• witty banter
• mystery box

Joel is no Rithmatist, though he wants it more than anything. When gifted students at Armedius Academy start to disappear, he joins Melody and the disgraced Professor Fitch to find out why.

• academy
• mystery box

In an Oxford where everyone has a daemon, children are vanishing and Lyra Belacqua follows the trail north. Later she and Will Parry cross between worlds and are drawn into a rebellion against the Authority.

• chosen one
• portal fantasy
• coming of age
• quest

Paige Mahoney is on the run in a dystopian London, a fugitive with a growing desire for rebellion. Though she escaped one oppressive city, the Republic of Scion still watches her every move. To survive, Paige must return to her ruthless employer, Jaxon Hall, and navigate the dangerous underworld. But she's determined to expose the syndicate's corruption and win the coveted Rose Crown, even as ancient factions vie for her unique abilities.

• chosen one
• revenge
• betrayal
• court intrigue

Tom Natsworthy, an apprentice historian, is thrown out of the roaming city of London after Hester Shaw tries to kill a famous man. Stranded together and hunted by a half-machine Stalker, they edge toward a secret London's leaders will protect at any cost.

• quest
• survival
• reluctant hero
• coming of age

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

The Industrial Revolution has arrived in Ankh-Morpork, bringing with it the thunderous power of steam! It's up to the city's most capable (and perhaps only) manager, Moist von Lipwig, to harness this new technology. But progress isn't always welcome, and Moist must navigate the tricky currents of innovation and tradition to keep the city from blowing a gasket.

• reluctant hero
• morally grey
• quest
• court intrigue