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30 Best Steampunk Books: The Ultimate List

Parasol Protectorate, Book 1

Protectorado del Parasol, Libro 1

Soulless

Sin Alma

A congregation of gentlemen, inclusive of the storyteller, lend their ears to the Time Traveller as he expounds his belief that time is the fourth dimension. The Time Traveller showcases a tiny model of a time machine, making it vanish into the ether. When the group reconvenes a week later, they find their disheveled and weary host arriving late, initiating his tale post dinner.

The Time Traveller chronicles his journey into the future, specifically to the year 802,701 AD, in his newly completed time mechanism. He encounters the Eloi, diminutive, peaceful humanoids living in an idyllic world who welcome him with fruits. Upon returning from his exploration, he discovers his time contraption missing, deducing it's possibly concealed within a statue's base nearby. He catches sight of peculiar ape-like entities, dubbed Morlocks by the Eloi, who dwell underground. In the course of his adventures, he rescues and befriends an Eloi named Weena. Venturing into the subterranean world of the Morlocks to reclaim his machine, he equips himself with matches as a deterrent against these creatures. Despite being chased out, he musters the courage to seek a safe haven for himself and Weena from the night-prowling Morlocks. His journey leads him to an establishment he refers to as the Palace of Green Porcelain, revealed to be a museum. There, he arms himself with more matches, camphor, and a lever as a weapon. A large-scale fire breaks out amidst their escape from the Morlocks through a vast forest, resulting in several Morlock casualties, as well as Weena's demise. Returning to the statue base, the Time Traveller discovers it already forced open. He takes a leap of faith onto his machine just as the Morlocks believe they've cornered him, rapidly transporting him further into the future.

The Time Traveller makes numerous additional stops in his journey. He lands on a beach in a distant era where he confronts giant crabs while a massive, static red sun dominates the sky. Journeying to a point thirty million years into the future, he encounters a barely breathable atmosphere and a single life form, a tentacled dark blob. Observing a celestial body eclipse the sun, he finally exhausts himself and returns to his original era. However, he embarks on another journey the following day, from which he never returns.

The Time Machine

La Máquina del Tiempo

30 Best Steampunk Books: The Ultimate List (Updated!)

Voyages Extraordinaires, Book 7

The tale commences in 1866 with the sighting of an enormous, unidentified sea creature, which is initially dismissed as a myth until it starts causing shipwrecks. The US Navy sends Admiral Farragut, along with ocean expert Professor Pierre Aronnax, his servant Conseil, and a renowned Canadian harpooner, Ned Land, to hunt the monster. They embark on their journey from New York City aboard the Abraham Lincoln, venturing through the Atlantic, around Cape Horn, and into the Pacific. Here, they discover that the "monster" is, in fact, an advanced submarine dubbed the Nautilus, which sprays large water spouts, damaging the ship and causing Aronnax, Conseil, and Land to fall into the ocean.

The trio are taken captive aboard the Nautilus, captained by the enigmatic Nemo, who leads a crew that exists entirely in isolation from the rest of society, even speaking their own unique language. They discover the sophistication of their new surroundings, including an expansive library of books, art, and specimens, and are treated to elaborate meals prepared using sea produce. However, Nemo informs them that while they are free on the ship, they cannot leave. In addition to witnessing the sea life from within the Nautilus, they are taken on walks along the sea floor, and even partake in a deep-sea hunting expedition in a submarine forest. After running aground near Australia, the captives are temporarily stranded on land where they manage to hunt real meat before being chased away by native islanders. The subsequent events include a burial ceremony in an underwater cemetery for a deceased crew member.

The second part of the adventure starts two years later in 1868, with travels through the Red Sea and an underground passage to the Mediterranean Sea, among other expeditions. One of the most intriguing moments is when Nemo shows the captives an enormous pearl off the coast of Ceylon that he chooses not to harvest. The journey continues southwards towards Antarctica, where the Nautilus becomes trapped under an iceberg, leading to a dangerous depletion of oxygen. Despite the odds, they manage to escape, with Nemo even claiming the South Pole for himself after they discover it is a landmass. After surviving an attack by giant squids in the Caribbean, the crew then navigate a hurricane, spot a sunken ship, and even fend off an attacking warship. As the journey comes to a close, the captives plan an escape near Norway's coast. During their attempt, a whirlwind storm engulfs the vessel, causing Aronnax to lose consciousness. He awakens on an island with Conseil and Land, with the fate of Nemo and the Nautilus unknown.

20000 Leagues Under the Sea

20000 Leguas de Viaje Submarino

Bas-Lag, Book 1

Bas-Lag, Libro 1

Perdido Street Station

Estación Calle Perdido

Leviathan

Leviatán

Mortal Engines, Book 1

Motores Mortales, Libro 1

Mortal Engines

Motores Mortales

His Dark Materials, Book 1

Sus Materiales Oscuros, Libro 1

The Golden Compass

La Brujula Dorada

Magnificent Devices, Book 1

Dispositivos Magníficos, Libro 1

Lady of Devices

Dama de Aparatos

Boneshaker

Sacudidor de Huesos

The Anubis Gates

Las Puertas de Anubis

A Novel

Una Novela

The Difference Engine

La Máquina Diferencial

Iron Seas, Book 1

Mares de Hierro, Libro 1

The Iron Duke

El Duque de Hierro

Homunculus

Homúnculo

Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer

O, el Manual Ilustrado para una Joven Dama

The Diamond Age

La Era del Diamante

The Infernal Devices, Book 1

Los Dispositivos Infernales, Libro 1

Clockwork Angel

Ángel Mecánico

The Cinder Spires

Las Chimeneas de Ceniza

The Aeronaut's Windlass

El Winche del Aeronauta

Tales of the Ketty Jay, Book 1

Cuentos de la Ketty Jay, Libro 1

Retribution Falls

La Caída de la Retribución

Against the Day

Contra el Día

The Half-Made World

El Mundo Medio Hecho

Nomad of the Time Streams, Book 1

Nómada de las Corrientes del Tiempo, Libro 1

The Warlord of the Air

El Señor de la Guerra del Aire

Morlock Night

Noche de Morlock

The Steampunk Trilogy

La Trilogía Steampunk

22 Best Steampunk Books of All Time

Soulless

Parasol Protectorate, Book 1

The Time Machine

20000 Leagues Under the Sea

Voyages Extraordinaires, Book 7

Perdido Street Station

Bas-Lag, Book 1

Leviathan

Mortal Engines

Mortal Engines, Book 1

The Golden Compass

His Dark Materials, Book 1

Lady of Devices

Magnificent Devices, Book 1

Boneshaker

The Anubis Gates

The Difference Engine

A Novel

The Iron Duke

Iron Seas, Book 1

Homunculus

The Diamond Age

Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer

Clockwork Angel

The Infernal Devices, Book 1

The Aeronaut's Windlass

The Cinder Spires

Retribution Falls

Tales of the Ketty Jay, Book 1

Against the Day

The Half-Made World

The Warlord of the Air

Nomad of the Time Streams, Book 1

Morlock Night

The Steampunk Trilogy

Sources

What To Read Next

22 Best Steampunk Books of All Time

Soulless

Parasol Protectorate, Book 1

The Time Machine

20000 Leagues Under the Sea

Voyages Extraordinaires, Book 7

Perdido Street Station

Bas-Lag, Book 1

Leviathan

Mortal Engines

Mortal Engines, Book 1

The Golden Compass

His Dark Materials, Book 1

Lady of Devices

Magnificent Devices, Book 1

Boneshaker

The Anubis Gates

The Difference Engine

A Novel

The Iron Duke

Iron Seas, Book 1

Homunculus

The Diamond Age

Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer

Clockwork Angel

The Infernal Devices, Book 1

The Aeronaut's Windlass

The Cinder Spires

Retribution Falls

Tales of the Ketty Jay, Book 1

Against the Day

The Half-Made World

The Warlord of the Air

Nomad of the Time Streams, Book 1

Morlock Night

The Steampunk Trilogy

Sources

What To Read Next

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