Ripper by Stefan Petrucha YP FIC PETRUCHA

Carver Young has always dreamed of being a detective, but growing up in an orphanage in 1895 isn’t exactly a path to fame and glory.  When he receives a message from his biological father he never knew, he’s determined to track him down.  However this puts in in the middle of an investigation by a secret sect of the famed Pinkerton Detective Agency to track down the notorious Ripper that has traded London for the streets of New York. A mix of steampunk, mystery, and murder!

Ripper is a good but not truly great mystery-thriller.  The steampunk (futuristic technology set in the turn of the 20^th century, often powered by steam) elements work really well and several are based on real technology of the time.  Petrucha adds then head of the NYC police, Teddy Roosevelt and his super awesome daughter Alice. The real life (and larger than life) historical figures provide some of the best scenes and lines of the book.  Another strength, is that the Pinkerton Detective Agency was awesome and stories about it always benefit from its awesomeness.  The weakness is a plot that takes too long to get going and a main character that never feels that complex or real.  However, if you stick with the book it picks up PUN ALERT steam, and has a strong ending.  If you want a good historical fiction mystery, this will be a good (but not truly great) choice.  I also recommend the Agency series by Y.S. Lee (YP FIC LEE) or the smashing Boy Sherlock Holmes series by Shane Peacock (YP FIC PEACOCK).

You can check our catalog for Ripper here.

Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld YP FIC WESTERFE

The war between the technology obsessed Clankers and the bio-engineering enthusiasts the Darwinists continue in this action packed sequel to Leviathan Our heroes Prince Alex and Deryn are trapped between enemy lines in Clanker run Germany and have to use all their abilities to survive.

The Leviathan trilogy is a Steampunk look at the beginnings of WW I. Steampunk takes historical settings but adds cutting edge technologies that are powerd by the fuels and sciences of the time. So they have a giant whale warship for the bio-engineering Darwinists and the clankers used steam powered robots. It makes for very fun reading and lots of great action, but Westerfled goes above and beyond the call of duty by filling his books with interesting and well developed characters that readers can get behind. Definitely read Leviathan before picking this one up, but if you like sci fi or you like historical fiction but are looking for something kind of different then this series is for you.

The Boneshaker by Kate Milford YP FIC MILFORD

Natalie Minks, 13, likes machines, because they make sense. All the cogs turn when they are in the right place. Her small town of Arcane never really has. And when Dr. Jake Limberleg's Nostrum Fair and Technological Medicine Show and begins selling cures to all ailments Natalie is the only one that question his motives. As the town falls more and more under his thrall she realizes she is the only one who will stand against his evil. Set in the beginning of the twentieth century this is a look at the battle between superstition and science, good and evil on the awakening of a new age.

This is definitely a slow burn read, but it is worth the effort. Milford has wonderful descriptive writing that really draws you in if you give it a chance. The story and mystery deepens really nicely and builds to a wonderful climax. Natalie loves automata, or machines that move on their own, so there is a wonderful Steampunk element to the book. It reminded me a lot of Ray Bradbury’s wonderful novel of an evil carnival that comes to a small town: Something Wicked this Way Comes. If you happened to have read that, then you are nearly guaranteed to enjoy The Boneshaker. Also, if you enjoy Boneshaker you absolutely have to check out Something Wicked this Way Comes (SF BRADBURY).

Grandville by Bryan Talbot YP FIC TALBOT

Grandville is the story of an alternate timeline where Britain lost the Napoleonic War. 200 years have passed and Britain has finally won its independence, but is now a small nation of limited importance stuck in an Indo-China war and fighting internal anarchist terrorists. Oh, and everyone in this world is walking talking animals. Inspector-Detective LeBrock (a badger) of Scotland yard is on the case of a rash of mysterious suicides that lead to a conspiracy of international importance that go to the highest levels of power. He must solve the case and uncover a secret society of assassins before thousands are murdered in this animal steampunk, mystery-adventure!

This is one delightfully oddball graphic novel. It is a rousing mystery adventure with great action sequences made truly surreal by the fact that everyone is a giant animal person. It's like watching a cute and fuzzy Disney movie mixed with a hard-boiled detective novel. The art is really excellent. Talbot does great line work and his coloring is excellent. I got such a kick of seeming animal headed creatures stab and shoot each other! Beyond that somewhat silly reason the plot is fantastic. It takes a look at how nations respond to terrorism, racism, and class warfare...with fuzzy animals. If you like steampunk or Sherlock Holmes or fuzzy animals acting badly give Grandville a try.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Leviathan is the first book of a new steampunk trilogy written by young adult, sci-fi writer, Scott Westerfeld. Steampunk is a genre of science fiction writing that encompasses a unique mix of past and future. The first steampunk novels were written by H.G. Wells (War of the Worlds) and Jules Verne (Journey to the Center of the Earth). Originally, steampunk was set in the Victoria era with futurist possibilities, like flying machines, computer-like contraptions, and weapons. The genre eventually evolved to include sub-genres known as clockpunk (16th Century) and dieselpunk (WWI era).

Westerfeld’s new series begins in 1914 with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which was the event that sparked World War I. Instead of accurately retelling the events of WWI, Westerfeld creates an alternate history, where countries are divided by science and warfare. Countries, like Germany and Austria, known as Clankers, have highly developed war machines. Other countries, such as England, have trusted Darwinists scientists, who developed living war machines and new animals through cross breeding DNA. The Leviathan is part whale, part airship, and it is the pride of the Air Service.

At the beginning of the story we meet young Aleksander (Alek), son of the assassinated Archduke, who is forced to flee his homeland. He is being chased by the Germans and Austrians because he is a threat to the Austrian Empire. The story also introduces Deryn, a young girl who is passing as a teen boy in order to join the British Air Service. She is a talented airman, but women aren’t allowed to fly.

The two cross paths at the start of the war. Alek and his men, who escaped to Switzerland, encounter Deryn and the Leviathan crew when the airship crashes after a German air assault. This book starts an around the world journey and a clash of thinking on man, machine, and science.

Watch this:
Leviathan Book Trailer

Scott Westerfeld has written a number of novels and many of them are available at the library. You may be familiar with the previous series, Pretties, Uglies, Specials, and Extras. Vampire enthusiasts may be familiar with Peeps and The Last Days.