What is Steampunk?
Steampunk, according to Merriam-Webster, is “science fiction dealing with 19th-century societies dominated by historical or imagined steam-powered technology.” Steampunk is not alone, being joined by cyberpunk, diesel punk, bio punk, and many more. Most of the sub genres have different kinds of technology and could in a different time period. Steampunk focuses mainly on the Victorian era or the Wild West, so the technology is usually limited to guns, clockwork, and steam powered engines.
What is Clean Fiction?
Clean Fiction is fiction that strives to be free of excessive violence, gore, language, and sexual content. However, the definition of “clean” varies across the board. However, I have found several other ratings system that I enjoy using. You can find one by Clean Fiction Magazine here and Book Cave’s ratings here.
In order to form this list, I chose books which have less descriptive violence, don’t have language, and have kissing as the only form of romance. However, I did not go into detail about the type of content you will find in each book. So please use your best judgement when picking the novels.
Clean Steampunk Books to Read
1. Storming
This is the second time I read this book, and it was just as delightful as the first!
I really like how Weiland is able to create such memorable characters. She had a cast of almost twelve characters, and I could tell you something unique about each and every one of them. Despite this large cast, she mainly stuck to Walter and Hitch’s POV. It was fun to get to read about our swashbuckling pilot and see how he grew over the series. I also found his female counterpart, Jael, more interesting this time around. She became more interesting as she developed from violent and angry to becoming part of a family. The complex character development that Weiland employs makes the story very interesting, and the sweet romance was an added bonus.
The plot is also fast-paced and takes many unexpected turns. Right when you think the characters are safe, Weiland throws in another loophole that was surprising. Additional characters make it even more interesting by presenting not one, but three antagonists/reluctant allies. There were times, however, where I felt like the plot was a bit too stretched, and I wanted the good guys to win already. That might be my preference, however. Overall, it was really intense and there were several punching, hitting, kicking fights.
Finally, the setting is fun and very historical. I can tell the author has done her research and the planes are accurately described. Yet, she throws in a bit of the fantastic by having a large airship and an isolated people group. It’s a fun combination of the steampunk (or diesel punk) elements with the historical.
This book is great, and well worth reading if you want to venture into this genre!
Buy the Book: https://amzn.to/4ebYjt4
2. The Electrical Menagerie
A book that takes you on a journey of great imagination…
Sylvester Carthage, the illusionist whose greatest dream is fame, has an endless imagination. Accustomed to “electrics” (robots), Carthage struggles to relate to the human beings around him. He is an eclectic artist who continually seeks to push his show beyond its limits. Huxley, his manager, has a dream of great fortune that comes from himself, rather than his heritage. Both men, despite working together for years, are more than strangers to each other. Yet, they are united in their desire to win a competition in order to perform before the Queen.
The plot is honestly what hooked me from the beginning. It develops slowly, drawing you into the mystery as “accidents” happen to other competitors, and political machinations are revealed. The characters, on the other hand, were harder to understand. Carthage was odd, and even though I felt some sympathy for him, I didn’t truly understand him until the book was almost completely over. Huxley, too, had ambitions and methods that contradicted Carthage in many ways. It wasn’t until the end that the reason I didn’t understand is because they were working separately, and that was causing issues for them and their show. Yet, I loved the slow, plodding way their friendship developed over the course of the novel.
The imagination and wonder I felt reading this book still stays with me, and I greatly desire the second book from this author. She has a way of describing the illusions that made you feel like you were there, watching the show with rapt attention and childlike wonder.
That wonder, imagination, and dreams made this book a perfect one to add to your list.
Buy the Book: https://amzn.to/4et1Vqq
3. The Truth Beyond the Lies
This sweet fairytale retelling is everything you could want, without the romance…
I really enjoyed this book! Peri is such a human character (despite her status as an automaton), and I sympathized with her throughout the book. She is very naive, so she has a hard time discerning the truth from the lies (thus the title of the book). Her struggles and problems were hard to read about at times, especially with the physical/emotional abuse. At the same time, there was a clear message of hope that reminded me of God’s unconditional love for us (human or not!).
There were definitely tie-in’s to the original Pinocchio tale, with a tick Peri has for lying and the occupation of her father, as well as some other spoilery events that I’m sure are part of the original tale. So this genderbent Pinocchio retelling lives up to its namesake, and there is only a touch of magic. Most of the story feels like it could be out of one of Austen’s novels in terms of time period, clothing, and occupations. This makes sense, considering it is steampunk.
Overall, I recommend this sweet story for anyone who like Pinocchio and Jane Austen, because it reminds me a bit of both!
Warning: this book does have physical abuse, which was hard to read but nothing worse than I’ve read before. If anything, it was a rather clean cut version of events, more like a summary than a gruesome description. I appreciated that, and had no complaints.
Buy the Book: https://amzn.to/47CplYi
4. The Orb and the Airship
Fly with me to a world where airships exist alongside swashbuckling pirates–trust me, you won’t be disappointed!
This book builds slowly, introducing you to each character with careful interludes that weave seamlessly together. Of the characters introduced, Wynn was probably my favorite. But I’ve always had a soft spot for characters who struggle socially and love to work with machines. Even though Wynn was my favorite, I definitely loved each and every character introduced. Whether it was the mysterious Dalmir, fiercely protective Raisa, or surprisingly noble Captain Marik, each character was well-developed. Plus, I always had a secondary soft spot for Grayden, the young man who was trying to do the right thing. Schmidt excellently made each character come alive.
The plot itself increases with intensity as the book continues. At the beginning, it is a little slow as Grayden and Wynn say good-bye to their family members and Marik plots his piratey schemes. But about halfway through the book, it begins to pick up as Marik and Grayden’s plot lines intertwine, and more twists are incorporated into the story. And Dalmir-I don’t want to say much because it is spoilery, but it was awesome to see how he came into the story, full force!
Although one plot was resolved, there were definitely threads left hanging that made me want to read the second one right away. Plus, there were hints about Dalmir and Marik’s background that I can’t wait to learn about. Overall, it was a fantastic clean steampunk story that made me want to read more!
Buy the Book: https://amzn.to/4e34qjv
5. A Matter of Blood
The prodigal son parable, steampunk style!
I enjoyed reading A Matter of Blood far better than I thought I would. I tend not to read books that don’t have a romance subplot and are primarily about two brothers. Plus, the parable of the prodigal son is such a bittersweet one, I was worried about how she would pull it off. Then, I was pleasantly surprised.
It was hard to read about Jake’s journey into the city, knowing what would happen and how low he would fall. His heartbreak about not feeling loved and needing to prove his worth to those around him reminding me of my own writing. I was very worried about how his older brother would react because of the original parable. But unlike the original, the older brother proved to be better than expected. There was also an interesting female character in Clarisse, and my only disappointment is that we never got to know her backstory.
The setting was very neat-any time there’s clockwork, crystals, airships, and a bit of magic, I enjoy reading about it. It felt like something out of the 1920s with the glitz and glamour, but also a bit of 1800s clothing. I liked how the goggles were explained as “fashionable.” That made me chuckle a bit, and I absolutely loved the bird sidekick Jake had.
A nice, clean, steampunk retelling.
Warning: this book demonstrates gambling addiction and hallucinogenic effects of drugs.
Buy the Book: https://amzn.to/4gC7JQf
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For Further Reading:
8 Christian Fantasy Books to Read
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