Echoes of Aether, the sequel to Shades of Aether (our review here), sees the return of the characters we came to know and love in the first installment.

This time, Amethyst Forester and her friends end up at the estate of Lord Montgomery, a member of the nobility with his own plots and schemes, on top of everything else going on. Making Echoes of Aether a steampunk country-house mystery to enjoy, with added romance and all sorts of plot twists for good measure.

Brian Kesinger’s Inked Tails

Steam

Hilde HeyvaertJuly 19, 2018March 30, 2019

Those who follow Brian Kesinger on social media undoubtedly remember his mermaid drawings for Mermay a while back. These popular images have now been bundled in a coffee-table book, Brian Kesinger’s Inked Tails.

Inked Tails is a fun, all-ages book, focusing mostly on mermaids, with the image on one page and a few lines about the character on the opposite.

It’s great for just looking at beautiful art, when you want a very quick read or to read with kids.

Night Fall

Diesel

Hilde HeyvaertMay 17, 2018March 30, 2019

Night Fall, the final installment of several of Simon R. Green’s iconic series, but especially the Nightside and Secret Histories ones, is probably one of the most anticipated urban fantasy and neo-noir (or should that be neon-noir?) novels of 2018.

Does it live up to the expectations?

Tales From Beyond Tomorrow

Diesel

Scott KinkadeMay 13, 2018March 30, 2019

What are you in the mood for? It doesn’t matter because you’ll get it with this release.

The author, John Paul Catton, is British, so I’ll put this in terms he can understand. This is a blinding book. I was chuffed with it.

  In all seriousness, this is a really well-done series of short stories. Each one is almost completely different, so if you didn’t know better you’d swear it was all written by different people. Catton writes in a variety of styles, meaning you’re sure to find something you like here.

Free Comic Book Day 2018: Lady Mechanika

Steam

Hilde HeyvaertMay 10, 2018March 30, 2019

Free Comic Book Day 2018: Lady Mechanika

Lady Mechanika is a title to look forward to every year when Free Comic Book Day arrives and this year’s edition was no different.

Although in theory these free comics are only available for free on the first Saturday of May, the reality is that many, especially online, stores have stock of Free Comic Book Day issues left and will allow you to include them for free with an order. So it’s still possible to get your hands on a copy.

Shades of Aether

Steam

Hilde HeyvaertApril 19, 2018May 14, 2019

This book is a little of everything, but not a little of everything in the way you would expect it.

First of all, there is a murder mystery. Who killed Professor Richards and what exactly is going on with some of his experiments?

Yes, this does mean there is weird science involved.

And there is romance. When Benjamin Maker, a man from nobel birth, and Amethyst Forester receive the joint inheritance of the professor’s home, things really start to get interesting.

To top it off, we glance at history, but not in the traditional future-past-that-never-was that we know from steampunk.

Skies of Fire, Volumes 1-4

Diesel

Nick OttensApril 14, 2018March 30, 2019

Massive diesel-powered airships dueling in the sky. It sounds like winning formula and there is a lot to like about Skies of Fire, the four-part (so far) comic series created by Vincenzo Ferriero and Ray Chou.

The art, by Pablo Peppino, is perfect for a dieselpunk story: crisp and elegant.

The setting — the fictional Aquilan Empire, inspired by early-twentieth-century Britain — is marvelous.

The mystery at the heart of the story — a never-ending storm called The Expanse, which sky pirates call their home — is an inspiration.

But the comic is light on plot.

Lady Mechanika, Volume 3: The Lost Boys of West Abbey

Steam

Hilde HeyvaertMarch 22, 2018March 30, 2019

In this fourth (third according to publication chronology, but fourth in the storyline) bundled storyline of steampunk favorite Lady Mechanika, we find our hero investigating the death of a couple of street urchins in a seedy part of town. Aided by genius engeneer Mr Lewis, his niece Fred, two recurring characters, and dashing young police inspector Singh, a new addition to the cast.

Psmith, Journalist

Diesel

Hilde HeyvaertMarch 8, 2018March 30, 2019

For a change, a review of a dieselpunk-era classic: Psmith, Journalist, by the beloved English author P.G. Wodehouse.

Despite the fact that this novel was first published as a serial in The Captain Magazine in 1909, it remains a read well worth your time. This is definitely a timeless dieselpunk story. Everyone who loves gangster-era America should pick it up.

Lady Mechanika, Volume 2: The Tablet of Destinies

Diesel
Steam

Hilde HeyvaertJanuary 11, 2018March 30, 2019

In the second volume of Lady Mechanika, we learn more about our partly-mechanical heroine and the world she lives in.

When a dear friend of Mechanika finds himself in peril across the globe, she sets off to his aid with both new and old friends, leaving her home town to traverse deserts and jungles. Only to encounter a fan-favorite enemy of the dieselpunk genre, out to get the fabled tablet of destinies.