Madame Askew and The Grand Arbiter

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In the spirit of the season, I’ve collected a few of my favourite ominous and uncanny steampunk (and adjacent) stories for you to enjoy. Whilst I am by no means an avid fan of the horror genre, I do admire a story that inspires a little frisson to shiver up and down my spine. A few of these books have one foot firmly in Horrorville and the other foot daintily placed in Steampunklandia. Most, however, embrace the supernatural and the gothic.


Boneshaker by Cherie Priest — The thrilling start to Cherie Priest’s iconic Clockwork Century series, Boneshaker burst into Steampunklandia and indelibly imprinted zombies onto our collective lore. Creepy and claustrophobic, the novel explores the gritty consequences of a few greedy men upending the world for their own gain. The genius of Priest is that she examines these weighty problems through the very personal perspective of her characters. Her plot and pacing are cunningly developed, but her cast of characters elevate Boneshaker and the entire series into a remarkable piece of fiction. I recommend the entire series and one can read the books as stand-alone novels; however, Boneshaker is a fantastic start to the series.

Cherie Priest started her career writing gothic horror, and her literary roots are clearly apparent in this series. To experience more of Priest’s steampunk world and enjoy some of her other writing, I also highly recommend adding Holy Terror, her short story and essay collection to your list. The novella, Clementine, is worth the price of admission, as it were, since it continues the side story of one of her more fascinating side characters from Boneshaker, but the entire collection is a treasure trove.

CW: violence, addiction, mild body horror, racism, domestic abuse

Strangely Beautiful by Leanna Renee Hieber — Hieber has a gift for the gothic. Her debut novel abounds with the sort of lush language and detail that transports readers into a gaslit world teeming with arcane mysteries and ominous figures. For everyone who made their way to Steampunklandia via the Brontes, Wilke Collins, and Bram Stoker, Hieber channels that deliciously haunting aesthetic into her own singular style. Her beautifully crafted characters help propel the intriguing plot and will keep readers deeply invested in the unfolding story.

Black God’s Drum by P. Djèlí Clark — Set in an re-imagined 19th century New Orleans, The Black God’s Drum is rife with the creepy atmosphere that is endemic to the crescent city. Clark expands that inherently ominous sensibility with a supernatural mystery, greedy villains, and villainous colonial governments to create an absolutely riveting read. Whilst this isn’t remotely a horror story, there is a sort of dread that exudes from the pages as his stalwart protagonist and her small band of comrades try to survive and triumph over the machinations of corrupt outsiders bent on personal power.Clark absolutely delivers on another brilliant piece of historical fantasy.

CW: Gun violence, Violence, Racism, Slavery, Death, Kidnapping

Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard — Howard skillfully sets the darkly humorous tone with his wry prose and sharp observations. The titular character, Johannes 

Cabal, is not particularly likable, and yet, Howard has created a protagonist who is an entrancing combination of tragic, snarky, and cunning. In the end, I wanted better for Cabal than he wanted for himself. The secondary characters and the perfectly gothic setting made this a deeply entertaining read, and whilst I often found myself reading with a blanket pulled up to my chin, I was never too scared to keep reading into the wee hours of the night. Fortunately, this is the start to a 5 book series with sundry short stories. 

CW: Child death, Violence, Death, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Murder 

Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells: An Anthology of Gaslamp Fantasy edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling — One of my forever favourites, this gorgeous anthology of gaslamp fantasy stories harnesses the poignant and the spooky in equal measures. Datlow and Windling are masters of editing perfectly curated anthologies and this one is absolutely on parr with their best work. One may explore the truly horrifying or the sincerely spooky amongst these wonderful stories. Containing one of my favourite steampunk short stories, “Phosphorus” by Veronica Schanoes, the anthology also boasts a wonderful story from Leanna Renee Hieber that pairs beautifully with her novel, Strangely Beautiful, and the very charming “The Vital Importance of the Superficial” by Ellen Kushner and Caroline Stevermer, a perfect mental amuse bouche.

CW: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism,Child death, Suicide, Toxic relationships 

 Boston Metaphysical Society: Prelude by Madeleine Holly-Rosing — The Boston Metaphysical Society started as graphic novels, which are treasures in their own rite, but I adore this prelude to the series which provides not only more background for the marvelous characters in the graphic novels but also greater context for the stories. With a decidedly haunting atmosphere, this collection of short stories features enough supernatural dangers to inspire a little rill of anxiety whilst also reminding the reader that the true horrors are man-made. Holly-Rosing handles her stories and characters with aplomb and keeps her pacing taut, pulling readers ever deeper into her alternative Boston with ease.

This is a perfect time to delve into the Boston Metaphysical Society graphic novels. Holly-Rosing is hosting a kickstarter for the second volume collection and the first volume is also available as one fo the rewards.

CW: Death, Emotional abuse, Blood, Racism, Violence 

Vampiros en El Norte by Isabel Cañas — I had the good fortune to meet Isabel Cañas at the Tucson Festival of Books this year, and I was introduced to her latest book, Vampiros en El Norte. I was immediately smitten with her work. A brilliant premise for vampire stories, the novel takes place in the border lands between Mexico and the United States in the 19th century. The dramatic tension and off the page terrors create an engrossing story. Cañas deftly frames and uses her vampires as a personification for the injustice and evil afflicting the people who have made the region their home. With exquisite skill, Cañas balances the dire stakes of the vampire incursion with a poignant love-story. That connection between the two protagonists is the magic that powers the whole novel and elevates the book to an instant favourite in my collection.

CW: War, Violence, Blood, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Sexual content, Animal death, Grief 

Perdido Street Station by China Miéville — Of all the books on this list, with varying degrees of creepiness, Perdido Street Station is the one I found the most alarming. Miéville announced himself as an inventive world builder and exceptional writer with this debut novel. Part of the New Weird movement of fiction in the early 2000s, Miéville deftly blends weird steampunk science with uncanny fantasy with a literary bent. Perdido Street Station and the subsequent novels set in Miéville’s Bas-Lag are a veritable gala of the grim. Pulling at the threads of the dire underpinnings of early industrialisation, Perdido Street Station also inspects who the monsters really are. 

CW: Body horror, Violence, Gore, Rape, Torture, Police brutality, Abortion, Sexual content, Vomit 

Andujar the Robot Gentleman of San Juan by Carolina Cardona — The oppressive humidity practically roils off the page with this gothic tale set in an alternate Puerto Rico. Cardona has a talent for creating a palpable sense of place that grounds her creepy novel and balances the more surreal elements of the story. The interpersonal politics of a powerful family in decline set the backdrop for the more personal story of obsession and love gone awry. Whilst Cardona makes nods to her artistic influences, her unique voice and approach to the story elevate this novel into an especially spooky gem. 

CW: violence, body horror, toxic relationships, death

An Ideal Vessel by Sarah Hans — I am rarely taken so off-guard by a novel, and yet, An Ideal Vessel left me reeling at the end. Hans expertly pulls the reader into her story with the promise of hope and possibility in the face of terrible odds and she has brilliant dexterity as an author with which to deliver on or withhold that very hope. Hans’ ability to build up those emotional highs in her story and then send her characters into harrowing circumstances make this story an absolute nail-biter. The stakes are high and the characters stalwart in the face of heart-wrenching choices. Hans skillfully guides her story inexorably to the end, inspiring readers to hope until the end. 

CW: body horror, sexism, violence

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