Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that combines elements of the past and the future into one world, usually involving Victorian aesthetics along with futuristic technology. The genre gets its name from the use of steam and gears to power devices that remind us of modern electronics. Steampunk novels are often labeled “young adult” but can be enjoyed by adults as well.

If steampunk is something that interests you, consider picking up one of the following novels from the Greene County Library:

Boneshaker by Cherie Priest – Commissioned to build a machine that will promote gold-rush land-breaking efforts between Civil War-era Seattle and Alaska, inventor Leviticus Blue inadvertently triggers the release of a deadly gas that transforms people into the living dead, a situation that prompts his teenage son to restore the family reputation years later.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld – In an alternate 1914 Europe, Austrian Prince Alek, on the run from forces who are attempting to take over the globe with machinery, forms an alliance with Deryn, who is learning to fly genetically-engineered beasts.

The Dream of Perpetual Motion by Dexter Palmer – With his only companions being his insane lover and her cryogenically frozen father, greeting card writer Harold Winslow must come to terms with the madness of a genius inventor and his quest to create a perpetual motion machine.

The Kingdom of Ohio by Matthew Flaming – Discovering an old photograph of a beautiful mathematical prodigy, antiques dealer Peter remembers his initial dismissal of the woman’s claim that she had discovered the key to time travel, a capability that enables Peter’s journey to New York at the dawn of the mechanical age.

Airman by Eoin Colfer – Falsely accused of murdering the king and sent off to an island prison, royal bodyguard Conor begins to plan his escape by building a glider so that he can fly to the mainland, clear his good name, and seek justifiable revenge on the real culprit, the evil Bonvilain.

For more suggestions, check out the Steampunk page on the JMRL Reads wiki to see more novels for all ages.