A Steampunk Adventure in the Mist

Several weeks ago, I stumbled across some Christmas steampunk clip art on Etsy that sent my imagination wandering down a different, intriguing potential path for my current WIP (still in major skeletal frame right now).

I had heard of Steampunk, and I liked the look of the costumes offered during the Halloween seasons, but I didn’t know much about the genre itself and any “rules” that went along with it. If I wanted to entertain this idea of having Steampunk in my future novel, I needed to investigate.

Apparently, I’m late to the game, because Steampunk has been around longer than I knew, and it’s weirder than I thought. It usually takes place during the Victorian era, or in an alternate reality that is Victorian-esque in look and feel. And most things are powered by steam and gas in ways that weren’t physically possible in real life, such as all manner of flying ships and contraptions. Magic is present, of course, along with robots and hybrids and whatever kind of creature you wish to concoct and include. If you’re interested in learning more about Steampunk, this link and this link will take you to a couple of Writer’s Digest articles, but there are plenty more informational articles from other sources available online.

What does this have to do with a Friday book review? Well, I felt that if I was going to follow this different, intriguing path for my WIP, I should read a couple of Steampunk-themed books and see how they “operated.” Young adult novels? I’ve read oodles. Christian inspirational? Oodles times three. Fantasy? I cut my reading and writing teeth on them. But Steampunk? Um … I honestly didn’t know these books existed! Or if I did, I didn’t realize they were considered “Steampunk.”

After an online search (and discarding many options because of sexual content (those one-star reviews do come in handy!)), I found a duology by Morgan L. Busse: Secrets in the Mist, and Blood Secrets that sounded engaging and would check all my necessary boxes. I listened to the audio versions of these books while helping my hubby prepare our backyard for sod, lay the sod, water the sod, water our garden boxes, and water a loooong stretch of newly-planted wildflower seeds. The characters and plots and will still pop into my head from time to time when I’m out watering these days, which is kind of fun.

All in all, these books were a fresh, different read for me, with a faith element underpinning the fantasy world without being preachy. The content is wholesome and clean while not avoiding heavier issues, since one minor character we meet and immediately love ends up dying between the halfway to two-thirds mark of the first book. A shock to my system, but kudos to the author for being willing to put her characters in hard and uncomfortable situations! And though one could not classify this as a romance, there’s enough of a love interest to satisfy the romantic among us (🙋🏼‍♀️). The first book does end on a mild cliffhanger, so be armed with the second book in hand before you turn that last page.

As for my own WIP and how much Steampunk I’ll incorporate, the writing process will dictate that over time, but I do whole-heartedly recommend these books to anyone from middle-grade readers looking for meatier reads to adults wanting something entertaining and unique. 😃

What’s lurking in the Mist is the least of their worries…

In a world where humanity lives in the sky to escape a deadly mist below, Cass’s only goal is survival. That is, until she finds a job on the airship Daedalus as a diver. Now she explores ruined cities, looking for treasure and people’s lost heirlooms until a young man hires her to find the impossible: a way to eradicate the Mist.

Theodore Winchester is a member of one of the Five Families that rule the skies. Following in his father’s footsteps, he searches for the source of the Mist and hopes to stop the purges used to control overpopulation. But what he finds are horrifying secrets and lethal ambition. If he continues his quest, it could mean his own death.

The Mist is rising and soon the world will be enveloped in its deadly embrace, turning what’s left of humanity into the undead.

Not everyone wants to see the world saved . . .

Time is running out. Cities are being engulfed in the Mist and humanity is on the brink of extinction. Theo believes he has found a way to stop mankind from Turning, but he doesn’t know how to alter Cass’s unique blood into a cure. Or if it can even be done.

Meanwhile, Cass struggles with the idea that she is possibly the savior of the world—a world she is not sure is worth saving.

From the Winchester manse to the steel city of Decadenn, there is something more chasing Cass than the House of Lords or the masked man who can walk in the Mist. Soon she must decide if she will use her blood to save mankind or let those who only care about themselves perish.