Cyrus Darian and the Technomicron – A Steampunk Novel

Image: Goodreads.com

Steampunk has become a very popular genre as of late so it isn’t a surprise that there have been a lot of steampunk books coming out. I like steampunk, but I haven’t had a chance to read many of the books. Because of this, I jumped at the chance to review Cyrus Darian and the Technomicron by Raven Dane.

Cyrus Darian and the Technomicron tells the story of Cyrus Darian, who is alchemist and necromancer among other things. He finds himself on quest to find the Technomicron, a book that is shrouded in mystery and magic. There is an interesting set of secondary characters who help and hinder Darian on his quest.

This book is set in late 1800s London and it is very steampunk. I liked that there were consequences to the steam power as it was often pointed out that London was under a thick cloud of smoke at all times. The descriptions of the world were very detailed which was good and bad. It took me a little while to get into this book because of all the details kind of bogged down the beginning.

I was glad that I stuck with it because Cyrus Darian and the Technomicron was very interesting. I did find that I liked several of the secondary characters, such as the Demon Prince, Beliel, better than the main character. The character of Cyrus Darian had many layers but most of those weren’t extremely likeable.

But it ended up being a very good book in the steampunk genre. I would recommend Cyrus Darian and the Technomicron to anyone who likes reading steampunk historical fantasy.

Note: I received a copy of this book for review purposes.

Her Majesty’s Explorer: a Steampunk Bedtime Story

Image: https://www.facebook.com/HerMajestysExplorer

Steampunk has always been fascinating to me. I love the idea of it as well as the beautiful clothes. But thus far, my daughter hasn’t had much exposure to anything steampunk. But now there is an adorable storybook, Her Majesty’s Explorer: a Steampunk Bedtime Story, that introduced the steampunk genre to her.

Her Majesty’s Explorer: a Steampunk Bedtime Story tells the story of an automaton, St.John Murphy Alexander. He is an explorer for the queen, but when he comes back to his unit after a long day of exploring, he has to get some rest. St. John has a bedtime routine that echos many toddler’s bedtime routines, but with a steampunk twist.

The last few pages are about Steamduck, the steam-powered bath toy. My daughter and I especially liked reading about Steamduck, because it was cute and funny. It was our favorite part of the book. Her Majesty’s Explorer: a Steampunk Bedtime Story was created via CreateSpace, a publisher and self-publishing platform.

If you are a fan of steampunk, I would highly recommend this cute, steampunk bedtime story to read to your kids. Her Majesty’s Explorer: a Steampunk Bedtime Story is currently available in paperback and for Kindle.

Note: I received a copy of this book for review purposes.

Dragon Con 2013 - Saturday

This is the 2nd installment of my Dragon Con Trip Report. Click the link for Friday's post!

I got Todd up bright and early on Saturday morning so we could head back down to the con. I have marched in the parade the last few years and I had signed up to march with the WhedonVerse folks again. Because of a trolley being put in downtown, the parade route and the staging area had to be moved. So I was a little neurotic about trying to find the new staging area.

Without too much difficulty, we found it. I gave Todd my bag and told him I’d call him when I was done. It was about an hour wait before the parade started. It’s always fun to watch all the other people in their great costumes. I think my favorite this year was the Steampunk Tigger that walked by.

The parade was awesome to be in as usual. I twirled my parasol and waved as I walked with the other Firefly folks. The crowds watching seemed massive, even more than last year. But everyone seemed to enjoy the parade.

Once the parade was over, I went to meet Todd. I was supposed to meet him in the area outside the Walk of Fame. I walked all the way around there twice and didn't see him. So I started calling and texting. I have anxiety issues normally so when I couldn't find him and he wasn't answering his phone, I felt a panic attack creeping up.

Finally he texted me that he was in the food court and had no signal. I told him where I was at and waited, trying to push back the panic. He showed up, with food and we ate. From there, we decided to go back to the dealer’s room o’ doom. Emily had pleaded for an Artemis stuffy to go with the Luna one we bought her. I stopped by the BPAL booth to sniff a little and talk to Beth. I got my picture with Beth too.

Then we went deeper into the 2nd floor of the dealer’s room. We started out by a food vendor and I got some yummy lemonade. I went over to the Steve Jackson Games booth to look for a dice game for Emily. One of the vendors took a long time to help me out and recommended Dino Hunt Dice. I got that for Emily. She loves it because it’s easy to play and she gets to roll dice. From there, we circled around looking for the vendor we got Luna from. We got turned around quickly but finally found another vendor who had an Artemis kitty. I got it and we got the heck out of the dealer’s room o’ doom.

There was a panel I wanted to go to in the Sheraton about a ghost investigation in NC. Todd grumbled about having to walk all the way to the Sheraton, but since he didn't have anything else to do, he came with me. We were about an hour early for the panel. We sat on the floor across from the room, by a power outlet. We changed our phones up a little and I read on my Kindle since there was no signal at all. Once the room was open, we got great seats right up front.

The panel was really interesting. Both Todd and I like watching ghost shows on TV and we live in a haunted house. The hour flew by and we left the Sheraton to hustle over to the Hyatt so I could meet the Fraggles.

Fraggle Rock was one of my favorite shows as a kid, so I wanted to get my picture with Red and Mokey. We made it just in time and were able to get into the room. We waited about 45 minutes so I could get my picture. And we each got a free autographed mini poster which Todd was geeked about.

I had planned on going back to the Marriott to see the Phineas and Ferb panel, but the crowds were making me feel a little claustrophobic. So we opted to go back to my aunt and uncle’s house. It was a long day of battling the crowds, but I had a lot of fun.

Wicked as They Come – A Steampunk, Vampire Novel

Image: Simon and Schuster

Steampunk and vampires may not seem like things that would go together well. But in Wicked as They Come by Delilah S. Dawson, these two things are mixed with wonderful results.

When I first heard about Wicked as They Come, I was interested in reading it. But when I found out that it was also a “person from our world goes to a strange, new world” story, I knew I was going to love it. I love those kinds of stories and Wicked as They Come was no exception.

The story follows Tish Everett, a nurse and recent divorcee, as she finds herself in the world of Sang, which is a steampunk version of Victorian England. She meets Criminy Stain, who is a Bludman, which is like a vampire but with some differences. He tells Tish says that he called her to his world because she is his true love. Tish is propelled on a journey to heal from her former abusive relationship, find herself and to discover who is killing the Bludmen and women of Sang.

The world is very interesting and well explained. Bludmen aren’t the only vampiric creatures that lurk around. Just about any animal you can think of had a blud equivalent. The one that freaked me out and interested me the most was the bludbunnies, because they are cute, fluffy and want to suck your blood.

This book was a lot of fun to read with the interesting setting of Sang as well as the well-rounded characters. Even though the story focuses on Tish and Criminy, we do get to meet many of the inhabitants of Sang which includes Criminy’s carnival full of strange folks. I’d recommend Wicked as They Come by Delilah S. Dawson to anyone who enjoys steampunk, vampire as well as a little paranormal romance.

Wicked as They Come is available in paperback as well as for Kindle and Nook.

Note: I received a copy of this book for review purposes.