She most certainly isn’t someone with the patience to teach General Zirkander’s raw cadets how to survive encounters with the enemy. Certain she’s been given this duty as a punishment, she confronts her superiors, only to find out that King Angulus himself gave her the assignment. When she attempts to reasonably and respectfully—and certainly not presumptuously—explain to him that she’s not suited for teaching, she gets swept up in a mission to a secret research facility that has been invaded by enemy agents. Soon, she, King Angulus, and General Zirkander are engrossed in an investigation that could change the world—and destroy all that they know.

    Within their halls, aristocratic houses have ruled for generations, developing scientific marvels, fostering trade alliances, and building fleets of airships to keep the peace.Captain Grimm commands the merchant ship, Predator. Fiercely loyal to Spire Albion, he has taken their side in the cold war with Spire Aurora, disrupting the enemy’s shipping lines by attacking their cargo vessels. But when the Predator is severely damaged in combat, leaving captain and crew grounded, Grimm is offered a proposition from the Spirearch of Albion—to join a team of agents on a vital mission in exchange for fully restoring Predator to its fighting glory.And even as Grimm undertakes this dangerous task, he will learn that the conflict between the Spires is merely a premonition of things to come. Humanity’s ancient enemy, silent for more than ten thousand years, has begun to stir once more. And death will follow in its wake…

    But his talents are viewed with suspicion in Cove, a steam-powered city built inside a mountain. In Cove, creativity is a crime and “invention” is a curse word. Kallista Babbage is a repair technician and daughter of the notorious Leo Babbage, whose father died in an explosion—an event the leaders of Cove point to as an example of the danger of creativity. Working together, Trenton and Kallista learn that Leo Babbage was developing a secret project before he perished. Following clues he left behind, they begin to assemble a strange machine that is unlike anything they’ve ever seen before. They soon discover that what they are building may threaten every truth their city is founded on—and quite possibly their very lives.

    Humanity clings to the highest mountain peaks, where the wealthy Five Families rule over the teeming lower slopes and rambling junkyards. As the ruthless Lord Kodoc patrols the skies to enforce order, thirteen-year-old Chess and his crew scavenge in the Fog-shrouded ruins for anything they can sell to survive.Hazel is the captain of their salvage raft: bold and daring. Swedish is the pilot: suspicious and strong. Bea is the mechanic: cheerful and brilliant. And Chess is the tetherboy: quiet and quick…and tougher than he looks. But Chess has a secret, one he’s kept hidden his whole life. One that Lord Kodoc is desperate to exploit for his own evil plans. And even as Chess unearths the crew’s biggest treasure ever, they are running out of time...

    For Tom Dargin, courting an ailing spinster was only one duty in a long life of service to his sire. But after he meets the curious Miss Shaw, will Tom become the seducer or the seduced? Can a love fated to end in tragedy survive a looming grave? In Gaslight Hades, Nathaniel Gordon walks two worlds—that of the living and the dead. Barely human, he's earned the reputation of a Bonekeeper, the scourge of grave robbers. He believes his old life over, until one dreary burial he meets the woman he once loved and almost married. Lenore Kenward stands at her father’s grave, begging the protection of the mysterious guardian, not knowing he is her lost love. Resolved to keep his distance, Nathaniel is forced to abandon his plan and accompany Lenore on a journey into the mouth of Hell where sea meets sky, and the abominations that exist beyond its barrier wait to destroy them.

     Lament! as an upstanding clergyman falls into the villainous clutches of a notorious criminal mastermind. Question your sanity! as a dissolute governess confronts blasphemies from beyond creation. Wonder! at the journey of the dashing skycaptain Byron Kae across sapphire oceans, through smog-choked streets, and to the depths of the sky itself. Gasp! at an entirely true and accurately rendered tale of pirates, cavalrymen, aethermancers, scientists, and a power to unmake the world. Plus, hitherto unseen extracts from the meticulous and illuminating journals of Mrs. Miranda Lovelace, rogue scientist and first of the aethermancers.

    As fearless as she is peculiar, Jael immediately proves she’s game for just about anything, including wing-walking in his struggling airshow. In return for her help, she demands a ride back home . . . to the sky. Hitch thinks she’s nuts—until he steers his plane into the midst of a bizarre storm and nearly crashes into a strange airship like none he’s ever run afoul of, an airship with the power to control the weather. Caught between a corrupt sheriff and dangerous new enemies from above, Hitch must take his last chance to gain forgiveness from his estranged family, deliver Jael safely home before she flies off with his freewheeling heart, and save his Nebraska hometown from storm-wielding sky pirates. Cocky, funny, and full of heart, Storming is a jaunty historical/dieselpunk mash-up that combines rip-roaring adventure and small-town charm with the thrill of futuristic possibilities.

    Thirty panoramic, full-page illustrations showcase Victoria and Otto as they explore destinations in Scotland, France, Holland, Spain, Austria, Romania, Italy, Russia, China, Japan, Thailand, New Zealand, Mexico, and beyond. From snowy Himalayan peaks to lush Amazon rain forests... from the tombs of the Pharaohs to the depths of the oceans... from the beaches of the Caribbean, to the plains of the American west... see it all from the comfort of your favorite reading spot. The book's art is both beautiful and captivating, with each illustration telling its own visual story about the whimsical characters and their fun-filled situations. As with Walking Your Octopus, this book is collectible art-object for those who still value the classic elegance of ink-on-paper. The hardcover binding is plussed with two-layer embossing and spot varnish, and the interior is printed on extra heavy paper. An exquisite volume for lovers of books, art and pets.

    That choice doomed the family she left behind to a life of disgrace.Yanko White Fox doesn’t remember his mother, but as the only gifted child in the family, he is expected to erase the mark she left on them all. With an affinity for earth magic and communicating with animals, he’s not the most natural candidate to become a warrior mage, but it’s the only sure route back into the Great Chief’s good graces. He has resigned himself to training for that destiny, whether it matches his passions or not.Long before he’s ready for his first battle, insurrection comes to his distant corner of the empire. Rebels take over the salt mine his family manages and slay the only relative who ever supported Yanko. On the heels of the tragedy, a courier brings a message from the Great Chief’s son. Whether he is prepared or not, Yanko must undertake a quest, one that could save millions of lives… or fail utterly, leaving him dead, his family forgotten, and his people the victims of starvation and endless war.

    Having no memory of her captivity or her former life, Lady Mechanika eventually built a new life for herself as an adventurer and private investigator, using her unique abilities to solve cases the proper authorities couldn't or wouldn't handle. But she never stopped searching for the answers to her own past. Set in a fictionalized steampunk Victorian England, a time when magic and superstition clashed with new scientific discoveries and inventions, Lady Mechanika chronicles a young woman's obsessive search for her identity as she investigates other mysteries involving science and the supernatural. This volume collects the entire first Lady Mechanika mini-series The Mystery of the Mechanical Corpse, including its prequel chapter The Demon of Satan's Alley, plus a complete cover art gallery.

    Returning to London in late November 1899, he’s lost the skies he loved, has no place in a society ruled by an elite oligarchy of powerful Houses, and is hard up, homeless, and in desperate need of a new direction in life. Everything changes when he buys a coffeehouse near the Britannic Imperium Museum in Bloomsbury, the haunt of Aegyptologists. For the first time in years, Rafe is free to be himself. In a city powered by luminiferous aether and phlogiston, and where powerful men use House assassins to target their rivals, Rafe must navigate dangerous politics, deal with a jealous and possessive ex-lover, learn to make the best coffee in Londinium, and fend off murder and kidnap attempts before he can find happiness with the man he loves.

    And while Doctor Varanus has never found tranquility much to her taste, even she cannot deny that the peace and quiet make for a pleasant diversion following the chaos of her recent adventures in London. Having left the horrors of bloodshed and wellness behind her, Varanus has thrown herself headlong into the study of the Shashavani condition, determined to learn the secrets of their undying power.But all is not as it seems in the House of Shashava. As winter snow covers the Shashavani valley and chokes the mountain passes, sinister events are unfolding in the shadows. Whispers of conspiracy echo through the halls. Soon loyalties will be tested and friendships betrayed. Blood will flow. For upon the frozen steppe, an ancient evil stirs and turns its gaze toward the House of Shashava, hungering for power and revenge.As darkness descends, one question remains:Do you serve the Winter King?

    Instead, he ended up dead.Directorate Tracker Bas Eisen has finally found a way to run Kimolijah’s killer to ground. It’s taken him nearly three years of played-out leads, and it means he has to go deep undercover as a hired gun, in an isolated desert barony run by a madman. A small price to pay—or so Bas thinks. But even the twisty, malicious path that has brought him to Stanslo’s Bridge is no preparation for what—and whom—he finds there.

    Enchanted farmlands. Can one struggling orphan switch gears and run full-speed into freedom? England, 1868. Nineteen-year-old Annmar Masterson refuses to be a cog in a lecherous businessman’s machine. Escaping the steam engine magnate’s advances by taking an advertising job in the country, the young illustrator is astonished when she discovers the rural valley is rife with magical creatures. But she’s terrified when the night guard shifters and their handsome polecat leader are nearly killed by a raging swarm of crop-eating pests.Accustomed to her prim and proper former lifestyle, Annmar worries not even her blossoming magic will help her fit into the rambunctious farming community. But when the out-of-place city girl heals the flirtatious protector, she sparks a powerful connection… making her rare power the target of a looming evil mastermind.Will she find a new home in the arms of the coy shifter, or will she be undone by a deadly villain’s strike?The Unraveling is the fantastical first volume in the serialized Luminated Threads historical fantasy series. If you like majestic atmospheres, heart-wrenching cliffhangers, and a touch of steampunk romance, then you’ll love Laurel Wanrow’s stunning saga. Buy The Unraveling to follow a thrilling thread today! NOTE: This is VOLUME 1 of a three-part serialized novel.

    Unfortunately, Jake has no idea the Tong is just the first milepost on the road toward a destiny he refuses to believe in. With his riding partner Cole McJunkins in tow and his ward Skeeter secretly hidden away, Jake squares off against a deadly clockwork mercenary from his past and a troop of crazed European soldiers who want him dead. Add an insane Emperor with knowledge of Jake’s past and a mysterious noblewoman who desperately needs his help—and Jake is faced with a whole mess of trouble, with no end in sight. Blood Ties launches an epic saga that spans worlds and threatens the human race itself.

    Join us for the beginning of an all-new adventure with our favorite steampunk heroine!

    They can’t really be the city’s only hope?When Rory discovers Longinus’s blood phobia, she makes him a deal. Train her, and she won’t ruin his reputation as a lethal assassin. What she doesn’t expect is that her new master has more eccentricities than a stray dog has fleas. And that in aligning herself with him, she now finds herself in the crosshairs of another, far more dangerous assassin. Now, not only does Rory have to keep herself and Longinus alive, she has to stop a conspiracy that threatens to bring the city to its knees.An impossible task? It's even harder with Longinus under the delusion that he’s the hero of the story. That would be funny, if it didn't make Rory want to throttle him.Warning: this book will make you have fun. Lots of fun.

    Garden introduces us eleven-year-old Aberdeen, who is so used to being by herself that all she has to fill her thoughts are stories of mighty dragons and grand castles. Aberdeen's world is soon thrown into disarray however; her parents murdered. Having no choice, Aberdeen is sent to live with her uncle back on Earth where her fascination into her new surroundings begin to take hold. Untrusting of new people at first, it isn’t long before Aberdeen comes across 3 other children, and taking a risk, befriends them as she tries to adjust to her new home. And yet, along with Maisy, Peter and Lenard, Aberdeen comes across a riddle - a set of clues to reveal the hiding place of a lost manuscript. A manuscript that forces more questions than answers. Oh, and there’s Frank too, Peter’s robot dog, who completes this special circle of friendship. Garden is a journey of self-discovery, of trials and friendship. With adventure boundless, Jane Yates follows up her acclaimed Paradox Child trilogy with a new tale for young fans of steampunk and science fiction.

    Adele and Gareth are bringing order to a free Britain, but bloody murders in London raise the specter that Adele's geomancy is failing and the vampires might return. A new power could tilt the balance back to the vampire clans. A deranged human called the Witchfinder has surfaced on the Continent, serving new vampire lords. This geomancer has found a way to make vampires immune to geomancy and intends to give his masters the ability to kill humans on a massive scale.The apocalyptic event in Edinburgh weakened Adele's geomantic abilities. If the Witchfinder can use geomancy against humanity, she may not have the power to stop him. If she can't, there is nowhere beyond his reach and no one he cannot kill.From a Britain struggling to rebuild to the vampire capital of Paris, from the heart of the Equatorian Empire to a vampire monastery in far-away Tibet, old friends and past enemies return. Unexpected allies and terrible new villains arise. Adele and Gareth fight side-by-side as always, but they can never be the same if they hope to survive.From the Trade Paperback edition.

    The War that destroyed the great world has left the known world in an ever changing state of flux. Steam-powered ships rule the skies, pirates roam free, and the Royal Navy is the only whisper of order in the cacophony of chaos.Valeria knows this brutal world all too well. Orphaned with only a birthmark on her back to hint at her past, she is left to travel the world alone. Hope comes in an unexpected form, whispers of her Atlantian heritage. Whispers that tell Valeria her birthmark is more than she could have ever imagined.Now Valeria finds herself in a dangerous scheme to uncover the truth of her ancestry. Her journey will take her across the known world, to forbidden islands, and into conflict with the Royal Navy. Allies will be made, enemies discovered, and the truth of Atlantis revealed.

    Their whirlwind romance explodes in her face and leads her down a tumultuous path of adventure, intrigue, love and violence. Airships, pirates, corsets, torture, murder, and more await in the first novel of the Blood and Destiny Series from E.C. Jarvis. The Machine is an adult steampunk fantasy book. Possible triggers are present within the book including but not limited to sex, murder, torture, and violence.

    To escape the disease, U.S. Navy officers took to their airships in search of isolated places to hide their families and make a new life. But now, three generations later, all of the Admirals must pay fealty to Sir Ironside, the man controlling the national helium reserve, paying him with plunder they've stolen from the savage tribes of survivors left on the ground. But when one of the marauding divers—Arthur, heir to his father's admiralty—gets stranded on the ground, he must learn how to deal with the savages and the slave girl who helps him escape from Malegant.

    Families known as the Great Houses control the economy of the Great States of America and the middle class and the lower class Irish sole purpose is to not only to serve them, but to rid their lives of supernatural beings.Discover the life of Medium and Spirit Photographer, Andrew O’Sullivan, before he went to work for ex-Pinkerton detective, Samuel Hunter in The Devil Within. Search for demons (human and otherwise) alongside Granville Woods in The Demons of Liberty Row. And learn why Caitlin O’Sullivan must hide who she is from those closest to her in The Secret of Kage House. Compiled together for the first time are seven stories based on the popular comic Boston Metaphysical Society. The collection also includes Steampunk Rat and The Secret in addition to the short stories, The Clockwork Man (published in eSteampunk Magazine) and The Way Home (previously published in the A1/Atomic Press Anthology). All stories are prequels to the comic and do not contain any spoilers. The book also includes line art by Emily Hu.

    Armies of my kind have conquered the world - and made the Brasswork Throne the sole superpower.I am a faithful servant. I am the ultimate fighting machine. I am endowed with great strength and boundless stamina.But I am beholden to the wishes of my human masters.I am a slave. But I shall be free.

    She dipped her staff of power into the primordial sea and stirred. Pleased with what she had wrought, she departed, not at all troubled that a divine spark had touched two small dying sea creatures.As centuries pass, life on the moon develops into a geothermal steam-powered industrial age. A triumvirate of politicians, banks and corporations bring strain and suffering to the masses they rule over. Unbeknownst to the people of the moon, there may be help. With the gears of time evermoving and trouble spiraling to a crisis point, can three individuals and a handful of fossils prevent a violent revolution?

    Now that Clara has joined his crew, she must decide whether to trust her new friends before the secrets of her past are used to tear the pilots apart.

    While he is supposedly hunting the fabled Eye of Africa diamond in the Nubian desert, his expeditionary airship is found adrift off the coast of England.Maddie was the last reporter to see the potty peer alive. If she can locate the missing baron or the Eye of Africa, her career will be made.Outraged investors and false friends complicate her quest, and a fiendish figure lurks in the shadows, ready to snatch the prize... at any price.

    But beneath her thread-worn exterior beats the heart of a dreamer and a wordsmith. She feeds her hunger for reading by picking the lock on the local bookstore late at night to enjoy her own private reading room. But at age twelve, she’s orphaned. With no relatives to take her in, the local authorities scheme to take charge of the bewildered girl’s life. Running away to join the circus—like kids do in adventure books—seems like such a brilliant idea… or is it?

    Her dedication pays off when she proves her critics wrong and discovers the most unthinkable, impossible thing: a cure for the Undead. Half the world hails her as a savior, but, the other half—the part that dwells in death and darkness—sees her as nothing more than an opportunity for target practice. The naïve optimism that spurred Amelia to greatness has now become her weakness, especially when two men use it to their advantage to either win her heart…or tear her apart. Tall, dark, mysterious Michel Gauthier saves her life but leads her through a twisted, seductive game of cat and mouse through a maze of deadly secrets. John Hawthorne has a handsome face she wants to trust, but when does protecting her cross the line to taking advantage of her knowledge? Both men want Amelia, and she finds herself responding to them both. Can she unravel the riddles of her heart and save the world before she succumbs to their…Deadly Alchemy?

    What’s not to love about floating castles, eccentric lady detectives, and a protagonist who judges everyone by the quality of their shoes!After losing his parents in the Floating Castle Incident, the sensitive and mannered Chris Buckley has spent six years raising his magically talented little sister, Rosemary. They have been living on the savings that his once-wealthy family left behind. That money is drying up, and Chris finds himself with no choice but to seek out work in Darrington City as it spirals into a depression. The only employer willing to consider his empty résumé is O. Faraday, the manic Deathsniffer. Faraday's special magical gift is a heightened intuition which is invaluable in hunting down murderers.When a Duchess calls on Olivia to solve the mystery of her dead husband, Chris finds himself tangled in Faraday’s daily life and unable to extract himself from the macabre questions of the investigation. His involvement grows more complicated as political forces close around Rosemary. They only see her as a tool that can be used to end the depression at the cost of her freedom—or even her life. Chris must juggle the question of who killed Viktor val Daren with the responsibility of keeping Rosemary and her magic safe from those who would use her up and toss her aside. Worst of all, he begins to learn that the national disaster that took his parents’ lives may not have been the accident it seemed.Set in a world very similar to 1900s London, The Deathsniffer’s Assistant combines the investigative murder mystery with a tale of personal and societal redemption. It is about the relationships between broken people who clash more often than not, but manage to shape and learn from one another in spite of this. The story is told from the perspective of Christopher Buckley, young and impressionable and influenced by the prejudices of his time, as he finds himself surrounded by a cast of exceptional women whose differing characters will slowly reconstruct his understanding of strength in others—and in himself.

    They explore events mentioned in thenovels, characters seen and unseen and may include novel teasers ofthings to come.Even an assassin must go home for Christmas.Sophia del Morte, skilled spy-for-hire, now faces the most formidable of opponents: family. It is the closing of the year, after all; and the lethal Italian beauty returns to her home village for wine, food, and memories.As this is the del Morte family, Sophia tries to brace herself for awkward talk at the dinner table, and perhaps a touch of intrigue.

    As the young country of Freedonia prepares to celebrate fifty years of existence, a young bounty hunter by the name of Zeke Culpepper is hired by a wealthy businessman to find a valuable book. In the kingdom of Mali on the continent of Africa, veteran warrior Famara Keita has been assigned to find that same book and bring it back to its rightful owner. And in the newly formed nation of Germany, an ambitious Prussian officer seeks the book as well for its secrets that could make Germany the most powerful nation in the world. The result is an action adventure like no other!

    A picklock with a tragic past. An orphan out for revenge. The Blue Dusk allow knights to brutalize peasants with impunity. As famine grips the provinces, they collect what little harvest remains. Molly, a child with a dangerous secret, could be the catalyst of a revolution, but Captain Dirk of the Wastrel has every intention of selling her to the tyrannical regime. Clikk has other plans, plans involving mutiny, sabotage and a movement that will plunge the nation into chaos.

    Beware, spoiler alert! STEAM ON TO HIGH ADVENTURE! Will Steemjammer has just escaped from the dungeon of his family’s arch-nemeses, the Rasmussens, but now the conflict’s only getting started. He’s learned that the Rasmussens are closing in on a dangerous piece of technology. Unless he beats them to it, they will gain the power to take over Beverkenverlt – the steam-powered world that he comes from. His family is overjoyed at his miraculous return, but he worries that he’ll have to pay a steep price for the lies he told to survive. Steemjammers don’t tell falsehoods and believe that their ability to see deeper truth depends on being as honest as possible. He fears his innate talents may be at risk, and he has no idea what he can do to save them. With a fleet of fast airships, deadly steam-powered robots, and a virtual army of secret agents in and around New Amsterdam, the Rasmussens seem to have the upper hand. Will suspects there’s more to the concept of deeper truth, and unless he can unravel its mystery, all is lost.

    They were wrong. It has been three weeks since the Misty Morning departed Alterra. Her instruments erratic and unreliable, the airship has become lost to the confounding mists. Supplies are dwindling and the crew is growing edgy. It seems a great boon when the ship comes upon an isle in the mist, a place free of the Fog, where a small settlement stands. Captain Melanie Locke decides to visit the strange inhabitants to learn how they keep the Fog at bay. But the people of the isle harbor many secrets, and some of them are deadly. Clockwork Scoundrels is a serial. It's like reading episodes of your favorite TV show. Each episode is somewhat standalone but also builds upon the episodes that came before.

    His investigations have always been more of a means of humoring his business partner, idle toff Alton Bartleby. That was before his adopted daughter Xin Yan was taken. Never comfortable in social situations, James finds himself tracking his daughter's kidnappers from London's Limehouse to the gritty streets of Hong Kong, down paths where his mechanical know-how won't serve him. Searching a foreign land, he'll find that his greatest challenges aren't those who have taken from him what is most dear, but letting go of his most treasured preconceptions about the world. Ghosts of Shaolin is the fifth Galvanic Century novel, but is suitable as a starting point for new readers.

    G. Wells is called upon to investigate purported incidents of time travel and to save lives and literary classics, including Dracula and The Time Machine, from being wiped from existence. What happens if we change history? Félix J. Palma explores this provocative question, weaving a historical fantasy as imaginative as it is exciting—a story full of love and adventure that transports readers from a haunting setting in Victorian London to a magical reality where centuries collide and a writer’s mind seems to pull at all the strings.The Map of the Sky 1898. New York socialite Emma Harlow agrees to marry well-to-do Montgomery Gilmore, but only if he first accepts her audacious challenge: to reproduce the Martian invasion featured in H. G. Wells’s popular novel The War of the Worlds. Meanwhile in London, Wells himself is unexpectedly made privy to certain objects, apparently of extraterrestrial origin, that were discovered decades earlier on an ill-fated expedition to the Antarctic. On that same expedition was an American crew member named Edgar Allan Poe, whose inexplicable experiences in the frozen wasteland would ultimately inspire him to create one of his most enduring works of literature. When eerie, alien-looking cylinders begin appearing in London, Wells is certain it is all part of some elaborate hoax. But soon, to his great horror, he realizes that a true invasion of Earth has indeed begun. As brave bands of citizens converge on a crumbling London to defend it against utter ruin, Emma and her suitor must confront the enigma that is their love, a bright spark of hope even against the darkening light of apocalypse.The Map of Chaos When the person he loves most dies in tragic circumstances, the mysterious protagonist of The Map of Chaos does all he can to speak to her one last time. A session with a renowned medium seems to offer the only solution, but the experience unleashes terrible forces that bring the world to the brink of disaster. Salvation can only be found in The Map of Chaos, an obscure book that he is desperate to uncover. In his search, he is given invaluable help by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Lewis Carroll, and of course by H. G. Wells, whose Invisible Man seems to have escaped from the pages of his famous novel to sow terror among mankind. They alone can discover the means to save the world and to find the path that will reunite the lovers separated by death.

    And Jesco Currane has just gotten stuck with him on the most frustrating case of their careers.When the body of a courier is discovered in an alley, Jesco is called in to assist with his seer skills. All he has to do is touch the clothing of the deceased to identify the killer. But the victim has been stripped naked, and the only evidence at the scene is a timepiece. The people he sees within it have nothing to do with the murder, yet they must be related to the case.Chasing down leads with Scoth lets Jesco see another side of the surly, if handsome, detective. But as their feelings for each other grow heated, so does the investigation. Someone doesn’t want them to know who killed the courier . . . and plans to add them to the death toll if they don’t stop pursuing it.

    500 BC and has gone through many gates, incarnations, and reincarnations to become a near-deity, The Source. The same process has happened to Pythagoras, one of Theoclea's counselors at the Temple of Delphi. He has become The Mage in a far future time and place. They live in Plateaunia, a two dimensional spider web-like region between the spiral arms of the galaxy surrounded by a blue mist. Piloting her ship, The Firefly, The Source sees a huge object coming at them in space. The name 'Antikythera' is boldly shown on the side of what appears to be a World-ship. An adventure begins, an adventure that explores TIME and what we think that it is. The ancient past meets the far future in this thrilling metaphysical sci-fi mystery that presents us with TIME and what it really may be. The Spirits of "JANIS* an Earthly-Realm singer from the 1960's and the Spirit of Nikola Tesla make their appearances...along with the android 'children' of the Mage and The Source. With Mark Twain-like humor and Steampunk elements like clocks, gears, ray guns, and more, the world of 'The Antikythera and the Source' moves through time and space to a surprising ending!

    Melusine Doré prefers armored corsets and knives and slays evil creatures for a living. The grim and gruesome don’t frighten her; she’ll take on a cyclops or a dragon and not even break a sweat. But when her rival, the charismatic Levi Cannon, comes to town, all her buried fears begin to surface. Melusine realizes she is in danger of something much more horrifying than facing blood-thirsty beasts – she’s in danger of falling in love. Because love alone has the power to reveal a secret terrible enough to completely shatter her world.Set in the muddy streets of 1850s steampunk Chicago, Immersed by Katie Hayoz is a dark yet romantic fantastical romp. It's a stand-alone but the first in a series of adventures that follow Melusine on her quest to rid the world of monsters…and her struggle to come to terms with every monstrous facet of herself.

    Claire. The Gibbering Mr. Cravat A rich man's son isn't Detective Esho St. Claire's usual sort of client. Bearing a hideous curse, Mr. Cravat begs him to find a way to discover its cause and reverse it if he can. The case will take him from the homes of Manhattan’s wealthy to the Undercity, where creatures of legend live. The Elder Gods are using the money and power flowing through the upper echelon of society to stage a comeback, and poor Mr. Cravat is just the first victim. Esho and a whiskey fueled strongman named Sean Younger must stop their priesthood before the invasion is complete. The Current Killer Detective Esho St. Claire now has a ghost for client. Speaking through Nikola Tesla's ether recording machine, a man wants St. Claire to prove that Thomas Edison is guilty of his murder. The detective never thought that a case would have him dodging death rays, but nothing about this one is typical. When he discovers magic is being tapped to make a super weapon, Detective St. Claire realizes that this job is even less straight-forward than he had thought. St. Claire and Tesla have to stop the techno-magical nightmare before it rips open the fabric of reality.

    They explore events mentioned in the novels, characters seen and unseen and may include novel teasers of things to come. This volume includes: Spiritus Sanctus by Alyson Grauer Emily Cassidy Tuttle, on word from Doctor Sound, arrived in the shadow of the Vatican to receive a mysterious parcel from a local contact. What should be a simple pass between agent and mule spirals deeper and deeper into a wild madness that Emily is not prepared to face. The Mummy of Barnsley by Michael Ventrella Agent Ernest Throckmorton is called to Barnesley to investigate reports of a Mummy terrifying the town. Throckmorton soon finds himself thrown together with an all too eager assistant desperate to be part of the Ministry, as they hunt down the meaning of the Mummy’s ominous threat. All shall pay for the desecration of the tomb! The Black Empress by Katharina Bordet When two agents from the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences are called to Vienna to investigate disturbances at the palace, what they discover could threaten the Austro-Hungarian Empire and shatter the fragile peace in Europe. Who is the mysterious man who has pulled diplomatic strings to enlist the help of a foreign agency and how is the Empress Elisabeth herself involved? Down by the River — written by Tim Dodge Agent Brandon Hill of the Ministry meets Agent Bill Wheatley of the Office of the Supernatural and the Metaphysical meet up in Afton, New York. The House of Usher is moving a large and dangerous weapon through this small town, and it is up to the agents to track it down. However, not all the residents are quite the same as they seem.

    They explore events mentioned in the novels, characters seen and unseen and may include novel teasers of things to come. This volume includes: Blessings of Baalshemin by Nobilis Reed In the Spring of 1869 Mrs Isabel Burton begins a correspondence with the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Director, Woodruff Spring, on a strange device she has run across in her travels. Ministry agents are dispatched and a soon enough the Burtons, both Isabel and her husband Sir Richard, are deep in a very peculiar occurrence and dashing through the wilderness to prevent untold horror occurring. Bitter Pill by Bill Blume Miss Sharpe is not used to working for the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences. She is used to being a killer for hire, the Jade Dagger, an artisan of death. Yet when called on to find an immortal in the city of her birth, she finds herself unprepared for what she discovers, as she is plunged into her own terrifying past and future. Clockwork Portal by Stacia D Kelly When demon hunter, sorceress and samurai, Raisa falls into a strange, odd version of Victorian England, she finds herself in the domain of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences. Just being built, and with a demon already amok in the archives, Raisa finds herself with odd allies indeed. Foothold by Paul Ellis Venture back to the beginnings of the Ministry, where a young man named Rowan Clayworth finds himself trapped between love and an eldritch danger. Director Culpepper Source may yet help him find reason in a world full of peculiar occurrences like the ones he is facing.

    Rosina, an intrepid Victorian young lady, her fiance, Ned York, who was imprisoned in the Tower of London by his uncle, Richard III, and the irascible Olga from Czarist Russia must work together to obtain the horse from its owner, an amiable but none-too-bright English peer who has scandalized his neighbors by marrying a circus bareback rider.Along the way are visits to two bizarre fin de siecle Paris nightclubs and an encounter with a talking brass head who tells the worst ghost stories you have ever heard. There's also a demanding, narcissistic twenty-fourth-century celebrity who wants to make a troupe of convincing-looking fairies appear to Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes stories.Rosina encounters an unexpected person on her trip to the past to obtain the blue horse: Her father. He's only nineteen and has no idea who she is. Should she warn him of the railway accident that will kill him twenty-six years in the future and lead to her becoming a time traveler? Complicating things further is a shady character claiming to be an American millionaire who wants the blue horse for reasons of his own.

    Victoria’s steam-powered empire stretches from England to the stars. The Queen’s Armoured Hussars patrol the æther. British airships rule the skies of Mars. Great British inventors build bridges across seas and connect the cities of the empire with vast subterranean tunnels. But Britain (and the world) are under threat from unspeakable horrors from beyond. Slumbering gods, diabolic occultists and terrifying monsters from Earth’s past conspire to overthrow mankind and usher in an age of terrors. Only Professor Erskine Sedgewick – the most insightful mind of the age -and his faithful companion Cadwallander can stop them. Fantastic steampunk derring-do and thrilling cosmic horror collide in this action-packed adventure.

    Longstanding rivals, they’ve only had brief encounters, and if she had a choice, she’d avoid him entirely. When he saunters into her bar with an offer to work together on a job, the proper response would be to shoot him down and send him back to Shantytown. However, curiosity’s a wicked beast, and Viola needs to know why, after so many years of stealing her marks, he’d approach her now. The man is insufferable, annoyingly cavalier, and tends to stir up memories she'd rather forget--but she needs assistance on this job and he's offering aid and blueprints which could cut their work in half. Given the intense way he looks at her though, working together isn't all he has in mind. Van Clef is known for his persistence and, with his charm, he wins women over effortlessly. Viola’s not so easy though--she’s wise to his tricks. But if he wants to play the game, she will gladly rise to the challenge. By the end of this bounty, she’ll be the one leaving him in the dust.

    With the North American Republics on the brink of war, Ida flees her home and joins a carnival to pursue her dreams.There she meets tomboy steam engine mechanic Duffy Hollowood. Though they become fast friends, Duffy has her own secrets. As their troubled pasts catch up with them, will Ida and Duffy make an escape together, or will they take their chances alone?

     Connect the gears of a clock and it tells time. Connect the gears of a tinker, and it’s time for a reckoning. Cadmus Errol is an apprentice clockmaker rankling under the tutelage of a master he has already surpassed. He has dreams of greater things, but too much patience for his own good. When Jennai steps into his life, she derails the track his life was stuck on. Together, they find a purpose, a crusade. She introduces him to a whole new world, and it needs a Mad Tinker, not a clockmaker.

    When not fighting each other, they must defeat the powerful Lord Norwich, and end his plan to unleash global violence and crown himself emperor of the world. No problem.But behind the scenes, the Trickster god is manipulating men like puppets, changing history to his own ends and for his own amusement. As an ancient plan is set into motion, the trio are faced with events they do not understand and may not survive. Legacy is the first of an epic new series that combines Fantasy and Steampunk in an unforgettable novel set in Victorian England.

    Steampunk, wild west

    Eleanor Folley and Virgil Mallory return in this standalone steampunk adventure, set after the events in Rings of Anubis.A bungled museum theft.An ancient Egyptian riddle.The rumor of strange creatures moving beneath the streets of Paris.Eleanor Folley knew she was in for a challenge when she accepted the task of cataloging Mistral’s archive of purloined artifacts, but she never expected to discover an Egyptian mystery buried in the heart of Paris.When Anubis and Horus task her with a quest, she cannot refuse the ancient gods, even if it means venturing into the cathedrals of bones that clutter the catacombs of Paris.

    Rise of the House of Usher: A mad scientist gains power over life and death at the cost of his family’s sanity, if not their very lives.The Silver Scams: A fast-talking confidence man ensnares all of Holland in his scheme to eliminate dikes forever . . . for a price. Nautilus Redux: Captain Nemo’s crew stumble upon an island castaway who claims to be Captain Ahab of the Pequod. Only Moby Dick knows the truth.Mr. Thornton: Hounded by tragedy and betrayal, a gifted young blacksmith wanders from The Ohio to The Yukon searching for honor, loyalty, and justice.West End: A heartbroken Theodore Laurence follows the siren song of steam to Jamaica, where love and law collide with explosive results.

    London is under the protection of wizard and alchemist Icarus Kane and his loyal friends Cora Mae Jenkins and Archimedes Merriweather, and together they must chase down the threat while dodging the riots and the angry poor along the way. Icarus has no use for science, but there will be no escaping it as the aether, the very heart of magic, is threatened. All of London may perish if the dark wizard gets his way, and Icarus could lose his best friend and his lover in the battle. All the world could be destroyed under the tide of the oncoming storm unless Icarus can face his own power and embrace his inner darkness.

    The South won the Civil War and achieved manifest destiny in the United States. Great Britain, known as Victoria, and China, have maintained their empires. American slavery was abolished in the late 20th century instead of the late 19th century. Steam powered machinery and electricity make up the bulk of modern technology. In the shadows of the Confederacy, there is magic. Esoteric sciences arcane and archaic survive from forgotten times, and strange demonic creatures wander through the slums of Charleston... Enter Carolina Daemonic. In an alternative timeline, see a dark world not too far removed from our own- religio-political cults, racism, sexism, homophobia, corporate takeovers and corruption are abound. Witness the strange and mysterious beyond the familiarity of our ordinary world as well- godly avatars, lustful demons, necromancers, and the undead.

     Words to live by, far as Sally Carson is concerned. But as captain, there comes a time when casting aside her instinct and taking the job is the only course likely to keep her spacecraft, Wanderlust, in the sky. Passenger transport is easy as they come, the money easier. This go 'round, though, Sally should've stuck to her guns. What starts as a quick run to the moon soon becomes a run from the law, putting Wanderlust and its crew in danger. With everything on the line it’s up to Sally to save the day, save her crew, and get paid the best way she knows how: With a bit of deviltry.

    And war meant loss.Isabella gained much in the world the mage’s opened up to London. The mage’s created things beyond their imaginations, some with magic, and others with steam. However, she lost the only thing that mattered—her husband.When able to use a kindness from the mage guild, she does not hesitate to bring Tristan back for one final steamy encounter.

    For better or worse, she was correct.Now her discovery has not only changed her life, but the lives of those she seeks out in her desperate attempt to contact the only other creature as lonely as Twilight herself.It all would have been much simpler, but it had to be the one Twilight could only call The Mare on the Moon.Decidedly not within walking distance, then.

    Fifteen stories spanning the ages from ancient Greece to a far-flung dying future.

    War crushes Europe in an iron fist. As the Great Powers struggle for supremacy, Major David Jones and Captain John Kowalski find themselves engaged in a series of secret missions which could hold the keys to victory.Airships, dreadnoughts, and steam-powered walkers collide in three breathlessly-paced adventures.This is a collection of three novels - Red Mercury, Neptune Rising and Titan's Fire - previously published individually.

    In a country called Industralia, children listen to a New Year's story about Frostica, the Engineer, and a magical train pulled by Engine No.19.

    Each page of this book will feature the name of the artist, the title of the art, the medium in which it was created, and the artist's website. The competition is being judged this year by: Donato Giancola - Since beginning his professional career in 1993, Donato's list of clients has grown to include major book publishers in New York to concept design firms on the West Coast: notables include The United Nations, LucasArts, National Geographic, Scientific American, CNN, DC Comics, Microsoft, The Village Voice, Playboy Magazine, US Postal Service, Wizards of the Coast, Scholastic, Simon&Schuster, Tor Books, Random House, Time/Warner, The Scifi Channel, Milton-Bradley, and Hasbro; Greg Hildebrandt - Beginning in1975, Greg and with his brother Tim illustrated the first of a series of Lord of the Rings calendars for Ballantine Books. This series of paintings launched the two men into international fame, with over a million calendars sold, and the name The Brothers Hildebrandt(r) was born! In 1977, Lucas Films hired the Brothers Hildebrandt to create the movie poster for first Star Wars film, Star Wars: A New Hope. Rebecca Guay -"Rebecca Guay's artwork shows a distinct influence from the great Renaissance masters, revamped with a fresh dosage of contemporary cleanliness and edge. Depicting the lush, effervescent world of nymphs, gods and goddesses, these [images] capture an otherworldly realm rife with a softened kind of carnality." -Juxtapoz. During her over 20 years of painting professionally, Rebecca Leveille-Guay has build a formidable reputation in contemporary and pop culture art. The work focuses on emotionally charged themes that echo elements of the symbolists and orientalist's, as well as undertones of pre-raphaelites with a contemporary surreal twist. Jon Schindehette is an award winning art/creative director. He has over 30 year of experience in the creative industry and has worked for a laundry list of clients including - Disney, Hasbro, Wizards of the Coast, Harley-Davidson, Price Waterhouse, Arco Oil & Gas, and many more. He is most well known for his work with Dungeons & Dragons and ArtOrder. Jon is currently the Creative Director for Treehouse Brand Stores, a subsidiary of Think Geek. From fantastic scenes of science fiction to the worlds of fantasy and horror, this book has it all, and will appeal to anyone who appreciates the fantastic arts. Artwork included in IBA Volume Two ranges from traditionally drawn and painted art, to artwork done digitally, as well as sculpture. Each piece of art was hand picked by a select group of judges, With over 100 years of combined experience, each of these artists are uniquely qualified to decide the best of the best in all of the submissions to IBA for Volume Three.

    Soar through the Aether on the Kingship amidst uplands and aetherships! Join the noble Captain Vance Williams, the short-tempered engineer Molly Clocker, the daring Cornelius Burd, Afa the mysterious, and more as they struggle to aid the scientist Degory Priest in exposing the nefarious plot of the Hand of Paris as it corrupts the wisdom and benevolence of the ancient order that is the Brotherhood of the Strange.

    Saw how his father’s love of drink and his sisters’ and mother’s lavish lifestyle was quickly draining the modest fortune he’d managed to acquire. Perhaps rashly, perhaps justifiably, he had his father committed and the women exiled to America, arranging a wealthy husband for his elder sister Sarah.He spent the next ten years restoring his family name and fortune, while working as a consulting detective in London. He didn’t think of them again.Until now.Until his wife Aldora booked them a holiday in the American Southwest, to the small Arizona town he’d forgotten. To the territory of Robert Koning, a brutal thug once promised a young woman’s hand, a murderous bastard left at the altar when Sarah ran off with a Zuni mechanic, leaving a theft and a murder in their wake.Aldora had intended to force reconciliation with his sisters. Instead Alton finds himself forced to hunt down his missing sister for the man she left behind. Can he save Sarah from the monster that pursues her, or will all of the Bartlebys end up in unmarked graves in the desert?

    This worthy tome collects three tales of desperation: Evolution Expects: After more than 150 years as the supreme power on the planet, the British Empire has become stagnant and corrupt. The new Prime Minister, Devlin Valentine, promises change, but there are those who lack the patience for politics. With a dangerous vigilante stalking the streets, a monster on the loose in the East End and rival gangs fighting for control, there may be nothing Ulysses – trapped in the notorious Bedlam Hospital – can do to prevent a catastrophic metamorphosis! Blood Royal: With the city, and the Empire, reeling from the transformations of a month before, a twisted new religion rises from the devastation. In the meantime, in Europe, the spectre of war rears its ugly head; and rumours hint at monsters, things of myth, on both sides. Ulysses Quicksilver, fighting for peace and for reason – for civilisation itself – follows a path that leads him from the shattered streets of London to the icy wastes at the heart of a dark and bloody empire. Dark Side: Searching for his missing brother Barty, Ulysses heads to the British Lunar colonies. The trail leads him and his faithful butler into the path of unsolved murders, battling robots, shady millionaires and uncanny inventions. Stalled when he ends up on the wrong side of Lunar law and hunted by a mysterious eyepatch-wearing stranger, the dandy adventurer will uncover, in a secret base on the dark side of the moon, truths that will challenge everything he knew about Britannia...

    Harmony and Boy have been flying her grandmother’s airship since her death. They use it to deliver food supplies and scavenged objects from The Forbidden Lands to the last few remaining humans on earth. It’s on one of these trips up the east coast that an unexpected storm pulls the airship out into the open ocean. Even though Harmony struggles to keep Airus airborne, the strong winds are too much and it’s sent crashing into the ocean. When Harmony regains consciousness, she discovers that the currents have pushed Airus onto the shore of a tiny island – but that’s the only good news. There’s no fresh water, her two robots are damaged, Airus’ balloon is deflated, and the friction engine is broken. All of this may have been enough to defeat someone else, but Harmony has never been known to give up. She’s lucky enough to be blessed with her grandmother’s grit, determination and bullheadedness.

    Miss Evelyn Winsome, a New York socialite and niece of Senator Roosevelt, travels to the wilds of Yellowstone National Park to embark on an adventure which doesn't involve afternoon teas nor being chaperoned. Calamity befalls Evelyn from train delays, airship mishaps, geysers and wildlife. Fortunately, she has made new friends including handsome Ranger Dashing to keep her from harm...or will they put her in harm's way? Is Ranger Dashing's rescuing abilities a match for villainous Lucy Millstone, an agent for the Aether to Terra Luddites, bent on getting publicity for her cause of eliminating socialites from her precious Yellowstone wilderness? Will the mountainous terrain of Yellowstone prove to be too much for Evelyn and her bicycling abilities? Will Ranger Dashing regret becoming a Ranger? Adventure and peril await Evelyn Winsome in the vaporous caldera of Yellowstone National Park.

    Tarbet: A slave girl in Zanzibar escapes a beating when a stranger in the marketplace proves her past is more than just a fairy tale.Stand and Deliver by TC Phillips: Neither shackles, slave labor, nor the island’s deadliest inhabitants will prevent these brothers from meting out justice to their father’s murderers.Island Walker by C. R. Simper: Kit digs her treasures out of trash heaps, but the theft of her invention leads to discoveries money can’t buy.A Mind Prone to Wander by Danielle E. Shipley: Beyond a locked door lies Rowan Charles’ death or his sanity, and the survival or extinction of his people.Curio Cay by Sarah E. Seeley: The future of humanity rests in the hands of three time-traveling scientists battling biomechanical creatures in the Jurassic past.The Mysterious Island of Chester Morrison by Kin Law: Dodging her chaperone, a debutante stumbles into adventure and romance at the World’s Fair.Revolutionary by John M. Olsen: A dirigible captain goes down with his ship, and wakes to find himself a captive of a sky-dwelling civilization.The Steel Inside by Gail B. Williams: Darkness lurks in Sarah’s forgotten past, kept hidden by those who claim to be her devoted husband and loyal servants.

    Armed with an airship and a full crew, her newest task should be a simple one: bring in the sky pirate, Captain Erikson Roarke. Yet the mission proves to be more challenging than anticipated when Taliah finds herself stranded in the perilous Lowerlands with the criminal she was supposed to arrest.While dealing with the dangers of the surface world, Taliah also has to find a way to work with Erikson in order to return to the skies. Her conviction towards capturing the pirate begins to fade, however, when she uncovers strange incidents related to the Skylands. Now doubting her very purpose, Taliah plunges towards the truth, disregarding all warnings to stop searching for answers.

    With an economy of words, yet decadently lyrical, each story looks deep into the heart...of the matter... of a star... of darkness...and finds the strength and beauty of humanity shining through.

    In the middle of a war between gear and steam power, a transgender airship captain falls in love with a baker on the wrong side of the warzone. Two explorers travel across an uncharted alien planet, navigating the unknown world and the difficulties of their partnership. Vitality - because everyone deserves to see themselves in fiction!

    And with Baron Lindsey finally out of the way, one would think she’d at least get a clear shot a making her mark. It’s North America in 1889, and the Golden Age of the railway is in peril as airship travel begins to capture the imagination of the entire world–with the help of investigative journalist Nellie Bly and her trip ’round the globe. Lucia is in the middle of it all, helping to build the first airship port Stateside. But that’s not all she’s doing. Her missing father bound for San Francisco, and she needs the help of gifted, troubled railway heir-turned-inventor Henry Wentworth to find him. The problem is, the railway magnates are determined to see Nellie Bly’s historic journey not only fail, but end in tragedy. And the Carlisles are once again caught in the cross fire.

    Profits to go to PAWS Lynwood, an animal shelter and wildlife rescue. Ask a bunch of eclectic writers to write stories inspired by one of the greatest dramatists of all time. Cast the stories in various punk genres: Cyber, Tesla, Diesel, Steam, Clock. Result: an innovative collection of stories inspired by the Bard, with a twist! Punk stories show the path not taken or the path that shouldn't be taken. Let us reshape your world.

    Deirdre Perdaut was intrigued when she first heard this line, but lost interest when she learned it came from an old, dead white guy. Her English teacher was fond of old, dead white guys, but her History teacher confirmed they were nothing but trouble. As she huddled in the dank barn, listening to the approaching storm, Deirdre wished she had paid more attention in both classes. Surely, she reasoned, going home should be easy if you never technically left. Deirdre was already in the right place, she was just in a very wrong time. The only thing standing between the girl and her home was the trifling matter of two hundred years. Deirdre was not surprised that her current predicament came courtesy of an old, dead white guy. It was Colonel Ellsworth Fruithandler’s miraculous Time Engine that had left her stranded two centuries before her birth. With both Fruithandler and his Engine gone, Deirdre was learning firsthand that Colonial America was a dangerous place for a young, friendless black girl. If she wants to go home again, Deirdre has just one task to complete. Armed with an eighth-grade understanding of physics and whatever she can scavenge from an eighteenth century farm, she needs to build a working time machine.

    Fans of Edgar Allan Poe, H. P. Lovecraft, Greek mythology, and biblical-inspired fantasy will find something interesting. "Blood and Beauty" tells the tragic love story of a satyr and a dryad. "Sutter's Well" records the weird encounter between two boys and a Lovecraftian monster in Appalachia. "Morphine and Chocolate" draws inspiration from the medieval poem Pearl as it follows a father's search for his missing daughter from one weird landscape to another. "The Facts in the Case of M. Hussman" takes inspiration from Edgar Allan Poe and records the horrific consequences of artificially extending life in a steampunk world. "Shafts to Hell" returns to the Old West and takes the reader inside the mind of an insane miner. "Good King David" combines the tales of Hamlet and Absalom in a Biblical fantasy world. Categories: weird fantasy, weird horror, Greek mythology, mythical creatures, steampunk.

    Watson battle to thwart Moriarty's latest scheme to wreak havoc and loot one of the world's great cities. Thousands of lives hang in the balance, and it will take all of Holmes' incredible deductive skills to figure out just what a young writer named H.G. Wells and the German teenager Albert Einstein have to do with Moriarty's plans!Legendary thriller writer Stephen Mertz takes on some of the world's most iconic characters in this fast-paced tale that is part mystery novel, part horror yarn, and part steampunk inventiveness. It's a breathless adventure that's sure to entertain from first page to last!"One of my favorite writers . . . a born storyteller . . . Enjoy!" --Max Allan Collins "Stephen Mertz writes a hard-edged, fast-paced thriller for those who like their tales straight and sharp." --Joe R. Lansdale

    Can the mechanical marauders stay one wave ahead of their enemy?This hilarious new series from Gareth P. Jones, author of Ninja Meerkats, is sure to delight young readers with its madcap humour and larger-than-life robot pirate crew.

    They stain every brick, and echo in every doorway. The best stories aren't found out where anyone might trip over them, though. The good ones are found down dark alleys and in hidden alcoves, washed up on night time shores and for sale in midnight markets. These are the secret hearts of the City of Steam, and like all the best secrets they fill you up while leaving you wanting more. Come and take a tour of a place where everyday miracles and personal damnations walk hand-in-hand. A place where the light of modern science burns bright enough to cast shadows you can fall into. Plumb the mysteries of the Grates, and see what horrifying, beautiful secrets linger in the steam-shrouded souk. If you look closely you'll be able to find true love for pennies, only slightly damaged in Love is a Broken Clock. Walk the moonlit streets of Headsman's Wharf, and hear a heartbreaking ghost story that may or may not be true in The Legend of Black Jack Guillotine. Maybe you'd prefer a flight of fancy? Then listen closely to the story of a maiden voyage of a very different kind in Flight of Icarus. Ten tales of love and loss grace these pages; ten secret stories hidden in quiet niches and saved for the truly curious. Those who will accept no substitute, and who want the real thing. Be warned, when flowers grow in the City of Steam they may not be quite what you expect.

    She keeps the outlaws occupied until he conveniently shows up to arrest them after which she and Mason split the reward. Their business arrangement is going rather well until the wealthy inventor and archaeologist Henry Mitchell decides to make a play for Belle’s attention and affection. After all, he’s single while Mason is stuck in a marriage to a woman who prefers laudanum to marital bliss. But does Henry really desire Belle or is his interest a deflection from his true intentions, for gold from the Seven Cities of Cibola has been discovered in the mining hills of Tombstone. Two men desperately want to keep the discovery a secret – Caleb, the old miner who found the treasure, and Henry who has spent the past several years hunting for it. Unfortunately for Caleb, Henry has no qualms about using whatever means necessary to take what he wants, even if it means murder and kidnapping. Regrettably for Belle, she eventually gets in the way. With the help of two Chiricahua machinists, Mason sets out to stop Henry’s escape and rescue Belle. But everyone has failed to take into consideration two dead conquistadors who are not quite ready to part with the gold.

    Featuring stories from 10 new and vibrant authors, each of whom are current or former students of Swinburne University of Technology's Master of Arts (Writing) program, this anthology will transport you into another time, and another place.

    Story Emporium is now open. We are the finest purveyors of steampunk and weird western adventure. We have dangerous undertakings and true love, heart ache and hope. Inside you will find fantastic machines and good old fashioned horse power. In a hurry? We've got a selection of ultra short stories you can read in a minute or two. With rip roaring stories from such authors as Sam Knight, Lyn McConchie, Henry Ram, Joel Jenkins, K. G. Anderson, Scott A. Cupp, Rebecca McFarland Kyle and plenty more we are sure to have something for everyone.Cover Design by M. Wayne Miller.

    Steam-powered behemoths stalk the landscape, dirigibles prowl the skies and society stands on the back of a new class of slaves known as ‘mechanicals’. The conflict between the Union and the Confederacy has dragged on for twenty-five years with neither side coming close to victory. Something is needed to tip the balance…Lazarus Longman – antiquarian, explorer and treasure hunter for the British Empire – had heard of the Seven Golden Cities of Cibola, but he never believed they really existed. So when he was ordered to track down the only two men rumored to have seen the fabled land he was skeptical to say the least. His skepticism turned to desperation when he found out that his quarry was Gerard Vasquez; a degenerate gambler, drinker and pistoleer and his companion, Hok’ee; a towering Navajo with a ferocious temper and a mechanical gun-arm. The British want these men delivered into the hands of the Confederacy so that the war can be brought to a swift resolution. But not everybody wants the Confederacy to win. Especially not Tsar Alexander III who has dispatched his own deadly assassin to ensure the Confederates never get their hands on America’s golden heart.

    Nearly broke both of my legs. But made it in four minutes, twenty-eight seconds. Best speed yet. But it's not enough, I'm still late."