Book picks similar to
The Obsidian Star by L.M. Fry


steampunk
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fantasy

Sins of the Past


J.D. Franx - 2013
    A long life of death and fighting will wear on anyone. When Cassel brings light to a lonely life of darkness, she can no longer resist the temptation. But Yrlissa is not a typical assassin, and her past life, long forgotten, will threaten her present.

Everything is Worth Killing: Isaac's Tale (An Apocalyptic LitRPG)


Alex Oakchest - 2019
    Dozens of warmongering ogres. Hundreds of dynamite-wielding gnomes. And one normal guy in the middle of it all. Bad mornings. We've all had 'em. But what if you woke up in a post-apocalyptic land filled with wizards, dragons, and ogres? Not only that, but you woke up as a prisoner of a clan of mages who don’t even speak your language? What if these guys expected you to know magic, but left you to figure out for yourself how to cast it? These are the problems Isaac must solve. And what's he going to do when death knocks on his door? He's going to blast a fireball through the letterbox and send death running. But first...he just needs to learn how to even cast a fireball. Follow his journey through a land filled with creatures that want to kill him, and watch as he refuses to let them. Accompany him into a land of mystery and danger, where life is tough and learning spells and skills takes work. A land where Isaac is determined to stop being the prey and become the predator. This is his journey to make allies and friends in this new world. A journey through battles against slaver ogres and wingless dragons and gnome dictators. Through experimentation and adaptation, where he learns that killing one enemy helps him against the next. It’s also his journey to find a warm, comfy bed. This is the tale of a someone who used to be a normal guy. It's Isaac’s tale of adapting to a world where everything is worth killing. Over 500 pages of fast-moving fantasy, set in a brutal apocalyptic world. This is a mesmerizing story about one guy's quest for power and survival, with light litrpg/game-like elements and a focus on him learning how to use magic. 'Amazing - I love it because of how original it is. This is a hidden gem. The story is good and I'm enjoying the style.' - Early Reviewer 'A breath of fresh air. Isaac is not some over-powered or genius guy. He is just a dude trying to survive in the cruel world he was thrown in, and he is trying to make head and tail of what is going on.' - Early reviewer 'Enjoyable - I especially like the rationality of the main character and how he approaches problems. Unique, definitely worth reading.' - Early reviewer.

The Twice-Dead Boy (Teen Shapechangers Book 2)


Laer Carroll - 2020
     Freed by a freak of nature after a century he is in modern-day Santa Monica and must navigate it--as an apparent 17-year old boy. How does an immortal shapechanger deal with being a teenager once again? Why, he must go to high school!

The Watchman's Daughter


Alexandra Connor - 2007
    With her father unable to do his night watchman rounds, Kate does all she can to help her family survive. But when Andrew Pitt comes into her life, everything changes. True happiness seems to be on the horizon for Kate as she and Andrew make plans to marry. Then tragedy strikes and Kate takes the only course she can to protect the people who depend on her. With her future looking hopeless, Kate must find a way to escape – and to get back the man she loves.

Rise of the Weakest Summoner: Volume III


J. R. Saileri - 2022
    

Atlas Rising


Blake Severson - 2021
    Picking a druid, he charges forward into an unknown land as he tries to master an odd combat system. Luckily for him, the crafting system is ripe to make money and the game’s currency is tied to the real-world market.But a strange dungeon forces him to reevaluate everything he thought he knew. Is the company behind this game truly what it seems to be, or is there a nefarious purpose hidden below the surface?

The Children of the Gods Series Books 17-19: Dark Operative Trilogy


I.T. Lucas - 2020
    

The Feedback Loop Box Set 1-3


Harmon Cooper - 2016
     Trapped in an online world, he lives his days on repeat, fighting the same killer NPCs and playing out the same story line again and again. Suddenly, Quantum receives a message from an actual human player named Frances Euphoria, his first message in two years, a message that sparks an adventure across multiple online fantasy worlds the likes of which he could have never imagined. Now he's taking on a murder guild known as the Reapers, riding dragons across floating continents, using steam-powered robots to battle enemies as tall as skyscrapers, and equally important -- talking smack and backing it up with his vast inventory list of ridiculous guns and clever movie weapons. But things aren’t as easy as they sound. The Reapers are killing people in the real world. They are imprisoning players, manipulating orphans to do their bidding, running an insurance scam on trapped gamers, bringing death, violence, and destruction everywhere they turn. The Reapers are hunting Quantum Hughes online and in the real world, but they’ll soon learn the hard way that Quantum won’t back down without a fight. LitRPG action, humor, sci-fi fantasy worlds, adventure, and digital mayhem all in a cyberpunk setting.

The Untold Tales of Dolly Williamson: An Occult Steampunk Thriller: Prequel to The Guild Chronicles


J.M. Bannon - 2017
    The first of six books! 
Fredrick “Dolly” Williamson is a young detective in the newly formed special crime detection branch at Scotland Yard.  When he is called on to investigate the murder of an investment banker, he is reminded of past encounters with the occult and requests help from Rose Caldwell. Problem is Rose is an outsider whose very presence grates on the Victorian society she protects from the paranormal threats they want to ignore. Sister Rose an expert in the mystical arts uses her ingenuity to craft devices that straddle the latest scientific and metaphysical discoveries to create defenses against the dark arts.As the body count continues to rise and the mystery deepens after the enigmatic Necronist Guild provide clues to the origins of the murderer. The clues from the secretive French death cult are not enough and Rose and Dolly must reach out to a cast of characters that include a young lord that is possessed by a Sufi mystic from the thirteenth century and an up and coming triad gangster.A tightly wound thriller set in an alternative 19th century where powerful guilds use mechanical power, occult rituals and alchemy to vie for influence in the courts of Queen Victoria and the ever-youthful Emperor Napoleon. The untold tales of “Dolly” Williamson is an occult steampunk thriller and the prequel to The Guild Chronicles, a steampunk fantasy book series.This book is what steampunk is all about with the right dose of technology and wizardry to make you wonder what our world today would be like if our past was like this. The story respects the steampunk genre and the intellect of the fans of steampunk.This is the prequel to the Guild ChroniclesBook 1 The AlchemistsBook 2 The NecronistsBook 3 The Mechanists Have a look inside now and see if the untold tales is the steampunk yarn for you. FAQs What other books have you written and what order should they be read? The AlchemistsThe Necronists Why should a reader pick up your book? If they are looking for a series with character driven stories that include fantasy and science fiction but also a nod to history then pick up this book.  I love it when a reader writes me that I introduced them to a historical figure they never knew existed and after researching learned that the life they lead was not all that different from how I portrayed them. What is Steampunk? Steampunk is an esthetic and for some a way of life.  One key point is that steam is the main mode of power.  So, the car would have an external combustion engine rather than an internal combustion engine.  From there things can be wildly different, some steampunk is set in the future and is dystopian some is set in the past.  I heard a good tag line “When the Victorian comes together with science fiction like clockwork.

Descent


Felicia Beasley - 2017
     The last thing Lex Trenton wants to do with her night is track down an escaped slave at the behest of an incubus. A dangerous, powerful, seductive incubus. But if she doesn’t drag her butt down to Sheol and find the slave, someone else will. And that someone will drag the abused woman back to her sadistic master. Lex won’t let that happen. Her brother taught her right. With no help from her overprotective partner, and her body betraying her every time her new client is near, can Lex maneuver through the dense, complicated politics of Sheol without pissing off every demon in power and losing her own head?

Chasing the Lantern


Jonathon Burgess - 2012
    A career as a sky pirate under swashbuckling Captain Fengel seemed like a step up. Instead she finds that her new skipper has lost his airship and is dangerously in debt to a powerful criminal cartel.Lina's only hope at fending off Fengel's creditors is a wrecked frigate bearing a priceless gemstone. There are just two problem: an ancient curse on the gemstone, and a vindictive rival pirate crew.

The Shattergrave Knights


David M. Haendler - 2011
    The Merriwether family traditions are dark magic, devil worship and insurrection. Jack and Olive Merriwether thought they were two ordinary teenagers until they learned they were descended from the murderous sorcerer Gorgyaz. Now that the truth about their ancestry is out, the government wants to take their freedom, a witchfinder wants to take their lives and the shadowy leader of the Thirteenth Division wants to take their souls. Jack and Olive didn't intend on following in their infamous forefather's footsteps, but they'll have to learn the family traditions to survive.

Towns and Towers: A New Land


Shawn Kass - 2016
    He soon finds out how unique the model is when after downloading his newest game he is transported into the system and expected to play through the role of his character without access to the real world, or any of the informationally packed strategy guides he is used to using. Handicapped by his own impatience to start playing, Sam is left to figure out the new world which he has fallen into. He has no weapons, no armor, no save points, and no way home. The only thing he has going in his favor is his experience, and his willingness to game more.

The Itemancer 2


Forrest Minter - 2019
    All is not lost though, as clearing the local ant infestation has freed up a lot of space. Perfect for founding his very own kingdom! Now he just needs to deal with pesky neighbors, colonists from the other side of hell, a serious mold infestation, a budding romance, and a very demanding dragon.

The Devil's Pay


Dave Gross - 2013
    Sam and the Devil Dogs may be relaxing in Tarna, but it’s not by choice—they’d rather be employed than resting up. When a dangerous job offer comes from “the old man,” Sam takes the Devil Dogs and their newest recruit, Dawson, on a perilous hunt to capture an unidentified warjack before their rival Steelheads or the horrific Cryx make a claim on the never-before-seen technology.Whether their mission will be worth the risk remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: Sam and the Devil Dogs will do whatever it takes to bring home The Devil’s Pay.