Ever since I read his 1992 cyberpunk novel Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson has been one of my favorite authors. He writes in a broad variety of genres, including the “Baroque Cycle” historical fiction series. His 2017 novel The Rise And Fall of D.O.D.O., co-authored with Nicole Galland, is an interesting twist on the theme of […]
As I’ve said before, I love a good title but I don’t know what to make of this one. “Clockwork Dagger” is a phrase akin to “Naked Gun” which is perfect for a work of satire. This book, however, isn’t satire. It takes place in the fictional monarchy of Caskentia where “Clockwork Dagger” is a […]
I’m pleased to announce that I’ve finally completed the introductory video for my new steampunk-centric YouTube channel, Steampunk Desperado. Lots of people do video-based book and movie reviews but I’m not aware of any that focus on the steampunk genre. So this is naturally a good niche for me. That said, I will sometimes review […]
I don’t collect as many kinds of things as I used to (no more room!) but I still love to buy signed books, particularly if they’re by local authors. A few years ago, I got a copy of a slim book called Cibola’s Promise at a convention and promptly forgot about it. I rediscovered it while […]
If the Japanese are the world’s masters at producing intelligent, mature animation, the French are surely runners-up. Recently we discovered another unusual, quirky French animated film: The Rabbi’s Cat. Released in 2011, it was directed by Joanne Sfar and Antoine Delesvaux. The movie is based on the comic series by artist/writer Sfar. We watched it […]
I encountered this book entirely by accident. I was doing a web search for images to serve as inspiration for the cover design for one of our “Ione D.” steampunk novels. This cover appeared, an illustration of a young woman in a long dress and high boots running through a Chinese street scene. It looks […]
Clockwork Imperium is a set of three stories by J. P. Medved set in an alternate history of the British Empire. All feature the same three characters, British soldiers Henry Emerson and James Billingsworth and their Sikh comrade Raheem Aranjapour. The author establishes their friendship in the prequel story, “The Great Curry Contest,” available for free […]
