October 8, 2011 at 7:30 pm (Articles by others)
This is a rather beautiful map of book recommendations in the fantasy and scifi fields, based on personal preferences.
It’s such a good idea I plan to make one just for steampunk – make your recommendations now or forever hold your peace 🙂
I’m a writer of The Antipodean Queen trilogy, the Rahana trilogy, and many interactive tales including Murder in the Mail, Magic in the Mail, and the Shooting Through escape rooms (currently non-operational due to COVID-19).
My store is at shootingthrough.net/store
Chris is my partner, Louisette is my eight year-old daughter, and TJ is my six year-old son. My cats are Zipper and Zoom. I’m based in Canberra, Australia.
Felicity Banks 
Joe said,
October 8, 2011 at 8:39 pm
I’ma go with Jeff VanderMeer’s Ambergris stuff – it falls under the wide definition of steampunk, although it’s probably better described as fungusnoir.
Louise Curtis said,
October 9, 2011 at 1:27 pm
Joe: He’s best known for the steampunk Bible, so he certainly deserves to be represented. Which title would you say is his first in the Ambergris stuff?
Joe said,
October 8, 2011 at 8:44 pm
(Also, I note that by following that chart, it’s poissible to end up at A Canticle For Leibowitz without knowing what you’re getting into. You really ought to put some kind of warning on this entry that that can happen.)
Louise Curtis said,
October 9, 2011 at 1:29 pm
Joe: What’s A Canticle for Leibowitz?
I’m obsessed with protecting readers from traumatic triggers in fiction, so it’ll be clear on my chart if it’s kids, YA, adult – and dark or light.
Joe said,
October 9, 2011 at 2:00 pm
It’s adult, and it’s not triggery so much as bleak – like, it’s one of those books about how we’re all going to die in nuclear fire. It’s one of the most depressing things I’ve ever read. As far as the VanderMeer stuff goes, my understanding is that the series goes City of Saints & Madmen – Shriek – Finch.
Louise Curtis said,
October 9, 2011 at 3:23 pm
Joe: I’ll see if I can get City of Saints from the library.
stace8383 said,
October 9, 2011 at 12:09 pm
What a brilliant flow chart, thanks for the link!!
Louise Curtis said,
October 9, 2011 at 1:30 pm
Stace: I know! I give it a week until it starts popping up on the major writerly blogs.
jaqbuncad said,
October 10, 2011 at 5:00 pm
N.K. Jemisin’s The Effluent Engine is my current favorite. Warning for language, but all told an absolutely wonderful story!
Louise Curtis said,
October 12, 2011 at 9:10 am
jaqbuncad: I can handle a bit of language. Thanks for the recommendation.
Louise Curtis said,
October 13, 2011 at 8:01 pm
Unfortunately, The Effluent Engine isn’t available from my local library. Oh well – I mostly read YA fantasy that isn’t too epic or magic-focused.
jaqbuncad said,
October 15, 2011 at 6:16 pm
Oh bother, didn’t I link it? You’ll have to scroll down, but you can read it online, for free! It’s also in the anthology Steam-Powered: Lesbian Steampunk Stories.
Louise Curtis said,
October 15, 2011 at 10:59 pm
jaqbuncad: Oh! It’s a short story. No wonder I didn’t find it at the library. Thank you.
Louise Curtis said,
October 16, 2011 at 6:46 pm
I just finished reading the story – it was excellent. Too bad I’ve decided not to include short stories on the steampunk map, or I’d include it.