Review by Gideon Newell

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Author Joseph Robert Lewis shares his love of "the amazing history of human civilization" by inviting readers into one exotic steampunk locale after another, across Northern Africa, in this fast-paced adventure. The setting alone sets The Burning Sky (Halcyon #1: A Steampunk Thriller) apart from most of the Steampunk genre, rooted as it is in the neo-victorian UK or US. Quite apart from the splendid abundance of airships, mechanically augmented villains, and steam-powered industry, Burning Sky held my attention by forcing me to imagine how history and civilizations would have unfolded in a world where "Europe never emerged from the last Ice Age and only the southern regions are habitable. North Africa is cool, wet, and fertile. Ancient nations such as the Persian Empire have persisted, though others, such as the Romans, never rose to power."

Before you continue reading the full review below however, enter our reader Sweepstakes RIGHT NOW to not only receive your free copy of Burning Sky (EVERY entrant!), but also have a chance to win Book Two and Three of Lewis's Halcyon Trilogy! Contest runs from September 20-27, 2011 so act quickly as spread the word!

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A Guest Review by Eric Johnson

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"Steampunk Tales #1" is an anthology that includes work by such authors as Catherynne M. Valente, Phil Brucato, G. D. Falksen, J Flesher, Mark Rossmore, K. E. Kendall, Jennifer Wilson, Brian Rappatta, and Noel Black. As a reader just getting into the phenomenon of “Steampunk”, it’s actually turning out to be a widely varied mix of old Victorian sensibilities; where high technology is replaced by steam pipes and other things that were prevalent back then. However, I can’t do an honest review without going through the individual stories:

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A Guest Review by Philip Brennan

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I had decided to review this book because it is a steampunk sub-genre novel that I would not usually read - Steampunk Romance. I don't usually do romance novels - Mills and Boon has never appealed to me at all. So I thought for my first review for Steampunk Kindle I would try something completely different - and believe me, it is different to anything I have read within the steampunk genre so far.

The basic premise, as far as I can make out, is that a female New York cop by the name of Emily Fenwick somehow gets transported into an Otherspace between worlds - an Otherspace protected by high walls to keep the marauding nightmares outside of the area the "punks" have made relatively safe for themselves. Annalise and Jack Pettigrew are the leaders of this band of punks trapped between worlds, and everything within is scavenged from 1890 - the real 1890. For some reason 1890's New york is more easily accessible to the Otherspace punks than modern times, thus bringing in the steampunk / alternative history tropes necessary to the plot.

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'Frankenstein' Just 99¢ on Kindle

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Happy 214th Birthday Mary Shelley! You still got it, girl! "Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus", generally known as Frankenstein, is a novel written by the British author Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. The title of the novel refers to a scientist, Victor, who learns how to create life and creates a being in the likeness of man, but larger than average and more powerful. Frankenstein is infused with some elements of the Gothic novel and the Romantic movement. It was also a warning against the "over-reaching" of modern man and the Industrial Revolution, alluded to in the novel's subtitle, The Modern Prometheus. The story has had an influence across literature and popular culture and spawned a complete genre of horror stories and films. It is often considered the first fully realized science fiction novel due to its pointed, if gruesome, focus on playing God by creating life from dead flesh.

Following are some Steampunk-inspired Frankenstein artworks from around the web for your ocular pleasure! Click to enlarge:

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