Somewhere between fantasy and history and featuring a glimpse of steampunk and Gothic elements, gaslamp fantasy is one of the most exciting genres these days – excellent to fulfill your imagination and boost your creativity a little. Whether it comes to horrific styles or romantic themes, here are the best gaslamp fantasy books from the past few years.
The Unbound Queen, by M. J. Scott
The story follows Lady Sophie Mackenzie’s adventures. She is the fifth in line to get the throne, but she does not keep her fingers crossed. She knows the chance to get on the Anglion throne is low, but she also has no interest at all in ruling. Her life seems peaceful, but at the same time, she has some thoughts and ideas that underline a problem.
What most people do not know is that Lady Sophie is bound to a demon. There is some black magic involved and lots of people who would do anything to gain access to those powers. In order to avoid all the drama, she decides to go in exile and find peace. While she still has visions and dreams about the demon, she tries her best to ignore them.
Things change one day, when the emperor of Illyya comes with a nasty offer – go back and overthrow the queen or lose everything she loves, including her husband. Will she betray the queen or what she holds dear?
Stormsong, by C. L. Polk
If you are after a book to keep you hooked in for hours, this could be one of the best gaslamp fantasy books to put on your list. The story follows Dame Grace Hensley, who helped her brother solve a problem that embarrassed her nation – in a previous release. Unfortunately for her, the problem was not over and the consequences come back to her.
Aeland is one step away from a disastrous end. Grace feels like she knows what she has to do to keep her parents safe, but there are some obstacles in the way – such as the queen and some mages. Tension kicks in and the conflict needs a spark to explode. To make things even worse, a young photojournalist decides to follow a story that could ruin both Grace and the nation.
Silver In The Wood, by Emily Tesh
Greenhollow is one of the spookiest forests out there – deep, quiet and thick. But there is a man who lives in there. Tobias loves the forest and sees it as his home. He spends his life in a peaceful environment – he has a little cottage and kills his time with a cat and some dryads. There is something about this man, as his past is definitely not as quiet.
Things change when the Greenhollow Hall is taken over by a new owner. The new owner wants to know more about the surroundings, so he starts discovering secrets that were better left buried. Tobias is somehow forced to reconnect with his problematic past and unexpected things come out of his heart in a story full of tension and mystery.
The Court Of Mortals, by A. J. Lancaster
Hetta and Wyn enjoy a beautiful love story and despite Wyn being far from what Hetta’s parents wanted, the two still go on with their relationship. Wyn has spent the last decade pretending to be human, but the family is aware of his story. The bad news is that gossip spreads pretty fast and the queen of Prydein finds out about the fae intruder.
Wyn’s attitude would be more than enough to convince her that he is alright, but things become complicated when someone tries to blacken his name. Plus, his sister is trying to kill him. Then, the Court of Ten Thousand Spires has no ruler – if Wyn takes the position, he can never be with Hetta again. The story is complicated, intriguing and definitely addictive.
Gossip And Gorgons, by Tilly Wallace
This is the third book in the Manners And Monsters collection and while reading the previous two would help, the story is a bit independent and easy to catch up with. Lord and Lady Wycliff are now married and they try to socialize and make friends. Sadly, they are invited to a house party only to be mocked for some entertainment.
Wycliff hopes to discuss some business with the host. Meanwhile, Hannah tries to hide in the library until it is over – just herself and a bunch of rare books. Everything goes out of hand when an unexpected guest arrives and a famous cad is found turned into a statue. Some clues lead to Wycliff, so the couple will need to solve the mystery before someone else is turned into stone.
The Earl On The Train: A Potions And Passions Novella, by Catherine Stein
The book follows two different stories as they evolve, but it also underlines the role of fate in some people’s lives. The first story covers Nicholas Masterson. Known as Lord Sharpe, he has a small problem with potions. He craves for them, but he does not drink them. They get weaker day by day. His uncle Nick decides to visit him and find out what happens, so he ends up on a train from London to India.
The second story follows Ida Quimby. She decides to start a new career – she wants to be an elite perfumer. She wants to sell high end perfumes to the rich society of London. Things go wrong when her brother fails to supply the required serum for her perfumes, so she flees to India to confront him and fix the problem.
This is when action begins – two people with two different stories meet up on a train from London to India. They could start the love adventure of a lifetime or they could get involved in an intrigue that might get both of them killed.
Bottom line, these are the best gaslamp fantasy books from the recent years. While some of them are part of larger collections, stories are usually independent – yet reading the previous releases will give you a better sense of adventure.