Operation: Nebraska Author- Steam on the Horizon

Do you know what steampunk is?

Until about 4 years ago, I had never even heard of steampunk. The problem is, I actually loved it. How does that work exactly? I knew I loved corsets and goggles, gears and airships, spyglasses and fingerless gloves, really anything that spoke of the Victorian era but not one in the history books, a Victorian era of fantasy.

I just didn't know that there was a whole movement of people like me who liked it.

Picture from The Ministry of Particular Occurrences.
Not the most Steampunk-y picture on the internet...
but Nathan Fillion.

Then my bestie and I went to the very first British Fest in Omaha, NE where we attended a panel put on by Melissa Ann Conroy, steampunk author.

I finally had a name for it.

Steampunk is past meets future in a cloud of steam. If the clock had stopped spinning sometime between 1837 and 1901 but steam-powered technology leaped forward to unknown bounds. (Think of the movie Wild Wild West and you'll have an idea of what steampunk is. Not a very good idea because it was a terrible movie, but an idea.)

Picture from Geek Serious
Kato, Queen of Steampunk and
one of the pioneers of Steampunk Couture.

Steam on the Horizon by Melissa Ann Conroy is the first book I have ever read that was steampunk. It follows Captain Gavin Roberts and his crew of the airship the Horizon as they work to repair the ship after a boiler explosion, unwanted notoriety of being the fastest airship in England- possibly the world- and hunting for jobs to keep food in their bellies and the ship in the air all while trying to avoid the attention of Sir Smothers, the businessman who controlled the majority of all shipping-marine and air- in the world.

For some reason steampunk just goes with hookah.
Opium would have been a better fit but there is a distinct
lack of Victorian-era opium dens in millennial Nebraska.

Why would Smothers care about one single airship?

He used to own her when she was the Lucky Lady... and that boiler explosion killed his son who was the captain of her at the time.

There is no love lost between Roberts and Smothers and their relationship worsens when Roberts' friend from childhood turned mad inventor puts a whole new boiler and engine in the Horizon, making her the fastest and most fuel efficient airship in operation.

This being my first foray into steampunk, I was a little afraid that Steam on the Horizon would be all gears and goggles but little substance. I was very happy to be wrong. Roberts is a good captain. He cares for his crew, loves his ship, and tries to keep everything in the air, but he's not afraid to fight when necessary to defend what is his. The crew of the Horizon are all wonderfully written characters from the stoic first mate Oboe who would follow Roberts to the end of the earth to green-and-eager-to-please Bloomberg, the slightly mad Barking Jack, and the unwilling crew member: inventor and cocaine addicted Halloway.

Conroy has a great understanding of airships and is the master of the universe she has created for the Aether Saga. I can't wait to read more. The second in the series, Clouds of War is currently living on my bookshelf, begging to be read, but it will have to wait a bit until I get some others read. No word on more books in the series yet, but hopefully soon.