These closely linked and frequently overlapping genres share a love for alt-Victorian settings, but also stretch themselves into the Regency and Edwardian time periods. As they blend historical intrigue with invention and enchantment, you’ll stumble across various combinations of gears and steam, airships and alchemy, haunted rooms, fae entanglements, and the occasional dash of mad (or magical) science.
If these are the kind of worlds you’re looking to lose yourself in, scan the chart below, make your choice and click on an author’s website to find out how best to avoid your current reality.
Anne Renwick stands out for weaving real (and impossible) science into the Elemental Web Chronicles, Tales & Stories where brilliant women wield microscopes as deftly as daggers and fall for smart — and dangerous — men who join them on high-stakes adventures.
Jacqueline Benson blends suspense with supernatural mystery in the Raiders of the Arcana series. Her stories drop rational minds into irrational worlds, where time slips, psychic phenomena, and ancient relics force daring heroines and their reluctant allies to defy both science and danger.
Gail Carriger is a cornerstone of the steampunk genre but also falls into gaslamp fantasy. She’s best known for her Parasol Protectorate series where witty, parasol-wielding heroines outsmart vampires, flirt with impeccably dressed werewolves, and navigate Victorian society with both charm and snark.
A.J. Lancaster enchants with her gaslamp fantasy Stariel series, where fae bargains, magical estates, and family secrets provide us with slow-burn romance wrapped in elegance and whimsy, as a reluctant heir must tame a land—and a love—that refuses to behave.
Bec McMaster delivers gritty, high-stakes romance in her London Steampunk series, where dark alchemy, deadly politics, and brooding heroes collide in a world ruled by vampires and rebellion.
Colleen Cowley fuses political rebellion with arcane magic in the Clandestine Magic trilogy, where a determined heroine teams up with a powerful (and attractive) mage to take down a totalitarian regime.
Writers like Meljean Brook helped define the steampunk genre with her Iron Seas series — sweeping adventures set in a world reshaped by nanotechnology and mechanical marvels, where fierce heroines face pirates, politics, and passion on the high seas.
Casey Blair dazzles with her Tea Princess Chronicles, where courtly intrigue and quiet rebellion meet in a whimsical, gaslamp world. Her heroines wield kindness like a weapon, choosing diplomacy over destruction—but never at the cost of their convictions.
C.J. Archer also spans the two genres, enchanting readers with slow-burn romance and shadowy intrigue in her gaslamp-steeped worlds, where Victorian manners clash with magical secrets, and each mystery peels back another layer of danger and desire.
Nicole McKeon crafts fast‑paced gaslamp fantasy in The Gwen St. James Affair, following eccentric Lady Gwenevere St. James as she tackles kidnappings in magical New London. Her stories are loaded with alchemy, fae lore, crime-solving, and slow‑burn romance.
Tilly Wallace blends Regency manners with magical mayhem in Manners and Monsters, where a clever heroine confronts alchemical threats, undead afflictions, and society’s expectations.
But WAIT! There’s MORE!
Where? Here!
