Steampunk StoryBundle is Amazeballs…

Hi there! Today I’m talking about a great deal I ran across through my friend and fellow writer, Susan Kaye Quinn. I have featured a few of her books in the past, not hard to–she’s a talented and prolific indie author–but today’s deal is unique to me. A story bundle.

1efc1-thirddaughter_cvr_medThe way a StoryBundle works is described below, so please read on. In the meantime, I’m going to share mini-reviews from two of the books in the bundle.

The first is Quinn’s own THIRD DAUGHTER. I have adored both this and the sequel SECOND DAUGHTER (not part of the bundle).

They are steampunk books set in the fictional East Indian-inspired matriarchal world of Dharia and feature a daredevil of a princess bent on saving herself from a loveless marriage and her country from a war.

imageThe second book in the Bundle I finished was THE MACHINE GOD by MeiLin Miranda. This story focuses on the adventure of Dr. Adewole, a linguist and Humanities expert investigating the floating island of Risenton. Myths surround this site, and when a power source becomes available, Adewole and a team of explorers and military-folk ascend a mile into the sky to meet an untouched culture. Their arrival is legendary, but the mystery surrounding Risenton’s history takes up the tale.

Adewole’s mission to study the history of the city uncovers the primary documents of a sinister inventor who combined magic with metal and brought about his own destruction–along with those of thousands of Risenton-folk. Now, a thousand years later, Adewole’s research uncovers the power behind that destruction, and he’s an inadvertent accomplice to (perhaps) the second coming.

It’s like STARGATE and THE IRON GIANT had a love child and called it THE MACHINE GOD. I loved it. Like both of those movies, malevolent forces are working behind the scenes to weaponize an ordinarily peaceful invention.

Beyond creative, I also loved that the main character of THE MACHINE GOD, Adewole, was a man of color and a scholar. The steampunk elements remain throughout, but the fantasy elements, from living metal to sentient, speaking birds, make this story unique. This book is truly well-written allowing the fantasy to simply blend instead of outshine. The fun thing is there’s another book in the Bundle–BLACK MERCURY–which adopts a similar setting, so I’m anxious to dive into it.

Now, each of these books purchased through Amazon would cost $3.99. You can set your own price on the StoryBundle site for the purchase of the first four books in the Bundle, but if you pay more than $10, they kick in three bonus books (a $12 value).

I’m new to StoryBundle, but I’m going to watching this take off. What is also cool as that each book comes separate, unlike a boxed set where you have to page through six books to get to the last one in the set…something prolific eReaders (like myself) can appreciate.

The Bundle of Extraordinary Steampunk

Story Bundle is like Price Line for Books where you choose your own price! It’s a great way for readers to discover new authors in a genre they already love. This steampunk story bundle was curated by Susan Kaye Quinn (author of Third Daughter, a steampunk fantasy romance), and she explains what steampunk is all about below.  Hop over to see how you set-your-own-price on these story bundles and scoop it up for yourself (bundle lasts a limited time only)!

The Bundle of Extraordinary Steampunk
Curated by Susan Kaye Quinn

The most common question I get about steampunk books is, What is steampunk?

The easy answer is that steampunk stories are set in the 19th century Victorian era when steam-driven technology was primary, corsets were tight, and tea was a formal affair. But that’s like saying science fiction is about spaceships when the genre is much broader, deeper, and more amazing than that. (And yes, steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction.)

With a thriving real-life steampunk culture that is very do-it-yourself in inventing characters, costumes, and gadgets, the real answer is that steampunk can be virtually anything you want it to be. It’s this tremendous devotion to creativity that actually drew me in to writing steampunk in the first place (along with the gorgeous costumes!). In this steampunk bundle, we have an east-Indian fantasy romance, an Asian-flavored pirate love story, a Shakespearean retelling, two stories set in a common world with a floating island, a young adult adventure about a lightning invention, and a story that uses Arcane Science in the modern world. These stories are perfect examples of the truly rich diversity of steampunk stories, while each also portrays a world where steam technology shifts the ground under their characters feet.

We think of the Victorian era as being somewhat repressed, but it really was a time of tremendous change: class divisions, and the aristocracy it supported, were being challenged by the everyday men and women who were bringing about amazing technological advances. Science was on the rise! And the beautiful costuming and formal traditions of the past were coming into conflict with those first hints of the modern world. Steampunk stories in general resonate with readers not just because of their fun, escapist fantasy; a flight into the past when things were simpler, adventures were fought with sword and gun, and social strictures brought some order to the world, but because the upheaval wrought by technological change still resonates with our real lives today.

What is steampunk?
It’s a story like any other story: a chance to escape the world for a few hours, to live in the wilderness of an author’s imagination, to adventure, to fall in love, to die for one’s friends. It’s classic storytelling in a visually rich, emotionally gripping era that still resonates with us today. Plus you get to rollick about in corsets and top hats, inventing gadgets and saving the world from the villains who turn that fantastic steam technology to their own dastardly purposes.

Strap on your goggles and prepare for the ride!
— Susan Kaye Quinn

The Bundle of Extraordinary Steampunk
CLICK HERE TO GET IT

StoryBundle was created to give a platform for independent authors to showcase their work, and a source of quality titles for thirsty readers. StoryBundle works with authors to create bundles of ebooks that can be purchased by readers at their desired price. Before starting StoryBundle, Founder Jason Chen covered technology and software as an editor for Gizmodo.com and Lifehacker.com.

For more information, visit our website at storybundle.com, Tweet us at @storybundle, Like us on Facebook, and Plus us on Google Plus. For press inquiries, please email press@storybundle.com.