Carpe Librum: Steampunk

Odd Apocalypse is the fifth book in the Odd Thomas series by Dean Koontz and follows directly on from Odd Interlude.

Odd and his pregnant companion Annamaria, are staying at Roseland Estate by invitation of the billionaire owner. Staying in the guest tower Odd gets the feeling that something isn't right and soon discovers a boy who needs his help.

With less horror and more science fiction, Odd Apocalypse is a good story, but I can't help but feel (as Odd does) the inevitable pull to the end of the series; and possibly Odd's life.

My favourite quote from the book which demonstrates the Koontz style and sense of humour is an excerpt as follows:

"The chef was intent upon adding to a pile of eyes on the cutting board beside the sink, where he was blinding several pounds of potatoes before peeling them."

With the final book in the series - Saint Odd - due out in December 2014, I've been making good progress through the series this year. To be honest though, I would only recommend reading Odd Apocalypse if you've been following the series. It would be unsatisfying to read it in isolation.

My rating = ***

Carpe Librum!

Here's the complete series of Odd Thomas books by Dean Koontz (not including graphic novels):
Book #1   Odd Thomas
Book #2   Forever Odd
Book #3   Brother Odd
Book #4   Odd Hours
Book #4.5 Odd Interlude
Book #5 Odd Apocalypse
Book #6 Deeply Odd
Book #7 Saint Odd

There was some discussion recently amongst book-lovers wanting to find out more about the steampunk* genre and some reading suggestions. So, I've compiled a list (alphabetical by author surname) of some of the most popular steampunk novels from its inception in 1987, and there's something for everyone:

Lady of Devices (Magnificent Devices #1) by Shelley Adina
The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
Phoenix Rising (Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences #1) by Philippa Ballantine
The Iron Duke (Iron Seas #1) by Meljean Brook
Heart of Steel (Iron Seas #2) by Meljean Brook
Riveted (Iron Seas #3) by Meljean Brook
Soulless (Parasol Protectorate, #1) by Gail Carriger
Changeless (Parasol Protectorate, #2) by Gail Carriger
Blameless (Parasol Protectorate, #3) by Gail Carriger
Heartless (Parasol Protectorate, #4) by Gail Carriger
Timeless (Parasol Protectorate, #5) by Gail Carriger
Etiquette & Espionage (Finishing School #1) by Gail Carriger
Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1) by Cassandra Clare
Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2) by Cassandra Clare
Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3) by Cassandra Clare
The Girl in the Steel Corset (Steampunk Chronicles #1) by Kady Cross
The Strange Case of Finley Jayne (Steampunk Chronicles #0.5) by Kady Cross
The Girl in the Clockwork Collar (Steampunk Chronicles #2) by Kady Cross
Wicked as They Come (Blud #1) by Delilah S. Dawson
Cold Magic by Kate Elliott
Incarceron (Incarceron #1) by Catherine Fisher
The Difference Engine by William Gibson
Masque of the Red Death (Masque of the Red Death #1) by Bethany Griffin
The Greyfriar (Vampire Empire #1) by Clay Griffith
Dearly, Departed (Gone With the Respiration #1) by Lia Habel
The Native Star (Veneficas Americana #1) by M.K. Hobson
The Court of the Air (Jackelian #1) by Stephen Hunt
Infernal Devices by K.W. Jeter
The Iron Thorn (Iron Codex #1) by Caitlin Kittredge
The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress
Stormdancer (The Lotus War #1) by Jay Kristoff
Steampunk! An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories by Kelly Link
The Affinity Bridge (Newbury and Hobbes #1) byGeorge Mann
Kiss of Steel (London Steampunk #1) by Bec McMaster
Perdido Street Station (New Crobuzon #1) by China Mieville
Dead Iron (Age of Steam #1) by Devon Monk
Airborn (Matt Cruse #1) by Kenneth Oppel
Boneshaker (The Clockwork Century #1) by Cherie Priest
Clementine (The Clockwork Century #1.1) by Cherie Priest
Dreadnought (The Clockwork Century #2) by Cherie Priest
Ganymede (The Clockwork Century #4) by Cherie Priest
The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials #1) by Philip Pullman
The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials #2) by Philip Pullman
The Ruby in the Smoke (Sally Lockhart #1) by Philip Pullman
The Shadow in the North (Sally Lockhart #2) by Philip Pullman
Mortal Engines (The Hungry City Chronicles #1) by Philip Reeve
The Iron Wyrm Affair (Bannon & Clare #1) by Lilith Saintcrow
Corsets & Clockwork: 13 Steampunk Romances by Trisha Telep
Steampunk by Jeff VanderMeer
Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
The Mammoth Book of Steampunk by Sean Wallace
The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
Leviathan (Leviathan, #1) by Scott Westerfeld
Behemoth (Leviathan, #2) by Scott Westerfeld
Goliath (Leviathan, #3) by Scott Westerfeld
Retribution Falles (Tales of the Ketty Jay #1) by Chris Wooding

Have you read any of these? Do you have any additional suggestions? Please tell us in the comments below.

*Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction that typically features steam-powered machinery, especially in a setting inspired by industrialised Western civilisation during the 19th century. Other features include Victorian inspired fashion with the inclusion of brass and leather, and of course cogs, cogs, cogs!

The term steampunk's first known appearance was in 1987, though it now retroactively refers to many works of fiction created even as far back as the 1950s or 1960s. Source: Wikipedia