Steampunk Romance Serves Up a Steamy Reputation: Book Review of The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook

I think I'm not alone in the librarian world as being rather clueless about the subgenre of steampunk prior to Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan (and its sequel, Behemoth) coming on the scene.  I liked these books very much, particularly for the middle school age reader, and I made a point of collecting a few anthologies that had this subgenre as their focus, but didn't pay more attention than that.

Big mistake.  Upon further reflection, I have discovered I love steampunk.

My first revelation was when I read Cassandra Clare's Clockwork Angel (the prequel to the Mortal Instruments series).  Excuse me?  Automatons? Clockworks? Corsets?  Conflicted female gender roles?  Yes, it's fantasy, but it's also steampunk.

Wanting to be reflective in the hope that it will clue me into other readers who might enjoy this subgenre, I think the following observations are in order regarding the reader group I have observed who are really jonesing for these books:

1. Steampunk readers seem to be made up of adventurous readers, usually ones who enjoy historical fiction, alternate history, science fiction, fantasy, historical romance, or all of the above.  They aren't the readers who bog down in one genre and stay there.
2. Steampunk readers (at least in my library) are largely female and seem to revel in the many strong female characters.
3. At the same time, those readers like the fact that there are some Victorian mores and REALLY enjoy the descriptions of the clothes. ("Steampunk is...the love child of Hot Topic and a BBC costume drama." - Gail Carriger, author of the steampunk The Parasol Protectorate series.)

What fascinates me is that this doesn't seem to be a type of book younger kids are that interested in (yes, Westerfeld's books are well read in among our younger readers, but they usually start their interest with his other science fiction books).  Cassandra Clare certainly has a lot of adult readers who love her books (and are waiting with bated breath for her first movie adaptation to release) as does Gail Carringer, so it makes sense that there would be some rather...well....adult romance books with a steampunk focus.

Enter Meljean Brook and The Iron Duke.  As the rippling abs of the cover model indicate, this book has a racy side (a very racy side).  That said, it is a fascinating and well-written steampunk novel with highly developed characters and a carefully constructed alternate history.

I will confess to being confused for the first 50 pages or so (my "give it 80 pages" rule usually pulls me through most books).  Brook gives a terrific explanation of the alternate history she's developed on her website (it's so fascinating that I imagine a lot of readers will be looking for books about some of the time periods involved) but I've developed a nutshell version that might help other readers struggling as I did for that first bit of the book.

Stretch back to your World Civilization class in high school and you'll remember the early relationship between Kublai Khan and western Europe, specifically how the Polo family traipsed East and established some valuable trade routes (okay, much of my memory comes from the 1982 miniseries Marco Polo and the subsequently released novel based on the screenplay.  Whatever.)  In Brook's books, rather than maintain a political strategy of isolationism (as China did for some time), the "Horde" uses their advanced Chinese technology to develop machines which roll into Europe a couple hundred years post-Polo, and conquer it, enslaving its citizens.

The people who can flee to the Americas since the Horde has never developed a navy, but the remaining citizens live in terror.  Part of the Horde's strategy is to enslave and alter the people under them with technology.  Europeans are infected with nanotechnology ("bugs") that can control their behavior if needed, and some laborers actually have tools grafted to their arms a la Star Trek's Borg (think coal miners with drills for arms). Even the most intimate details fall under Horde control - the working classes are forbidden to marry and the entire country is subject to periodic "Frenzies" where the Horde activates the nanotechnology to cause citizens to literally fall on one another in a massive heat, regardless of age, sexual orientation, or existing genetic relationship.  The babies produced from this event are usually given to the Creche, a state-run orphanage.

England manages to throw off the Horde's control with the help of pirate Rhys Trahaearn, who destroys the tower that sends forth the signals which control the nanotechnology in each citizen, thus freeing the population.  A grateful nation makes him the Duke of Anglesley, but he is shrouded in mystery and simultaneously loved and feared.

Enter our heroine, Detective Inspector Mina Wentworth, daughter of a countess who works (as many women do) but who constantly faces prejudice whereever she goes.  Mina is the result of a particularly calculated "frenzy" as her mother was invited, along with the rest of British aristocracy, to a Horde-hosted ball when the frenzy instinct was activated.  While her mother claims to remember nothing, Mina's black hair and Eurasian features remind everyone she encounters of their time under Horde control, subjecting her to a great deal of verbal and physical abuse. 

But Mina is tough (and she has a fabulous sidekick who acts as a bodyguard as well as fellow investigator) and when she is dispatched to investigate a dead body found at the Iron Duke's London home, she attempts to simply work the case, but the instant attraction between them complicates an already puzzling investigation.  The body has been frozen and dropped from an airship as some kind of message and together, Mina and the Duke need to figure out what really is going on, little realizing the physical and emotional countries this journey will take them through.

I loved this book not just as a steampunk novel but as a true romance novel.  The relationship, while having a lot of steamy attraction, develops naturally and deals honestly with the barriers in its way.  The emotional damage people suffer in the wake of the Horde's rule are everpresent and add an additional dimension to forming an intimate relationship.

And, hello, these are intimate!  The intimacy scenes are "burst into flame in your hands" hot, but I wouldn't call them erotica since they are appropriate in the context of the book and actually further develop the characters.  The description language is a little more ribald that many traditional historical romance readers would probably expect, but it seems right for both a pirate and for a country that has lived through its recent history.  This book was so outstanding (and so detailed with the history and political machinations that I immediately ordered a used copy for my personal library so I can reread it at will) that checked to see when the next book was coming out (the cover is labeled "A Novel of the Iron Seas" so I felt that was a giveaway). 

Score!  While we have to wait for November 1st of this year for Heart of Steel to come out, I was thrilled to discover a companion novella, found in the anthology Burning Up, entitled "Here There Be Monsters".  I purchased the Kindle version and downloaded this puppy right to my iPod touch for an immediate "shhh, shhh, don't bother me" read-through.

I was not disappointed - this novella is just as well-written as The Iron Duke and has several tie-ins, both in character and in overarching plotline, that anyone would enjoy.  In a way it feels like a lighter book, simply because the two love interests, Captain Eben Machen (known as "Mad Machen") and Ivy Blacksmith, are less tortured than Mina and Rhys (but still have their own set of obstacles).  I've no doubt in true romance series fashion that we will see them again and I cannot wait - they were terrific characters who met my expectations for passionate love scenes as well as what it means to sacrifice to be with someone you truly love.

Interested in exploring steampunk further?  Check out the GoodReads list of "Best Steampunk Books" list for a place to start and enjoy!