The Steampunk Boiler Room

I just finished reading The Bookman and its sequel, Camera Obscura, by an Israeli author named Lavie Tidhar.

I thought they were both quite good, though the tales differ in nature. The first is the tale of Orphan, a young man in a London ruled by reptilian royalty, who is set upon a journey of self-discovery when his fiancee is killed by a bomb concealed in a book. The second is a murder mystery that begins with a locked-room puzzle in Paris, and proceeds to a world-spanning intrigue that sets the detective, Milady de Winter, at odds with nearly everyone, including her bosses, the mysterious council of automatons who rule France.

I expect a third volume is forthcoming, since there are unresolved story elements. Each novel is a stand-alone story, and can be read independently of the other, though I would still recommend reading them in order.

Best regards,
CeruleanSon