Aurorarama

Introducing the Mysteries of New Venice steampunk trilogy with a first volume that “entrances and delights” (NPR)
In the defense of steampunk comes a literary adventure unlike anything you’ve read before. 1908, New Venice: An ominous black airship hovers in the sky, and the city is hunting for the author of a radical pamphlet calling for revolt. The lead suspect is Brentford Orsini, one of the city’s most prominent figures. As the net around him tightens, Orsini receives a mysterious message from a long-lost love that compels him to act.

Brilliant in its conception, masterful in its prose, thrilling in its plot twists, and laced with humor, suspense, and intelligence, Aurorarama marks the beginning of a great new series of books.

Illustrations from *Aurorarama*
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Title pageA Panorama of New Venice"He drew a curtain aside...""...the disused Pneumatic subway line"

Described as “gloriously retro literary steampunk” (Guardian), something like “what Jules Verne would write if woken from the dead and offered a dose of mushrooms” (National), Aurorarama captivated the critics from start to end. As it slowly unravels its secrets through Orsini’s and d’Allier’s alternating perspectives, the narrative “glides on silver skates from the surreal to the absurd to the languorously decadent” (Salon.com), balancing a stylish, suspenseful thriller with eccentric characters, sly humor, and a vivid and alluring setting. Salon.com bemoaned Valtat’s flat female characters and the National cited some of the pitfalls of world building, but these complaints didn’t diminish the charms of New Venice. A sophisticated and literate page-turner, Aurorarama should have a wide appeal among many readers.