[Book] Free-Wrench by Joseph Lallo (another book series about an airship crew) (lemmy.zip)

submitted 2 weeks ago by Hammerjack@lemmy.zip to c/steampunk@lemmy.zip

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Similar to my recommendation for Retribution Falls, the Free-Wrench series is another "found family" story about the adventures of a crew on an airship. For some reason though, this series feels more "pulp" than Retribution Falls. It's probably because this series was self-published while Retribution Falls was published by Spectra. Or maybe it's because each book in the Free-Wrench series is only ~200 pages. Still, it's a fun series with surprisingly robust world-building.

The series is about a mechanic living on an island which is isolated from the rest of the world. She joins the crew of an airship to find a way to save her dying mother but then gets caught up in all the problems in the rest of the world.

I'll admit what drew me to this series initially was that I could listen to the entire thing on audiobook through Hoopla. If you have a US library card, I think this is the way to go because the narrator for this series is fantastic. She gives every character a unique voice so you always know who's speaking. It made the story so immersive that I just kept jumping to the next book, and the next. The series is a fun read already, but the audiobook is amazing. Highly recommended.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DBH7XBP
Hoopla: https://www.hoopladigital.com/series/2160900069
Audible: https://www.audible.com/series/Free-Wrench-Series-Audiobooks/B079YNPJ93

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[-] mcSlibinas@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

Fast, impressive, colorfull book. I have read and i like it! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

this post was submitted on 22 Feb 2026

12 points (100.0% liked)

Steampunk

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What is Steampunk?

Steampunk is a science‑fiction and speculative‑history sub-genre imagining an alternate past (usually the 19th century) in which advanced technology is powered by steam, clockwork, and Victorian‑era engineering. Often described as “elegant machinery and anarchic adventure,” Steampunk stories explore societies transformed by retro‑futuristic inventions, with characters, inventors, and rogues navigating worlds where brass, gears, and steam drive both progress and social conflict.

Steampunk characteristics include:

Alternate historical or Victorian‑inspired settings where steam power and clockwork tech are dominant
Visible, mechanical technology: brass, gears, pressure gauges, airships, clockwork prosthetics, and elaborate contraptions
Characters who are inventors, engineers, explorers, artisans, or social outsiders familiar with mechanical craft
Aesthetic influences from Victorian fashion, gaslight streets, and period design mixed with imaginative machinery
Themes exploring industrialization, class disparity, the ethics of invention, nostalgia for craftsmanship, and questions about progress versus human cost

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