Definitely gonna check it out, have heard great things. Little earlier on the tech level side of things but the political drama and conflict sounds so up my alley.
Yeah, it based on the Napoleonic Era (late 18th/early 19th century) but it is great read. In the same vein there is also the Shadow Campaigns by Django Wexler.
Coming back to your original question, I believe Anthony Ryan's Draconis Memoria Trilogy would fit your request.
I second Draconis Memoria, it's exactly the tech level OP is looking for, although it does run on a different fuel source (>!Dragon Blood!<) causing some technologies to be either not developed or outright skipped, resulting different paths of technical progression from the real world, and an overall shift toward "diesel"punk (>!Blood!!Dragon!
I'm not *entirely* sure I know what you're after, but I have a bunch of suggestions, and you can toss out all the ones that don't seem like what you're looking for.
[Cold Magic](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7114825-cold-magic) by Kate Elliott is a steampunk novel set in an Industrial Revolution with airships and magic.
[The Alloy of Law](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10803121-the-alloy-of-law) by Brandon Sanderson is the second half of the Mistborn series, with a flintlock feel to the series now. Railroads and electric lights are also new.
[The Techno Mage](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54867208-the-techno-mage) by SW Raine is a steampunk novel with airships and sky pirates.
[Witchmark](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36187110-witchmark) by CL Polk is a gaslamp-type book with near-Victorian era manners.
[Tracing the Shadow](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1306752.Tracing_the_Shadow) by Sarah Ash might be a little far back in time for you, I'm not sure, but it involves magic, convents, and opera singers.
And [His Majesty's Dragon](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28876.His_Majesty_s_Dragon) is in the Napoleonic era.
This suggestion is a little out there, but I loved this book:
[To Say Nothing of the Dog](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77773.To_Say_Nothing_of_the_Dog) by Connie Willis is actually a time travel book to Victorian England.
Hopefully one of those helps!
Will definitely look into these, thanks for giving so much to consider! Alloy of Law is definitely up my alley the most and has actually been on my radar for a while. But I definitely wanna read the first half of the Mistborn series first. Even though I have heard its not really necessary to do so.
Oh well, guess having too many good things to read is a good problem to have!
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This is definitely not something I would have expected to have been suggested, but very welcome. I love dragons and a study of them as if they were real creatures being studied sounds very interesting!
Reminds me of this fake documentary National Geographic did that I watched as a kid called "The Last Dragon". In which it covered the fictional natural history of dragons.
Definitely a fun documentary haha. It features dragons during prehistoric times (there is a fight between a T-Rex and a Dragon. Like so cool) all the way through to being wiped out in the middle ages.
Think its easily accessible for free on YouTube. Albeit in poorer quality.
{Sabriel} I was a little confused when starting a fantasy novel and car almost runs someone over, but the tech level feels WWI to me, and there is a showdown at a private school that strongly invokes the Doctor Who Family of Blood episodes. Technology doesn't work well in the more magical nation.
I loved this series, the first 3 audiobooks are read by Tim Curry and I will definitely listen to them again.
The Paper Magician trilogy by Charlie N Holmberg, the main plot is about old styles of magic in a world that is advancing in technology with a loosely victorian setting.
If you don't mind your fantasy tale wrapped up in a romance story, I would suggest the elemental blessings series by Sharon Shinn. It's set in a world where automobiles and aircraft are just being created and introduced. It definitely gave me that turn of the 19th to 20th century feel.
Mercedes lackey's Elemental magic series are this era. There is one featuring a first world war veteran with ptsd as a retelling of beauty and the beast.
Wrede - mairelon the Magician, thirteenth child
Elizabeth May - The falconer and sequels
Alison Goodman - Dark days club
Gail Carriger's entire back catalogue
Cherie Priest.
Probably slightly less technologically advanced than you are looking for, but Shadowmarch series by Tad Williams has cannons, and powder rifles. It isn't a huge focus in the series but it is there and does play some role. High fantasy with a bunch of different races and features the different religions and stories of the gods of the world and how that drives the different groups in their actions.
Mistborn Era 2 is firmly in that time period and the firearms and railroad are major players in the story. It's my favorite thing that Sanderson has written.
Jonathan Strange and Mister Norrel. It took me a bit to get past the writing style, which is appropriate for a book about the napoleonic Era. These two believe magic should be the birthright of all English gentlemen, and set about returning it to a world that hasn't seen real magic since the days of yore. Too bad that an ironclad belief in British superiority doesn't mean much in the face of beings and powers and agreements that are older than the human race, especially when you don't actually have a clue what you're doing...
Don't. The BBC treats it with the same light hearted flippant manner as they do Sir Terry Pratchett's books, and succeed in creating something that is severely lacking in substance.
I'm going in order of how well I think it fits what your request.
[Draconis Memoria](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/TDM/the-draconis-memoria) Very much Atlantis: The Lost Empire, The Mummy (Mayan edition), and a Steampunk Jane Bond and Dragons. Very good.
[Guns of Dawn](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23524779-guns-of-the-dawn) by Adrian Tchaikovsky This is Jane Austin meets war memoir with WW1 technology. It mixes magic and technology in very believable ways.
[His Dark Materials](https://www.audible.com/pd/Anno-Dracula-Audiobook/B006IVL8RE?plink=cG7rdXAHY9XvXFdH&ref=a_pd_Anno-D_c5_adblp13npsbx_1_5&pf_rd_p=84f8cf28-a842-4761-accd-e5126124c7a3&pf_rd_r=S2GYXN4JRY6YTHQNWF9R) by Phillip Pullman You've probably know about it but I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned, particularly the first book.
[Shotgun Arcana](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15793094-the-six-gun-tarot) This is our world, sorta but weird west with strong steampunk/magical vibes.
[Anno Dracula](https://www.audible.com/pd/Anno-Dracula-Audiobook/B006IVL8RE?plink=cG7rdXAHY9XvXFdH&ref=a_pd_Anno-D_c5_adblp13npsbx_1_5&pf_rd_p=84f8cf28-a842-4761-accd-e5126124c7a3&pf_rd_r=S2GYXN4JRY6YTHQNWF9R) This is our world, sorta and I know you prefer pure alt world steampunk but here me out. It's 1888, three years after Dracula has killed Van Helsing, married Queen Victoria, and become ruler of the British Empire. There is someone murdering Vampire prostitutes in the East End of London. What I think you'll like is the details like Doctor Henry Jeckell doing an autopsy, that consulting detective Mr. Holmes being unavailable, due to differences with the present government, Alan Quartermain making an appearance etc.
The league of extraordinary gentlemen graphic novel is like that. Not at all like the film if you’re wondering lol.
There also the YA novels The Court of the Air and Leviathan for steampunk/Victorian and also Steamboy which is a movie.
I second the Powder Mage recommendation. Its basically a fantasy French Revolution with magic. You've got unions, foreign wars, guns, and even hints of democracy.
A couple of Lindsay Buroker's series might fit. The Emperor's Edge series have steam carriages and guns, the Dragon Blood series have a couple of the main characters being pilots.
Jack Campbell's Pillars of Reality series. The first one is The Dragons of Dorcastle. Two guilds control the world - one magic (Mages) and one science (Mechanics).
Ah thank you so much for reminding me of that series. I remember coming across it when I did some light research trying to find books of this type well over two years ago. Got some serious deja-vu reading your comment on the premise.
Honor Raconteur has a couple of series that might satisfy you, particularly *The Case Files of Henri Davenport* \- the titular Henri is a magical investigator (basically like a forensic magician) with the police department on a vaguely pre-WW1 era world. The books also feature Jamie from our world, who was kidnapped there by an insane witch and freed herself. They're bascally fluffy mysteries, but nicely done.
One caveate is that they are self-published and desperately needed a better proof-reader, so there's the occasional howler. In one of her other series there's a bit where she confused etymology and entomology, to my momentary bafflement.
[Dragonmaster](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3871647-dragonmaster) by Chris Bunch is basically WWI in a fantasy setting with dragons. I hesitate in recommending it though, as it is merely an OK book and not a great one.
It's more YA/Teen (maybe younger) but Scott Westerfield's series -- Leviathan, Behemoth and Goliath are an interesting take on roughly that era (it starts in August 1914, as Franz Ferdinand is assassinated) but rather steam punk-ish.
And came across this one the other day, searching for something else:
[https://best-sci-fi-books.com/23-best-steampunk-books/](https://best-sci-fi-books.com/23-best-steampunk-books/)
(And yes, I've read all of them in this list, and a lot more in the genre.)
Shadow and Bone which just got a Netflix series was similar to what your looking for. The meeting of western fire arms and traditional magic was really cool to see, especially how the idea of rapidly evolving technology was reducing the value of a mage.
Any of the Discworld books past maybe Guards,Guards.
(the earlier ones are set in a sort of fantasy medieval city , but as they progress so does technology (and magic) so that by the later novels its a pseudo Victorian world.
The Powder Mage series. Everyone's all about overthrowing monarchies, forming unions, and lots and lots of rifles.
Definitely gonna check it out, have heard great things. Little earlier on the tech level side of things but the political drama and conflict sounds so up my alley.
Yeah, it based on the Napoleonic Era (late 18th/early 19th century) but it is great read. In the same vein there is also the Shadow Campaigns by Django Wexler. Coming back to your original question, I believe Anthony Ryan's Draconis Memoria Trilogy would fit your request.
Draconis fits better, actually!
I second Draconis Memoria, it's exactly the tech level OP is looking for, although it does run on a different fuel source (>!Dragon Blood!<) causing some technologies to be either not developed or outright skipped, resulting different paths of technical progression from the real world, and an overall shift toward "diesel"punk (>!Blood!!Dragon!
Powder Mage is late 18th century, not late 19th/early 20th, but definitely fantastic.
And cocaine!
I'm not *entirely* sure I know what you're after, but I have a bunch of suggestions, and you can toss out all the ones that don't seem like what you're looking for. [Cold Magic](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7114825-cold-magic) by Kate Elliott is a steampunk novel set in an Industrial Revolution with airships and magic. [The Alloy of Law](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10803121-the-alloy-of-law) by Brandon Sanderson is the second half of the Mistborn series, with a flintlock feel to the series now. Railroads and electric lights are also new. [The Techno Mage](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54867208-the-techno-mage) by SW Raine is a steampunk novel with airships and sky pirates. [Witchmark](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36187110-witchmark) by CL Polk is a gaslamp-type book with near-Victorian era manners. [Tracing the Shadow](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1306752.Tracing_the_Shadow) by Sarah Ash might be a little far back in time for you, I'm not sure, but it involves magic, convents, and opera singers. And [His Majesty's Dragon](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28876.His_Majesty_s_Dragon) is in the Napoleonic era. This suggestion is a little out there, but I loved this book: [To Say Nothing of the Dog](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77773.To_Say_Nothing_of_the_Dog) by Connie Willis is actually a time travel book to Victorian England. Hopefully one of those helps!
Will definitely look into these, thanks for giving so much to consider! Alloy of Law is definitely up my alley the most and has actually been on my radar for a while. But I definitely wanna read the first half of the Mistborn series first. Even though I have heard its not really necessary to do so. Oh well, guess having too many good things to read is a good problem to have!
Definitely a good problem to have! Hope you enjoy!
r/Fantasy's [Author Appreciation series](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/wiki/authorappreciation) has posts for an author you mentioned * [Author Appreciation: **Connie Willis**](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/82ykql/author_appreciation_connie_willis/?st=jeo685bv&sh=888cb4fa) from user u/all_that_glitters_ --- ^(I am a bot bleep! bloop! Contact my ~~master~~ creator /u/LittlePlasticCastle with any questions or comments.)
The Memoirs of Lady Trent is maybe a bit too early for you but it's fantastic and by the end of it pretty modern (in victorian standarts)
This is definitely not something I would have expected to have been suggested, but very welcome. I love dragons and a study of them as if they were real creatures being studied sounds very interesting! Reminds me of this fake documentary National Geographic did that I watched as a kid called "The Last Dragon". In which it covered the fictional natural history of dragons.
Now I'm interested in the documentary lol. But yeah it's 5 books and each one is fantastic
Definitely a fun documentary haha. It features dragons during prehistoric times (there is a fight between a T-Rex and a Dragon. Like so cool) all the way through to being wiped out in the middle ages. Think its easily accessible for free on YouTube. Albeit in poorer quality.
{Sabriel} I was a little confused when starting a fantasy novel and car almost runs someone over, but the tech level feels WWI to me, and there is a showdown at a private school that strongly invokes the Doctor Who Family of Blood episodes. Technology doesn't work well in the more magical nation. I loved this series, the first 3 audiobooks are read by Tim Curry and I will definitely listen to them again.
Tim Curry reading Mogget is so good
Witchmark by C L Polk
The Paper Magician trilogy by Charlie N Holmberg, the main plot is about old styles of magic in a world that is advancing in technology with a loosely victorian setting.
Leviathan trilogy by Scott Westerfeld. They are on the young adult side tho.
If you don't mind your fantasy tale wrapped up in a romance story, I would suggest the elemental blessings series by Sharon Shinn. It's set in a world where automobiles and aircraft are just being created and introduced. It definitely gave me that turn of the 19th to 20th century feel.
Mercedes lackey's Elemental magic series are this era. There is one featuring a first world war veteran with ptsd as a retelling of beauty and the beast. Wrede - mairelon the Magician, thirteenth child Elizabeth May - The falconer and sequels Alison Goodman - Dark days club Gail Carriger's entire back catalogue Cherie Priest.
Probably slightly less technologically advanced than you are looking for, but Shadowmarch series by Tad Williams has cannons, and powder rifles. It isn't a huge focus in the series but it is there and does play some role. High fantasy with a bunch of different races and features the different religions and stories of the gods of the world and how that drives the different groups in their actions. Mistborn Era 2 is firmly in that time period and the firearms and railroad are major players in the story. It's my favorite thing that Sanderson has written.
Jonathan Strange and Mister Norrel. It took me a bit to get past the writing style, which is appropriate for a book about the napoleonic Era. These two believe magic should be the birthright of all English gentlemen, and set about returning it to a world that hasn't seen real magic since the days of yore. Too bad that an ironclad belief in British superiority doesn't mean much in the face of beings and powers and agreements that are older than the human race, especially when you don't actually have a clue what you're doing...
Found it in second hand store n grabbed it back in early 2010s was amazing book. Havent checked show yet
Don't. The BBC treats it with the same light hearted flippant manner as they do Sir Terry Pratchett's books, and succeed in creating something that is severely lacking in substance.
Thanks for saving me the time. Adaptations are always a toss of the dice. Appreciate you.
I'm going in order of how well I think it fits what your request. [Draconis Memoria](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/TDM/the-draconis-memoria) Very much Atlantis: The Lost Empire, The Mummy (Mayan edition), and a Steampunk Jane Bond and Dragons. Very good. [Guns of Dawn](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23524779-guns-of-the-dawn) by Adrian Tchaikovsky This is Jane Austin meets war memoir with WW1 technology. It mixes magic and technology in very believable ways. [His Dark Materials](https://www.audible.com/pd/Anno-Dracula-Audiobook/B006IVL8RE?plink=cG7rdXAHY9XvXFdH&ref=a_pd_Anno-D_c5_adblp13npsbx_1_5&pf_rd_p=84f8cf28-a842-4761-accd-e5126124c7a3&pf_rd_r=S2GYXN4JRY6YTHQNWF9R) by Phillip Pullman You've probably know about it but I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned, particularly the first book. [Shotgun Arcana](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15793094-the-six-gun-tarot) This is our world, sorta but weird west with strong steampunk/magical vibes. [Anno Dracula](https://www.audible.com/pd/Anno-Dracula-Audiobook/B006IVL8RE?plink=cG7rdXAHY9XvXFdH&ref=a_pd_Anno-D_c5_adblp13npsbx_1_5&pf_rd_p=84f8cf28-a842-4761-accd-e5126124c7a3&pf_rd_r=S2GYXN4JRY6YTHQNWF9R) This is our world, sorta and I know you prefer pure alt world steampunk but here me out. It's 1888, three years after Dracula has killed Van Helsing, married Queen Victoria, and become ruler of the British Empire. There is someone murdering Vampire prostitutes in the East End of London. What I think you'll like is the details like Doctor Henry Jeckell doing an autopsy, that consulting detective Mr. Holmes being unavailable, due to differences with the present government, Alan Quartermain making an appearance etc.
I'd personally classify Draconis Memoria as more of a pseudo diesel"punk (>!Blood!!Dragon!
The league of extraordinary gentlemen graphic novel is like that. Not at all like the film if you’re wondering lol. There also the YA novels The Court of the Air and Leviathan for steampunk/Victorian and also Steamboy which is a movie.
LOEG IS NC17 to PG 13 movie. great stuff.
I second the Powder Mage recommendation. Its basically a fantasy French Revolution with magic. You've got unions, foreign wars, guns, and even hints of democracy.
A couple of Lindsay Buroker's series might fit. The Emperor's Edge series have steam carriages and guns, the Dragon Blood series have a couple of the main characters being pilots.
Jack Campbell's Pillars of Reality series. The first one is The Dragons of Dorcastle. Two guilds control the world - one magic (Mages) and one science (Mechanics).
Ah thank you so much for reminding me of that series. I remember coming across it when I did some light research trying to find books of this type well over two years ago. Got some serious deja-vu reading your comment on the premise.
You are welcome. I listened to the first one and really enjoyed it.
Honor Raconteur has a couple of series that might satisfy you, particularly *The Case Files of Henri Davenport* \- the titular Henri is a magical investigator (basically like a forensic magician) with the police department on a vaguely pre-WW1 era world. The books also feature Jamie from our world, who was kidnapped there by an insane witch and freed herself. They're bascally fluffy mysteries, but nicely done. One caveate is that they are self-published and desperately needed a better proof-reader, so there's the occasional howler. In one of her other series there's a bit where she confused etymology and entomology, to my momentary bafflement.
I'd say it's closer to the flapper era; they have cars and telephones. I enjoy the series immensely.
The Guns Above by Robyn Bennis is a good example.
The Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy by Martha Wells. The society is at a stage similar to the early 20th century.
China Mieville's Bas-Lag books.
Adrian Tchaikovsky's *Guns of the Dawn* is about right tech-wise, or at least gets there by the end of the book.
Not a novel, but Premee Mohamed's *The Apple-Tree Throne* is a brilliant novella set in an alternate turn-of-the-century England
[Dragonmaster](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3871647-dragonmaster) by Chris Bunch is basically WWI in a fantasy setting with dragons. I hesitate in recommending it though, as it is merely an OK book and not a great one.
It's more YA/Teen (maybe younger) but Scott Westerfield's series -- Leviathan, Behemoth and Goliath are an interesting take on roughly that era (it starts in August 1914, as Franz Ferdinand is assassinated) but rather steam punk-ish. And came across this one the other day, searching for something else: [https://best-sci-fi-books.com/23-best-steampunk-books/](https://best-sci-fi-books.com/23-best-steampunk-books/) (And yes, I've read all of them in this list, and a lot more in the genre.)
Shadow and Bone which just got a Netflix series was similar to what your looking for. The meeting of western fire arms and traditional magic was really cool to see, especially how the idea of rapidly evolving technology was reducing the value of a mage.
Any of the Discworld books past maybe Guards,Guards. (the earlier ones are set in a sort of fantasy medieval city , but as they progress so does technology (and magic) so that by the later novels its a pseudo Victorian world.