Infernal devices

Set in a steam-powered Victorian world, this steampunk novel by K. W. Jeter leans on brass, gears and ingenious contraptions, yet its eccentric cast takes center stage. The humor is dark, and the characters are colorful and unpredictable enough that the machines never overshadow them. Readers who like imaginative, offbeat alternate-history adventure will find the book's inventive style and gleeful strangeness a good fit.