Well, if Victorian England had this sort of person, what was happening in America at the time? Maybe mix in some of those people. And from there, secondary elements began to take root in the primary ones. Jobs in which leather, canvas, and corsets were reasonable precautions found a place in the world. A world emerged in which airships were necessary. From there, I tried to dream up a world that would justify the presence and prevalence of these elements. The first step was jotting down some elements that seemed to define steampunk as a genre: leather, brass, wood, airships, goggles, Victorian influence. As a result, it seemed wise to design Free-Wrench around those elements.įree-Wrench started as a National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) entry. Perhaps more than any other form of science fiction or fantasy, steampunk fans enjoy the look and the fashion of the world they read about. On the surface, it seems to be as much about aesthetics as content. To survive and find what she seeks she’ll need to earn their trust, follow their rules, and meet face to face with the people who pull the strings of their society.From the Author Introduction to the Free-Wrench Series Helping her in her journey are an eccentric crew of smugglers the gruff Cap’n Mack, the simple but enthusiastic Lil and Coop, the arrogant marksman Gunner, the surly surgeon Butch, and the irritable mascot Wink.

For a price, the bizarre crew of an airship called The Wind Breaker are willing to grant her a meeting with their mysterious benefactors, and thus a chance to procure the one thing with a chance to save her mother.įree-Wrench follows Nita’s adventures in a steampunk world of airships and lunatics. Already the black sheep of the family for embracing engineering rather than art, Nita resolves to leave the safety of her home and do whatever it takes to find a cure. Nita’s mother has lost her livelihood and perhaps soon her life to a terrible disease. Amanita Graus, though, is hoping that they do. Few believe the technologically advanced but socially barbarous outsiders have anything to offer. They isolated themselves from the madness of the world, choosing instead to focus on the pursuits of art and creativity.

To spare themselves the same fate, the Calderans erected a battery of guns to fend off the airships of the mainland. Life has since been a struggle, with only the most ruthless and crafty able to survive. Those who survived were forced to take to the mountains and the skies in wondrous airships.

A terrible calamity in the past had blanketed much of the world with a toxic “fug”. The islands of Caldera are a shining jewel in a rather bleak world.

Free-Wrench by Joseph R. Lallo