There exists, dear reader, a most particular species of fantasy novel—one that eschews the medieval trappings of its cousins in favour of gaslight and glittering ballrooms, of carriages rattling through fog-shrouded streets, and of magic woven into the very fabric of a world that might have been our own, had history only been a touch more whimsical.
This is gaslamp fantasy: stories set in the long nineteenth century (or something very like it), where supernatural forces dance alongside afternoon tea, and adventure lurks around every cobblestone corner. If you have a taste for such enchantments, permit me to be your guide through the finest specimens the genre has to offer.
What Makes Gaslamp Fantasy So Enchanting?
Unlike its mechanical cousin steampunk, gaslamp fantasy concerns itself less with the particulars of clockwork contraptions and more with the delicious collision of magic and manners. Here you shall find vampires attending society balls, magicians consulting with Parliament, and heroines whose corsets conceal considerably more than whalebone.
The Victorian and Edwardian eras provide the perfect backdrop for such tales—an age of exploration and empire, of rigid social expectations begging to be upended, and of shadows deep enough to hide any number of supernatural secrets.
The Wendy by Erin Michelle Sky and Steven Brown
One must begin with the finest of specimens, and The Wendy is just that—a reimagining of the Peter Pan tale so thoroughly charming that one hardly knows whether to laugh out loud or hold one’s breath in wonder. Set in 1780s England, this is the story of Wendy Darling as she was always meant to be told: not as a girl waiting at her nursery window, but as a young woman of fierce determination, sharp wit, and dreams quite unsuitable for her station.
Wendy has but one ambition—to captain her own ship upon the seven seas. That she is an orphan, a young woman, and living in an age that scoffs at such aspirations matters not one whit to her expressive eyebrows and secret smile. When she joins England’s Home Office to battle the mysterious everlost—magical beings who steal children and threaten the realm—she discovers that adventure is considerably more complicated than any storybook suggested.
The writing is whimsical and witty, with a narrative voice so delightfully present that one feels as though a particularly clever friend is spinning the tale beside the fire. Magic here tastes of pickles (as all proper magic should), and Peter Pan himself is a winged mystery whose intentions remain wonderfully unclear. Captain Hook makes his appearance as a formidable adversary—arrogant, infuriating, and far more complex than villainy typically permits.
The complete Tales of the Wendy trilogy is now available, with The Navigator and The Captain continuing Wendy’s magnificent journey. For readers seeking gaslamp fantasy with heart, humour, and a heroine worth cheering for, this is quite simply unmissable.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
In an England where magic has slumbered for three hundred years, two gentlemen magicians appear to wake it. Mr Norrell, a reclusive bibliophile of considerable power and even more considerable jealousy over his books, would prefer to be the only magician in England, thank you very much. Jonathan Strange, young and dashing and possessed of intuitive brilliance, has other ideas entirely.
This is a doorstop of a novel (and we mean that as the highest compliment), written in the style of nineteenth-century prose with footnotes that deserve their own literary awards. The magic here feels ancient and English and deeply, delightfully strange.
Soulless by Gail Carriger
Miss Alexia Tarabotti has no soul—a condition that proves surprisingly useful when one is accidentally murdering vampires at society parties. In this alternate Victorian London, werewolves and vampires are citizens of the Empire, and Alexia’s preternatural nature allows her to neutralize the supernatural with a single touch.
Carriger serves up a comedy of manners with parasols, dirigibles, and enough witty repartee to make one’s head spin. The Parasol Protectorate series that follows is equally delightful.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Le Cirque des Rêves appears without warning: a circus of black and white striped tents that opens only at nightfall and closes at dawn. Within its magical confines, two young illusionists are locked in a competition neither fully understands, creating increasingly wondrous exhibitions while falling impossibly, inconveniently in love.
Morgenstern’s prose is atmospheric enough to bottle, and the circus itself feels like a character—one you shall desperately wish to visit.
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
In turn-of-the-century New York, a golem created for a man who dies at sea must learn to pass as human among the Jewish immigrants of the Lower East Side. Meanwhile, in Little Syria, a tinsmith accidentally frees a jinni from a copper flask, trapping him in human form. When these two displaced magical beings meet, an unlikely friendship blooms.
This is gaslamp fantasy at its most literary and compassionate, exploring questions of identity, freedom, and what it means to be human.
A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan
Lady Isabella Trent has most unsuitable interests for a well-bred young lady of her era—specifically, an all-consuming passion for dragons. Her memoirs chronicle how she defied society’s expectations to become the world’s foremost dragon naturalist, beginning with a disastrous expedition to the mountains of Vystrana.
Written in the style of Victorian scientific memoirs (with considerably more peril), this series is perfect for readers who enjoy their fantasy adventures with a side of intellectual curiosity.
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
When Tessa Gray travels to London seeking her brother, she is instead kidnapped by the sinister Dark Sisters and discovers she possesses a most unusual power—the ability to transform into anyone she touches. Rescued by the Shadowhunters (warriors who battle demons and protect mankind), Tessa finds herself caught between two young men and one very dangerous conspiracy.
Victorian London has never been more deliciously gothic, with clockwork automatons, secret societies, and swoon-worthy romance aplenty.
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
There are four Londons, and Kell is one of the last magicians able to travel between them. Grey London is our familiar city, drab and magicless. Red London thrives with balanced power. White London crumbles under brutal magical warfare. And Black London… Black London no longer exists.
When Kell accidentally smuggles a forbidden artifact into Grey London and encounters Lila Bard, a thief with ambitions as grand as any queen, the fate of all four cities hangs in the balance.
Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater
Ever since the faerie Lord Hollowvale stole half her soul, Theodora Ettings cannot feel fear, embarrassment, or indeed much of anything at all—which proves rather liberating during London’s suffocating social season. When she meets the prickly royal magician Elias Wilder, she becomes entangled in mysteries involving sleeping children and sinister fae.
This is Regency fantasy at its coziest and most warm-hearted, with a heroine whose emotional flatness makes her surprisingly endearing.
A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske
When Robin Blyth is mistakenly appointed to a position liaising with England’s hidden magical society, he discovers that his predecessor has vanished and left behind a deadly curse. Working alongside Edwin Courcey—a magician as cold and prickly as an English winter—Robin must unravel a conspiracy that threatens every magician in Britain.
This Edwardian fantasy features manor houses, hedge maze mysteries, and a slow-burn romance that is anything but slow on charm.
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Beyond the village of Wall lies Faerie, separated from our world by nothing more than an ancient stone barrier. When young Tristran Thorn promises to fetch a fallen star for the woman he believes he loves, he crosses into that magical realm and discovers that stars, when they fall in Faerie, become young women—young women who are not at all pleased about being fetched.
Gaiman writes fairy tales for grown-ups, and Stardust is perhaps his most purely romantic.
Final Thoughts
Gaslamp fantasy offers something that no other subgenre quite manages: the collision of the familiar and the fantastical, the gaslit and the glamorous. Whether you prefer your magic served with tea and scones, wrapped in mystery, or blazing across multiple parallel worlds, there is a gaslamp fantasy novel waiting to enchant you.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I believe I hear a carriage approaching through the fog. One never knows what adventures such travellers might bring.
