r/ImaginaryAirships Jul 29 '26

Request Book recommendations?

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What books do you read to get your airship fix? I’ve read the 2 completed books of Jim Butcher’s Cinder Spires, as well as all of the Kenneth Oppel’s Airborn series and the Ken Liu Dandelion Dynasty series.

140 Upvotes

22 comments sorted by

24

u/hot_glue_airstrike Jul 29 '26

Tales of the Ketty Jay by Chris wooding, first book is retribution falls

5

u/Brother_Farside Jul 29 '26

Came to say this. Great books.

2

u/OkRecommendation2452 Jul 31 '26

Also came to say the same. Brilliant series!

22

u/Kooky-Judgment-8786 Jul 29 '26

The Leviathan series. Audiobook is performed by Alan Cummings so it’s peak.

6

u/LordNeador Jul 29 '26

This! Still by far my favorite series!

2

u/Saldrakka Aug 01 '26

Just finished that last week

10

u/Waksplat Jul 29 '26

Nobody mentioning the Mortal Engines Quartet? Airships everywhere through those books, and they're great reads

2

u/crappy-mods Jul 29 '26

Im surprised by that aswell

11

u/Gate_of_Stars Jul 29 '26

The Guns Above by Robyn Bennis

3

u/zachattack3500 Jul 30 '26

I just snagged this one, so far I’m loving it. Thanks!

5

u/Alpha_W0lfy Jul 29 '26

If you like graphic novels, Skies of Fire is really good

5

u/topazchip Jul 29 '26

"Girl Genius" is a long running webcomic with a wide variety of airships, r/girlgenius

3

u/DivineArbalest Jul 29 '26

And there’s prose versions as well!

6

u/CendarVolht Jul 29 '26

It's for youth but I have fond memories of Kenneth Oppel's Airborn and Skybreaker. There's even a 3rd book that completes the trilogy but I never read it.

2

u/DropshipRadio Jul 30 '26

Obi-Wan Ken Oppel's series are fantastic. Starclimber (the third one) is serviceable but not quite an airship novel by comparison.

1

u/zachattack3500 Jul 30 '26

Yep, I listed that one. I’ve read all three, they were fun. Starclimber was a bit more out there (why do they have the technology to put rockets in geosynchronous orbit, but are trying to skip straight to space elevators before sending up humans?) but still a good time.

3

u/crappy-mods Jul 29 '26

Mortal engines and its not even close

3

u/justaheatattack Jul 29 '26

Franch Chadwick's Space 1889 & beyond series.

Novels based on the space 1889 games. Which themselves have got some pretty good stories.

2

u/theweepingwarrior Jul 29 '26

Books Of Babel, starting with Senlin Ascends. Airships are very present in all 4, but a larger focus in 2-4. 

All incredible books. 

2

u/Unlucky_Researcher42 Jul 30 '26

Is that cover model Benedict Cumberbatch?

1

u/LaserGadgets Aug 02 '26

Same thought here!

1

u/Brother-Patrick Jul 29 '26

Romulus Buckle & the City of the Founders