The Wrench in the Machine

Summary

Get ready to enter a multiverse of Lovecraftian Horror and Steampunk adventure. Investigate the mysteries and explore strange new worlds.

In 1875, Inspector Ol'Barrow of Dover's borough police is still coming to terms with the advent of the radio dramas when he is confronted by a murder mystery. During their investigation, he and his colleague Bigsby come eye to eye with an assassin with otherworldly origins.

Spurred on by his sense of duty and a desire to redeem himself, inspector Ol'Barrow collaborates with a clandestine organization called the Association of Ishtar. They claim to be mere advisors who aid the authorities with the containment of anomalies known as Rifts. These are harmless gateways to other worlds, but also provide access to the many threats lurking inside the multiverse. Ol'Barrow's eyes are opened to a reality in which Napoleon used alien weapons to bombard England. Companies are developing out of this world technology. And worst of all, everyone takes the progress it created for granted.

Humanity is advancing into an increasingly technocratic future. Where will it end? As far as certain groups are concerned, biology is a dead end, and humanity needs to ascend.

About the series

Created in the wake of the Napoleonic Wars, the Association of Ishtar is a clandestine organization of volunteers who have taken it upon themselves to explore the Multiverse...

AoI is a series of Steampunk and Lovecraftian short stories that are freely available online. Bonsart is the creator of Radio Retrofuture and the Retrofuture Research Foundation on Youtube, including the Steampunk Beginners Guide documentary series. On the RRF podcast, he has interviewed over a hundred members of the Steampunk Community, including writers and other creators.