The Scorched Continent

Murder and mayhem derail a con-man's carefully laid schemes in this swashbuckling debut that blends elements of Firefly and steampunk. Detan Honding, a wanted conman of noble birth and ignoble tongue, has found himself in the oasis city of Aransa.

It takes place in the city of Aransa, a mining town on the Scorched Continent, a land whose ancient abundance long ago gave way to arid desolation. Selium is the commodity being mined in Aransa; it's a rare element that enables vast airships to sail the skies above and beyond the city. And with that scarcity comes a caste system, racial injustice and power struggles over who will control the production of selium.

He and his trusted companion, Tibs, may have pulled off one too many cons against the city's elite and need to make a quick escape. They set their sights on their biggest heist yet - the gorgeous airship of the exiled commodore Thratia. But in the middle of his scheme, a face changer known as a doppel starts murdering key members of Aransa's government. The sudden paranoia makes Detan's plans of stealing Thratia's ship that much harder. But Detan has a dangerous secret - he's sel-sensitive, able to manipulate the selium gas, and there's a reason most people think he's dead.

The trilogy - comprising Steal the Sky (winner of the 2017 David Gemmell Morningstar Award), Break the Chains, and Inherit the Flame - follows Detan, Tibs, and their growing band of misfits through prison breaks, political revolutions, and increasingly audacious heists. NPR praised O'Keefe's dialogue as "nimble as Detan's thieving fingers," noting that his "inevitable tragic secrets lend needed gravitas to his wise-cracking, card-sharp persona."

Beth Cato called it "an epic steampunk Firefly," while Tim Powers praised O'Keefe's prose as "full of fascinating twists and delights." Where O'Keefe raises the stakes is the judicious inclusion of magic and enhancing the western setting with steampunk elements. With doppelgangers, airship battles, desert adventures, and witty banter reminiscent of Joss Whedon, this trilogy delivers heist thrills with emotional depth as Detan accidentally walks into revolution while trying to stay alive and keep his powers hidden.

Perfect for readers seeking buddy comedy dynamics, lovable rogues with tragic pasts, steampunk worldbuilding with unique magic systems, comparisons to Scott Lynch and Firefly, and desert adventures where airships rule the skies and loyalty matters more than law.