Owen Bastable/Nomad of the Time Streams

Told in note perfect Victorian style (evoking Conrad, Verne, and Wells) this trilogy collects three alternate histories that deal with imperialism, racism, and war. All quite grim but still with a sense of adventure. Delights include Mick Jagger as a zeppelin captain, Joseph Conrad as submarine captain, Stalin as a robot, Ronald Reagan as a racist boy scout troop leader, and lots of zany steampunk sci-fi gadgets (airships, drill cars, fungus bombs, giant tanks). Really fun and really smart.