A Victorian Future
Ever wish that you lived in Victorian times, but with a little bit more Wellsian sci-fi? Perhaps just that little extra something to make it more like an episode of Dr. Who but with that splash of Charles Dickens. Well enter Steampunk! That fantasy and speculative fiction genre that posits, what if steam had really become widely used, what if people had parasols and wore goggles on their top hats, what if cybermen helped a wicked lady who ran an orphanage...no, wait, that last one was an episode of Dr. Who...but it does perfectly epitomize the genre. Victorian manners melded with steel. An amped up future but in the 1880s. From the aforementioned Dr. Who episode, The Next Doctor, to books such as Gail Carriger's Soulless, to The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Steampunk is getting quite a following, and quite the fashions too. Like a costume drama and Marilyn Manson had a car crash and what came out you can now buy and wear on such sites as Clockwork Couture.
Personally I have Steampunk on the brain...must be because I'm currently reading Soulless and thinking how cool dirigibles in common use would be...or maybe because it's Steampunk month over at Tor...or perhaps it's because my home town has their own Steampunk group, Steam Century, and they're having a Darke Carnival...for one reason and another, Steampunk is very big at the moment. So, if you're interested in this interesting blend of possibilities, pick up a book, put on some clothes, or head over to the Darke Carnival at the Inferno in Madison, Wisconsin this Saturday, October 10th!
It's weird I feel like I've been living in a cave. Until a few weeks ago I had never really paid any attention to the term "Steampunk". Now I see it everywhere in the book world and it's piqued my interest.
Zia said... October 9, 2009 at 1:14 AM
Yeah, it's one of those things I've been vaguely aware of for awhile, but only recently looked more into it.
Miss Eliza said... October 9, 2009 at 1:34 AM
same here. i never heard "steampunk" till scott westerfeld mentioned it with his new book Leviathan, but even then i didnt realize it was a genre; i thought it was some wierd madeup thing specific to Leviathan, lol! i look forward to reading both books though: Leviathan & Soulless. and thanks for the explanation Eliza! otherwise i woulda been waling around clueless :P
Anonymous said... October 10, 2009 at 12:30 AM
Oh, I'd be interested to hear what you think about Leviathan if you get to it before me, I was admiring it at the bookstore the other day, looks interesting!
Miss Eliza said... October 10, 2009 at 2:21 AM
This is the first time I've ever heard the term 'steampunk.' It's definitely interesting melding the Victorian era things with the steel age.
I have seen Souless all over the place and it sounds really good. Now I want to read it even more.
Nikki (Wicked Awesome Books) said... October 10, 2009 at 10:02 PM
It'd a fun read, I wish I could give up the homework ghost and get back to it right now!
Miss Eliza said... October 10, 2009 at 10:04 PM
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