Steampunk Themes

What are some common themes of steampunk fiction? (If you have suggestions, please comment!)

I'm thinking along these lines:

Punk, to me, at base means rebellion against an establishment.

Because steampunk is influenced by the culture of Victorian England, I also feel there needs to be some kind of commentary on colonialism and empires, and on class divides. Looking at these issues through a "real world" lens is an important part of this.

Technology versus nature also ought to be in there, though on the whole I feel technology in steampunk is usually favorable so long as it's wielded by the good guys. Tech might be temporarily bad, but I don't think I've ever seen anything steampunk in which technology ended up being abolished. If it causes bad effects, they're usually outweighed by the good.

Thoughts? Comments?

Here's an interesting related post at the Age of Steam blog: The Darker Side of Steampunk.

Steampunk Research Books

I've begun basic research on the history of the American West for a western steampunk novel. My book isn't going to be a historical, but I want it to be informed by history and in dialogue with history.

I chose Frontiers: A Short History of the American West as my basic overview book.

The Encyclopedia of North American Indians: Native American History, Culture, and Life From Paleo-Indians to the Present was recommended by Debbie Reese at her blog, American Indians in Children's Literature.

Peoples of Color in the American West is a textbook and has a lot of material that's more modern than I need, but I think it will be a good guide to further resources.

I chose The Comanche Empire partly just because I wanted to read it!

Check out its awesome reviews. "In the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, at the high tide of imperial struggles in North America, an indigenous empire rose to dominate the fiercely contested lands of the American Southwest, the southern Great Plains, and northern Mexico. This powerful empire, built by the Comanche Indians, eclipsed its various European rivals in military prowess, political prestige, economic power, commercial reach, and cultural influence. Yet, until now, the Comanche empire has gone unrecognized in historical accounts." So far, this book is just as incredibly cool as it sounds.

If you've got any more book suggestions for me, please comment!

Recent Steampunk

Today, some recent steampunk novels.

Caveat - I have not yet read any of these books, but I've been collecting them for my To Be Read pile. Suggestions welcome if you have them! Please refrain from spoilers in the comments.

The Native Star by M.K. Hobson. "The year is 1876. In the small Sierra Nevada settlement of Lost Pine, the town witch, Emily Edwards, is being run out of business by an influx of mail-order patent magics."

The Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia. "Mattie, an intelligent automaton skilled in the use of alchemy, finds herself caught in the middle of a conflict between gargoyles, the Mechanics, and the Alchemists. With the old order quickly giving way to the new, Mattie discovers powerful and dangerous secrets - secrets that can completely alter the balance of power in the city of Ayona. This doesn't sit well with Loharri, the Mechanic who created Mattie and still has the key to her heart - literally."

Boneshaker and Dreadnought by Cherie Priest feature a Civil War-era alternate Seattle.

Leviathan and Behemoth, Young Adult novels by Scott Westerfeld, are set in a universe where WWI went differently. "This global conflict is between the Clankers, who put their faith in machines, and the Darwinists, whose technology is based on the development of new species."

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare is linked to a present-day Young Adult series by this author.

Steampunk Worldbuilding Questions

I'm in the early stages of creating a world in which a steampunk Western can take place. Here are some of the questions I'm asking myself. Some of them I answered promptly; some of them I'm still pondering.

1. Alternate history or alternate world fantasy? How close will my world be to the "real" world? Is geography the same as in the real world?

2. Overall mood: is it utopic, dystopic, or somewhere in between? How is the world organized politically?

3. Technology, magic, technology that might as well be magic, or some other variant?

4. How are women and people of color positioned? What plot opportunities does that create?

5. What are the boundaries of technology? What can be done? What can't be done, and why? What plot opportunities does that create?

My New Steampunk Project

It's been an eventful couple of weeks for me.

For the last few months I've been working on a sequel to my World War One werewolf novel, but my next published novel for Spice will be a different project instead: a steampunk Western. The tentative release date is spring/summer 2012.

I don't have a title yet, but I do have characters! The men include a Native American scientist who's also a bit of a diplomat/spy; a down-on-his-luck younger son of a British aristocrat, who was thrown out of Cambridge for his scientific experiments; and a charming gambler/con man who happens to be an extraordinary mechanic. The women are an airship pilot who bears a bit of resemblance to Han Solo in personality, and an east coast bluestocking engineer who's fleeing marriage.

I've already begun collecting research materials. This won't be a historical; rather, it's an alternate universe with a few ties to "real" history and a whole variety of extrapolations. I'm really excited to work out the details!

Costumes at Arisia 2010

Here are a few photos I took at Arisia, of people in costume. Arisia has a large and popular masquerade (part exhibition, part contest, often including choreographed routines or skits as part of the presentations). Dedicated costumers might have an entry in the masquerade in addition to hall costume or costumes which they wear throughout the convention.
The steampunk costume to the right featured a pair of mechanical stilts, which you can just see at the bottom of the photo.

I really loved this look on the left, which I'd classify as steampunk rather than historical. Their jaunty hats make the outfits, I feel. The curling ribbon! The red rose! The green in her hat that matches the green in her corset!

Note his coat seems to be pirate-inspired with the beautiful embroidered cuffs and lapels; also note the little round sunglasses he's wearing at his throat, and the detail around the neckline of her dress.

I chose this last photo to show that not all the costumes were steampunk! The Joker competed in the masquerade and, while merely walking around, did a great job of projecting an air of crazed menace with his accurate recreation of the character's walk from the movie.

The two of them were getting stopped for photos every few feet as they tried to cross the hotel's narrow lobby. At one point, I saw The Joker riding up in one of the glass elevators, together with a pitch-perfect Batman.

Steampunk Leather

Professor Maelstromme's Steam Laboratory and Brute Force Studios were at Arisia this year, and kindly allowed me to take a few photos for my blog. Here's the Good Professor's blog: "Incorporating mildly dangerous artifacts into compelling jewelry". I didn't get a chance to meet her in person.

Behold the steam-robot. This picture is my favorite because it looks like he's lecturing the little robot. In bonus sepia for bonus steampunk-aura!

You can see hints of some of the corsetry for sale in the background.

This costume is even more amazingly intricate in person than in a photo. Those patterns are actually cutouts, the gold leather cut away to show the red leather beneath.

I was very tempted by some leather chokers and especially by a forearm-guard/communications device that was decorated with vintage typewriter keys, but I restrained myself. (I did visit it twice, though!) You can have a look at it here.

Being a science fiction fan means never having to say, "Where would I wear that?"

Steampunk Bronze

I recently attended Arisia, a Boston-area science fiction/fantasy/a lof of other things conference. I got permission from Butch Honeck, one of my favorite sculptors in bronze, to post some photos from his dealer room at the convention.

Here's a steampunk-style pistol he built (bonus sepia for bonus steampunk-ness!). You can't tell from the photo, but it has moving parts - gears and a chain - that make warm whirring sounds. He let me play with it without making me buy it. He had several pistols with different features.

Here he is checking out one of his larger sculptures, also with moving parts. Note the magnifying lenses attached to his glasses. He sells those for steampunk afficionadoes, but apparently they're quite functional.

Pretty dragons. I've enjoyed looking at his work for years, and own three bronze turtles from his line of miniature animals as well as a pair of earrings.

A wider view of one of his display tables at Arisia. The woman in costume is examining pocket watches, some of them of the "real" hand-wound type.

Learn more here.

Introduction to Steampunk

I'm visiting the Romance Junkies Blog today, so please stop by!

Tomorrow at my own blog I start six days of posts about television adaptations of the Lord Peter Wimsey novels by Dorothy Sayers.

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Steampunk Recommendations

Comics:
Fullmetal Alchemist is a wonderful Japanese steampunk series, available as both manga and anime.

Also in comics, Lea Hernandez' Cathedral Child and Clockwork Angels. Phil and Kaja Foglio's Girl Genius can be read for free online.

I really love The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage. And so should you.

Style:
If you'd like to get a good overview of steampunk fashion, check out Steampunk Workshop and the Flickr photo pool.

A quick guide to Steampunk style.

Do It Yourself is part of the fun, but if you want to spend money, try these fine vendors:
Clockwork Couture.
Victorian Trading Company.
Steampunk jewelry and accessories at Etsy.com.

Television:
The Wild Wild West was full of improbable gadgets. I prefer the tv show, not the later movie...though the movie might have sparked new interest, so who knows?

Books:
I'm going to focus on earlier examples of the genre for the most part.

The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling.

The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers.

The Iron Dragon's Daughter by Michael Swanwick.

The Hollow Earth by Rudy Rucker.

Last, Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale is a much newer book that has some wonderful imagery and ideas, and includes a delicious male/male romance. I read this book wanting more of it, and still want more of it.

More?
Steampunk Month at Tor.com.

A post by Meljean Brook that's an introduction to steampunk.

Done? Then move on to Dieselpunk.

I wonder when someone will start a trend of "SteamPink"?