Above artwork is “Steampunk” by John Coulthart
Is Steampunk the new trend in the fantasy genre? I’m beginning to see it everywhere I look. But what is it? The image above has tongue-in-cheek a formula Jeff VanderMeer came up with: Mad Scientist Inventor [invention (steam x airship or metal man / baroque stylings) x (pseudo) Victorian setting] + progressive or reactionary politics x adventure plot = Steampunk.
Some books to look out for:
- I just read and reviewed (LJ / vox / wordpress) Dru Pagliassotti’s Clockwork Heart. She’s busy working on the second book tentatively titled Obstruction Currents. She has also been working on a third novel with the working title King’s Monster, but I don’t know if that is also steampunk.
- Karin Lowachee is working on The Gaslight Dogs (she’s the author of an amazing science fiction trilogy Warchild, Burndive, and Cagebird). I haven’t seen much about this one so it may be coming out later from orbit books:
“Very different from her previous military science fiction novels, this is a Victorian era steampunk novel in the style of Philip Pullman taking us from the Arctic North to steeped rooftops of civilization and the savages to the east. (Fall/Winter 2009)” - Liz Maverick is working on Crimson and Steam, which should be out January 2010 and which is set in her Crimson city universe.
- Katie MacAlister is working on a Steampunk series that will have it’s first book out in 2010. Her website has this announcement: “I’ve just received the cover to Steamed, the first in a new series of Steampunk romances, which will be out February 2010. The cover isn’t quite finished (you can view a large version of it here), but you can get a sneak peek at it and the back cover copy to see what all the fuss is about. Fluff up your bustle, polish your pocket watch, adjust your goggles, and crank up the Abney Park! It’s steam time, ladies and gentlemen! ”
-
The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber is coming out from Dorchester on 09/09/09 and has a lovely cover. The author calls it a “ghostly, gothic Victorian fantasy”. Looks promising. Link to the book trailer. The cover blurb:“What fortune awaited sweet, timid Percy Parker at Athens Academy? Considering how few of Queen Victoria’s Londoners knew of it, the great Romanesque fortress was dreadfully imposing, and little could Percy guess what lay inside. She had never met the powerful and mysterious Professor Alexi Rychman, knew nothing of the growing shadow, the Ripper and other supernatural terrors against which his coterie stood guard. She knew simply that she was different, haunted, with her snow-white hair, pearlescent skin and uncanny gifts. But this arched stone doorway offered a portal to a new life, an education far from the convent—and an invitation to an intimate yet dangerous dance at the threshold of life and death….”
- Gail Carriger has a book out September from Orbit: Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate): “Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she’s a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette. Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire — and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate. With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London’s high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?SOULLESS is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.”
- Meljean Brook has twittered about a steampunk book with pirates. Research reveals she’s got a new series in the works called the Iron Seas
The books coming out should be interesting. I see both authors with a background in romance and science fiction/fantasy coming into the same genre. I’m really looking forward to the results.
specficromantic 
Well, to be fair, Steampunk has been around since the days of Jules Verne (and probably even earlier), but it wasn’t called that then. Steampunk has never really been a non-thing in fantasy, it’s just now gaining some notoriety due to its adoption by the nerd/geek community. These are all good things, of course, because Steampunk is good stuff and well worth acknowledging as a viable subgenre.
Yes, this is all true! I I wanted to highlight all the buzz I’ve been seeing lately with so many Steampunk books coming out, but I didn’t quite say it’s technically been around for a while.
The formula on my Steampunk pic was by Jeff VanderMeer whose Steampunk anthology you have in your links list. Jeff wrote it with tongue in cheek although it’s not too bad as a working definition.
Thank you, I was wondering who the someone was! I’ll update with the name. 🙂 I love that definition, tongue-in-cheek be as it may (and your artwork too).
And don’t forget Cherie Priest has a steampunk novel coming out in the fall – BONESHAKER.
Do you know what it’s about? I saw a mention in Galaxy Express’s post, but couldn’t find a blurb (granted I didn’t search much though).
Cherie describes it on her blog as – she describes on her blog as – “west coast steampunk Victoriana book with zombies, air ships, toxic gas clouds, mad scientists, dead folk heroes, secret criminal societies, and Bonus! extended deleted scenes from the Civil War” book;”
Hmm, wordpress only lets me reply up to a certain level? Still figuring it out. Anyway – thanks for the Cherie Priest info. ZOMBIES and Steampunk?! Interesting! Will be looking out for it. 🙂