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I have enjoyed several shows with steampunk elements, including Wild Wild West, Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., and its use in Doctor Who, and even a Green Lantern: The Animated Series episode. What fascinates me about it is some of the world building used for that universe. I am curious to read some books utilizing steampunk, but I don't know where to start. Does anyone have any recommendations? This type of science fiction/fantasy seems to have generated a pretty good fanbase, so there seems to be a lot of books out there.
Thanks!
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FWIW, I haven't read it yet, but at an S-F bookstore a few months ago I was drawn to a paperback called MORLOCK NIGHT by K. W. Jeter, a sequel to H. G. Wells' THE TIME MACHINE. That fact, plus striking cover art, prompted my purchase; previously, I had never heard of Steampunk. Since you want to explore the genre, another point of interest for you in the Jeter book would be an introduction by Tim Powers and a "Scholarly Afterward" by Adam Roberts.
Learning about Steampunk led me to take a chance on some other books I haven't read yet but which apparently are highly regarded. I can't recall their titles at the moment, but as my spring-cleaning unearths them I'll get back to you. (Assuming I'll be able to find the thread).
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Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear
Girl Genius by Kaja and Phil Foglio
Steampunk anthology edited by Anne and Jeff VanderMeer
A lot of people seem to like Cherie Priest's Clockwork Century series starting with Boneshaker
Thanks for the suggestions. I will have to check these out. I remember Phil Foglio from back in the '80s when he used to do a comic strip called "What's New With Phil and Dixie" for Dragon magazine. Pretty much every strip had at least one laugh out loud moment for me. One of my favorite strips was when he compared and contrasted science fiction with fantasy, and determined there really wasn't much difference between the two.
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FWIW, I haven't read it yet, but at an S-F bookstore a few months ago I was drawn to a paperback called MORLOCK NIGHT by K. W. Jeter, a sequel to H. G. Wells' THE TIME MACHINE. That fact, plus striking cover art, prompted my purchase; previously, I had never heard of Steampunk. Since you want to explore the genre, another point of interest for you in the Jeter book would be an introduction by Tim Powers and a "Scholarly Afterward" by Adam Roberts.
Learning about Steampunk led me to take a chance on some other books I haven't read yet but which apparently are highly regarded. I can't recall their titles at the moment, but as my spring-cleaning unearths them I'll get back to you. (Assuming I'll be able to find the thread).
Thanks for the suggestion! Morlock Night sounds like it could be a lot of fun. I am curious to read the introduction and afterward.
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I thought I liked steampunk, but when I saw the shows you described I thought maybe not (as they aren't really my cup of tea). Maybe I have it confused with 'cyberpunk', which I absolutely adore.
I don't think the shows I mentioned were necessarily representative samples of steampunk, or at least modern steampunk. Wild Wild West and Brisco County kept it grounded in the real world with a few sci fi gadgets thrown in, kind of like they do in James Bond movies. The steampunk I am more interested in is an alternate reality that has been transformed by futuristic (for that period at least) technology. Green Lantern, of course, isn't steampunk, but in the episode "Steam Lantern" he visited a steampunk inspired world. Anyway, the shows I cited were some of the things that piqued my interest in the subject matter generally.
I agree with you about cyberpunk, which I also enjoy. It has been a while since I have read much cyberpunk though.
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I've not seen or read too many entries in the SteamPunk genre but I think Perdido Street Station by China Mieville had a few SteamPunk elements to it (a great read as well) and The Sakura Wars anime was fun.
Thanks for the suggestions!
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