I recently read my first steampunk novel - Phoenix Rising (A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel) - and really enjoyed it. I couldn't resist a book where the two MC's are Agent Wellington Thornhill Books, Esquire and Eliza D. Braun. Books & Braun! LOL! The characters were vivid and entertaining (though a bit stereotypical at times) - reminding me a bit of early Mulder and Scully in how they played off each other. Except that "Mulder" was the female MC and "Scully" was the male MC. I'd like to check out more of the steampunk genre. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'd greatly appreciate your input.
Hrmm...I'd be interested in reading such things. I've never really known too much about Steampunk, but it'd be cool reading how they describe the Tech.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, one of the classics, but it didn't even cross my mind. Thanks for the suggestion.
Mortal Engines - Philip Reeves? Pretty sure that's steam punk, and whilst being a YA book I read it as an adult and it was pretty good all the same.
I'm a fan myself! Anything by: Cherie Priest Scott Westerfeld Jonathan L. Howard Gail Carriger George Mann The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi I love YA steampunk stuff. Ooo, some of China Mieville's stuff is steampunk and he's fabulous.
Thanks for all the great suggestions. I just picked up "Dreadnought" by Cherie Priest. It looks very interesting - especially since I live in Washington(and was a Seattleite for 7 years). I know it's not the first in the series, but they didn't look like they had to be read in order.
Good lord, please don't make me kill myself. Although it may fit under today's classification of "SteamPunk", I have an insatiable loathing for that "genre", and would never call any classic book "SteamPunk". EVER. Please see the following keyboard smashing as proof of my fury. A;SLDJF;LAHTPQOUQW;LSALFDA
I love the genre! It's a fun mix. Google up "2DGoggles" by Sydney Padua for an awesomely hilarous steampunk graphic novel/comic featuring Islamabad Brunel, Charles Babbage and Ida Lovelace.
I assumed as much from your name. But I don't even go into the graphic-novel realm of even my most beloved genres of fantasy and sci-fi. I frankly hate the Victorian era, or gloried trains with choker-wearing passengers with their monocles and top-hats and goofy inventions. Perhaps I'm stereotyping, but hey, just speaking from experience.
It depends on what you enjoy, as always. I love innovation and the relative simplicity of steam powered machinery. This comes in part from my trade background and my engineering studies (not to mention the industries I have worked in). With that in mind I couldn't think of anything more dull than a family drama set in 1990's New York, for example. But plenty of people love that so more power to 'em, and I'll go back to reading about Brunel and making waste oil burners from candlestick holders and brass egg cups.
Philip Reeve's "Larklight" is a Victorian Space adventure. Great fun! Turns out I've read a lot of steampunk but I feel a little odd about the genre. It's kinda neat with the victorian attire etc, but it also feels somewhat pretensious and silly to me. Which is odd because I normally like quirky weird stuff. We even have a town down south of us that has named itself "the steampunk capital of New Zealand". It's true that most of its buildings are Victorian-esque in design and it's a tiny little town that noone ever paid any attention to except as a place to stop for lunch on the way to Dunedin, so I suppose it's gotta have something. It's called Oamaru - the only Victorian town in NZ. Anyhow, I enjoy reading steampunked based books like Philip Reeve, Scott Westerfeld and China Melville (although I don't know what I consider his... dark and grim and dirty) but the actual hype around the genre bugs me. And I don't know why!
