chrysalis_stage Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 Our minds must follow the same tracks - when I was doing my own preliminary Steampunk research, Alchemy of Stone is one of the first titles I took note of do let me know what you think of it if you get to it before I do, which you probably will. Good to hear! Okies will do, need to buy it first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Book Boy Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 Let me know how you find it - the reviews I've read of this weren't very inspiring. I've just looked up The Windup Girl' and the 'decadent whims' of the man who finds the girl of the title don't bode well... I'll look up the others, thank your friend for me. As I loathe Meyer with every fibe of my being, I should hope so that said, I never thought Rowling's writing was exactly earth-shattering either, just that the story (up to The Goblet of Fire IMGO) was genius enough to make up for it. Is the story of Mariah Mundi also genius? Genius could be a word for it. Weird certainly and I found the last book of his 'Ship of Fools' very scary. There is a steamship which has a ventriloquist and lots of murder. There is one really amazing charter called Biba. She is cool beyond cool. Very disturbing book. Not to be read at night or on a ship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigWords Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 20 Core Titles which any steampunk reader should own. Having noted that, I only have sixteen of the titles featured... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 Great article, thanks BigWords! I'm going to make a note of most (probably all) of these titles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookJumper Posted March 19, 2010 Author Share Posted March 19, 2010 Thank you - several titles duly noted; Soulless sounds particularly awesome, they had me at 'A novel of vampires, werewolves, and parasols' ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arewenearlythere Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 Haha @ Boneshaker: Zombies, steam-powered technology, airships, pirates, and mad scientists Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookJumper Posted March 19, 2010 Author Share Posted March 19, 2010 The reviews for both Boneshaker and Soulless are pretty dire though, that makes me sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kreader Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 Has anyone tried Adrian Tchaikovsky's Shadows of the Apt series starting with Empire in Black and Gold? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 In Oxford yesterday I saw a large poster with the word 'Steampunk' written on it and thought of you! I went to investigate to see what it was all about - it was actually an art exhibition which has finished now - I thought it might be about books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrysalis_stage Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 I like the sound of that Janet, shame it had finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 Yes, from the website it looked quite good. We wouldn't have had enough time anyway, so it's probably just as well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrysalis_stage Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 Was it at the Museum of the History of Science? I read they had one and it was the worlds first exhibition of steampunk art - ah wish I heard about it when it was on for those 5 months I would have tried to go, its always the case tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 It was. I'd have gone just out of interest too! You can see some of the exhibits here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 I've just read about a book that is described as a 'Far-Fetched Fictional steampunk sequel to 'The War of the Worlds' .. which is due out later this year called 'The Japanese Devil Fish Girl and Other Unnatural Attractions' by Robert Rankin. The blurb I've got says ... It's 1985; nearly a decade since the failed Martian invasion of Earth, chronicled in The War of the Worlds. Mars is now part of the ever expanding British Empire. And the quest of one man to find a new attraction for his show is about to cause considerable friction on other planets. Enough to spark an interplanetary war. Robert Rankin's new novel fizzes with his archetypal imagination and humour. Amazon says ... The pickled Martian's tentacles are fraying at the ends and Professor Coffin's Most Meritorious Unnatural Attraction (the remains of the original alien autopsy, performed by Sir Frederick Treves at the London Hospital) is no longer drawing the crowds. It's 1895; nearly a decade since Mars invaded Earth, chronicled by H.G. Wells in THE WAR OF THE WORLDS. Wrecked Martian spaceships, back-engineered by Charles Babbage and Nikola Tesla, have carried the Queen's Own Electric Fusiliers to the red planet, and Mars is now part of the ever-expanding British Empire. The less-than-scrupulous sideshow proprietor likes Off-worlders' cash, so he needs a sensational new attraction. Word has reached him of the Japanese Devil Fish Girl; nothing quite like her has ever existed before. But Professor Coffin's quest to possess the ultimate showman's exhibit is about to cause considerable friction amongst the folk of other planets. Sufficient, in fact, to spark off Worlds War Two. I'm not a big fan of sequels .. especially those written by different authors to the original .. but you never know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 Robert Rankin is an excellent writer though, I'll definitely be looking into that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookJumper Posted April 16, 2010 Author Share Posted April 16, 2010 Oooh, thanks for the heads up Poppy - I quite like Rankin, I don't find him quite as consistent as Pratchett but he's one author I always look out for nonetheless. Chances are he'll be signing this at Forbidden Planet whenever it comes out, I need to investigate...! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smay Posted April 25, 2010 Share Posted April 25, 2010 Av club has this series called Gateways to Geekery which shows what you should know and how you can get into a particular 'geeky' thing. They also had one about Steampunk which might be helpful. http://www.avclub.com/articles/steampunk,30467/ But you could also try the graphic novel, League of Extraordinary Gentleman by Alan Moore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted August 11, 2010 Share Posted August 11, 2010 There was an article in the Guardian yesterday - a short introduction to Steampunk ahead of a festival in Lincoln next month: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/aug/08/steampunk-lincoln I know understand a bit more about it, and the comments below the article include some recommendations (although I generally hate the comments section on their site as it ends up being like the light bulb forum joke posted yesterday - too early in the morning to explain, die hard BCFers will know what I mean). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted August 11, 2010 Share Posted August 11, 2010 I saw that article earlier today. Some of the comments made on the Guardian are so pretentious and snobby! And people get very argumentative don't they? Still, I can't help but read them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted August 11, 2010 Share Posted August 11, 2010 I don't know why anyone would post a comment on that site, virtually every time I read the comments I shake my head in disbelief There's so much disagreement and misunderstanding, and it just descends into he said, she said, I'm right, you're wrong type of discussion. Much better to come somewhere friendly like this to discuss rationally, I think But having said that, like with this article, there's usually some gems of information in the comments, and some of the recommendations for this article seem interesting, and I don't think all of them have been mentioned here, so might provide some more food for thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 One book I read recently and really enjoyed was "Terminal World" by Alistar Reynolds. It's set in the far future were after a disaster certain technologies can only function within certain zones. Most of the zones explored in the book would come under the umbrella of "steampunk" (one is actually called steamville) Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 I thought fans of steampunk might like to know about a new book that has been published on the subject: The Steampunk Bible: An Illustrated Guide to the World of Imaginary Airships, Corsets and Goggles, Mad Scientists and Strange Literature by Jeff VanderMeer. I found about it on Goodreads recently and added it to my wishlist straight away; it looks gorgeous and sounds great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragean Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 It's taken me this long to stumble upon a definition of this (according to Wiki, 'works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy'), the idea rocks my socks but I have no idea what's good and what's faff... please help! I'm starting "Boneshaker" by Cherie Priest then "Dreadnaught", the sequel. Look them up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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