In a few days, the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame will honor Gene Wolfe with the first ever Fuller Award and recognize his contributions to literature. The theme of the gala event is steampunk and guests are encouraged to attend in full regalia.
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| It's a steampunk party, who could ask for more |
As the event draws near and is advertised on Facebook as well as Twitter, I am surprised to see that there are people who still have no idea what steampunk is.
For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the genre let me provide you with a quick breakdown. Steampunk is a genre of science fiction that takes place in the Victorian era. It postulates that the industrial age was capable of advancing beyond what history teaches. There are alternate fantasy timelines where the world is full of flying machines, 19th century computers (they call them engines), sassy banter and incredible action.
This all sets up the question of how would our world appear today if the computer age came in the early 19th century instead of the mid to late 20th?
While Steampunk is a relatively new term, coming into popularity in the 80’s, there are plenty of classical examples of the style. Jules Verne’s 1870 novel, ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
’, predicted the submarine long before it was actually developed. Many historians are amazed at how accurate his predictions of underwater travel were.
’, predicted the submarine long before it was actually developed. Many historians are amazed at how accurate his predictions of underwater travel were.
Even his earlier novel ‘From The Earth to The Moon
’ accurately calculated the thrust necessary to reach the moon (although people were fired out of a cannon instead of piloting a shuttle).
’ accurately calculated the thrust necessary to reach the moon (although people were fired out of a cannon instead of piloting a shuttle).
Another classic example is ‘The Time Machine
’ by H.G. Wells in which a scientist builds a working time machine in Victorian England.
’ by H.G. Wells in which a scientist builds a working time machine in Victorian England.
One of my favorite steampunk novels is ‘The Difference Engine
’ by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling. The Difference Engine explores a world where computers were invented in the early 1800’s and became common place by 1850. A small group of adventurers stumble upon a cache of punch cards that turn out to confirm Godel’s incompleteness theorems of mathematics and logic that wouldn’t be discovered until 1931 in our timeline.
’ by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling. The Difference Engine explores a world where computers were invented in the early 1800’s and became common place by 1850. A small group of adventurers stumble upon a cache of punch cards that turn out to confirm Godel’s incompleteness theorems of mathematics and logic that wouldn’t be discovered until 1931 in our timeline.
Describing 19th century hackers as “ clackers” (a reference to the punch cards used by computers) and having an amazingly character driven story, ‘The Difference Engine’ had me hooked from page one.
Gene Wolfe’s contributions to the world of steampunk include among others the short story ‘Why I Was Hanged’ in the ‘Ghosts by Gaslight: Stories of Steampunk and Supernatural Suspense
’ anthology. It is the story of James Brooks, a manservant who is visited by a ghostly apparition who wishes him to prevent her coming murder by killing the man intent on killing her. It comes to be known that the murderer is his master who was courting the young woman. While more supernatural than steampunk, ‘Why I Was Hanged’ is an amazing short story.
’ anthology. It is the story of James Brooks, a manservant who is visited by a ghostly apparition who wishes him to prevent her coming murder by killing the man intent on killing her. It comes to be known that the murderer is his master who was courting the young woman. While more supernatural than steampunk, ‘Why I Was Hanged’ is an amazing short story.
Even I’ve taken the plunge into the genre. I wrote a story depicting the Star Trek: The Next Generation crew aboard the sky ship the HMS Enterprise battling the ruthless and mysterious pirates the Borg. It’s an unpublished work but hopefully that will change soon.
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| Not too many TNG online but hey, It's Spock |
Steampunk takes science fiction/fantasy and paints it in a whole different light. The stories are limited only by the author’s imagination and introduce an era of wonder and mystery.
A new appreciation for the genre is manifesting into new mediums. With the popularity of Panic! At The Disco’s music for The Ballad of Mona Lisa featuring The League of STEAM in full steampunk regalia. The video takes place during a Victorian era wake where members of the league learn that Brandon Urie’s character was murdered by his betrothed. The costumes worn by Brandon and the other are AMAZING. I’ve been doing some research online trying to build my own steampunk outfit but it is not cheap and yet I am.
Whether you’re reading an epic novel or watching a great show on SyFy just think how much better it would be if it were steampunk. Trust me, it would be SO much better.
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