What Is Steampunk?
Trying to define steampunk is a dangerous game. If you spend just a few minutes searching online, you can find over half a dozen different definitions for steampunk. For simplicity's sake, let's just say that steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction, fantasy, and speculative fiction where steam power is the most prevalent form of technology. Many steampunk works are set in Victorian era Britain, and some feature anachronistic technologies or developments. There, that should suffice as a quick introduction to steampunk.
Why Steampunk?
This is a personal question. For me, I happen to like the visual aesthetic that goes with steampunk. Brass fixtures, exposed gears and cogs, and of course the ubiquitous goggles. For others, they like the focus on technology and the positive spin steampunk sometimes places on it, unlike cyberpunk which tends toward the dystopian side of things. Others like the way that the neo-Victorian settings can be used to illustrate social issues relevant or prevalent in our time. And of course, there are those out there that just enjoy the sense of whimsy and adventure steampunk can embody.
Here are some of the cornerstone books in the steampunk genre. While people have their favorites, these "classics" tend to show steampunk's roots and the genre's connection to cyberpunk. Reading them now can give you a sense of nostalgia for what the genre "used to be" or they can come across as dated relics of a genre that has evolved beyond its original inceptions. That distinction is up to you.
The Literature: The Classics
The Warlord of the Air by Michael Moorcock (1971) - Sadly, this book is out of print right now. Moorcock's novel, the first in a trilogy, was published before steampunk rose to prominence in the 1980's. However it's easy to see how it helped influence the steampunk genre. It takes place in an alternate twentieth century where technology has taken a very different turn than in our own world. Airships are prominently featured in this novel, and now they are almost a given in a steampunk book.
The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers (1983) - The Anubis Gates is mostly a time travel novel, but Powers also mixes in Egyptianmythology. A group of twentieth century Londoners travel back in time to attend a lecture by Samuel Coleridge, but something goes wrong and Professor Brendan Doyle gets stuck in the 19th century. The plot handles the paradoxes associated with time travel in a deft fashion. The Anubis Gates even won the Philip K. Dick Award in 1983 and was Locus Award nominee for Best Fantasy Novel in 1984.
The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling (1990) - The Difference Engine is a slightly different take on steampunk. Written by two of cyberpunk's most well-known authors, this novel has a darker tone to it. The Difference Engine is based on the premise that Charles Babbage succeeded in building a mechanical computer, which in turn ushered in a information technology revolution in 19th century Britain. The novel was nominated for multiple awards, and has attracted scholarly attention.
The Literature: Modern Takes
The Scar by China Mieville (2002) – The Scar is the second novel in Mieville's Bas-Lag Trilogy, and in my opinion, the best of the three. Perdido Street Station introduced the world to the corrupt, grotesque and steampunk influenced city-state of New Crobuzon, but The Scar let the reader see the world beyond New Crobuzon's borders. The novel features steampunk technology, magic, monsters, and pirates. The Scar was nominated for multiple awards, including a Hugo, and won the British Fantasy Award and the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel in 2003. It's dark, twisted, and a whole lot of steampunk fun.
Boneshaker by Cherie Priest (2009) – Some might see Cherie Priest's Boneshaker as emblematic of the steampunk zeitgeist, both for good and bad reasons. I say, "Who cares?" The novel is set in late 19th century Seattle in an alternate version of the United States. The Civil War is still being fought, and the discovery of gold in the Yukon makes Seattle a booming city. Then everything goes wrong when a vein of blight gas bursts inside the city turning many of its inhabitants into "rotters" or if you prefer, zombies. The novel combines zombies, steampunk, airships, and a surprisingly three dimensional main character. In 2010 Boneshaker was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel and won the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel.
Honorable Mentions
These are the novels that almost made the list. They are all incredible novels and deserve to be read. Some are more modern takes on the steampunk genre, while others helped make it what it is today.
His Dark Materials (Trilogy) by Philip Pullman (1995-2000)
The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer by Neal Stephenson (1995)
The Light Ages by Ian R. MacLeod (2004)
Mainspring by Jay Lake (2007)
Homunculus by James P. Blaylock (1986)
Closing Comments
Steampunk is not just a literary genre. It also exists in film and TV, in video games, and in popular culture. There are conventions dedicated to steampunk do-it-yourself projects and costumes. Steampunk is an expanding genre, aesthetic, cultural movement. Why not give it a try?
Robert Hunter - I'm a science fiction, fantasy, and speculative fiction writer from southern California. I have a couple of short stories published in ...
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