|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 9:43 pm
Sinister Kung Fu This probably goes without saying, but the book that defined the genre (and also pretty much coined the term) "The Difference Engine" by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling. I could not, for the life of me, bring myself to finish that book. It was just so boring that I put it down and walked away from it.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 9:42 am
Horatio Crane Sinister Kung Fu This probably goes without saying, but the book that defined the genre (and also pretty much coined the term) "The Difference Engine" by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling. I could not, for the life of me, bring myself to finish that book. It was just so boring that I put it down and walked away from it. I have that problem with a lot of Gibson's work. Sterling's too.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 1:07 pm
Mainspring
Against the Day
Non-steampunk, but neo-victorian:
The Meaning of the Night
The Crimson Petal and the White (Highly recommend)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2008 3:20 pm
I'll recommend S.M. Peters' Whitechapel Gods. The Whitechapel area of London gets walled off from the rest of the world for no apparent reason by a pair of "Steam gods" called Mama Engine and Grandfather Clock. It also involves a disease known as the "clacks" that turns people into machines over time. Extremely Steam and a thoroughly good read so far.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 10:31 pm
"Fitzpatricks War" by Theodore Judson. Fantastic novel. I strongly recommend it. I actually started reading it well before I knew what Steampunk was.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 3:38 pm
As stated previously, Dracula by Bram Stoker is an interesting Victorian book. It does have a steam powered boat near the end, but that's all the steam powered wonderfulness I can recall being present.
Portrait of Dorian Grey, while not particularly Steampunk, is another good Victorian. It has a lot about the ways of thinking that, in my opinion, goes into Steampunk with its strange focuses on both asthetics and logic.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 6:23 am
Michael Bedlam The first series that comes to mind is the Bas-Lag trilogy by China Miéville, and includes, in order, Perdido Street Station, The Scar, and Iron Council. All of those are extremely steampunk. I would also recommend any and all H. G. Wells and Jules Verne. Finally (for now) the first book of the League of Extraordinary Gentleman is very good. I personally would not recommend the second, but thats more personal preference than anything. The first steampunk book I ever read, and also what got me into it. His short story book, Looking for Jack, also has a short story set in Bas Lag.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 7:13 pm
I know this could get me in trouble with the majority of you... but I couldn't get past the first few chapters in Mortal Engines. Please don't misunderstand- the idea was spectacular. I love the mental image that the very title supplies, much less the idea of towns that move. But the book was written in such a way that, after a while, I just couldn't handle how juvenile the plot was. Understandably, it does center around a naive fifteen year old, but I don't understand why I found this book in the Young Adult corner of my library.
(And to explain my principles: I do not call the book juvenile because the characters are fifteen. The Golden Compass was centered around a... was she ten? Twelve? The plot was entertaining to mature readers, while keeping the girl in character.)
I found Perdido Street Station to be one of the most amazing books I had ever read. I refused to return it to the library until I had bought my own copy, I became so attached to it. But I need help- my father tells me that the rest of Miéville's Bas-Lag series is to Perdido as the various Crow sequels were to Brandon Lee's original. (In a word, disappointing.)
Someone please tell me that this isn't true. Please. This has almost become a crisis of faith.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 7:41 pm
Iseult Afire I know this could get me in trouble with the majority of you... but I couldn't get past the first few chapters in Mortal Engines. Please don't misunderstand- the idea was spectacular. I love the mental image that the very title supplies, much less the idea of towns that move. But the book was written in such a way that, after a while, I just couldn't handle how juvenile the plot was. Understandably, it does center around a naive fifteen year old, but I don't understand why I found this book in the Young Adult corner of my library.
(And to explain my principles: I do not call the book juvenile because the characters are fifteen. The Golden Compass was centered around a... was she ten? Twelve? The plot was entertaining to mature readers, while keeping the girl in character.)
I found Perdido Street Station to be one of the most amazing books I had ever read. I refused to return it to the library until I had bought my own copy, I became so attached to it. But I need help- my father tells me that the rest of Miéville's Bas-Lag series is to Perdido as the various Crow sequels were to Brandon Lee's original. (In a word, disappointing.)
Someone please tell me that this isn't true. Please. This has almost become a crisis of faith. I'd say Perdido is my favourite, but I also really enjoyed Scar and Iron Council. They are really only tangentially connected, so even even if you dislike one it should affect Perdido for you. smile An I was reminded of this book in another thread- The Doctor Who book Resurrection Casket. Set on another planet and possibly not steampunk in the strictest sense of the word, it's got a society entirely based on steam technology.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 2:08 pm
Sock Drawer Demon Iseult Afire I know this could get me in trouble with the majority of you... but I couldn't get past the first few chapters in Mortal Engines. Please don't misunderstand- the idea was spectacular. I love the mental image that the very title supplies, much less the idea of towns that move. But the book was written in such a way that, after a while, I just couldn't handle how juvenile the plot was. Understandably, it does center around a naive fifteen year old, but I don't understand why I found this book in the Young Adult corner of my library.
(And to explain my principles: I do not call the book juvenile because the characters are fifteen. The Golden Compass was centered around a... was she ten? Twelve? The plot was entertaining to mature readers, while keeping the girl in character.)
I found Perdido Street Station to be one of the most amazing books I had ever read. I refused to return it to the library until I had bought my own copy, I became so attached to it. But I need help- my father tells me that the rest of Miéville's Bas-Lag series is to Perdido as the various Crow sequels were to Brandon Lee's original. (In a word, disappointing.)
Someone please tell me that this isn't true. Please. This has almost become a crisis of faith. I'd say Perdido is my favourite, but I also really enjoyed Scar and Iron Council. They are really only tangentially connected, so even even if you dislike one it should affect Perdido for you. smile An I was reminded of this book in another thread- The Doctor Who book Resurrection Casket. Set on another planet and possibly not steampunk in the strictest sense of the word, it's got a society entirely based on steam technology. Honestly, I could hug you. biggrin
And there's another good reason I should really start watching Dr. Who...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 7:32 pm
Iseult Afire Sock Drawer Demon Iseult Afire I know this could get me in trouble with the majority of you... but I couldn't get past the first few chapters in Mortal Engines. Please don't misunderstand- the idea was spectacular. I love the mental image that the very title supplies, much less the idea of towns that move. But the book was written in such a way that, after a while, I just couldn't handle how juvenile the plot was. Understandably, it does center around a naive fifteen year old, but I don't understand why I found this book in the Young Adult corner of my library.
(And to explain my principles: I do not call the book juvenile because the characters are fifteen. The Golden Compass was centered around a... was she ten? Twelve? The plot was entertaining to mature readers, while keeping the girl in character.)
I found Perdido Street Station to be one of the most amazing books I had ever read. I refused to return it to the library until I had bought my own copy, I became so attached to it. But I need help- my father tells me that the rest of Miéville's Bas-Lag series is to Perdido as the various Crow sequels were to Brandon Lee's original. (In a word, disappointing.)
Someone please tell me that this isn't true. Please. This has almost become a crisis of faith. I'd say Perdido is my favourite, but I also really enjoyed Scar and Iron Council. They are really only tangentially connected, so even even if you dislike one it should affect Perdido for you. smile An I was reminded of this book in another thread- The Doctor Who book Resurrection Casket. Set on another planet and possibly not steampunk in the strictest sense of the word, it's got a society entirely based on steam technology. Honestly, I could hug you. biggrin
And there's another good reason I should really start watching Dr. Who... Also- Tennant is sexy! He wears a suit. Gotta love a man in a suit. EDIT- I just noticed a typo in my first post - It SHOULDN'T affect Perdido. Shouldn't!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 11:14 am
We can do Doctor Who books? In that case, The Clockwise Man. It's Ninth Doctor, and involves clockwork men, a woman always in masks, and the haemophiliac heir to the throne of Russia.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 1:36 pm
Not quite steampunk, but A Scientific Romance by Ronald Wright was a great read. It was made as a sort of follow up to H.G. Wells' The Time Machine, which is why I bring it up.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 4:57 am
Prodigal Daughter We can do Doctor Who books? In that case, The Clockwise Man. It's Ninth Doctor, and involves clockwork men, a woman always in masks, and the haemophiliac heir to the throne of Russia. Oooo. I'll have to pick that one up! I really liked the clockwork men in the Girl in the Fireplace episode.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 2:45 pm
I recentally just stopped by Barnes & Nobles and bought 2 steampunk books: Whitechapel Gods, and Iron Angel. I haven't read them yet, but started on Whitechapel Gods, and I really enjoy the backing of the plot, and the writing style. There aren't many reviews on it, but the few that exist have high acclaim for the book as far as I could see. Iron Angel also seems to be in this position. There are many good things said about it.
Whitechapel Gods
Iron Angel
And if you want some books with slight steampunk elements/victorian style, read some of Terry Pratchett's Discworld books. It is a fantasy world series, but in some books (such as Hogfather) he has a more gothic/victorian feel, with steampunk elements. Especially with the Wizards. PS Terry is a comedic writer. Satire so to say.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
