Steampunk

psychotick

Dangerously confused
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Apr 8, 2011
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Rotorua, New Zealand
Hi,

It's been just over three weeks since I published The Arcanist, and I have to say I've been surprised but pleased by the demand. If things keep going the way they are it may well become my best seller in a couple of months.

But I am curious. This is my first ever foray into steampunk and to be fair it's probably as much tilted to epic fantasy as that. I personally haven't read a lot of the genre though like most people I expect I do find it fascinating - especially the gadgets.

So given that it's doing so well and I may find myself more or less forced into writing a sequel, I thought I'd ask those more into this genre - what is it that you like about it most? What's the stuff that appeals? What do you want to see more of in these works? And conversely of course, what do you want to see less of?

Also, do you guys prefer it to epic fantasy or sci fi? Or is it more a case of you love it all?

Thanks, Greg.
 
Pleased to hear your SP is doing so well. Steampunk is as diverse as the rest of the subgenres out there. Paranorm, Fantasy, SF, Western and the Romance all do very well. If Arcanist is doing well, stay within that as you'll develop a reputation.

Toby Frost, Kit Cox, Leisel Schwartz, Stephen Hunt, Cherie Priest, Jonathan Green, Gail Carriger, Sam Stone ... they've all carved a section of that niche for themselves. Scott Westerfeld takes yet another stance, Mark Hodder's Swinburne and Burton is also worth a mention.
(I could be here ALL day)

*ETA* I haven't yet read Susan Bolton's Oracle, but I have heard good things about it.

Some love the humour, some hate it, others will tell you it is the core of Steampunk. Some want it to focus on the era, others on the notion of what we know of technology then and now.

Steampunk is what you make of it. That's the best part.

There is this notion that Steampunk has had it's day. I disagree. Don't underestimate the power of the cog! It is just a subculture forgotten and under the surface. Lincoln Steampunk Asylum happens at the end of this month in Lincoln UK. Virgin Trains are putting on extra trains for it, it made the national papers. Hotels are sold out and the Castle is ours. :D (almost)
 
I wouldn't class it as Steampunk, exactly, but there are elements in it, like the gnome work spaces and what not. I like the gadgets, and the feel. It's interesting, this thread, as the new trilogy that I may actually find time to get to is steampunk-ish. I'll watch with interest.

(and congrats, Psychotick, I've seen the Arcanist popping up on Amazon in a few places - seems to be going well.:))
 
Thanks for the mention! I'm not going to be able to make the Lincoln event this year, but I can vouch that it's huge and really good. The subculture is certainly thriving, and seems to be becoming larger. I think a lot of this is due to its family-friendly nature and lack of angst, unlike, say, goth or punk. In the best way, it's a jolly day out.

As far as Steampunk writing is concerned, it sort of writes itself, the way cliched 1980s fantasy writes itself, but not necessarily well. If I was to say what I think a good steampunk story needs, it's something new, not just the same old pack of cards shuffled into a slightly different form. It's easy to have an adventurer with a double-barrelled name doing something with aether on a pirate airship, but there are so many inspirations that can be used that don't have to be like that, which can bring life to an otherwise by-the-numbers story. I always try to introduce some odd element, inspired by either standard SF or history, that will inject the story with a bit of strangeness (Tippoo's Tiger vs The Cottingley Faries - you heard it here first...).

It also occurs to me that almost every country and culture has its own steampunk - that is to say, a period of its history that could be the basis for a pulpy, fantastical adventure story. People get worked up by what is steampunk and what isn't, but there's a huge wealth of possible material out there.
 
Would Tchaikovskys Shadow of the Apt count as Steampunk?

For me what I really like about that series is how the technological developments have a direct impact on the social, economic and miliataristic aspects of the series.

So for me I like to see the technology driving socio-economic and associated changes - just as we can see in our Industrialised history/
 
Hi Silent,

I have another book that uses that dynamic, but can't use it in the arcanist. My MC being able to build things that others can't is part of his arcane art. He wouldn't be so fantastic if everyone had a car and an airship!

Cheers, Greg.
 

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