I have spent the last three years devouring most of the seminal steampunk works; I’m a slow reader, what can I say? I would love to get together with other neoVictorian fans to talk about these wonderful volumes and would be happy to host gatherings at the Lemony Snicket House. I know there is plenty demanding our time in both Second and First life; still, I figgered I’d sound one ping and see what echoes I can gather…
Inneybuddy innerested in forming an active Literary Society?
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We have kicked around the idea of a book club before. Depending on the books discussed and availability I’d be willing to participate! :-)
Have you a candidate for the first discussion?
*ears perk up in interest*
the Caledon Library group might let you spam something like that, lot of eyeballs in that group.
((Books. YES! I’d love to. I’m fairly new to Steampunk literature, for all that I know and love about the style. I’d kill to learn some new titles [besides Girl Genius that Satu pointed me to] to learn more about the style and the more intricate workings of Steampunk. This would be awesome. ^^))
More than a twelvemonth ago the Clockwinder and several others suggested tomes to me. I started with The Difference Engine by William Gibson. Then read Homunculus by James Blaylock; they are both great for British settings and true Victoriana. Some books, like the one I just finished The Diamond Age, strain the definition of steampunk.
I also very much enjoyed Cherie Priests Boneshaker (that has a steampunk Darth Vader in it, I kid you not!) and Dreadnought, both set in her ‘Clockwork Universe’.
((I can take those down and see about working through them. I’m still very much in the middle of the Game of Thrones series… So once I finish that, I’ll see about them.))
I’m currently working my way through the canon works, would be great to discuss them, and to discover new titles :)
What do you have in your canon? I think I have spanned the fiction finally. I tend to find an author and read most of their stuff until I have sucked all the savory stuff out of their styles for my taste, for example Tim Powers Anubis Gates and Stress of Her Regard, but went on to his non-Victorian stuff as well.
I read Titus Groan, the first of the Gormenghast Trilogy, but found it extremely depressing by its end and consequently learned that poor Mr Peake seemed to be slowly losing his mind. I will finish it, but his style gets fairly demanding from time to time and I tend to get caught up with the tone of a book to the point it colors my outlook and Titus made me very gloomy.
I guess its the novels most recommended to be “steampunk”. I agree that my use of the word ‘canon’ is a bit loose since there are a few different ideas about what steampunk means – from the mundane and technical pragmatic types to wildly fantastical.
To answer your question i’ve read
Morlock Night by Jeter
The Age of Unreason series by Keyes (I loved it, what a ride!)
The Michael Moorcock books (he’s great, poor Bastable lol)
Currently Reading His Dark Materials (on Golden Compass)
Oh dear, there is quite a bit more that is escaping me at the moment… i will add them when i’m not tired and full of wine :)
I definitely have quite a bit more to read (Anubis Gates for example) before I could say I’ve read the core books…
anyway, I have New Babbage to thank for my current reading tastes.
*BIG DUH*
Difference Engine of course! Read it ages ago.
A genuine steampunk book in which Sam Houston and Bigfoot Wallace appear! Perhaps the first on our list?
Definitely :) So far, it is the only one I have read that has gone into detail with clockwork computing. I was especially amazed at the kinotrope – the idea of encoding (albeit low resolution) video on punch cards blew my mind.
As an aside, this is an example of two authors whom I have read their non-steampunk works as well – both Gibson and Sterling have a healthy and engrossing bibliography
Oh and yes I agree. If I like the authors writing, I will devour the bibliography. Occasionally, I love one or two books by an author but the rest is painful. Then its the sad case of “I want to like this book, i really do, but reading it is like chewing on rusty nails”. C’est la vie :) Its quite rare when I will drop a book unfinished.
*pokes head out of office*
Being a Dragon of Very Little Brain and thus a Pushy Old Broad, may I suggest my own steampunk novel, written in our own CocoaJava Cafe?
Wild Cards and Iron Horses
Unfortunately I’m not able to offer a discount or any special pricing but I’d appreciate your support… and would be glad to attend book club meetings and answer questions.
It’s available in ebook and print form.
*bows politely*
Thanks for your time and letting me indulge myself!
*wanders off in hunt of Brunel Hall pastries*
:)
I shall certainly swell the coffers of our resident Author! Hmmm, crazed card games? I do love me some games!
Sorry, where do I go to get the e-book?
The link above takes you to Samhain Publishing – where you can buy and download the book.
Amazon is here, B&N is here – I don’t have the links for Sony, Kobo and Apple but I know it’s on there somewhere…
I remain at your beck and call, etc. etc etc.
(here’s my website, for those interested in other novels)
:)
And for those looking for some older steampunk stories, please drop on by the Tick Tock Book Shop in Clockhaven – I have links to public domain works from Project Gutenberg in the store, many of which are considered to be forerunners of the steampunk genre. All the books are free courtesy of Project Gutenberg and include such renown authors as H.G. Wells and Jules Verne – and some you may not have heard of…yet!
It’s the wee shop by the fountain!
:D
I recommend H.G.Wells’ book Tono-Bungay, a semi-autobiographical work involving a notorious patent-medicine.
If I may throw my 2 cents into the fray, I highly recommend the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrances series of stories by Tee Morris and Phillippa Ballantine, if you are looking for newer fares in the steampunk genre. Their (award winning) first book came out last year and they have a second novel in the series coming out some time this year. Plus there is a series of short stories written by other authors which take place in the MoPO universe available in ebook format or for free audio download.
I have not had the chance to read much in the way of steampunk yet, so I really enjoy seeing the suggestions from the rest of you!