On a weekend in October 2009, over a thousand people crowded into the Seattle Airport Marriott Hotel, attempting to escape the ever present rain synonymous with a Pacific Northwest winter. Swathed in corsets, historic aviation goggles, and other paraphernalia, many participants wore a unique style which blended Victorian sensibilities with adventure gear. But what were these people doing? Attending the region's first annual Steampunk convention — known as 'SteamCon.' Fans, authors, artists and vendors from around the United States congregated to celebrate a small but rapidly growing literary subculture: steampunk.
Although the exact definition of steampunk is hotly debated among fans, the genre is generally understood to be a branch of science fiction that combines fictional technology (usually steam-powered), and alternate histories. Though steampunk is renowned for its NeoVictorian manifestations, authors have continued to widen the genre by including a broader array of technologies and other historical timelines (e.g., the United States Wild West era and dieselpunk).
Steampunk originally rose to prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s; the current popularity of steampunk is only the latest manifestation of the rich legacy of speculative fiction. The earliest forerunners of steampunk, and indeed all of science fiction, were a prototype genre called "scientific romances" — which include novels by Jules Verne and H. G. Wells. These stories were often based upon speculative technology, and the human responses to such technology.
It was author K. W. Jeter who finally coined the term 'steampunk,' in a letter to the editors of the science fiction literary magazine Locus in 1979. Arguing that Victorian fantasies were the next development on the horizon, Jeter suggested that the editors name the genre after the technology on which the stories were based: steam. Because of his suggestion, Jeter's 1979 novel Morlock Night is widely considered the first steampunk novel.
However, widespread knowledge of the genre didn't come until the 1990 publication of a novel written by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling: The Difference Engine. Based upon the premise that Charles Babbage's analytical machine actually worked when invented, the novel examined how such technology would have impacted the world during the nineteenth century. Nominated for the British Science Fiction Award in 1990, The Difference Engine won the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1991. Winning the Nebula created the popularity needed to expose steampunk fiction to new readers.
Steampunk finally invaded mainstream culture through the 1999 publication of the illustrated series The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Written by renowned graphic novelist Alan Moore (of Watchmen fame), and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill, the series created further appreciation for the genre. Based upon fictional technologies and operating out of Victorian England, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen won the 2000 Bram Stoker Award for the Best Illustrated Narrative. A widely influential work, the visual aesthetics illustrated by the series undoubtedly influenced the current subculture of genre-based fashion and art.
With increasing numbers of authors embracing the genre, the fan base has grown dramatically. Fans of steampunk express their enjoyment and absorption of the genre in ingenious ways — through fashion, art, and music. Fashion is an easily recognizable feature of most steampunk fans, who often don the trappings during conventions. Victorian and Edwardian era dress is a dominant feature of steampunk, with a preponderance of military-inspired garments. For women, petticoats, corsets, and bustles are de rigueur. Period pieces — such as parasols, goggles, and elaborate clocks — complete the steampunk look.
But fashion isn't the only outlet fans have embraced the genre. Many visual artists and musicians have incorporated elements of steampunk into their work. While the visual artists rely on the same visual aesthetics common to the Victorian and Edwardian clothing fashions, steampunk musicians are described as "industrial" or "synthpunk" — both apt names that borrow from the mechanics for which they are named. Like any subculture, fans of steampunk music debate what the genre truly sounds like. Frequently cited musicians include Abney Park, or Vernian Process.
The cultural phenomenon of steampunk has so infiltrated the mainstream culture that even Comic Con International — a four day science fiction and fantasy convention based out of San Diego, CA — has felt the impact. The Saturday of the event has unofficially been dubbed "Steampunk Day," where fans celebrate through fashion, art, and music.
Libraries can capitalize on the widespread love for steampunk by including the novels in their collections. But collection development is only one way to showcase the genre. A display of steampunk novels is another way to raise awareness. Or consider hosting a steampunk author in your library, and complete the event by offering prizes to patrons with the best costume. Or perhaps your library can host a gallery of steampunk-inspired visual art. Imagination is the only limit when creating library programs.
The popularity of the genre not only endures, but new authors are now contributing to the already impressive canon. The following annotated bibliography is a brief introduction to the novels that launched steampunk into cultural consciousness — and the more recent authors who are expanding the boundaries.
The Classics
Jules Verne, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1869)
Jules Verne's fiction anticipated much of the transportation we take for granted today: space, air, and undersea. Drawing on motifs from Homer's Odyssey, the now classic novel offers an adventurous story in accessible language for many readers.
H. G. Wells, The Time Machine (1895)
Published originally as a novella, The Time Machine is considered a classic scientific romance because of its then-unique incorporation of evolutionary themes within the plot. Recommended for young adults and adult readers.
K. W. Jeter, Morlock Night (1979)
As a progenitor of current genre of steampunk, Jeter's novel is based on H. G. Wells' The Time Machine. The novel was written for adults, though young adults shouldn't have difficulty with the language.
Tim Powers, The Anubis Gates (1983)
A time travel fantasy which won the 1983 Philip K. Dick Award, The Anubis Gates narrates the story of J. Cochran Darrow, an ill millionaire who discovers a mechanism for time travel.
James Blaylock, Homunculus (1986)
Homunculus, awarded the Philip K. Dick Award in 1986, opens with the narrators Langton St. Ives and Shiloh discovering a dead pilot in a dirigible above London during the Victorian era.
William Gibson & Bruce Sterling, The Difference Engine (1990)
The Difference Engine follows a Victorian England where Charles Babbage's 'difference engine' (a computer) has revolutionized nineteenth century technology. Given the complexity of ideas, this novel is best accessed by adult readers.
Current Raves and Faves
Gail Carriger, Soulless (2009)
Embraced by critics and readers alike, this romance-slash-screwball comedy is lighthearted frolic through steampunk'd London.
William Jablonsky, The Clockwork Man (2009)
The Clockwork Man narrates the tale of Ernst, the nineteenth century automaton constructed entirely of clockwork. Complications ensue when Ernst falls in love with his creator's daughter.
China Mieville, Perdido Street Station (2000)
Winning the 2001 Arthur C. Clarke Award and nominated for many others, Perdido Street Station narrates the experiences of scientist Isaac Dan der Grimnebulin in the fictional world of Bas-Lag, where both magic and steam-powered technologies operate.
Dexter Palmer, The Dream of Perpetual Motion (2010)
A storyteller imprisoned on board a giant zeppelin named the Chrysalis tells that tale of his travels and misadventures.
Cherie Priest, Boneshaker (2009)
Boneshaker is an example of Americana Steampunk, or alternate histories with fictional technology that are based in the United States. Nominated for the 2010 Hugo Award, Boneshaker is written in accessible language for most readers.
Philip Reeve, Mortal Engines(2001)
Reeve's Mortal Engines is the first novel of an eponymous quartet (known throughout the United States as the Hungry City Chronicles). Written for, and highly recommended to, young adult readers.
Scott Westerfeld & Keith Thompson, Leviathan (2010)
Leviathan is a young adult novel that describes the clash between the Clankers and the Darwinists in an alternate World War I setting.
References
Grossman, L. Steampunk: Reclaiming tech for the masses. Time, 177, n.p.
Museum of the History of Science. (2009). Steampunk. Retrieved from http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/exhibits/steampunk/
Roberts, A. (2000). Science fiction. London: Routledge.
Stableford, B. (2006). Science fact and science fiction: An encyclopedia. London: Routledge.
Rebecca M. Marrall is the Diversity Resident Librarian at Western Washington University, located in beautiful Bellingham, Washington.