I suppose it was inevitable that eventually I’d stumble into an interest in steampunk, especially with my recent sci-fi Regency spoof idea. I’ve never gone out searching for steampunk before, but the more I learn, the more intrigued I am. Part of my research involved picking up Howl’s Moving Castle — although I admit I got it for the kids, and at the time, I didn’t really know what it was about, just that it was highly recommended.
Oh. I *loved* this movie! We watched it today in bits and pieces (Princess Monster has been home sick all week and I snuck in some lunch time with her). I guess it’s not strictly “Victorian” but perhaps closer to Edwardian or even WWI in feel, but I loved it just the same. It’s definitely one of our Netflix tries that I’m going to add to our family collection. I could watch it over and over. Next in my queue is Steamboy, which I specifically added because of the steampunk themes.
I’ve also added Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliassotti to my wishlist, and my current non-fiction read is Inside the Victorian Home by Judith Flanders.
Do you have any other Victorian or Steampunk recommendations to share?
[Don’t forget to keep checking for the free reads at Drollerie Press in honor of E-Book Week — two new books are up each day for free download!]
Howl’s Moving Castle is fantastic, isn’t it? I usually can’t stand the English dubs of anime but who am I to argue with Mr. Bale’s husky sultry tones? 😳
I will be checking back for any recommendations as I only learned about the genre recently and have been fascinated by it ever since. Also cyber punk, but I haven’t found “written work” (read: BOOKS, NEED.) in either.
As for the free downloads, it seems I’m always just a few minute too late. 😆 Not that I need any mo-ah who am I kidding? Readers always need more! Viva le dépendance~!
I picked up “Inside the Victorian Home” from the library and it’s excellent. I’m using it for the steampunk story I’m writing.
I would suggest anime like “Steamboy” and “The Last Exile” (which is a series and I’m currently watching.) Also, watch some of the movies based on books by either Jules Verne or H.G. Wells.
Here’s a link to some Steampunk and Gaslight fiction
http://www.lanceradvanced.com/Store/SteampunkFic.html
And wikipedia has a entry on Steampunk http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk, which may help.
Oooo, cool links! I just discovered steampunk thanks to Membra Disjecta’s recent issue themed on it (http://membradisjecta.com/). Yaay, cool new genres!
I love HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE, and have watched my dvd many times–enjoying it immensely each time, particularly Bale’s sensual voice. I also recommend MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO. d:)
Steampunk lives!
Great post. Here are some book recommendations to add to the above suggestions:
WHITECHAPEL GODS by S.M. Peters
MAINSPRING & ESCAPEMENT by Jay Lake
THE NARROWS by Alexander C. Irvine (golems!!)
MORTAL ENGINES & LARKLIGHT by Philip Reeve
WICKED GENTLEMEN by Ginn Hale
MECHANICAL ROSE by Nathalie Gray
NEWTON’S CANNON by Greg Keyes
PERDIDO STREET STATION by China Mieville
NEW BLOOD by Gail Dayton
Those books only scratch the surface. I did a whole series of features on the steampunk genre in books, films, and comics. Here are the links if anyone’s interested:
http://www.thegalaxyexpress.net/2008/09/welcome-to-retro-future-of-steampunk.html
http://www.thegalaxyexpress.net/2008/09/steampunk-is-new-black.html
http://www.thegalaxyexpress.net/2008/09/splendor-of-steampunk-visual-media.html
http://www.thegalaxyexpress.net/2008/09/steampunk-it.html
http://www.thegalaxyexpress.net/2008/09/steampunk-forever.html
I also recently blogged about forthcoming steampunks with a romance/romantic elements:
http://www.thegalaxyexpress.net/2009/03/steampunk-romance-watch.html
Enjoy!
Soleil, I’m such a dweeb that I didn’t recognize Bale’s voice. Sad, I know. Now I need to watch it again and revel!
Thanks, Jenna — I added Steamboy thanks to you!
Bethanie, there’s some cool stuff out there!
Debra, I’ve just started watching anime in the past few months, but everything I’ve watched so far, I love! I’ll definitely add Totoro to my queue!
Heather, I was thrilled to see your post on steampunk romance! I added Clockwork Heart to my cart thanks to your rec, and I just picked up New Blood by Gail Dayton tonight! However, I have some revisions to finish before I can read…. le sigh. Must work faster!!
I’m totally bookmarking this post so I don’t lose all these great suggestions (and Greg Keyes is one of my favs, but I’ven never read Newton’s Cannon and didn’t know it was steampunk! hah!).
Thanks for the recommendations, Heather. I’ve been looking for more info on steampunk and your posts at your blog are a great source. 🙂
Thanks for the great recommendations! Funny how we both arrived at a need for these resources in completely different ways but the same timing! 🙂
Hey, I found you a tee shirt.
http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts-apparel/womens/ad8f/