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bookgazing) wrote2010-02-01 05:47 am
bookgazing) wrote2010-02-01 05:47 am
Steampunk Month!
Remember me mentioning something about having a month dedicated to reading steam punk novels? Well the time for that project has arrived, unlike so many other of my projects. In February I will be reading mostly steam punk novels, with a quick change of subject for the Harlem Renaissance Classics Circuit tour and an ongoing Stephen King read, because I need to get ‘Under the Dome’ back to a colleague and it is long!
Several people commented, when I first announced the idea of a themed reading month, that they did not know much about steam punk. Neither do I, but I know whenever I read about a novel someone classifies as steam punk I feel giddy and excited at the possibilities of a combination between sci-fi, dysotopia and alternate history. My brief knowledge extends to a very basic starting definition of the steam punk literary genre as books where the novel’s society still uses steam power. So you get blimps as the primary mode of flight, steam powered land vehicles etc. There’s also an offshoot called clock punk, where clockwork is the primary technology, but clockwork technology also turns up in general steam punk novels.
Many steam punk novels are set in Victorian England and contain that patented Sherlock Holmes mix of science, the supernatural, detection and adventure. Characters alternately fear technology, or at least come to fear how it can be misused and are intrigued by invention, which sounds psychologically fascinating when applied to Victorian society, that culture of extreme opposites. That’s about all I have for you, gleaned from reading two previous steam punk novels. Please see Wikipedia for more.
The steam punk books I plan on working through in February are:
'Boneshaker' – Cherie Priest: This is the first book I’ll be reading because it is a ‘Chasing Ray’ suggestion and Colleen mentioned that the heroine in a thirty year old mother who has to adventure off to save her teenage son. Alternate history combined with ‘mothers do not just have to wait and knit’ gender commentary should be more prevalent. I actually started this today while I was waiting for the traffic to clear so I could get to work after the impromptu snow flurry.
'The Women of Nell Gwynne’s' – Kage Barker: Another ‘Chasing Ray’ young adult suggestion. The author has a popular series out, which this is a standalone prequel tobut I know nothing about those books all I know is that there is an elite female spy ring operating out of an elite brothel and the women are on the side of good. Way to subvert the ‘prostitutes are bad people’ idea and the idea that all female spies are on the side of ‘the bad guys’ like Mata Hari.
'Leviathan' – Scott Westerfield: ‘Leviathan’ was the big steam punk book of 2009 and I really wish that such a popular author writing a steam punk novel would inspire the same kind of ‘omg vampire’ trend that is stillsweeping through young adult publishing.
'The Osiris Ritual' – George Mann: The second in a steam punk detective series which is will be cosily familiar to Holmes fans, but also features zombie/werewolf type creatures and some other odd surprises. Also a female detectoring sidekick, which Holmes would not have allowed.
'The Court of the Air' - Stephen Hunt: I got almost all the way through this last year, but gave up in the final 150 pages. It was too much of an overt historical parody for my mood at the time, and despite not being high fantasy it had that kind of extreme world building feel to it which was too hard to grasp with my brain in fluffy mode. I’ve kept hold of it for when I want more serious steam punk.
'Mortal Engines' – Philip Reeve: I thought this was steam punk, but after reading litlove's review it may be more of a general dystopia. I’ll keep as a backup read I think.
It’s about to get steamy around here (yes that was lame wasn’t it, I am so bad at ending posts strongly).
Several people commented, when I first announced the idea of a themed reading month, that they did not know much about steam punk. Neither do I, but I know whenever I read about a novel someone classifies as steam punk I feel giddy and excited at the possibilities of a combination between sci-fi, dysotopia and alternate history. My brief knowledge extends to a very basic starting definition of the steam punk literary genre as books where the novel’s society still uses steam power. So you get blimps as the primary mode of flight, steam powered land vehicles etc. There’s also an offshoot called clock punk, where clockwork is the primary technology, but clockwork technology also turns up in general steam punk novels.
Many steam punk novels are set in Victorian England and contain that patented Sherlock Holmes mix of science, the supernatural, detection and adventure. Characters alternately fear technology, or at least come to fear how it can be misused and are intrigued by invention, which sounds psychologically fascinating when applied to Victorian society, that culture of extreme opposites. That’s about all I have for you, gleaned from reading two previous steam punk novels. Please see Wikipedia for more.
The steam punk books I plan on working through in February are:
'Boneshaker' – Cherie Priest: This is the first book I’ll be reading because it is a ‘Chasing Ray’ suggestion and Colleen mentioned that the heroine in a thirty year old mother who has to adventure off to save her teenage son. Alternate history combined with ‘mothers do not just have to wait and knit’ gender commentary should be more prevalent. I actually started this today while I was waiting for the traffic to clear so I could get to work after the impromptu snow flurry.
'The Women of Nell Gwynne’s' – Kage Barker: Another ‘Chasing Ray’ young adult suggestion. The author has a popular series out, which this is a standalone prequel tobut I know nothing about those books all I know is that there is an elite female spy ring operating out of an elite brothel and the women are on the side of good. Way to subvert the ‘prostitutes are bad people’ idea and the idea that all female spies are on the side of ‘the bad guys’ like Mata Hari.
'Leviathan' – Scott Westerfield: ‘Leviathan’ was the big steam punk book of 2009 and I really wish that such a popular author writing a steam punk novel would inspire the same kind of ‘omg vampire’ trend that is stillsweeping through young adult publishing.
'The Osiris Ritual' – George Mann: The second in a steam punk detective series which is will be cosily familiar to Holmes fans, but also features zombie/werewolf type creatures and some other odd surprises. Also a female detectoring sidekick, which Holmes would not have allowed.
'The Court of the Air' - Stephen Hunt: I got almost all the way through this last year, but gave up in the final 150 pages. It was too much of an overt historical parody for my mood at the time, and despite not being high fantasy it had that kind of extreme world building feel to it which was too hard to grasp with my brain in fluffy mode. I’ve kept hold of it for when I want more serious steam punk.
'Mortal Engines' – Philip Reeve: I thought this was steam punk, but after reading litlove's review it may be more of a general dystopia. I’ll keep as a backup read I think.
It’s about to get steamy around here (yes that was lame wasn’t it, I am so bad at ending posts strongly).