This weekend is Comiccon.
I went yesterday on Saturday, and now I think it is time to discuss one
of my favorite topics, Steampunk. I’ve
only recently gotten into this aspect of science fiction. Some of you might already be familiar with
Steampunk. One of the reasons steampunk
is so great is that it allows for all kinds of creativity and there are all
kinds of sub-genres. Some of you might
be familiar with Western Steampunk, Firefly & Wild, Wild, West are examples
of that. I went to the steampunk cosplay
session and one of the tips they gave was that it is all about expressing
yourself, so be creative and have fun.
One of my favorite quotes is actually from a Castle episode called “Punked” which is
all about a murder that takes place in the steampunk community in New York
City. This is one of the best
definitions I’ve ever heard: “It's a
subculture that embraces the simplicity and romance of the past at the same time,
couples it with the hope and promise and sheer super-coolness of futuristic
design”.
When it comes to Steampunk, there are so many books, so I’m
going to discuss a couple of my favorite non-fiction books and steampunk author. Also, I borrowed all of the below books from my local library, so if you are interested, be sure to check them out.
One of my favorite steampunk non-fiction books is Steampunk Your Wardrobe by Calista
Taylor. This is one of the best books to
look at if you are looking to modify clothing so it is more steampunk. I am really looking forward to trying a
number of crafts from this book.
Basically, find what you want to do, go to the thrift store and adapt.
The other non-fiction book I really like is titled Steampunk Emporium by Jema Hewitt. In fact, I made a choker based on one from
this book. That is the great thing about
steampunk. I didn’t like the choker in
the book, it just wasn’t me, so I made my choker more to my taste.
As for fiction, there is one name that stands out in my mind
as a steampunk author, Gail Carriger. I
absolutely love her books! She has a
wonderful sense of humor and the characters in her book are wonderfully
written. She also writes strong female
leads. It is a perfect blend of science
fiction (steampunk) and fantasy (vampires/werewolves) elements. In chronological order, you should read the
Finishing School series, the Soulless series and the Custard Protocol (her
newest) series. In publication order for
the series, it is Soulless, Finishing School and then Custard Protocol. I suggest reading it in chronological order
as I read it in publication order and now find myself somewhat confused by the
Custard Protocol because it is recalling events that occurred at the end of the
Soulless series.
Finishing School
Soulless
The Custard Protocol
No comments:
Post a Comment