Have you ever read some of the classic Victorian novels such as those by Jules Verne or H. Rider Haggard? If you did, maybe years ago when you were in school, you were reading the predecessors of Steam Punk! Jules Verne loved exotic places and exotic means of getting there–the airship in Around The World in Eighty Days, the submarine in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Haggard was more about exotic distant places, treasure hunting and some definitely paranormal elements, as well. Maybe not ‘magic’ per se but certainly not routine! His great series of King Solomon’s Mines, Allan Quartermain and She fit this paradigm.
I enjoy the Victorian writers even if the language now seems stilted and archaic and some of the conventions quaint such as “And now, gentle reader…” How jolting it seems now to be reminded thus that we are reading and not in the thick of the action! A no-no for this time and place.
Anyway I am delighted how much of the flavor I loved about those books has reincarnated in today’s steam punk fiction. It is a genre full of fun, often more than a little tongue in cheek and cheeky as well. Slightly ridiculous names, incredible devices and always wild adventures make most tales a delightful romp in fantasy, an anecdote to the hectic and high-tech life we all have to enjoy–or endure–today.
If you do enjoy modern steam punk, you might want to try one or two of those old books–I am sure they are in most libraries and probably available in e-book form now as well. It is amusing to see how the ideas have evolved. If you got them say on Amazon, you’d be referred to similar works as well so give it a look!
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