One of my favorite things in the world right now is steampunk. The fashion, the fiction - I love them both!
And guess what? Today's guest posts talks about it. Without further ado, I present Miss Suzanne Lazear of Steamed!
Suzanne Lazear aka “Lolita Suzanne” is Chief Mayhem Officer of the steampunk group blog, Steamed! She likes steampunk for the shoes and clockhand tiaras. Suzanne also writes steampunk books for teens, with her first releasing in 2012. Sometimes she can be found wearing a bustle, but she has yet to make a ray gun.
Without further ado, I introduce to you: Suzanne Lazear!
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Steampunk is the intersection of technology and romance. - steampunkworkshop.com
Steampunk is what happens when Goths discover the color brown. - as seen on a t-shirt
Steampunk is Jules Verne on crack. - Suzanne Lazear
Steampunk is taking the world by storm. Steampunk is far more than a literary movement with music, books, art, fashion, and even conventions. But it’s perfectly understandable that this little slice of Victorian-inspired alternate history would become popular. What’s not to love about a rock band singing about airship pirates, books about sassy society ladies who smack Vampires with parasols, or an excuse to wear your corset on the outside of your clothing?
The phrase "steampunk" started out as a bit of a joke, since there’s plenty of steam but not a lot of punk in most steampunk tales. But that phrase stuck and is used to describe alternate histories that explore what it might be like we’d stayed a steam-based society instead of becoming an oil-based one while keeping that Victorian aesthetic and spirit.
What we get is a rich world that crosses genres and art forms. A steampunk story can be a mystery or a romance. Truly, steampunk is genre blending—and bending—at its finest. There is so much to like about steampunk fiction because of the sheer room to create and invent. It could take place it Victorian London or on another planet far in the future. There can be great technology all done in the style of the Victorians. There could be magic or supernaturals or science. It’s a world of air pirate, dirigibles, bustles, mad science, and ray guns.
Leviathan is an alternate take on World War I, In the Parasol Protectorate series Alexia’s Victorian London is like our own only with werewolves and vampires, and The Golden Compass takes place a world parallel to ours. The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker is romantic and filled with magic. The Hunchback Assignments is adventurous.
I adore steampunk fiction - which is full of incredible heroines. Spunky Deryn disguises herself as a boy so she could join the air service in Leviathan. Scrappy Lyra in The Golden Compass has amazing adventures. Percy of The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker talks to ghosts. Octavia’s a secret agent in The Hunchback Assignments. We can’t forget the unflappable Alexia who smacks Vampires with parasols in the Parasol Protectorate series. Some of them were trousers, others corsets and bustles, but all do what they do with a courage and flair all their own.
Even if you’ve never been a fan of Jules Verne or sci-fi, steampunk books can be fun to read. It’s not all about the science--there’s usually plenty of mystery, adventure, and even some romance. Every steampunk world, every steampunk tale, is different. If you don’t like one author’s take, you may like another. Give steampunk a try. If you want to dress up while reading we won’t tell.
