Theme Month: April

[apep727]

In an effort to actually put this livejournal to some use (and get me to post more regularly), I came up with an idea: theme months! I plan on posting at least one review every week of a particular month, and the reviews for said month will all follow a particular theme. (Not really creative, I know, but work with me here).

So, what theme have I picked for April?

STEAMPUNK!!

For the three of you who don't know what steampunk is, here's a handy music video explaining it, curtesy of Sir Reginald Pikdevant, Esquire.

Click to view

But I'm not just sticking to the broad definition given here, oh no. I'm going to narrow it down a bit. Everything I review this month will:

• Be set in an alternate history, not an entirely fictional world. While a fictional setting can be steampunk, I'm going to stick to works where at least the geography of the world is the same as ours. Sadly, this means I won't be reviewing Arcadia Snips and the Steamwork Consortium, but I have to set some limits on myself.
• Have the marvelous technology that is the hallmark of steampunk as the rule, rather than the exception. So books where only the heros/villains have access to steampunk technology are off the list, as well as movies like Wild Wild West, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and the 2009 version of Sherlock Holmes. While all three of those have steampunk qualities, I don't feel they qualify as true steampunk

But apart from those criteriea, anything goes. I've already got some books planned, but I'm also open to suggestions for movies, comics (web and print), anything. Just remember - it has to be alt-history, and the steampunky tech has to be ubiquetous.

So, my first review (hopefully to post by Saturday) will be of Scott Westerfeld's young adult novel, Leviathan. See you then!