steampunk....
So thanks to Metalmensch, I've discovered a new (to me) science fiction subgenre called "Steampunk," which also seems to be a fashion genre (overview here). Actually, I am familiar with some of the literary work, but I just didn't know it had been named. The basic gist is this. What if technology had been discovered sooner, and/or based on steam instead of our current electronics?
It seems to have been inspired by H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, and continued in things like Wild, Wild West, Dinotopia, Myst, Disney's Atlantis and Phillip Pullman's Golden Compass books. There are a few anime in this category too, notably Escaflowne, which I haven't seen other than bits and pieces when it was on Fox. I had thought it was merely another giant robot series, but apparently the robots are steam-powered and the premise has a bit more to do with chivalry than Gundam. Guess I'll have to look that one up.
I've always enjoyed alternate history what-ifs, so I'm going to have to explore this a bit more.
It seems to have been inspired by H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, and continued in things like Wild, Wild West, Dinotopia, Myst, Disney's Atlantis and Phillip Pullman's Golden Compass books. There are a few anime in this category too, notably Escaflowne, which I haven't seen other than bits and pieces when it was on Fox. I had thought it was merely another giant robot series, but apparently the robots are steam-powered and the premise has a bit more to do with chivalry than Gundam. Guess I'll have to look that one up.
I've always enjoyed alternate history what-ifs, so I'm going to have to explore this a bit more.