Steampunk literature - what am I missing?

[justbeast]

jordansc and I were talking the other day, trying to think of examples of genuinely great steampunk novels.

And, while neither of us has exhaustive knowledge of recent scifi and fantasy, we couldn't think of anyAll of the great examples that we came up with were somehow of a visual nature -- films, graphic novels, visual art, sculptures and physical

Comments

[sinboy]

I liked The Difference Engine. It was pretty entertaining. Dunno if it's "great". But it was pretty good, IMO.

[earthgoat]

Lord Kelvin's Machine by James P. Blaylock. Also the Adventures of Langdon St. Ives by the same. You could try New Amsterdam by Elizabeth Bear too.

[rosefox]

I was going to say, I'm shocked not to see any Blaylock on that list!

[earthgoat]

He is one of the daddies of literary steampunk as far as I'm concerned.

Although League of Extrordinary Gentlemen, the movie (however bad it was) and the graphic novels, rather captures the visual for me.

[tylik]

I enjoyed "In the Country of the Blind"... but it only echoes of steampunk. (Also, it seems to have been republished, longer... and I haven't read the newer version. If it really is a new version.)

[corivax]

Perdido Street Station definitely has some steampunk elements, though it perhaps has more fantasy or horror elements, so you may want to exclude it.

[tylik]

Oh, yes! It might be more Gaslight fantasy, but it certainly counts at great.

Huh. I bet cadmus has some recommendations...

[garote]

What is "gaslight fantasy"?

[tylik]

It's a term Kaja Foglio kind of accidentally made up for kind of the fantasy cognate of steampunk.

[fireriven]

Is the Sedia book not The Alchemy of Stone that's out now and waving in lazy siren-like grace from my Amazon.com wishlist?

Have you read the Vandermeer-edited Steampunk?

What about Jay Lake's books, Mainspring and Escapement? Do they count?

I myself am currently writing a steampunk short story... perhaps there will one day be a novel within the real I am imagining.

[justbeast]

> Is the Sedia book not The Alchemy of Stone that's out now and waving in
> lazy siren-like grace from my Amazon.com wishlist?

heehee, no! It's a Crimean War/alternate history novel -- hence the 'secret' part :)

(And no - haven't read any of those other ones. Will have to check out)

[intelligentrix]

Yes, I was going to mention Mainspring, too. I think that counts.