What in tarnation is Steampunk, anyways?
I was browsing my Google Reader the other day and noticed that a friend of mine shared a post from PBS on Steampunk. The video clip focuses mainly on the artistic aspects of Steampunk but is also a decent introduction to what the genre is all about.
Steampunk is a subgenre of fiction that has grown in popularity over the past five or so years. It usually involves a Victorian-esque or alternate historical setting and has focus on futuristic inventions powered by steam, gears or clockworks parts. Steampunk asks readers to indulge in the ‘what if’ and is a real journey into imagination. As a blend of science fiction, fantasy, history and technology, the genre has wide appeal to both boys and girls.
Already popular in young adult fiction in titles such as Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan trilogy, Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series and in Canadian-authored The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade and Airborn by Kenneth Oppel, Steampunk is now making its way into stories for younger readers. Probably the most well known example of young readers Steampunk is The Invention of Hugo Cabret but there are many other great reads to choose from.
Picture Books
The Three Golden Keys by Peter Sis
When a man traveling in a hot air balloon crashes in the city of his youth, he goes on a search for three golden keys to unlock the door of his old home.
Flotsam by David Wiesner
Enter a magical, mechanical undersea world through the eyes of a young boy when he discovers a mysterious, otherworldly camera.
The Arrival by Shaun Tan
In this wordless graphic novel, a man leaves his wife and daughter to board a giant steamship to cross the ocean and build a better life for his family.
Novels
Larklight by Philip Reeve
Siblings Art and Myrtle live aboard Larklight, a mechanical house that travels through outer space that leads them to fantastic space adventures and often encounters with strange and deadly aliens.
The Clockwork Three by Matthew Kirby
Three unlikely friends come together after they discover three secrets that will change their lives: Giuseppe, an orphaned street musician, Hannah, a young girl who must care for her paren'ts, and Frederick, a clockmaker’s apprentice.
The Kronos Chronicles series by Marie Rutkoski
Petra’s life turns upside down when her father’s eyes are stolen by a power hungry prince after building him a clock with the potential for immense power.
Fergus Crane by Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell
Fergus is plunged into adventure when a steam powered mechanical winged horse brings him to his long-lost uncle to discover his true mission—to rescue his father.
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