Monday, March 29, 2010

WTH is Steampunk?

Our little group (where was everybody?) chose Boneshaker for the next book. Pete's Pizza at five o'clock on the 24th of April.

It's a steampunk/fantasy/sci-fi novel. Here is the definition from Wikipedia:
Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction and speculative fiction, frequently featuring elements of fantasy, that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used — usually the 19th century, and often Victorian era England — but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date. Other examples of steampunk contain alternate history-style presentations of "the path not taken" of such technology as dirigibles, analog computers, or digital mechanical computers (such as Charles Babbage's Analytical engine); these frequently are presented in an idealized light, or with a presumption of functionality.

5 comments:

Nicole said...

I'm looking forward to being introduced to 'steampunk'.

BTW - Little Bee was awesome! Has eclipsed Oscar Wao as my 2nd fave bookclub book (behind, of course, The Road). I was at the condo in AZ all last week which is why i didn't make the meeting.

See you all in a couple weeks!

Mary said...

I'm so glad everybody liked it. I read most of it while sitting at Fishermans Wharf in Seattle or in the hotel lobby. The best way to spend a mini-vacation - reading.

Luke Honeythunder said...

See you all April 24 at 5:00

Katherine said...

I'll see you guys tomorrow at 5:00. Shriver better not have left the country without telling me...

Mary said...

Nope. He is leaving in the middle of May. Did anybody read the book?