tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post5184875074648589254..comments2024-02-05T10:41:31.777-05:00Comments on I Saw Lightning Fall: Boneshaker Blends Flavors, Adds AdventureLoren Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12488412683340389286noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post-42106373037910488232011-03-23T10:22:11.210-04:002011-03-23T10:22:11.210-04:00Yeah, I'm not sure steampunk is fully defined ...Yeah, I'm not sure steampunk is fully defined as a genre yet. I mean, there are some recognizable traits, but it feels pretty loose to me. <i>The Difference Engine</i> read as though Gibson and Sterling had done a ton of historical research but had forgotten to add in a plot.Loren Eatonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12488412683340389286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post-13280465223585017602011-03-23T00:55:56.093-04:002011-03-23T00:55:56.093-04:00Steampunk is, as far as I can tell, a mixed bag. E...Steampunk is, as far as I can tell, a mixed bag. Early stuff like The Difference Engine teends to be dark and brooding, like cyberpunk. Later stuff seems to realize that Victorian technology is pretty and looks like art designed for humans; a lot of the steampunk fashion is based on quasi-Victorian (intentionally quasi) DIY mentality.<br /><br />The books, though...go in more directions than either the earlier stuff or the odd subculture. Priest is great; for a more adventurous version, you could check out Scott Westerfield's recklessly steampunkified rewriting of WWI, with Franz Ferdinand's son as a protagonist. <br /><br />Personally, I have a taste for light, contemporary steampunk--the type that feels vaguely Jules-Vernish. But then, Cherie Priest doesn't write that, and her books are my favorite that fall into the category.Chestertonian Ramblerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01550643992523840950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post-23234410491448547292011-03-21T15:16:51.072-04:002011-03-21T15:16:51.072-04:00I might have to check it out. I bet my wife would ...I might have to check it out. I bet my wife would love it. She's going through some Charlene Harris right now.<br /><br />Myself, I haven't read a lot of steampunk either. I did read <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Difference-Engine-Spectra-special-editions/dp/055329461X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1300734973&sr=1-1" rel="nofollow">The Difference Engine</a></i>, which is both fascinating and frustrating in equal measures.Loren Eatonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12488412683340389286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post-7634552000266284082011-03-21T00:10:25.868-04:002011-03-21T00:10:25.868-04:00I haven't read Boneshaker, but I did read Prie...I haven't read Boneshaker, but I did read Priest's novella, Clementine. It strays less into multiple-genre realms (at least it avoids the Zombies). It was an enjoyable read.<br /><br />I don't feel like I have a good handle on steampunk (I have actor friends in the steampunk scene, but that gives me a sense of style that doesn't seem to necessarily be required to be steampunk). I enjoyed the alternate history aspects of the story, but largely because it set up a good frame for the central chase-story & showdown.AidanFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09876041003278004627noreply@blogger.com