I am tired of steampunk, and I wish I wasn’t. I am tired of gentlemen explorers and ladies of independent means. I’m tired of fog-bound steam-driven London, and I’m bored of
This is somehow the last straw for me: Lady of Independant Means Fights Sexy Vampires & Werewolves in Steampunk London
I’ve been reading this genre for a long time now, and I know I’m being precious about it - vampires are popular, steampunk/retro-future/Victoriana is popular so of course the twain shall meet. But it’s all started to feel a bit unexamined for me. I love the idea of steampunk - I like difference engines and pneumatic tubes and Ada Lovelace and Dr Moreau. I love the pace of change that epitomises the Victorian era - the monstrous expansion of cities, the rise of the press, mechanisation & industrialisation. But the fiction is starting to bore me. I’d love something set elsewhere - somewhere never part of the Empire, or an alternative history where the balance of power is held by Mexico or India or Australia.
Any suggestions? They don’t have to be flawless novels, just a bit different. Either an unusual setting, or focus or character will do. Or, even if you don’t have any suggestions, does anyone else feel like this, or am I overthinking the genre?