Post Apocalyptic Steam Power Novels

I watch NBC’s new show “Revolution.” In it, all power is gone and society has collapsed. Among the things that bothered me, along with soldiers carrying swords but not wearing any type of body armor, and I realized that bothered me about other post-apocalyptic scenarios is the lack of steam power. Oh, power’s gone, let’s go back to medieval times. We had steam power for over 100 years up to the late 1800’s in some places. Why go to 1366 when you can go to 1866?

So, have there been any post apocalyptic novels or short stories, heck TV shows, where steam power was used to rebuild society?

Wait, has that started already? I thought the premiere was on Sept. 17th. Have I missed it already?

They had a preview online.

I think there was a steam tractor shown (in a still) in the epilogue section of Threads, but that’s all that comes to mind at the moment.

In that “Revolution” show is it just electricity that’s been disabled, or is it anything with high energy density, a la Dies the Fire?

An opening narration discussed how car engines, jet turbines and batteries no longer worked. One of the main characters says that it was a day that “physics went insane” causing not only the blackout, but also cars to stop as well as planes and helicopters to fall from the sky. Yet, there’s a pendant some of the characters have that, when pressed, allows power for a light bulb and computer, which allows communication with another one. Also, guns and distilleries still work.

You’d think someone would think steam engines, wind turbines (“Jericho” did this after an EMP), etc. Couldn’t you build a diesel engine?

Um! Sounds as though they’re making it up as they go along… Pulling plot devices out of thin air (or their backsides).

Say what you want about Stirling and Dies the Fire but at least the initial premise is stuck to and all the consequences thought through.

Philip Reeve’s Mortal Engines books are fairly steampunk in focus but they do have some scavenged technology from the far past, which includes electricity so I’m not sure if this is what you’re after.

Good books though, albeit pretty dark and bloody for the Young Teen market. The heroine is phenomenally amoral.

A small point on armor. Making real armor designed to protect from actual swords is not an easy thing. It takes an extraordinary amount of time to fashion, and quite a bit of skill and knowledge to do it right. Now you could take scrap and make basic forms of armor (e.g. a small sheet of metal to serve as a makeshift breastplate), but people tend to forget that it’s going to be very heavy. If these people are untrained (i.e. not used to the weight) then all of that extra weight could become very encumbering if they travel to any real extent.

John Varley’s latest, Slow Apocalypse has various aging steam engines being restored to use during the ongoing catastrophe. It’s not exactly post-apocalyptic as it starts in the present day and only runs for a few months (with some postscripts) as our hero tries to get to safety… They also end up converting vehicles to run by burning wood chips.

1632 is the first in a series of novels by Eric Flint (and others) in which a modern-day West Virginia town is transported by to, well, 1632. They work on getting steam power going early on.

…does this mean that, after an Sudden No Electricity Apocalypse, the SCA guys are going to have enough of an edge to become the new ruling class? :eek:

(Well, unless high energy chemistry still works. In which case it’s the Marines at the Mountain Warfare Training Center, who’ll have pack animals and machine guns.)

Not really what you’re looking for, but The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge is a steam-based society after the rise of “the necrovirus.” It’s kind of a hodge podge of steampunk and fantasy. YA. I didn’t finish it before it was due back at the library.

I wouldn’t say an extraordinary amount of time, if you have steel sheet available (and post-apocalypse, you should have lots,) one could make a perfectly serviceable suit in a couple days of flat-out work, head to toe. Not tournament plate, and not tailor-fitted, but certainly battleworthy and easy to wear. Spangelhelm and coat-of-plates are your friends there.

Miéville’s Railsea is a post-apocalytic steam story (although there’s also nuclear and diesel, IIRC)

Yeah - more or less. That’s a large element of *Dies the Fire *. See Norman Armingerand the Portland Protective Association.

Julian Comstock by Robert Charles Wilson takes place in the late 22nd century. The world’s oil has run out; technology and society has reverted to a 19th-century level.