# Steampunk - Where do I start? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 11, 2009, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steampunk-where-do-i-start/509726 "2009-09-11T20:29:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Yodalicious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yodalicious/32/8195_2.png) [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steampunk-where-do-i-start/509726/1 "2009-09-11T20:29:53Z")
There’s probably an existing thread somewhere, but I couldn’t find it. Anyhoo… I’m trying to fill in the gaps in my geek knowledge. Where do I start with steampunk? Which books, comics, movies do you recommend? Give me something easy to start with and if I’m still hungry I’ll go back for seconds. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steampunk-where-do-i-start/509726/2 "2009-09-11T20:36:37Z")
You start with [_Dune_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087182/). Somewhere along the way you need to be sure and watch _[Steamboy](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0348121/)_. And one that’s peripherally worthwhile, for the steampunk design: _[Perfect Creature](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0403407/)_ ---
**Author:** ![Musky\_Moon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90db22/32.png) [@Musky\_Moon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musky_Moon)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steampunk-where-do-i-start/509726/3 "2009-09-11T20:39:30Z")
Alot of people have told me to check out _The Difference Engine_ by **William Gibson** and **Bruce Sterling**. It had some cool moments, but on the whole I didn’t care for it. The best way into steampunk IMHO is the **Steampunk Anthology** edited by _Jeff Vandermeer_. It gave a great history on the genre in the beginning and a pretty good jumping off point to some of the best authors. You’ll be surprised to see some familiar names there that you wouldn’t generally associate with steampunk. > **[Steampunk (Steampunk Anthologies): Ann VanderMeer, Joe R. Lansdale, Ian R....](https://www.amazon.com/Steampunk-Anthologies-Ann-VanderMeer/dp/1892391759)** > > Steampunk (Steampunk Anthologies) \[Ann VanderMeer, Joe R. Lansdale, Ian R. MacLeod, Mary Gentle, Molly Brown\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Steampunk (Steampunk Anthologies) ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steampunk-where-do-i-start/509726/4 "2009-09-11T20:44:44Z")
On the Internet, the Webcomic Girl Genius is recommended. [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php](http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php) I have to mention this other cartoonist take on the subject: [![](https://www.marriedtothesea.com/070208/time-traveler.gif) ](https://www.marriedtothesea.com/070208/time-traveler.gif) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steampunk-where-do-i-start/509726/5 "2009-09-11T23:46:03Z")
Start with the “Langdon St. Ives” books by James P. Blaylock; _The Anubis Gates_ by Tim Powers; and _Morlock Night_ by K. W. Jeter. Avoid _Dune_. It is (a) not steampunk, and (b) crap. ---
**Author:** ![Mervyn\_Pumpkinhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ab097/32.png) [@Mervyn\_Pumpkinhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mervyn_Pumpkinhead)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steampunk-where-do-i-start/509726/6 "2009-09-12T00:08:58Z")
I would second the novel ‘Homunculus’ by Blaylock and add ‘Perdido Street Station’. [http://www.amazon.com/Perdido-Street-Station-China-Mieville/dp/0345459407/ref=sr\_1\_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252713914&sr=8-1](http://www.amazon.com/Perdido-Street-Station-China-Mieville/dp/0345459407/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252713914&sr=8-1) ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steampunk-where-do-i-start/509726/7 "2009-09-12T00:24:10Z")
> [@Hunter\_Hawk](#): > > Start with the “Langdon St. Ives” books by James P. Blaylock; _The Anubis Gates_ by Tim Powers; and _Morlock Night_ by K. W. Jeter. > > Avoid _Dune_. It is (a) not steampunk, and (b) crap. \*Dune \*is arguably the beginning of steampunk visuals in film. And many people don’t think it’s crap; the OP can decide for him/herself. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steampunk-where-do-i-start/509726/8 "2009-09-12T00:55:58Z")
**Dune** came pretty late to the party. There were steampunk visuals in film in [The Fabulous World of Jules Verne](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052374/) in 1958. [Here is some footage on Youtube.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy8lgBZI0mQ) Of course, you could argue the design goes back to Melies’s **A Trip to the Moon**. Steampunk as a literary genre comes from Blaylock and Jeter (who coined the term). Tim Powers is grouped with them because they were friends, but he was working at a slightly earlier historical time frame. Jeter’s **Infernal Devices** and Blaylock’s **Homonculus** are good places to start. I’d also suggest Mark Frost’s **The List of Seven** and **The Six Messiahs**. **The Difference Engine** is a must read, but as a novel is nowhere as good as Jeter, Blaylock or Powers (if you consider him steampunk) work in creating the genre. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steampunk-where-do-i-start/509726/9 "2009-09-12T01:15:09Z")
For a short flm that you can watch right now, try: [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vORsKyopHyM) ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steampunk-where-do-i-start/509726/10 "2009-09-12T04:54:18Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > **Dune** came pretty late to the party. There were steampunk visuals in film in [The Fabulous World of Jules Verne](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052374/) in 1958. While Jules Verne is obviously the most important godfather of steampunk, I don’t think his work is interchangeable with it. Steampunk is a more recent invention, heavily influenced by Verne. I still argue that \*Dune \*is the dividing line between steampunk and what came before it. I’d call the film you cite an influence, rather than a firm member of the school. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steampunk-where-do-i-start/509726/11 "2009-09-12T04:56:16Z")
My favorite steampunk/weird fiction writer is China Mieville: Perdido Street Station, The Scar, and Iron Council are magnificent. ---
**Author:** ![Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cornelius_Tuggerson)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steampunk-where-do-i-start/509726/12 "2009-09-12T04:57:14Z")
Another vote for the **difference engine** , I was reading William Gibson’s books to get caught up on cyberpunk and bumped into it. It was awesome. Also give the **ethical engineer** by Harry Harrison a try. Its about a guy from the future getting trapped on a backwards victorian era style planet and kicking ass. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steampunk-where-do-i-start/509726/13 "2009-09-12T05:00:42Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > On the Internet, the Webcomic Girl Genius is recommended. > > [Girl Genius](http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php) Seconded. Good stuff. It’s a lovingly done celebration of the ridiculousness of steampunk in general, and quite enjoyable. _The Difference Engine_, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling, is pretty good. Jules Verne is regarded as the godfather of the genre, from a time when steam _was_ state-of-the-art. You also might try _The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen_, a graphic novel by Alan Moore. Don’t watch the movie; even though it’s got Sean Connery, it’s horrific. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steampunk-where-do-i-start/509726/14 "2009-09-12T05:02:19Z")
_The Difference Engine_ blew chunks. I blame Sterling be cause he has elsewhere demonstrated he’s a lousy writer. Go to the source, [The Wild Wild West.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wild_Wild_West) Note that, in one episode, on the wall behind Dr Loveless is a blueprint for a turbojet engine. ---
**Author:** ![Transistor\_Rhythm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@Transistor\_Rhythm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Transistor_Rhythm)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steampunk-where-do-i-start/509726/15 "2009-09-12T05:38:42Z")
Why _Dune_? ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steampunk-where-do-i-start/509726/16 "2009-09-12T05:57:51Z")
> [@Transistor\_Rhythm](#): > > Why _Dune_? Because the design was pure steampunk: wood, brass, neoclassical motifs like wings and filigree–all in a futuristic, SF setting. I can’t think of an earlier film that was as solidly within the aesthetic of steampunk. The examples given above were set in the Victorian era; they’re Victorian, not steampunk. Dune was set in the far future, but with a Victorian aesthetic. Voila. Steampunk. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steampunk-where-do-i-start/509726/17 "2009-09-12T07:19:29Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > S > > Jules Verne is regarded as the godfather of the genre, from a time when steam _was_ state-of-the-art. > > You also might try _The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen_, a graphic novel by Alan Moore. Don’t watch the movie; even though it’s got Sean Connery, it’s horrific. Actually, the film is better than the book, IMHO. It doesn’t make travesties of other authors beloved characters, like Moore did. Moore did horrible things to other authors characters- which he claimed was OK as the works were out of copyright.:mad: Then, Moore complains when the dudes who bought the rights to his works changed them around. We call that hypocrisy. Speaking of Verne, Disney’s _2000 Leagues_ was pure Steampunk, and well before Dune. _Warehouse 13_ is Steampunk. I second \*\*dropzone \*\*in that many epis of \*The Wild Wild West \*had distinct Steampunk elements. Blaylock is an excellent read. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steampunk-where-do-i-start/509726/18 "2009-09-12T07:31:32Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Speaking of Verne, Disney’s _2000 Leagues_ was pure Steampunk, and well before Dune. Well again, that was Victorian, not steampunk. My understanding of steampunk is that it’s alternate universe, or future, where the technology is basically Victorian. Actual Victorian is not alternate universe or future; it’s past. Jules Verne was Victorian SF, not steampunk. Steampunk took the Verne aesthetic and moved it into the future or the alternate present. Put it this way: if all the stuff we now call steampunk had never been invented, we wouldn’t be calling Verne steampunk: his stuff led to steampunk, and it’s grandfathered in, honorarily, so to speak, but it’s pre-steampunk, not actual steampunk. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steampunk-where-do-i-start/509726/19 "2009-09-12T07:56:46Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > Well again, that was Victorian, not steampunk. My understanding of steampunk is that it’s alternate universe, or future, where the technology is basically Victorian. Which would rule out _Dune_, which had spaceships powered by non-Victorianesque technology, IIRC. That doesn’t mean Steampunk is incompatible with spaceflight (quite the opposite), but you can’t have nuclear reactors powering the ships, because… well, that’s just not a Victorian thing. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steampunk-where-do-i-start/509726/20 "2009-09-12T09:02:08Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > Well again, that was Victorian, not steampunk. My understanding of steampunk is that it’s alternate universe, or future, where the technology is basically Victorian. That’s really interesting. I always thought Steampunk was Victorian culture mixed in with futuristic technology (i.e. the opposite of your description). Primitive worlds and peoples mixed in with technology that they use only within the confines of Victorian society. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steampunk-where-do-i-start/509726.md?page=2)