Steampunk Lands

So, I was wondering... What exactly defines the setting of a steampunk story as being steampunk in your eyes?

Do you fellows and ladies feel that steampunk should definitely be set in an alternate Victorian past? It could have references to Jack the Ripper and the Whitechapel Murders, or maybe some kind of secret society like the Stonemasons. But it also may limit the scope a little. Maybe? I'm not sure, because there are a lot of good stories that use the setting, and a lot of bad ones too.

Or do you think that a future where Victorian mentality, social structure and general aesthetics have returned is also a good basis? For example, the recently started TV show "Revolution" is set after electricity stops all over the world. People are forced to effectively regress to older living styles in order to survive. Something like this could easily lead into a great post-apocalyptic steampunk story.

What about the fantasy world that is completely separate to ours? And can fantasy tropes mix well with steampunk? For example, how would you like a dragon fighting in the sky against a group of sky pirates? Gandalf flying on a Zeppelin instead of giant Eagles, for example? It would be far more difficult to create a believable reason for the steampunk technology in, say, a medieval or king Arthur style world, but it could work.

Then there's the other favourite at the moment; the "wild wild west" to quote a TV show and rather disappointing movie. The idea of cowboys and steampunk mix perfectly together, just like the Victorians do. But perhaps its just a little bit too obvious and easy of a setting? Again, I'm not really sure.

What do you guys think? Let me know in the comments.

Steampunk and Romance

So, I was wondering; Has anyone noticed that when you are trying to find steampunk novels these days, the romance aspect has come to dominate the genre?

Don't get me wrong, I like a good romance in a story, but it does not always have to be the main focus. Hundreds of other plots are available, yet people choose romance as the focal point. I do not understand why it is like this so much.

What about the "punk" aspect? Why not take a character and actually make him a real Steam Punk. A few of us do that, but not everyone For example, in my upcoming novel there is just such a character.

If that isn't right for you, then why not take the idea of the steampunk world to the extreme like in Mainspring?

But you should always have some sort of romance in the story. It's just nice to have other elements to the plot as well. Don't you think so too? Or am I just going crazy?

A Little Information About Rhythlan

So, for those of you who are wondering about Rhythlan, I figured that I would give you a small bit of information to get you started as you read the stories. The world itself, as mentioned in my welcoming post, is one that is riddle with strife. Based heavily on the victorian era of English history, although with inspration from a large variety of other cultures, Rhythlan is a living and breathing world.

With one known continent on a planet covered in water as far as anyone has ever travelled, it is controlled by three groups. The Alexandrian Imperium control the largest area with most of the mainland fall under the Queen's militant law, whilst the northern quarter of the mainland is governed by the Peak Lords and named the Three Peaks after the three extremely large mountains that tower over its biggest cities.

The last area is a group of islands referred to as the Ringlands due to their shapes with form three rings, one inside another. Governed by the Inquisition after their rebellion against the Alexandria Imperium (their former commanding nation) in the name of the Ringlands, the land is poor yet the people are happy.

Steam power is used far and wide to power large vessels that soar through the sky as well as smaller air-taxis that help citizens move around the rather large cities. The lower class citizens tend to work in farms or workhouses producing weaponry for the middle class who act as soldiers, although some people from both classes choose to become engineers. Finally, the upper class live lives of luxury in great manors and estates, hosting parties and otherwise enjoying the money they earn from the work of the lower classes.

Cities are filled with automatons and other machines, whilst being covered in soot and dust from the coal fires that are used to light the streets at night. Snow is the most common weather as clouds form quickly and dissipate very slowly, cooling down rapidly.

However, in the southern Ringlands the climate is often mixed between bright sunshine and heavy storms, except in winter when it too is covered in snow. For now, I think that is probably enough information to get you started. If you want to know more about the world of Rhythlan, then you'll just have to read about it.

Welcome

Well, hello there. Welcome to my first post. I suppose I should introduce myself. As I am sure you have guessed, my name is Gareth Torrance. I fancy myself a steampunk writer, and as I have a few things published and more in the works, in a way I suppose it is true. Now, it has occurred to me that the heart of steampunk has become somewhat lost in the wave of fashion and modern romance novels, stemming largely from the increase in Young Adult fiction. This is not a bad thing by any means, but I, myself am not a Young Adult writer. My stories tells the lives of people within my own little world called Rhythlan, a world of war and intrigue, airships and class systems and much more. It is a world of mixed cultures and power struggles where people try to make their own lives and their own futures in a time of constriction and militant law. So if you enjoy steampunk and feel the need for some actual "steam" and actual "punk" in your books, then you've come to right person!