Anna Staniszewski

The publishing world is always trying to figure out which trend will be the next big thing. For a while it was Harry Potter and all things magic, then it was vampires, and now it seems like zombies and werewolves are taking over. I’ve heard many agents and editors say that steampunk is next. So all this talk of steampunk raises the question: what the heck is steampunk?

Here’s a nice, concise definition I found on answers.com:

The retro version of “cyberpunk” (a futuristic, online delinquent). Coined by science fiction author K.W. Jeter, steampunk novels combine high-tech fantasy with Victorian era surroundings. In addition, people like to use the steampunk theme with modern electronics, making them look like they were built in the 19th century.

A couple of prominent examples I can think of are Airborne (and its sequels) by Kenneth Oppel in which people fly around in air ships, and Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass (and its sequels) which partially takes place in an alternate world where technology and magic work together. I think what’s so appealing about these types of books is that they really run with the “what if?” idea. They take machines we’re familiar with and re-envision them into more exotic contraptions. It’s like a melding of science fiction and historical fiction that creates a type of historical fantasy. I’ll be interested to see if the predictions of steampunk being the next big thing will come true.

Now I just had to comment on the second half of the definition of steampunk because I think it’s pretty amazing. It turns out there are tons of people out there who like to take our technology and give it a steampunk twist. There’s one website I found called The Steampunk Workshop that has all kinds of fun creations. Here are a couple of my favorites:

The steampunk keyboard. Isn’t it cute? And, of course, the steampunk motorcycle:

Watch it in action – it sounds like a train (or a teapot)!