by @MattTheNovelist

Absurdly proportioned, physics-defying Airships? Check.

Overly-complicated, completely impractical brass goggles? Check.

Menacing, yet vaguely creepy Automatons? Check.

Extravagantly sewn leather and lace Victorian-style attire? Double Check.

Unique steam and gear-driven clockwork contraptions that are just as likely to explode in your
face as they are to provide some oddly-defined utilitarian need? Most assuredly: CHECK!

Welcome to the retro-future! Welcome to the world of steampunk!

- Beware! Steampunk slang ahead!-

So what is this fantastical oddity-of-a-literary genre that "plays to the gallery" (shows off) of today's pop culture world and "cuts-a-swell" (captivates) to readers seeking not just period adventure stories of a bygone age, but one that is also saturated with a heavy dose of audacious -and sometimes absurd- science fiction?

Imagine living in the 19th century. The Victorian era!

In England, Queen Victoria reigns while British colonialism remains at its peak. The Opium Wars rage throughout China. In America, settlers move into the wild west while ominous signs of a terrible civil war loom just beyond the horizon.

The steam engine is king, mechanizing the world into the very pinnacle of the industrial revolution. Trains, paddle ships, even air balloons are possible with the help of emergent innovations.

Now, let's sidestep a bit and reimagine an outlandishly futuristic version of the same world; except the steam engine has never gone out of style and the mannerisms and themes of the Victorian culture remain wondrous and ever-punctuated throughout every facet of life.

THIS is steampunk.

From pocket watches, to steam trains, to pirate airships, to ether-infused tesla cannons, to coal-powered lumbering robotic automatons; EVERYTHING is bizarre, outlandish and completely extraordinary. Such was the imagined retro-future of an entire generation of people living before the invention of the light bulb.

As a matter of fact, if ordered chronologically, steampunk is often considered the first of the science fiction "punk isms".

Steampunk - The imagined future world of the Victorian Era.

Dieselpunk - The imagined future world of pulp and the World War One and the World War Two era.

Cyberpunk - The imagined future world of the 21st century and beyond.

I know what you're thinking, oh adventurous reader: "What literature can I find in the bizarrely crafted world of the Victorian future?"

Well do I have a "bully" (Amazing) list of books for you!

A few classic oldies:
- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
- Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne
- The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
- The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Some recent page-turners:
- Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
- Infernal Devices by K.W. Jeter
- Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
- Homunculus by James P. Blaylock
- The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill

Steampunk Subgenres! Oh yes, there are subgenres, oh intrepid reader!
Though naming them all may not be possible, a few fairly popular ones include:

Post-Apocalyptic Steampunk:

The world is devastated after some great conflict. Rust and decay are everywhere, but innovative and inventive protagonists do what they can to return the spark of civilization with steam and clockworks.

Popular titles include:
- City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
- Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve

Horror Steampunk:

The supernatural and perversions of Victorian science twist and distort ominous tales of the faults of human hubris and the frightful demise of those that dare to descend the dark abyss of the unknown.

Popular titles include:
- The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
- The Shotgun Arcana by R.S. Belcher

Fantasy Steampunk:

These are stories that mystify and astound, proclaiming travel to other worlds with the use mechanical clockwork machinery as well as the ether and other profound persuasions of magic.

Popular titles include:
- The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
- Arabella of Mars by David Levine

The literary genre of steampunk is incredibly vast and the potential for world-building is infinite for any ambitious writer. Thus you -oh precious reader- should you be seeking pulp-like stories wrought with Victorian period drama, infused with steam-driven, bizarre mechanical sci-fi wizardry, you need not look further than the splendidly outlandish, yet profoundly fascinating realm of steampunk!

Example of Steampunk Fantasy on Wattpad:
THE STEAMCHILD CHRONICLES PRESENTS: CHILDREN OF THE CLOCKWORK SKY
by @MattTheNovelist

Synopsis:

A rompous Young-Adult Steampunk tale of absurd gadgetry, adventure and daring deeds, with larger-than-life characters in a post-apocalyptic Victorian world.

Ella Marshall never saw the cities fall to ruin, nor the life torn from the once lush and vibrant land. However, what she saw now, probably wasn't much better; because hundreds of years after the terrible war, all that remained for her and the remnants of humanity, were the scarred and ravaged wastes.

For her, it was her passion for the rusted clockworks of steam and metal
left behind by a once industrious age of prosperity that consumed her every waking moment, that and the constant stories of mysterious cities coursing through the air, hinting to their existence, by raining debris upon the dying world in the form of discarded salvage.

But little did she know, that amongst the Merciless Bandits, the
caravans of intrepid survivors and the greedy machinations of Imperialistic Royalists still clinging to old traditions, there exists the lingering clues of a discovery left behind by her missing father, one which she would fight to uncover, and bring to light the truth of not just her own future, but of all those struggling to survive upon the wastes.

Audiobook version is now available for your listening pleasure at the following link:

Excerpt:

Trotting briskly under the flickering glow of her lantern, Ella searched and pulled whatever curiosities presented themselves from the ground and carefully tucked them away into her haversack. Shimmering trinkets, gears and clockwork mechanisms, containers with oddly-colored fluids, all were victims to her hungry hands. She would make sure that nothing of significant value would remain for the other scavengers.

Salvaging was nothing new to her. She knew exactly what items potential had value and what was worth leaving behind. It was an eye for detail, an ability she prided herself in, and for a young, budding engineer, was a tool she found indispensable.

It wasn't long before the heft in her haversack grew until she was left trudging along at an ungainly, shuffling pace. Dodger, however, continued his methodical chore with little regard for fatigue, as he efficiently analyzed the much larger, heavier pieces of debris and thumped along back to the hauler, a girder or bent piece of metal under each arm. Calvin was nowhere to be seen, but it was evident that he was hard at work (or at least faking it quite well), as the pained sounds of his grunting were heard several piles away.

A distant boom and crackle warned her that she needed to hurry. The chief would not last long and every moment she spent amongst the debris, placed him even further at risk. She paused and gave a long look around before she finally decided to ferry her findings back to the hauler. But as she proceeded to shuffle back, something amongst the piles she had not noticed before caused her to freeze mid-step. A haunting image, a faint glow of a man standing in the distance seemed to stare at her. There was something unnatural about him, like a shadow barely hanging on to a sliver of existence.

She tried not to show her fear as she cautiously approached him. As she got closer, the stranger became briefly familiar. Instantly, she thought she recognized him.

"Dad?"

Immediately, she clamored up one of the piles, stumbling and shoveling away with her hand, any obstacle that dared to hinder her path. When she finally reached him, she found herself both disappointed and surprised. He was not her father. As a matter of fact, he was not a man at all.

The once vibrant fire had left a smoldering glow that drew light into series of strange-looking lenses that reached out like branches from an open metal box. The light was bent and refracted until the ghostly image of a man was formed. Though not her father, his familiar-looking features seemed to tease her to the point of obsession. She'd never seen anything like it. There was a height and depth to him, like an image leaping out from one of the withered photographs she'd once seen, left over from a time when curiosities such as cameras existed.

Leaning forward, she poked at the lenses like a child presented with a new toy, and noticed another artifact hiding in the box. It glinted amidst the light of her lantern. With little hesitation, she reached inside, but quickly retracted her arm as Calvin's desperate-sounding voice pierced the air.

"El, we've got trouble. We better get going."

After she shut the multi-hinged lid over the box and crammed it into her haversack, she lifted her head in the direction of Calvin's voice.

"What sort of trou-"

Calvin leapt from the rubble and tackled Ella to the ground as an enormous arrow-like rod as tall and stout as a ship's mast shrieked through the air and arced downward, piercing the ground where the girl once stood. Debris scattered in every direction and the ground briefly shook. Planted firmly, and assuredly tall enough to be visible from even the farthest distance, the pretentious-looking rod unfurled a yellow banner and lit the night with a flurry of mechanically timed flares.

Ella shook the daze from her eyes, and when the banner's familiar colors came into focus, she immediately shoved Calvin aside and hopped to her feet. She knew immediately what it meant. It took a unique class of scoundrel to claim land and property by launching and planting flags with modified ballistas.

"You're welcome by the way," Calvin said, most disappointed by the girl's lack of acknowledgement. "Saving your life and all. . .surely, no need to express your appreciation."

"Can it Cal," Ella replied, turning her head in every direction, looking for signs of the intruder's approach.

"So you know what we're up against?"

"Of course. And if you have any common sense about you, then you'd hate them as much as me?"

He pointed at the newly planted banner pole. "You're talking about the raiders right?"

"Of course I'm talking about the bloody raiders. Where are they? Did you see where they were coming from?" She struck her boot against the pole and gave an irritated grunt. "First the Royalists and now the-"

A sudden crackle of rifles fired into the air, and diverted her attention. From the darkness emerged a growing mass of steam-driven wagons, people, and horses. Ella reeled at the foreboding sight, immediately losing any hope of continuing her precious task of rummaging for anymore hidden treasures.

Like a thundering herd of cattle, wheels and horse hooves rattled the ground as the raiders approached ever closer.

"Charge! Take everything. Kill anyone you see," she heard one of them shout.

She darted an anxious look in Calvin's direction. "We're leaving."

He nodded.

"Dodger, let's go!"

Taking whatever last-minute finds they could carry, they ran as fast as their legs would allow, back to the waiting hauler. Stumbling and tripping along through the piles, it wasn't long before they realized that not only had they been discovered, but the raiders also had more to their arsenal than just rifles. From several of their wagons, the distinctive whistle of crudely-made rockets filled the air and arched towards them. Earth and salvage exploded around them as the rockets pierced the ground in every direction.

Fearing for his master's safety, Dodger lengthened his stride and moved ahead, using his mass to bulldoze a path through the debris.

Between the rockets and Dodger's audacious act of pulverizing everything that stood in his path, dust and smoke kicked up everywhere until Ella and Calvin found themselves unable to see the way ahead. Their pace slowed as they carefully felt their way through the cloudy muck.

Ella placed her goggles over her eyes and drew her lantern as far ahead of her as her arm would allow. "Dodger. Where in blazes did you go?"

A familiar metallic groan answered, but she found it difficult to judge its direction. Aware of his master's plight, the automaton made the last several paces towards the hauler and wormed his massive body into the engine's cabin. He flipped a lever, which sparked the oil in the lanterns all across the vehicle's hull.

"There it is," Calvin said, pointing at the Hauler's distant glow.

Ella sighed in relief, then proceeded towards the brightly-lit beacon.

Both she and Calvin were sure they were going to make it, but a distant series of whistles threatened otherwise. Another volley of rockets threw fire in their path and the two were unexpectedly blown back.

Inspirations:

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Music

https://youtu.be/yeEI-hh3MG0