Steampunk - Am I Missing Something Gear?

I got told off by a friend for not knowing what Steampunk was. It seems to have come back into culture with the voracious force of the latest cult trend. Her better references to make me pay attention were the new Sherlock Homes film, Howl’s Moving Castle and Alan Moore's The Extraordinary League of Gentleman. She then mentioned a book I should read... which I obviously forgot so I decided to do my own detective work!

Howls Moving Castle - Studio Ghibli

Steampunk immerged around the 1980’s, the same time as cyberpunk (hence the terminology). Whereas cyberpunk can be related to the punk movement, steampunk lacks the anarchist 80’s vibe that gave cyberpunk its edge. The steam part of its name refers to the steam era; the Victorian and early Edwardian 19th Century where the genre is set. Exploring steam worlds where the latest invention is the steam engine, steam punk draws from the romance and adventure of 19th century literature to create alterative realities.

The Time Machine - H.G Wells

Steam Punk is often associated with the works of 19th century writers H.G Wells, Jules Verne and Mary Shelley. Similar to these writers, steampunk creates fantastical modern day inventions from old fashioned gears and mechanisms run purely by steam: from airships to computers, submarines to multi purpose clock pieces.

Most of the novels are set in alternative histories that appear to be from the minds and perspectives of the 19th centurians. These futuristic innovations come from how they expected to world to evolve. Strong characteristics of this are steam and clockwork features such as gears and intricate mechanisms. The future seemed bright in the steam era and there was the hope that every new invention was just around the corner and could be developed with this industrial technology.

Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan) comments that the reenergized interest in steampunk may be due to this lost optimism,

“Is it possible that steampunk is making a comeback as acquiescence to the notion that our more recent apparently plausible models for the futures will never come to reality?”

Sherlock Holmes

I greatly enjoy films under the influence of steampunk. The costumes and sets are stunning. The creativity and fantasy that go into them, create an experience better than any historically accurate film. I’m a little skeptical if I will enjoy steampunk in writing though. I'm not sure if the magnificent imagery on screen can work on the page? I'm also not a big fan of historical fiction and don't want to be left reading some bizarre version of it?

Kit Stolen - Steampunk Fashion

I got myself a copy of Bruce Sterling and William Gibson's The Difference Machine and Kenneth Oppel’s Airborne which are listed as some of the top steampunk novels on http://www.faqs.org/shareranks/2814,Best-Steampunk-Novels
Philip Pullmans Dark Materials were my favourite books as a child (number 3 in best steampunk novels) which makes me more positive about steampunk literature. If you have a chance to read it, the start of the books depicting an alternative oxford is one of my favourite impressions of an alterative history. I’ve just started The Difference Machine and other than having to put up with some cockney dialect it’s not too bad! I'm looking forward to giving it a review.