If you’ve cleaned your goggles this morning, you may have noticed something a little different about Tor.com. Namely, there’s a shiny new logo and masthead at the top of this page. The fancy duds mark an exciting development for our little website: October 2009 is Steampunk Month on Tor.com.
I have a strong suspicion that this pronouncement has prompted some of our readers to sigh, “Steampunk! That’s so [1987/1990/2008]!” But there are just as certainly others who are saying, “Steampunk? What the heck is steampunk?” There’s no simple definition that works for everyone—at our staff meeting the other day, we wound up reverting to that old saw about pornography—but I usually start off with something along the lines of “a Victorian-influenced speculative fiction subgenre set in a world where steam power is still in common use; and the aesthetic derived thereof.” But for the full story, I strongly recommend you to Cherie Priest’s formidable “Steampunk FAQ.”
One thing that almost everyone can agree on is that steampunk is really damn cool. So cool, in fact, that a half-joking suggestion at a meeting several months ago has turned into one of the biggest events in Tor.com’s history, incorporating nearly a dozen new bloggers, original fiction, scads of giveaways, and So. Much. More.
Here’s a list of just some of the things in store during Steampunk Month:
- Musings on the genre from a host of esteemed guest bloggers, including G. D. Falksen, Stefania Forlini, Lev Grossman, Jah’Meia, Jay Lake, George Mann, Joe Monti, Cherie Priest, Ann VanderMeer, and Jeff VanderMeer, as well as steampunk posts from many of our regular bloggers.
- Original steampunk (and steampunk-esque) fiction from Eileen Gunn & Michael Swanwick and G. D. Falksen, plus a rarely-seen comic by Sydney Padua of “The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage” fame.
- Coverage of the steampunk exhibit at Oxford’s Museum of the History of Science, Steamcon (Seattle’s first Steampunk convention), and the Brooklyn Indie Market Steampunk II event.
- Interviews with luminaries such as Tim Powers, Scott Westerfeld, and Keith Thompson.
- Process posts from steampunk writers, artists, designers, costumers, and tinkerers.
- Articles on and reviews of new, upcoming, and classic books/movies/etc., including Boilerplate, Candle Man, Dream of Perpetual Motion, Leviathan, and Tetsuo.
- Steampunk wallpapers!
- An absurd amount of giveaways, including books, posters, buttons, costume elements, and gadgets.
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• Steampunk wallpapers!
• An absurd amount of giveaways, including books, posters, buttons, costume elements, and gadgets.
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Finally, lest you think we’ve just caught on to this whole steampunk craze, here are some highlights from Tor.com’s existing steampunk coverage:
- 10/10/09: “Review: Shane Acker’s 9“ by Bridget McGovern
- 8/7/09: “Steampunk novellas from Kage Baker and James P. Blaylock” by Mark Graham
- 7/9/09: “Steampunk Tales: More fiction for the iPhone Crowd” by Rajan Khanna
- 5/20/09: “SF Theater: Futurity“ by Megan Messinger
- 3/8/09: “CG Society Steampunk Myths & Legends winners announced” by Irene Gallo
- 1/20/09: “CG Society’s Steampunk Challenge” by Irene Gallo
- 12/31/08: “The Shattered Teacup” by Lou Anders
- 12/18/08: “The Oldest Computer in the World (That’s Not My Desktop)” by Genevieve Valentine
- 11/15/08: “Saturday Morning Cartoons: The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello and World War” by Irene Gallo
- 11/16/08: “We’re living the steampunk of the future” by Rowena Cherry
- 10/1/08: “Warren Ellis Talks Freakangels” by Pablo Defendini
- 9/13/08: “Weekend Getaway: Dr. Roundbottom” by John Klima
- 8/18/08: “Eric Freitas” by Irene Gallo
- 8/17/08: “Steampunk in the Hamptons” by Irene Gallo
- 8/15/08: “Design Observer Humbugs Steampunk” by Irene Gallo
Happy Steampunk Month! Keep it brassy.
Liz Gorinsky is an editor at Tor Books. She is spending way too much time these days attempting to fine-tune her steampunk publisher costume before Steamcon.
