GREAT series, with, sadly, a typical inexplicable anime ending.
What does "steampunk" mean?
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GREAT series, with, sadly, a typical inexplicable anime ending.
Last Exile had more of an art deco, thirties vibe to it, but I can see where you are coming from. I took it for steampunk at first, until more of the series had passed by. Actually, I think it was more a blending of eras, the chivalric sensibility was certainly pre-Victorian.
And it was a wonderful, imaginative, funny, literate, well-produced show, and Anderson proved himself to be a superb character actor with a role that was light-years away from MacGyver (and aside from the sense of humor, not very much like Jack O'Neill, a role he never would've played if Legend had succeeded and ran for several years).
Unfortunately, UPN totally failed to promote the show. By the time they finally figured out that they should schedule it after Voyager and promote it as "From the producer of Star Trek: Voyager," it had already been decided that it wouldn't be renewed past the first 13 episodes.
Another fun one to check out: The Secret Adventures Of Jules Verne (intro)
Sort of yes and no. Mainstream steampunk is, yeah. But I think some of the core is holding, at least in niche sort of way. Frankly, the less mainstream something is, the better I like it.
Sort of yes and no. Mainstream steampunk is, yeah. But I think some of the core is holding, at least in niche sort of way. Frankly, the less mainstream something is, the better I like it.
You are posting on a website dedicated to a television show that forty years ago barely managed to hang on to a three year run before being cancelled due to poor ratings.
Nothing is ever really "out" in geek circles.
That one didn't work for me. I liked the actors playing the Fogg siblings, especially the sister, but I didn't care for the other two, especially the very dull American actor they tried to pass off as young Verne. And the stories hardly did justice to Verne's work. Rather than being directly based on Verne's stories -- or rather being presented as the "real-life" bases for his later fiction -- as one would expect, they were just generic steampunkish/Victorian secret agent stuff that didn't feel particularly Vernesque at all. Not to mention that a number of episodes featured supernatural subjects, something Verne wouldn't have had anything to do with; he always grounded his fiction in the best real science of his day and looked with scorn on the more fanciful writings of Wells.
My favorite (if not especially helpful) definition came from a friend, who said that, "steam punk is what happens when goths discover the color brown."
MeanJoePhaser
Admiral
They never looked at their poop before?
^ Goths have black poop. Food colouring.
Told a lie, I do have a second book on my shelves.
The Nomad of Time trilogy by Michael Moorcock, made up of Warlord of the Air, The Land Leviathan, and The Steel Tsar. These would have been pretty early in the literate steampunk scheme of things, written '71, '74 and '81 respectively.
In Australia, I only ever saw the pilot for Legend, which I quite enjoyed. Have to see if the rest is... out there somewhere.
Told a lie, I do have a second book on my shelves.
The Nomad of Time trilogy by Michael Moorcock, made up of Warlord of the Air, The Land Leviathan, and The Steel Tsar. These would have been pretty early in the literate steampunk scheme of things, written '71, '74 and '81 respectively.
In Australia, I only ever saw the pilot for Legend, which I quite enjoyed. Have to see if the rest is... out there somewhere.
While not strictly steampunk, the novel The Cross-Time Engineer by Leo Frankowski addresses some of those sort of issues. Plus its a lot of escapist fun.
The Moorcock series certainly fits the bill. You might also look at Randall Garrett's Lord Darcy series. Although it deals with magic it has the flavor of good steampunk writing. Best I can describe it. You'd have to read it to see what I mean. There's a short story called The Eyes Have It in the series that really brings the feeling home.
If you're interested in the Babbage Engine you might try the novel In the Country Of the Blind by Mike Flynn. It's not steampunk but it deals with babbage and his computer in a rather unique way.
Tim Powers The Anubis Gates is considered one of the first "steampunk" novels.
I cannot recommend this highly enough. For my money, Powers is the finest fantasist currently writing in English.
I cannot recommend this highly enough. For my money, Powers is the finest fantasist currently writing in English.
Checkmate
Commodore
How do novels like H.G. Wells's Time Machine not count as steampunk? Is super-science + Victorian sensibilities and fashion limited to the late 19th century onward or something? Or is it only steampunk if you reference those works? 
Meh. I guess it's like the people who don't consider stories like Beowulf as fantasy, too. So silly.
Meh. I guess it's like the people who don't consider stories like Beowulf as fantasy, too. So silly.
Personally, I tend to think of HG Wells and Verne as the [grand]fathers of Steampunk.How do novels like H.G. Wells's Time Machine not count as steampunk? Is super-science + Victorian sensibilities and fashion limited to the late 19th century onward or something? Or is it only steampunk if you reference those works?
Meh. I guess it's like the people who don't consider stories like Beowulf as fantasy, too. So silly.
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