Comments on: Clockpunk, a new science fiction genre (updated)

By: Vox

Vox — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 01:44:58 +0000

I knew I had read something like this before besides the Flint and Weber stuff! I read Difference Engine a few years back…uhm…when I got into my cyberpunk stage and got to read Hacker Crackdown and other Sterling articles, as well as Neuromancer and the rest of the stuff Gibson wrote in that universe…good stuff :) And both Gibson and Sterling are great writers, whom I enjoy immensely :) Guess I’ll re-read it now lol!

And yes, I can see your POV about the fragmentation…but thing is…I think that sooner rather than later, one of the two names will eat the other one, whether because it’s a “prettier” name (for some definition of such) or because the fans/authors just decide to ignore one or the other names. Time will tell, I guess :)

By: Etruscan

Etruscan — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 01:20:02 +0000

Genre name shouldn’t matter, and I think the difference here is so subtle, there shouldn’t be a distinction. We’ve compartmentalized fiction too much already.

But I defer to your disinterest in movies and give to you… some literature! For a good Steampunk/Clockpunk BOOK, check out The Difference Engine (William Gibson and Bruce Sterling).

By: Rich G.

Rich G. — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 18:23:23 +0000

I see Etruscan already suggested Steamboy so now I don’t have anything to add unless you count Wild Wild West with Wil Smith, which is also a movie so not what you’re looking for either.

I’ve got Marvel 1602 sitting around here somewhere I’ve been meaning to read, maybe I’ll give it a look. I’m a fan of the genre.

I think my first encounter with clockpunk was tick-tock the clockwork man of oz. :) Oh, that was a long time ago wasn’t it? Those were Hardy Boys years those were… I’d love to re-read those books to recapture the sense of wonder I felt while reading them, but I was so much younger then… I’m afraid they wouldn’t hold up or be as great as I thought they were when I was in my single digits. I’ve changed a little since then… just a little. :)

By: Vox

Vox — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 03:04:38 +0000

I understand what you are saying…but…subgenres like this are nothing new in SF/F, and they come and go with ease. On the other hand, some times they just explode and become entrenched in the minds of readers. Truth is…I like the *name* clockpunk better than steampunk…and a good genre name helps :)

As for a movie…I don’t do movies, but thanks for the recommendation, maybe some reader will like to check it out :)

By: Etruscan

Etruscan — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 01:40:32 +0000

Seriously… it’s just steampunk. If you need to differentiate the genre because of the fact that perhaps the fiction takes place in a time slightly before they had steam - you’re taking it too seriously. Clockpunk is not new, though the term may be.

For a good Steampunk/Clockpunk movie, check out Steamboy.