# Fantasy + Steampunk



## TheSold3y (Jan 12, 2013)

Sup guys 

So I was recently writing some new stuff when I had the idea of mixing up Fantasy with Steampunk. The result was kinda weird but I enjoyed looking at the world concept. So my question for you guys is: What do you think of mixing 2 genres and especially, what do you think of mixing fantasy elements with steampunk elements? 

Greetings


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## Feo Takahari (Jan 12, 2013)

Relevant. (It's a genre I've previously had quite some fun writing in.)


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## Wanara009 (Jan 12, 2013)

It's a quite a good combination, actually. A good example of the genre mixing together is this:


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## kilost (Jan 13, 2013)

Yeah, they work together really well. I've made a good few settings which fit this description myself. In my favourite one, I had a version of Earth where Europe (populated by humans much as in OTL, but some vampires in the east) and most of Asia (also human, plus some vampires in China) was the same shape, but the Southeast Asian Peninsula (goblins) split in two and reached Australia (Orcs), the Chuckhi Peninsula (humans) was about four times the size, and Southern Africa (humans/werewolves) was a lot bigger and connected with Madagascar. Instead of the Americas as we know them, there's big old West America (anthrohumanoids of hugely diverse kinds, assorted dwarven cultures, and little gnomish and hobbit regions as well), and little East America (anthros, dwarves), with the subcontinent of Amazonia (dragons and Lizardmen) at the bottom of the former. In between Asia and the Americas is an extra continent called Salirian, populated by a variety of Elven cultures. 

Not sure why I went into so much detail, but there we go.


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## Darkblade (Jan 13, 2013)

I had the idea a while back of a Steampunk world where the countries subject to European imperialism had their indigenous magic traditions and creatures of legend. Basically magic exists South of Spain, West of Britain and East of the Turkey. I never got around to using it though.


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## Shasjas (Jan 13, 2013)

yeah, i also have been thinking about including steampunk elements into my world. i think its a cool idea, you just have to decide how far one way or the other you want to go.


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## Steerpike (Jan 13, 2013)

Isn't Steampunk kind of a subset of fantasy already? I think KW Jeter coined the term to describe the stuff he and Tim Powers and James P. Blaylock were writing back in the day, and those certainly had fantastic/magical elements (see Blaylock's "Homunculus" and Powers' "The Anubis Gate," as classic examples of the genre, though they don't have all of today's Steampunk elements).


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## Benjamin Clayborne (Jan 13, 2013)

Depends on which elements of fantasy the steampunk contains. There's more "realistic" steampunk where (e.g.) the Victorians have simply managed to do way more technologically with what they had; then there's the ones where they've discovered some kind of mystical energy that they can tap with their brass and leather machinery, which is more fantastical. I think maybe the OP is thinking of combining traditional steampunkery with dragons and overt magic and wizards and so forth.


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## Steerpike (Jan 13, 2013)

(Double. Not sure why, but I went back to edit and it duplicated the post).


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## Steerpike (Jan 13, 2013)

Make sense, Benjamin.

I guess since I started my foray into steampunk years ago, with those original works by Powers, Blaylock, and Jeter, I view the fantasy and mystical sort of elements as the norm   When Jeter coined the word Steampunk, he was referring to what he called "Victorian fantasies."


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## Sherman (Jan 17, 2013)

I started my own experimentation with steampunk several years ago--my own hybrid version that is all my own.  You may come across it in my portfolio-eventually.


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## Mari (Jan 19, 2013)

Steerpike said:


> Isn't Steampunk kind of a subset of fantasy already? I think KW Jeter coined the term to describe the stuff he and Tim Powers and James P. Blaylock were writing back in the day, and those certainly had fantastic/magical elements (see Blaylock's "Homunculus" and Powers' "The Anubis Gate," as classic examples of the genre, though they don't have all of today's Steampunk elements).



Steampunk can have elements of fantasy. BUT... is a subset SF/alternate history.


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## adriandiglio (Jan 23, 2013)

My personal opinion is to be heavy or focused in one and incorporate tasteful elements from the other. For example, in the book I'm writing now I have it set in a medieval fantasy world (total swords and sorcery), but to represent the pinnacle of human engineering for instruments of war, I have them build a steam-engine-powered suit of armor. I think mixing the two genres 50/50 might bog down your setting and possibly alienate some fans of one genre or the other. Just my two cents.


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## Zero Angel (Jan 23, 2013)

adriandiglio said:


> My personal opinion is to be heavy or focused in one and incorporate tasteful elements from the other. For example, in the book I'm writing now I have it set in a medieval fantasy world (total swords and sorcery), but to represent the pinnacle of human engineering for instruments of war, I have them build a steam-engine-powered suit of armor. I think mixing the two genres 50/50 might bog down your setting and possibly alienate some fans of one genre or the other. Just my two cents.


It's good to be aware of this stuff. One thing that is also deceptive is pulling the veil back to reveal that your world contains more genres than you started with. For instance, the dragonriders of Pern was originally fantasy, but then turned into sci-fi. I wouldn't be surprised if this turned off many fans of the books. It's something my fiancee tries to get me to avoid (she's against robots and space colonies in my fantasy series).


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## Steerpike (Jan 23, 2013)

Zero Angel said:


> It's good to be aware of this stuff. One thing that is also deceptive is pulling the veil back to reveal that your world contains more genres than you started with. For instance, the dragonriders of Pern was originally fantasy, but then turned into sci-fi. I wouldn't be surprised if this turned off many fans of the books. It's something my fiancee tries to get me to avoid (she's against robots and space colonies in my fantasy series).



I think the first Pern novel was published as a serial, or at least partially published, in Analog back in the late 1960s. I don't think Analog publishes any straight fantasy. I read the first novel back in the 80s, and though my memory is hazy I thought it was pretty clear this was a human colonization of a distant planet. Maybe that was meta-knowledge. Not sure.


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## wordwalker (Jan 23, 2013)

Steerpike said:


> I think the first Pern novel was published as a serial, or at least partially published, in Analog back in the late 1960s. I don't think Analog publishes any straight fantasy. I read the first novel back in the 80s, and though my memory is hazy I thought it was pretty clear this was a human colonization of a distant planet. Maybe that was meta-knowledge. Not sure.



Pern was always low-tech SF. Over the years the traces showed up now and then, including "the landing" backstory book.


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## dwellerofthedeep (Jan 24, 2013)

I don't see any reason not to mix sci-fi and fantasy, at least from any aesthetic perspective. Marketing genre blends is tougher as I understand, but I know less about that.


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## Zero Angel (Jan 24, 2013)

Steerpike said:


> I think the first Pern novel was published as a serial, or at least partially published, in Analog back in the late 1960s. I don't think Analog publishes any straight fantasy. I read the first novel back in the 80s, and though my memory is hazy I thought it was pretty clear this was a human colonization of a distant planet. Maybe that was meta-knowledge. Not sure.



The first book was two novellas originally, but it appeared to be straight fantasy. In fact, the first trilogy appeared to be straight fantasy. There was the hint of lost technology which could be greater I believe, but not until you got either far ahead in the main series or read some of the backstory books would you realize that it was "sufficiently analyzed magic". 
The first of which was Dragonsdawn I believe, but this was not until 20 years after the first book.


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## Steerpike (Jan 24, 2013)

Zero Angel said:


> The first book was two novellas originally, but it appeared to be straight fantasy. In fact, the first trilogy appeared to be straight fantasy. There was the hint of lost technology which could be greater I believe, but not until you got either far ahead in the main series or read some of the backstory books would you realize that it was "sufficiently analyzed magic".
> The first of which was Dragonsdawn I believe, but this was not until 20 years after the first book.



It may be that when I read it, I already knew about the sci-fi angle so I was reading it into the story. The book had been around close to twenty years by that time. I remember liking it well enough, though I never read the whole series.


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## scottmarlowe (Feb 3, 2013)

Rise of Legends... whoa. Very cool.

I think the two work together very well, especially if they're in equal measure. A lot of great possibilities there.


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## Rjames112 (Apr 16, 2013)

If you're worried about genre blending, then don't. You can have elements without pigeon holing your story into one or the other or a mashup of the two. Pull elements you want in and disregard the genres, they're marketing terms anyway. Write and combine what you will.


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