Steampunk magazine #2

Steampunk magazine issue #2 is out now. You can download or order it here.

Before the age of homogenization and micro-machinery, before the tyrannous efficiency of internal combustion and the domestication of electricity, lived beautiful, monstrous machines that lived and breathed and exploded unexpectedly at inconvenient moments. It was a time where art and craft were united, where unique wonders were invented and forgotten, and punks roamed the streets, living in squats and fighting against despotic governance through wit, will and wile.

Even if we had to make it all up.

The Museum of RetroTechnology

Pictured above: The Pierce Centennial Rotary Boiler of July 18??, published in The Manufacturer and Builder

All you need to know about Pneumatic Networking, Heliographs, Mechanical Analogue Computers and Steam Engines. Well, maybe not all, but lots anyway. And with pictures! Link.

Telecalculograph

Steampunk-CPU at Flickr. Link.

Steampunk sculptures

Steampunk sculptures by French artist Pierre Matter.

Use the steam, Luke

A steampunk lightsaber.

Speaking of clocks...

A watch made from carved bone.

Is it Punk o'clock already?

Clockpunk

Clockpunk is a genre of science fiction similar to Steampunk (some people even consider clockpunk to be a sub-genre of Steampunk). Clockpunk can be divided into historical and non-historical Clockpunk. Historical Clockpunk explores how the world would have turned out if certain technological developments that occurred later had happened in the Renaissance and or certain inventions in the time of the Renaissance were created on a mass scale in the time period. Non-historical Clockpunk is set in settings similar to the Renaissance but on alternative worlds, planets etc.

Perdido Street Station

A truly breathtaking illustration of Perdido Street Station by Gordillo. Link

And another Miéville-inspired illustration, this one featuring Yagharek and Lin, made by Marc Simonetti as a cover for the french edition of PSS. Link

And last, but not least, fascinating sketches of Miéville's creatures by Nicholas Kole. Link

Oh, and in case you didn't know, Perdido Street Station is a book by China Miéville. One of my all-time favourites (along with his other books), and definitely worth a read if you're into gritty, intelligent steampunk fantasy. And why wouldn't you be?

How to draw steampunk machines. From Crabfu SteamWorks.

Should you need models, you might want to check out this Steam Engines site by Creative Edge Design.

Putting the Punk back into steampunk

Steampunk magazine.

Before the age of homogenization and micro-machinery, before the tyrannous efficiency of internal combustion and the domestication of electricity, lived beautiful, monstrous machines that lived and breathed and exploded unexpectedly at inconvenient moments. It was a time where art and craft were united, where unique wonders were invented and forgotten, and punks roamed the streets, living in squats and fighting against despotic governance through wit, will and wile. Even if we had to make it all up.

Höyryä, komisario Palmu

Steam wars by Larry Blamire.

Of steamworks and magick obscura

What is steampunk anyway?