Steampunk: Fantasy Art, Fashion, Fiction & The Movies by Henry Winchester (book review).
I broke my own rule and bought this book, ‘Steampunk’ by Henry Winchester, solely impressed by the cover and the realisation that it might appeal to the steampunk fans who visit SFC. The sub-title is ‘Fantasy, Art, Fiction, Fashion And The Movies’ so covers a lot of ground in what is considered ‘Victorian Science Fiction’ as if they were more advanced than they were at the time.
A thought just occurred to me but has anyone actually wondered what would have happened to modern science had it really happened that way? Would we still have advanced or remained clockwork and steam-powered, figuring there was nowhere else to go? Likewise, would resolving the smog and sewer issues of London been solved earlier, if not quicker?
In many respects, even in 2014 when this book was released, steampunk was still growing and I think I would be hard-pushed to think how far it has developed since then. As a brief primer on the subject, it is still valid and if you’re only just getting into the subject, can get a decent grounding as to what to read and watch before getting up-to-date.
What really sells this book is the art and that out-numbers the text pages and worth getting a copy just for that.
GF Willmetts
September 2020
From https://amzn.to/3jvR6bd in the UK
(pub: Flame Tree Publishing, 2014. 129 page illustrated squarish hardback. Price: I pulled my copy for £ 9.00 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-78361-122-5)
check out websites: www.flametreepublishing.com and www.flametree451.com
