Leviathan

Resource type: book (fiction)

Cover (Westerfeld, 2009)

"Hey, all you sods, I can fly and you can't! A natural airman, in case you haven't noticed. And in conclusion, I'd like to add that I'm a girl and you can all get stuffed" (Westerfeld, 2009, p. 36)

…Is what Deryn (or Dylan as she's know to everyone else) would like to yell down to all the other new recruits and commanding officers on the ground as she soars through the air harnessed in to a flying jellyfish type creature. Except she doesn't, because she's had to disguise herself as a boy to get in the British Air Service.

Welcome to Europe, 1914, in an alternate universe. One half of the continent, the Darwinists, have embraced genetic modification and crossbreeding to develop a society powered by animals, including lupine tigeresques (half-wolf tigers), talking messenger lizards (who can relay sound byte messages - kind of like a very smart talking parrot), and a huge flying self-sufficient airship ecosystem, housed in a massive whale. The other half are the Clankers: so adept at Steampunk machinery that they can create robots that house a small crew and run, crawl and fight on 2 legs, and who win a fight not with subtlety but through brute force. And a fight does develop! The two sides are at war!

The story is told from two viewpoints - the young Clanker prince named Alek, who's parents' assassination was what started the whole war, and is now on the run from his own country. And Deryn, who we met earlier, the girl disguised as a boy to allow her to join the airforce. She's relishing life and work on the giant airship - the Leviathan.

But what happens when these two stories collide?

The writing is lively, disgusting and full of action and adventure. There are large squid balloons who burp gaseous dead insects to float in the air, a whole slew of new swear words to learn: "barking spiders", "bum-rag", "clart" and "diddies" (I'll leave it to you to read and work out what these mean).

Leviathan is a fast-paced exciting Steampunk story, and is highly recommended.

Bibliographic details:

Westerfeld, S. (2009). Leviathan. New York: Penguin Books.

Amulet - Book One: The Stonekeeper

Resource type: graphic novel

Cover (Kibuishi, 2008)

After a tragedy, a family: Emily, her younger brother Navin and her mother Karen, move to Norlen, set in idyllic countryside, full of fresh mountain air, golden autumn leaves and quaint covered bridges (Image 1: Moving to Norlen). They move in to their great grandfather's house which has stood abandoned for years, ever since he disappeared. They start to clean up the dusty and dark old house.

Image 1: Moving to Norlen (Kibuishi, 2008)

Emily soon discovers great grandfather Silas' old library, which seems to be the most interesting room (as he was a puzzle maker). She is curious and investigates a strange plinth, somehow unlocking a glowing amulet.
Later that night their mother is kidnapped by a great big slimy monster, and they follow it through a portal into another dimension, diving through a hole in the brick wall of their basement.
In this new dark and wet world, they are surrounded by enormous spider-octopus creatures, massive toadstools, leathery pterodactyl-like birds, ghoulish looking elves with rows of sharp linty teeth, apparitions with eyes that spy, Steampunk creations, and a tall mysterious stranger in a large coat, a flat wide brimmed hat and glowing goggles.

Emily, the determined young protagonist, is faced with a decision: fall deeper into this dark and dangerous alternate dimension, with promises of power and fulfilling her destiny? Or do nothing? (But we know that this is an empty question, it's a fantasy story - who wouldn't take the magic and power and destiny fulfillment?)

The illustrations are atmospheric, expressive, cinematic, shadowy, and immersive. They pull you into the story with lifelike details, actions and facial expressions.

The dialogue is natural, easy to read, and works effectively to draw you in to the lifelike characters, sibling rivalry, their relationships and their emotions: the excitement, danger, fear and the tragedy.

The plot is simple enough to move through quickly and believably, and intriguing enough to make you want to devour the story (and the next book in the series).

This is a high quality graphic novel, and is highly recommend for children and young adults.

Bibliographic details:

Kibuishi, K. (2008). Amulet. Book 1: the stonekeeper. New York: Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.

Erstwhile

Resource type: graphic novel

Cover (Biggs, Roy, Skinner, Grimm and Grimm, 2012)

How does a young naked woman, who has wrapped herself in a fishing net and tied herself to the back of a donkey, marry the prince and upset the social status of the lords and ladies of the kingdom?

This tale, along with seven more, is told in "Erstwhile": a collection of eight obscure Grimm Brother's fairytales retold in comic form. The book has been created by a group of three artists: Gina Biggs, Louisa Roy and Elle Skinner, who collaborate on web comics of the same name: Erstwhile: Untold tales from the Brothers Grimm.

The three main stories: "Maid Maleen", "The Farmer's Clever Daughter" and "All Fur", all follow the plot of the original fairytales, as documented by the Grimm Brothers, and don't always have a happy ending. There are gory deaths, haunting dead children, and plots to poison husbands. One story even includes a sausage that cooks a tasty stew for the household and seasons it by having a bath in it.

And while there is the stereotypical blonde-haired and blue-eyed beauty who marries the prince in one story, other characters come from different backgrounds and represent a broad spectrum of beauty, body types and romance.

If you are looking for a quick and fun read, with lighthearted stories that follow the well-known fairytale format of "young beautiful girl aims to marry the prince" - but with a twist, along with some interesting tales that value cleverness, diversity, old age AND youth, Erstwhile may be the book for you.

All Fur (Biggs, Roy, Skinner, Grimm and Grimm, 2012)

The Bird, the Mouse and the Sausage (Biggs, Roy, Skinner, Grimm and Grimm, 2012)

The Farmer's Clever Daughter (Biggs, Roy, Skinner, Grimm and Grimm, 2012)

The Old Man and his Grandson (Biggs, Roy, Skinner, Grimm and Grimm, 2012)

The Sweet Porridge (Biggs, Roy, Skinner, Grimm and Grimm, 2012)

A Tale with a Riddle (Biggs, Roy, Skinner, Grimm and Grimm, 2012)

Bibliographic details:

Biggs, G., Roy, L., Skinner, E., Grimm, J., & Grimm, W. (2012). Erstwhile: untold tales from the brothers Grimm. Canada: Strawberry Comics.

Best STEAMPUNK DIY : DIY Guide - Threadbanger

Resource type: video (non-fiction)

So you've seen some of those fancy tiny Steampunk hats, metal goggles and lace-up corsets, and feel like trying your hand at making some for yourself?
Well, this video would be an excellent place to start.
Brought to you by the people at ThreadBanger craft, costumes and DIY with a tough punk edge), this video is an amalgamation of other how-to and DIY videos of the Steampunk genre. It's a good starting point for more Steampunk content on YouTube.

There’s a quick introduction to what exactly this "Steampunk" thing is - "Post apocalyptic – Victorian - wild west inspired, future-infused HG Wells-ish kinda style - pretty awesome", as the narrator says, and then we get straight into a collection of content, with a few comments from ThreadBanger on the side. Get acquainted with the award-winning web series League of STEAM Supernatural and Troublesome Ectoplasm Apparition Management), learn how to make your own Steampunk water gun (hint: you'll need to use liberal amounts of bronze spray paint), there's a link to instructions for that quaint tiny hat I mentioned earlier, and even a "Steampunk gypsy dance belt thing".

The tone of narrator is causal, humorous and conversational. He also doesn't sound extremely authoritative, but that isn't a problem as this is simply an introduction to Steampunk - a window to further content.
The video merges humour, some basic background to the genre and a whole lot of content to satisfy your desire for Steampunk fashion and accessories DIY.

This is definitely a video for people who like Steampunk, maybe don't know very much about it, and want to get some inspiration and get started in making things. It's not targeted towards a particular age group, but features mainly older teenagers and adults.

As a side note, the narrator makes the comment that they couldn't find a lot of content out there. So why not get cracking and make your own?

Bibliographic details:

ThreadBanger. (2013, July 12). Best steampunk DIY : DIY Guide - Threadbanger. Retrieved May 12, 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAAPr8DUGhs

Ash

Resource type: book (fiction)

Cover (Lo, 2010)

This novel is a retelling of the Cinderella fairytale, with a twist.

Ash lives in a small servant's room in the house of her stepmother and two stepsisters. She is their servant, working to pay off the debts her father left when he died. She is treated unfairly and with contempt, but finds happiness in well-worn books of fairytales, the warm stones of the floor next to the fire, a freshly peeled and cut apple, and in taking walks in the wild wood when she is alone.

Ash challenges her societies' ideas for the ideal future for a young woman. She asks her younger stepsister why is her goal in life to marry a wealthy older man? Will that make her happy? What does she want to do? Ash tells her that there are other paths she could take, she could become an apprentice and make a life for herself.

At the same time, Ash is facing difficult decisions herself. She has befriended a silvery fairy prince who comforts her, protects her and provides companionship over the years as she mourns the loss of her parents, her home and village. During her walks through the woods, her path also crosses with the huntress, a woman of high standing in her society, but with whom she feels mutual friendship and both are compelled to pursue their friendship to see where it takes her.

However, while Ash is caught between two companions, her world seems to be accepting of same-sex relationships, and she is not discriminated or bullied over connection with the huntress.

The language is immersive and slow-paced, with vivid descriptions of the environment, the beautiful ball gowns, and mossy dark forests. However, in a way that is reminiscent of traditional fairy-tales, there is a distance between what is written and the images that appear in the reader's head. The author, Malinda Lo, has said that she purposefully didn't include a lot of description of the character's physical appearance. Lo writes:

"Respect your readers’ right to cast the story. I do describe my main characters’ physical appearance, but not terribly specifically. I want readers to imagine the Charming that they would fall in love with, because everyone has different tastes" 

This is a slow moving and quiet, but magical novel. It is full of contrasts and decisions, tells a beautiful love story. It is highly recommended.

Bibliographic details:

Lo, M. (2010). Ash. London: Hodder Children's.

Bibliography:
http://www.malindalo.com/2008/10/writing-about-race-in-fantasy-novels/

The Steampunk Bible: an Illustrated Guide to the World of Imaginary Airships, Corsets and Goggles, Mad Scientists, and Strange Literature

Resource type: book (non-fiction)

In the introduction to this book, Bruce Sterling - science fiction writer, writes that:

"People like Steampunk for two good reasons. First, it's a great opportunity to dress up in a cool, weird way that baffles the straights. Second, Steampunk set design looks great."

Steampunk is about aesthetics (the beauty of it's appearance) and confusing people.

Sterling goes on to say that you (the reader) are probably young, and you're probably having some identity issues, so why not try a few different ones, such as Steampunk.

And this would be the book to help you with that journey.

It provides a thorough discussion on:

• What Steampunk actually is, 
• It's history in the industrial revolution and in the writing of Jules Verne and HG Wells, 
• A review of Steampunk fiction and graphic novels, 
• Craftsmanship, DIY and the aesthetic of Steampunk
• Steampunk fashion, accessories, subculture and music
• Steampunk movies and television series
• And what the future of the Steampunk movement may hold.

It is an in-depth literary and visual resource, and ties together books, fashion, music and movies from all across popular culture and throughout history to create a compendium of ideas on the contradictory culture of Steampunk.

There are instructions for making your own etched tins using saltwater and electricity (see Imgae 1: Etched tins), there's a guide to some of the styles of Steampunk fashion: "the street urchin", "the tinker", "the explorer" (see Image 2: The Explorer)and "the aesthete", discussion on how Steampunk can work with environmental sustainability, and discussion on multiculturalism within the Steampunk movement.

Image 1: Etched tins (Vandermeer and Chambers, 2011)

Image 2: The Explorer (Vandermeer and Chambers, 2011)

Basically, if you have even a teeny tiny clock cog of interest in Steampunk, this is the place to delve in, make lots of connections through books, movies and history, and broaden your understanding of what it is, and what it could possibly be. 

Bibliographic details:

Vandermeer, J., & Chambers, S. J. (2011). The steampunk bible : an illustrated guide to the world of imaginary airships, corsets and goggles, mad scientists, and strange literature. New York: Abrams Image.