Egyptian Influences in Victoriana and Steampunk by Maeve Alpin

Ancient Egyptian culture has had a major influence on the Victorian era and also modern Steampunk. As indicated by the titles, two classic Steampunk novels include strong Egyptian influences: The Osiris Ritual by George Mann and The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers.

Pretty Miss with Parasol belly dancing at ComicCon’s Steampunk Ball

The Victorians were fascinated with Egyptian mummies and unwrapping parties were quite stylish. George Mann tied Steampunk with mummy unwrapping in a wonderful scene in The Osiris Ritual. Here’s an excerpt from a Victorian mummy unwrapping party in the Steampunk/ Romance, As Timeless As Magic: Heru peered within the sarcophagus, at a coffin shaped like a human figure, in a green headdress with a single yellow stripe and a jewel painted in the middle. His gaze lingered on the beautiful hieroglyphics in orange and blue, thinking of the power they held and the magic his mother created with them in her spells.

“Now, what we have all waited for.” Mister Mugrage opened the coffin. A gilded mask lay over a linen sheet wrapped around a human corpse.

Heru rubbed his brow, then fisted his hand, aching to punch Felicity’s father in the teeth.

Mister Mugrage removed the mask in the likeness of the mummy inside and held it up. “This mask is a wonderful treasure for the evening and I will do you all the favor of parting with it for the highest offer made.”

The crowd all sighed with “oohs” and “ahs.” Heru could tell by the gleam in several people’s eyes, they wanted to own it. This was all about money to Mister Mugrage. He had no love of the history, the art, or the spiritual significance his daughter seemed to understand. Heru vowed he wouldn’t blame Felicity for her father’s actions, but a throbbing surge of anger rose in him as she unwrapped the sheet from the mummy. The guests closed in like a mob and thrust forward. Heru could hardly breathe, the room felt void of air.

Mister Mugrage yanked a strip of linen wrapping, tugging it off as he circled the mummy, unraveling it. He withdrew an amulet from the linen gauze and held it up. “Our first party favor. Who wants this lovely turquoise scarab?”

A lady in a large hat and a blue gown fluttered her fan. “I do, Mister Mugrage.”

“Madame Mills, by all means, this little gem is yours. It shall bring you great luck.” Mister Mugrage placed the treasure in the woman‟s gloved hand as she giggled with glee.

Heru loosened his cravat before he gagged. The crowd‟s thunderous applause fueled his anger. These amulets protected the deceased, helped him find his way in the afterlife, and this ridiculous man handed them out as party favors.

Mister Mugrage continued unraveling the mummy until he came upon the next find, a small hawk carved from blue lapis. He handed it to a man with a protruding belly and white beard, dressed in black trousers, a gray coat, and a green cravat. Heru fought the urge to grab the amulet back from the man‟s chubby fingers.

No sooner had the other guests congratulated the man than Mister Mugrage yanked the wrappings again. “Here we have a hollow gold beetle.” He placed it in Felicity‟s hand. “What is this symbol on the top?“

Felicity peered at the golden insect, examining it closely. “Two crossed arrows over a shield, the symbol of Goddess Neith, deity of the hunt.”

“Who will have this fine beetle?” Mister Mugrage flashed a broad grin.

Heru wanted to yell for them to stop as he stood helplessly by, watching a corpse being violated for nothing but the fleeting pleasure of shallow people. He accidentally bit his tongue. He grabbed his jaw, and rubbed it.

A woman held up her dainty hand netted in a lacy glove. Felicity gifted the lady with the beetle amulet.

As Mister Mugrage unwound more linen gauze, he discovered a small statue with the body of a man and the head of a jackal.

“Anubis.” Finally, an idea struck. Heru swiftly stuck out his hand, almost grabbing the amulet. ”May I?” he asked in French.

“Oui.” Mister Mugrage handed it to him.

Heru knew this held the most powerful curse, for the priests who cast spells on the amulets wore the mask of Anubis. He flipped it over and read the hieroglyphic inscription. “You dare to touch this sacred mummy. You mortal man, whose flesh and skull will return to the desert sand. I curse you with the loss of your hands.” Heru clasped the amulet tightly, whispering the spell in Old Egyptian in the parlor just as he would have in the temple of Anubis. “Curse him, who disturbs the dead, who robs what the gods entombed. His hands should be severed if not his head, his cursed fingers doomed.”

“Give me that. Let me read it.” Felicity’s father reached for the amulet to grab it back from Heru. He gasped. His fingers fell limp. Mister Mugrage screamed, “My hands!”

Felicity rushed to her father and clutched his arm “What is it?”

“I can’t move my hands, not even to lift a finger. They are numb, I cannot feel anything.”

Steam Driven Belly Dancing

Even more than mummy unwrapping parties, the Victorians loved costume balls. Cleopatra influenced costumes were highly fashionable at these affairs. Steam Ingenious’ Steampunk Cleopatra fancy dress project is inspired by authentic Victorian fashion plates of Egyptian costumes. It’s a recreation of the Celopatra costume Lady Paget wore to the 1875 Delmonico Ball in New York City. The portrait and photo of Lady Paget in the costume along with several fashion plates of Cleopatra style gowns are pictured on the blog and the details of the pattern and the fabrics are included.

Another Egyptian influence on Steampunk is belly dancing, which has been big ever

Sword & Steampunkery

since Abney Park incorporated it into its live shows. Many belly dancers have been inspired to go steampunk adding goggles, corsets and pantaloons to their costumes. The extraordinary Steampunk Belly Dancers featured here are from the Osiris Dance Company. If they look familiar, they perform at the Steampunk Ball at ComicCon each year and they will also be performing at the Wild West Festival in Tucson next year.

A heroine who belly dances could add an interesting element to a Steampunk novel.

As you can see it’s easy to weave some exotic Egyptian influences into your Steampunk books.

If you liked the excerpt from As Timeless As Magic the novel is free as a kindle eBook from today until Friday, August 31^st.

Maeve Alpin

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Steampunk Comic Books (Part 1) by Maeve Alpin

Considered the starting point for the modern era of Steampunk comics, Bryan Tallbot’s 1970’s Luther Arkwright series is set in a parallel world where the English Civil War has been prolonged. Speaking of Bryan Tallbot, his Grandville series is total Steampunk. I’ll begin with it, followed by six more for Part 1. Part 2 will follow in another post later in the month with additional Steampunk Comic books.

 1. Grandville by Bryan Talbot

The author and artist, BryanTablot, was inspired by a 19^th century illustrator, who drew anthropomorphized characters in costumes of the period and used the pen name J J Grandville. The story takes place in an alternate world where the British lost the Napoleonic War and a Scotland Yard Inspector, a badger, investigates the murder of a British diplomat. The events of 911 and a conspiracy theory are woven into the plot. The cast is made up of animals garbed in Victorian clothing, there are a few humans now and then, maids and bell hops, who are called doughfaces, which I find hilarious. Grandville is smart, interesting, well plotted and the art is incredible.

2. Lady Mechanika by Joe Benitez

Set in 1878, in the city of Mechanika, known as the city of tomorrow. Lady Mechanika, part human, part machine, with no memories of her past, searches for her identity. Her enemy, Blackpool, a mad scientist experiments on humans, removing body parts and replacing them with machine parts. It’s pure Steampunk and has a strong female as the lead character.

3. Ruse by Mark Waid (2nd half of the series written by Scott Beatty)

This Victorian/Mystery comic series is set in the fantasy town of Partington on planet Arcadia. Simon Archard, a Sherlock-Home-type detective uses his master mind, while  his partner, Emma Bishop, a strong woman in mind and body, does everything else required to solve crimes. The one line cover tag sums it up: He’s the World’s Greatest Detective. She’s even better. The banter between Emma and Simon is witty, wry, and hilarious. I think Ruse holds a special appeal to women and I absolutely love it.

4. Scarlet Traces by Ian Edginton, Art by D’Israeli

The premise is genius. It takes place in England in the early 1900’s, just ten years after the War of the Worlds when the Martians were defeated by microscopic germs humans had been immune to for centuries.  British scientist adapt the highly advanced Martian technology to everyday life. Carriages running on robotic spider legs like the Martian vehicles replace horses and homes are heated and lighted by a version of the Martian heat ray. Two English spies take on a case of a missing girl and uncover so much more. Stempunk fans will love the Victorian/Edwardian London setting, the utilization of alien technology, and the H. G. Wells connection, as well as the dark, dystopian tone.

5. The Clockwork Girl by Sean O’Reilly and Kevin Hanna

This is a story of star crossed lovers from two different houses. Sounds familiar? One of the two fantastic castles is built by a grafter as a monument to the science of nature while the other is built by a tinker as a tribute to the science of technology and machines. The tinker creates a clockwork girl named Tesla. You will even find two quotes of Nikola Tesla within the story. Though different, several images of the little clockwork girl and the monster boy are reminiscent of scenes from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. As the Clockwork Girl is an obvious nod to and inspired by William Shakespeare, Nikola Tesla, and Mary Shelley it has to be good, and it is.

I fell in love with the characters, Tesla, the clockwork girl and Huxley, the monster boy. I imagine everyone who reads this will do the same. It’s a heartwarming story, brilliant in its simplicity, and it is not only suitable for adults but also children as young as grade school, say seven years old on up.

The dedication in the front of the book sums The Clockwork Girl up best, “To love and those who purse it relentlessly.” It’s a fun, fast, fulfilling read.

6. Ignition City by Warren Ellis, Art by Gianluca Pagliarani

In a dieselpunk/alternative history, washed up space heroes live in Ignition City, a rough and rowdy settlement cut off from civilization on Earth’s last spaceport. Ignition City has a strong woman for the main character, Mary Raven, a space pilot and daughter of the famous spaceman, who stopped a Martian missile plot. She heads to the spaceport to discover how her father died and who killed him. It has colorful language and a Wild West tone. There are aliens, ray guns, and the marshal flies around in a rocketeer type outfit. It’s a fun, action packed read.

7. Iron West by Doug Te Napel

A rugged, old west cowboy hero, Struck, robs banks, cheats at poker, lies to women with promises of marriage, and runs away at any hint of trouble. Yeah, this bad boy is a real charmer. Still when some old prospectors dig up robots, who in turn dig up a whole army of metal men that go on a rampage killing humans, our hero comes to the rescue of his woman and his town. Of course he has to, he’s set for a lynching and the sheriff gives him no choice but to help or to hang. Struck has some help himself from an elderly Native American gentleman and Sasquatch. Yes that’s right, Big Foot himself. This comic book is a blast, so much fun. Iron West will make your day.

You can see that though only a few comic are labeled Steampunk, several have Victorian, Dystopian, Dieselpunk, Weird West or Alternate History ascetics. We can look forward to the future of Steampunk comic books offering even more diversity and choices for readers.

With other titles to tell you about, I’ll continue the article on May 16^th with more Steampunk Comics. Even with those mentioned above, there is something for everyone’s taste. Happy reading.

Maeve Alpin draws on her love of ancient times, alternative history, and happy endings to write Steampunk/Romances. Please visit her website.

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A Guide to Steampunk Gadgets and Technology

I’ve been asked several times if I had a list of “usual” gadgets in Steampunk.  The request sort of baffled me, since (to me) half the fun of Steampunk is making things up.  But, when I thought about it, I could identify several things that are not uncommon to find gadget/technology-wise in Steampunk stories.  This isn’t a comprehensive list and by no means do you need to have *all* of these in your world. 

Aether

Aether is a classical element.  In ancient times it was thought to be the forces beyond control. In the late 19th century, the term luminiferous aether was used to describe a medium for the propagation of light.  There’s a lot of room to use this mysterious element in everything from a power source to a scapegoat for natural disasters.  In Katie MacAlister’s Steamed, rayguns shoot superheated aether.

Analog Systems

In analog technology, a wave is recorded or used in its original form, where in digital technology  the analog wave is sampled at some interval, and then turned into numbers that are stored in the digital device.  What if we continued as an analog society instead of a digital one?

Automatons

An automaton is a self-operating machine (an autonomous robot).  They could be anything from elaborate clockwork singing birds (or killer ladybugs like in Blameless) to robot servants (like in Android Karenina).   They could be lifelike or stylized, maybe they even have a windup key in their back.

Clockwork Systems

Machines using elaborate clockwork can abound in Steampunk.  They can be anything from automatons to actually being the “heart” of a city.  They could set off explosives, or run radios, trains, or analytical engines.

Difference/Analytical Engines

A difference engine is a type of mechanical calculator capable of computing complex equations.  Charles Babbage’s design featured a hand-cranked device.  An analytical engine is a mechanical general-purpose computer using punch-cards.

Flying Machines

Jules Verne enchanted us all with balloon travel in “Around the World in Eighty Days” and “Five weeks in a Balloon.”  But aircraft get even bigger like blimps, zeppelins, dirigibles, and airships.

They could be grand and elegant passenger ships of gleaming wood and polished brass, or could be patched and clunky cargo haulers, or these vessels could be filled with the most fearsome people to haunt Steampunk skies—air pirates!

They could be steam, helium, or hydrogen powered.  Maybe they’re solar or run on aether.

But ships aren’t the only things that can fly. What about personal aircraft like “detachable wings” – small powered gliders with wings reminiscent of a Da Vinci sketch or hoverboards?   And don’t forget the flying car or the flying city—or the genetically engineered airship made from a Whale in Leviathan.  Flying machines go beyond the dirigible and are only limited by the imagination

Rayguns

Rayguns are as quintessential to Steampunk as airships.  They are “directed energy” weapons used for maiming or killing people and powered on all sorts of things, from aether to fairy-farts (okay, I made that up).  They can come in all sizes and shapes, and generally are metallic-colored.  Sometimes they may be pearl-encrusted for evening wear.  After all, a lady’s raygun says a lot about her.

Steampower

Steam technology is the fundamental basis of Steampunk.  Steam engines can power trains and boats or run factory equipment or mills, steam turbines can produce electricity.   Steam can power cars or farm equipment, heat houses, power weaponry–it can even run clocks.

In a basic steam engine heat is obtained from fuel burnt in an enclosed firebox.  The heat boils water in a pressurized boiler, turning it into saturated steam.  The steam transfers to a motor which uses it to push on a piston sliding inside a cylinder, powering the machinery.  As the steam cools it is exhausted into the air.

There are all sorts of steam engines of varying sophistication, including underwater jet and rocket-type engines.   How about a steam-powered submarine?

Escaping steam and boiler explosions can call all sorts of devastation, disaster, and injury.

Time Machines

Who doesn’t love time machines?  Whether they take you to the past or the future, they guarantee and adventure.

These are just a few things to get you started and there’s much more to these technologies than my little descriptions.   Taking these basics and making them your own (and inventing new things) is half the fun.  Write on!

So…what’s your favorite Steampunk gadget?

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Yesteryear Remembered

Today is my grandmother’s 88^th birthday. That has little enough to do with steampunk until I think about the era in which she grew up.

She was born right after World War I, a mere seven years after the first Zeppelin attack took place on London as part of armed warfare. She grew up in Sicily until she was 14 years old, so she was no mere novice when it came to steam-fired mechanics and old-fashioned ways of doing things in their village of Villa Rosa, at the heart of the island.

 Her generation was the first to really reap the benefits of automotives, air flight and radio as part of their everyday lives, yet she lived in a community where there wasn’t electrical in every home, and food was still cooked in wood-burning ovens. They used geared machines to crush the olives from their orchards for olive oil, rode horses or steam trains to get from one town to the next and used steam-powered machines for the sulfur mines.

 It wasn’t until the year 1922, when she was born, that a self-winding watch was invented by John Harwood. In science the theory of acids and bases, ideas of the earth’s magnetic field, the production of hydrogen on a manufacturing scale, the development of synthetic oil were still years away. Air flight in small planes was still an experimentation, as was television and moving pictures with sound. It boggles the mind how much the world has changed in just 88 years.

 In writing, reading and participating in steampunk, we have an opportunity to turn back the clock, as it were. A time-machine of our very own. It wasn’t as far back as we like to think. And while steampunk does encompass the whole of the Victorian era (which was the bulk of the 19^th century), it really was as little as 100 years ago that what we take for steampunk imagination and invention was part of their daily reality.

So here’s a top-hat off to Hellen Jane Palmeri Sauro Stokes. Happy Birthday, grandma. And thanks for sharing with me a little bit of your memories of what it was like back then.

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Steampunk, The Power Of

Today I am very excited to welcome author Jana Oliver to Steamed! as Steampunkapalooza 2010 continues. Visiting Lolita Jana is going to share with us her insights on the power of Steampunk.  She’ll also be giving away a copy of her book  SOJOURN, Time Rovers Book 1.

Jana Oliver admits to a certain fondness for almost all things Victorian and her continued search for the world’s most perfect single malt. Her multi-award winning Time Rovers Series has earned the praise of historians and readers alike for its gritty portrayal of London during the reign of Jack the Ripper. For more about Jana please visit her website: http://www.JanaOliver.com

I am not an oblivious person, but I must confess that steampunk rather crept up on me. It probably was making lots of noise with all those steam fittings and outlandish gadgets, but somehow I missed its creation.

The term steampunk first dropped into my world in 2005 when a friend asked if the book I was working on (SOJOURN from my Time Rovers Series) was in that sub-genre. Well, it is set in the late Victorian Era. It does involve time travel but frankly I wasn’t sure, even after my friend politely explained exactly what steampunk was.

Steampunk fell out of my life Dragon*Con 2008. Now if you’re not familiar with Dragon the best way to explain it is The World’s Largest Summer Camp for Adults (as per a friend). Anywhere from 40-60K souls converge on downtown Atlanta over Labor Day weekend each year and attend what is a very amazing multi-media convention. You got elves, you got Buffy, you got Dr. Who, anime and robots. And you got steampunk.

I was scheduled to be on a panel about the topic. I dutifully did my research, reading various steampunk novels to try to capture the essence of the “movement”. My mistake was that I was caught up with the results, not the creative spark.

My fellow panelists included a very knowledgeable gent (his name escapes, I apologize) and Carole Nelson Douglas who writes the Irene Adler series. Carole knows the Victorian Era inside and out and the gent knew steampunk. I was moderating so after a while I opened up the discussion to the audience. They had packed the room to overflowing (I’m guessing at least one hundred folks) and the rest had taken over another room for an impromptu steampunk panel on costuming and equipment. That was my first hint this was a big deal.

And here is where I learned about the dynamo that is steampunk. I threw out open ended questions – What does steampunk mean to you? How you think it relates to the “real” world? Where do you think steampunk is headed? The answers were incredibly deep and thoughtful. Though the audience ranged in age from teens to gray hairs, everyone had something in common – they were freethinkers. They didn’t see life through a certain kind of lens, but examined issues from all sides. They were inventive (can you imagine what it’s like to be in a roomful of MacGyvers?) And they’d brought that creativity into the steampunk world and into their lives. They bemoaned our “throw away” culture and the loss of beautiful objects which reflect the love of the master craftsman. They saw around corners, looking for solutions. They debated each other with respect and they cited their references. In short they were highly intelligent, engaged and energized.

I listened in awe, realizing that because of these folks this energy was at work in our society. Beyond the incredible costumes, the nifty gadgets, the airships and the goggles was a dynamic spirit that echoes the Victorian Era’s greatest strengths. Victorians believed they could master just about anything. They valued craftsmanship and ingenuity. It’s my opinion those remarkable traits are exactly what our disposable society craves.

Though I went into the panel a bit nervous as to how it would go, the hour ended too quickly for me. To my delight Dragon*Con read the tea leaves and in response to the growing steampunk culture they green-lighted a separate programming track devoted to Alternate History/Steampunk for 2009. It was jammed with people last fall and I know this September won’t be any different.

I’m currently prepping for AnachroCon, a smaller steampunk convention here in Atlanta. I’m hoping to get another dose of that spirit, that drive I felt in 2008. Another shovelful of coal into the boiler of imagination. That is the hidden gift of steampunk and it’s available to all. No airship required.

Thank you so much for visiting us, Jana.  I can’t wait to pick up the Time Rovers series.

Visiting Lolita Jana is going to give a copy of SOJOURN to one lucky poster.

London, September 1888
An aged Queen Victoria rules. The threat of anarchy hovers in the air. A new kind of evil lurks in the back alleys of Whitechapel. Enter Jacynda Lassiter, a Time Rover on a mission—find an overdue ‘tourist’ and return him to 2057 before he changes history.

Victorian London is a dangerous place for the unwary. Mysterious shape-shifters haunt the streets, making friend and foe indistinguishable. When a fellow Time Rover is murdered, Jacynda’s mission becomes personal. Can she trust the two gentlemen who come to her aid or do they harbor their own dark secrets? In a few days Jack the Ripper will add to his bloody legacy. But old Jack isn’t the only threat in Whitechapel. Unless Jacynda can outwit a madman, her Victorian sojourn will rewrite history— and end at the point of a blade.

The book was a finalist for ten awards and won seven, including the Prism for Time Travel and the Daphne du Maurier Award (Paranormal).

Winning is easy.  Just post a comment below and you get an entry.

Earn an extra entry by blogging/posting/facebooking/tweeting about Jana’s visit and the contest (please, don’t spam, and let us know how you promoted the contest.)   You can also earn an extra extra by subscribing to the steamed! blog or by joining our Facebook Group (let us know you did, if you’re already a subscriber let us know and you’ll get an extra entry, too!)  Good luck!

It’s also not too late win an autographed print by artist Jasmine Becket-Griffith.

Don’t forget to enter our Ensemble Contest for a chance to win a $150 gift certificate to Clockwork Couture. Contest ends Sunday, April 11th. Winner will be announced on Monday, April 12th.

On Saturday, April 10th we’ll be visited by The Royal Ladies’ & Gentle-mens’ Experimental Madness Society’s represented by Joseph CR Vourteque IV. Artist TotusMel will be visiting on Sunday the 11th. On Monday, April 12th our visiting Lolita will be Aimee Stewart of Foxfire Art.

Thank you for joining us for Steampunkapalooza and keep stopping by all month long for more special guests, prizes, and mayhem.

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Short Post

I’ve been sick, so I’m keeping it short and sweet. A funny time travel comic from the folks at XKCD

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Time Travel anyone?

I love writing Time Travels. Except for the fact that they give me a major headache when I’m working on the plot. Thinking of all the repercussions of going to the past to change the future is really difficult. Still I was thrilled to be invited to be a part of The Mammoth Book of Time Travel. (psst if the link doesn’t work just look for it on Amazon.)

My story is about Rand Brock, a Texas Ranger investigating a mysterious death and disappearance in West Texas during the 1880′s. Imagine his surpise when he’s taking a bath in a stream and comes face to face with Shea, a Time Cop from the future. You must read the story to find out what happens but I will let you in on one part of the plot. Steam Punk Scorpions.

I hope you enjoy reading Time Trails as much as I enjoyed writing it.

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