So what's Steam Punk, you ask. I should probably wiki it, but usually, it is an alternate fictional history where there is high technology or magic during the steam age... There's a lot of steampunk in RPG games and fantasy novels. My favorite 'steampunk' novels are The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling and The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson.
The Diamond Age is my favorite Neal Stephenson book. You should definitely check it out. I actually listened to the the audiobook version... while I was drawing comics of course. It's this book that saves face for all his lame books. Does Neal Stephenson write any lame books? I meant long books. All I know, is that when a new book comes out from him, I get it, even if I can't even hope to finish it like the Baroque Saga. The thing about The Diamond Age is that the book actually had emotional resonance with me- it moved me. So now for better or for worse, I'll probably continue to pick up Neal Stephenson books till he's dead. I recommended it to a friend and his reaction was meh. So it's not for everybody. I heard that Hollywood is making a mini series for The Diamond Age. When I say Hollywood, I mean it disparagingly. I hope it is good, but just read the book. I'm one of those guys who hasn't seen Game of Thrones on TV yet. But hey, I'd rather watch Game of Thrones than another Spiderman movie.
Tomorrow I'll talk about The Difference Engine!
Blog for comic artist Dave Smith, author of Immense Robot and Death to the Sky Pirates
