Last year at around this time, Tor.com was deep in the throes of Steampunk Month, our first attempt to focus on a specific topic for a short period of time and see what we could say about it. A year later, steampunk is still hunting for the tiniest glimmers of recognition within mainstream culture. Whereas, in our corner of the world, you can’t take more than a few steps without encountering a glittering new dirigible or an old standby whose brass accents are being buffed to a high sheen. Everyone has an opinion about steampunk these days.*
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t new people coming to the scene every day, new paths being forged, and new twists on the already mind-boggling resurgence of Victorian science fiction. For the next two weeks (October 20-November 3, 2010), Tor.com will survey the field and see where some of these developments are headed, as well as trying to discuss some of our favorite topics with new depth.
Welcome to Steampunk Fortnight. Everything old is new again, again.
* Though, if you don’t, that’s fine too: the introduction and many of the posts in last year’s Steampunk Month are a great place to start.
Here’s a list of just some of the things to expect during Steampunk Fortnight:
- Musings on the genre from a host of esteemed guest bloggers, including Tim Akers, Jared Axelrod, Ay-leen the Peacemaker, S. J. Chambers, Amal El-Mohtar, G. D. Falksen, Fábio Fernandes, Chris Garcia, Jaymee Goh, Clay and Susan Griffith, Stephen Hunt, Evelyn Kriete, Jeff Mach, Dexter Palmer, Mike Perschon, Mike Resnick, Nisi Shawl, and Diana Vick.
- Original steampunk fiction from Felix Gilman, Eileen Gunn, and Cat Rambo.
- Tor.com-exclusive wallpaper by Sydney Padua of “The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage” fame.
- Coverage of steampunk events such as the Steampunk Indie Mart and The Anachronism at Webster Hall.
- Copious giveaways, including books, costume elements, convention passes, and H.M.S. Stubbington tattoos.
Here’s a running tab of what’s already been posted:
Blog Posts
10/20: 
10/20: 
10/20: 
10/21: 
10/21: 
10/21: 
10/21: 
10/22: 
10/22: 
10/22: 
10/23: 
10/25: 
10/25: 
10/25: 
10/26: 
10/26: 
10/26: 
10/26: 
10/27: 
10/27: 
10/27: 
10/27: 
10/27: 
10/28: 
10/28: 
10/28: 
10/28: 
10/29: 
10/29: 
10/29: 
10/29: 
10/29: 
10/30: 
10/30: 
10/31: 
10/31: 
11/1: 
11/1: 
11/1: 
11/1: 
11/2: 
11/2: 
11/2:
Stories and Wallpaper
 10/20: “Clockwork Fairies” by Cat Rambo |
||||||||
 10/27: “Lightbringers and Rainmakers” by Felix Gilman |
||||||||
 10/27: Steampunk Fortnight Wallpaper by Sydney Padua |
||||||||
10/28: Steampunk Quartet by Eileen Gunn, comprised of: |
||||||||
|
10/28: 
10/29: 
11/1: 
11/2:
Giveaways
10/20: 
10/21: 
10/22: 
10/25: 
10/26: 
10/27: 
10/28: 
10/29: 
11/1: 
11/2:
It is well established at this point that Tor.com is fond of steampunk, but here are just a few of the dispatches from the genre that we’ve featured in the past year:
- Announcing Steampunk Fortnight and the Steampunk Indie Mart Literary Corner by Liz Gorinsky
- Castle’s “Punked”: A Love Letter to the Steampunk Community by G. D. Falksen
- Review: Cherie Priest’s Dreadnought by Mike Perschon
- Book Review: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (The Infernal Devices, Book 1) by Thea James
- Where East, West and Steampunk Collide: The Warrior’s Way" by G. D. Falksen
- Dragon*Con Report: Steampunk Superheroes by Richard Fife
- Airships! Beasties! Clankers! Darwinists! A Review of Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan Trilogy Thus Far by Jaymee Goh
- Steampunk Month, which captures most content prior to that point
Liz Gorinsky is an editor at Tor Books. She thinks everyone can use a few more automata in their lives.
