Monthly Archives: August 2011

Abaddon Books’ Summer of Steampunk

By Matt Delman, Doctor Fantastique’s Show of Wonders

Abaddon Books is declaring the next two weeks The Summer of Steampunk in honor of their Pax Brittania series of novels, the world’s longest-running series of Steampunk novels.

Starting today, they’re launching the promotion that’ll mark a new direction in the series at the dedicated Pax Britannia Facebook page. Michael Molcher, the PR coordinator, also mentioned that “the event will culminate in a major announcement about a surprising new book which throws away the rulebook of how genre publishing works.”

If you haven’t heard of Pax Brittania, it’s a series of stories set in the late 20th Century where Queen Victoria is kept alive by Steampunk technology and the British Empire never fell. With characters like Jonathan Green’s swashbuckling agent of the Empire, Ulysses Quicksilver, and Al Ewing’s ultra-violent El Sombra, Pax Brittannia is sure to excite Steampunk readers.

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Girl Genius Wins Third Straight Hugo

I am always pleased when a steampunk work is nominated for a major award, and even more so when it wins. But when a steampunk, er, gaslamp fantasy work wins the same category three years in a row, I was thrilled.

The work in question is the ongoing adventures of Agatha Heterodyne, Girl Genius, by Phil and Kaja Foglio, this year winning the Hugo for Best Graphic Story with volume 10 Agatha Heterodyneand the Guardian Muse. Volumes 8 and 9 won in 2009 and 2010, respectively. It should be noted that the 2010 Hugo also included colorist Cheyenne Wright.

Impressive as this is, it is all the more so when you take into account that the category was only created in 2009. This means that there have never been any winners that weren’t part of this series, a point not lost on Mr. Foglio who has said they will withdraw from nomination next year.

Something tells me that, nominated or not, fans of steampunk will continue to enjoy Girl Genius as long as Studio Foglio keeps producing it.

Steamcon III Airship Awards Nominees Announced

Reposted from the Steamcon’s Airship Awards Facebook Group

Steamcon® is proud to present the second annual Airship Award nominations! The steampunk community has so many fabulously creative individuals, and we wish to honor them by celebrating their achievements and contributions to the steampunk community.

The nominees for the 2011 Airship Awards are:

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Help Save Parsifal the Steampig

The 2010 ArtPrize competition in Grand Rapids, MI drew 1700 entries, but the big news for steampunk aficionados was Parsifal, the Steampig. And “big” is the key word in that sentence. Steampig is a giant sculpture, measuring 55′ long, 25′ wide, and 36′ tall. For all that size, the work is beautifully crafted and was built to withstand winds up to 70 miles per hour.

You know you love it. Would you like to own it?

You see, there’s a problem for the Steampig team. Parsifal needs a new home. ArtPrize 2010 has been over for some time and the next ArtPrize is rapidly approaching, so Parsifal needs to move.

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