Young Adult Literature: Steampunk

Titles Discussed

Airborn by Kenneth Oppel

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Worldshaker by Richard Harland

Genre Overview

Steampunk as a genre first began to appear in the 1960s or 1970s, though it did not acquire its name, or indeed a unifying concept, until the late 1980s. Author K. W. Jeter coined the term in a 1987 letter to Locus magazine as a tongue-in-cheek takeoff on “cyberpunk”—another subgenre of science fiction, codified around 1980 or so and characterized as much by its subject matter as by its neo-noir, if not fully dystopian, worldview.

Steampunk was a logical extension of cyberpunk. Both use existing technology—computer and information technology (cyberpunk), steam-powered engines (steampunk)—as a starting point from which to extrapolate hypothetical advancements and their potential effects on a society on the verge of a technology revolution. Steampunk addresses the same interests and concerns as cyberpunk, engaging similarly with issues of empire, imperialism, globalization, futurity, and progress, albeit with a more optimistic attitude than is generally found in cyberpunk.

A classic example of steampunk is The Difference Engine (1990), by cyberpunk legends William Gibson and Bruce Sterling, a carefully constructed triptych of interlocking narratives set in an alternate 1855. In this time line, computer pioneer Charles Babbage actually succeeded in constructing his difference engine, an early mechanical computer that the real-life Babbage designed but never built. A fully realized alternate history, The Difference Engine makes many references to actual history, with archaeologists, politicians, and writers of the era popping up in ways recognizable but altered by the different chain of events. Within this structure, Gibson and Sterling are free to investigate the nature of the future and modernity: the Crimean War is fought by soldiers in camouflage uniforms, the British Empire covertly manipulates American politics, and scientists debate the nature of evolution.

Steampunk began attracting mainstream attention in the early twenty-first century, primarily as a visual aesthetic, although its growing prominence in popular culture translated to increased interest in steampunk as a media genre as well. This trend was particularly apparent in literature, and young adult novels were no exception. Oft-cited examples of young adult steampunk literature include Airborn (2004) by Kenneth Oppel; Leviathan (2009), by Scott Westerfeld; and Worldshaker (2009), by Richard Harland. All three are the first books in their respective series and feature young protagonists.

Works

Leviathan, by Scott Westerfeld, is set at the start of World War I. As the story opens, Europe is gearing up for war, and the fifteen-year-old prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is fleeing his own people. Both the Austro-Hungarians and the Germans are armed with Clankers, steam-powered iron machines bearing guns and cannons, while in Great Britain, the Darwinists instead fight using genetically modified animals as both weapons and “airbeasts”—artificially constructed animals that serve as giant airships. Clearly this is not the World War I that readers recall from history class. This time in history is pure fantasy with a bit of technology thrown in to give the entire world a spin into steampunk.

Deryn Sharp is a British commoner who wants to serve on an airbeast. This opportunity is closed to her because of her gender, so she disguises herself as a boy named Dylan Sharp and sets out to prove herself. Deryn uses a Huxley, a jellyfish-like creature that is lighter than air due to its hydrogen-derived fuel, to prove her abilities. When a storm hits and Deryn is blown out over the North Sea, she is rescued by the ultimate airbeast: the Leviathan, a massive flying whale. The Leviathan is an excellent example of a creation of the steampunk genre—fanciful in nature, on a scale that is beyond the limits of the technology of the time, yet with a shard of reality in the fact that it is a hydrogen-fueled vessel. This combination of fact and whimsy is representative of steampunk.

As is typical of the steampunk genre, the facts of World War I are in place. The technology is pure science fantasy that fits within the steampunk aesthetic. The alternate history arises from the combination of history and technology, with fanciful machines playing a large part. Some would argue that Leviathan is not truly an alternative history, even though the events underlying World War I remain the same, because the Austro-Hungarian Empire was never set to pass from father to child (as it is in the novel) but rather was an allegiance of convenience. Since this is the case, the argument can be made that there is no clear point of divergence that would lead to an alternate historical record. Others would argue that there is an alternative historical record, as evidenced by the difference in who wins and who loses.

Airborn, by Kenneth Oppel, is the story of a cabin boy named Matt Cruse who lives aboard the airship Aurora. One day, Matt spies a damaged balloon that turns out to be carrying an ailing old man. The old man mumbles something about “beautiful creatures” before he dies. A year later, Matt meets the man's granddaughter, Kate de Vries, when she comes aboard the Aurora. Kate is determined to locate the creatures that her grandfather drew in his journal—flying creatures that Matt describes as “half bird, half panther” (76), with massive, featherless wings. Because these animals most likely live their lives in the air, Kate must be airborne in order to find them.

Aspects of the steampunk genre are included from the start in this work. One aspect is the fact that the Aurora runs on hydrium—an obsolete name for hydrogen that here refers to a fictional chemical element. Another steampunk aspect is that Kate arrives by ornithopter, a machine that Leonardo da Vinci envisioned but never built. The ornithopters in Airborn are equal parts real and fanciful. Both of these aspects are portrayed as normal parts of everyday life, as is to be expected in this genre.

Not long after Kate boards, pirates attack the Aurora, destroying its communication abilities in the process. Shortly thereafter, a storm leaves Matt to steer the ship to safety on an island, which turns out to be the island Kate's grandfather wrote about in his diary. Kate convinces Matt to explore the island with her. They find a skull from one of the flying animals, which Matt dubs “cloud cats,” as well as a living, injured animal. Along the way, Matt realizes there is hydrium on the island.

The pirates are on the island as well. Matt and Kate escape from them by inflating Kate's pants with hydrium. Freeing the Aurora is more complicated, but in the end, the pirates are defeated and Matt delivers the ship to safety. Months later, Matt meets Kate in Paris. She is lecturing about the cloud cats and will soon begin study as a zoologist. Matt will use his reward money from their adventures to attend the Airship Academy and fulfill his wish to become a pilot.

The steampunk genre is represented in the latter half of Airborn as well. Inflating Kate's pants as a means of escape is at once ingenious and swashbuckling. The fact that the cloud cats exist and can be studied is, once again, that half-step away from reality; zoology is a science, yet cloud cats exist in this version of that time. Matt's future as an airship captain, as well as the very fact that there is an airship academy, is also in keeping with the steampunk genre.

In Worldshaker, by Richard Hartland, history takes a turn during the Napoleonic Wars. In Hartland's version of history, Napoleon did not engage in a doomed naval battle at Trafalgar. Instead, he dug a tunnel underneath the English Channel, defeated the British, and ushered in a period of war and industrialization that resulted in the era of the juggernauts.

Juggernauts are tremendously huge mobile cities. Quintessentially steampunk, they also represent the potential negative side of industrialization, in which power is used for purposes that do not benefit the common good. Yet on the surface, this type of industrialization—the kind that leads to roving cities—is a perfect steampunk extravaganza, well within the genre's aesthetic. It is up to the reader to determine whether this is industrialization for some crass commercial purpose or for the purpose of the public good.

Hartland's novel tells of the impact of the first large rumblings of discontent in the society. Col, a member of the elite, lives on the upper decks of the juggernaut Worldshaker. Chosen to be next supreme commander of Worldshaker, Col finds his world upended when a girl Filthy, one of the underclass workers who keep the ship running, escapes from Below and appears in his cabin. The girl begs, “Don't let 'em take me” (4), stunning Col—all his life, he has been taught all his life that Filthies are little more than beasts, unable to understand or speak human language. In light of this revelation, Col is faced with a decision that will change his life: he can ignore the girl and go about his life as planned, or he can open his eyes and deal with the world as it really is. This dilemma is not a traditionally steampunk dilemma, but it is common in young adult literature that deals with a loss of innocence.

Conclusion

In his 1987 letter to Locus magazine, Jeter claims to have been the first of “the [Tim] Powers/[James] Blaylock/Jeter fantasy triumvirate” to write in the “gonzo-historical manner” of steampunk, as evidenced by the 1979 publication of his novel Morlock Night. While Jeter did not directly apply the term “steampunk” to the genre, he was the one who coined the word, suggesting that “steampunks” could be “a fitting collective term for Powers, Blaylock and myself” (“Birth”).

According to librarian Jonathan Greyshade, “The steampunk written today is part of a fourth wave. … A review of classic steampunk smashes many current tropes.” Greyshade excoriates so-called steampunk novelists who merely parrot back the “fantasies of their target audience,” claiming that this practice engenders “creative stagnation on both sides.” Although each work discussed above has received multiple awards and recognition, it remains to be seen whether they are truly steampunk or a diluted version of the genre for young adults. It is possible that steampunk in the form of works such as Leviathan, Airborn, and Worldshaker will lay the foundation for an enduring genre in young adult literature.

Bibliography

Cart, Michael. Young Adult Literature: From Romance to Realism. Chicago: ALA, 2011. Print.

Chance, Rosemary. Young Adult Literature in Action: A Librarian's Guide. 2nd ed. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2014. Print.

Nilsen, Alleen Pace, et al. Literature for Today's Young Adults. 9th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2013. Print.

Bibliography

“The Birth of Steampunk.” Letters of Note. Ed. Shaun Usher. TinyLetter, Mar. 2011. Web. 30 June 2015. <http://www.lettersofnote.com/2011/03/birth-of-steampunk.html>.

Bucher, Katherine, and KaaVonia Hinton. Young Adult Literature: Exploration, Evaluation, and Appreciation. 3rd ed. New York: Pearson, 2014. Print.

Cole, Pam B. Young Adult Literature in the 21st Century. New York: McGraw, 2009. Print.

Greyshade, Jonathan. “The Nine Novels That Defined Steampunk.” The Steampunk Workshop. Jake von Slatt, 29 Apr. 2013. Web. 10 May 2015. <http://steampunkworkshop.com/nine-novels-defined-steampunk>.

Laming, Scott. “Steampunk 101: From Sci-Fi Sub-genre to Cultural Phenomenon.” AbeBooks. AbeBooks, n.d. Web. 10 May 2015. <http://www.abebooks.com/books/victorian-fiction-jeter-robots/steampunk-literature.shtml>.

Rabey, Melissa. Historical Fiction for Teens: A Genre Guide. Santa Barbara: Libs. Unltd., 2011. Print.

Sambuchino, Chuck. “Everything You Would've Asked about Steampunk, Had You Known It Existed.” Writer's Digest. F+W, 13 Aug. 2013. Web. 10 May 2015. <http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/everything-you-would've-asked-about-steampunk-had-you-known-it-existed>.

Strickland, Ashley. “A Brief History of Young Adult Literature.” CNN. Cable News Network, 15 Apr. 2015. Web. 10 May 2015. <http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/15/living/young adult-fiction-evolution>.