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marimoose's review
5.0
Well, I completely abandoned Mockingjay to read this first. But I'm not regretting it!
This book encompasses the vast mediums that have been inspired and touched by Steampunk. Art, media, fashion, literature, technology, and music are only some of those mediums mentioned in The Steampunk Bible. It's amazing how much of the inspiration origins come from the likes of the scifi greats of H.G. Wells and Jules Verne. (Minus the movies, I've actually not read any of Verne's stories! I shall remedy this, of course. I realized this is untrue. I've read and liked Around the World in 80 Days.) I'm also awed at how many things I have come to love that have Steampunk influences (Fullmetal Alchemist, Miyazaki's interpretation of Howl's Moving Castle, of course Gail Carriger's Soulless and Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan series, and the beautifully rendered Casshern).
And goodness, gracious, it humbles me to see so many enthusiasts all in the same book! The accompanying illustrations are beautiful, the bona fide Steampunks are righteously hardcore and gung-ho about the phenomenon, and the writers themselves are heavily immersed in the subculture. I certainly gained so much more admiration to Gail Carriger for her beautifully crafted Steampunk dress, and was utterly awed at the products modded by the Steampunk Workshop.
Also, they included a Steampunk cake in the illustrations. What's not to love?
This book encompasses the vast mediums that have been inspired and touched by Steampunk. Art, media, fashion, literature, technology, and music are only some of those mediums mentioned in The Steampunk Bible. It's amazing how much of the inspiration origins come from the likes of the scifi greats of H.G. Wells and Jules Verne. (
And goodness, gracious, it humbles me to see so many enthusiasts all in the same book! The accompanying illustrations are beautiful, the bona fide Steampunks are righteously hardcore and gung-ho about the phenomenon, and the writers themselves are heavily immersed in the subculture. I certainly gained so much more admiration to Gail Carriger for her beautifully crafted Steampunk dress, and was utterly awed at the products modded by the Steampunk Workshop.
Also, they included a Steampunk cake in the illustrations. What's not to love?
anzuk's review
3.0
It was pretty useful but I found myself skipping several parts because I wasn't interested in them.
grinningcheshire's review
5.0
Amazing book! If there's anything you want/need to know about steampunk you'll find it in here.
bloodravenlib's review
4.0
The strength of this book for me lies in the photography. They did a great job on the photos and spreads. In fact, I found myself wishing they had done some more and made this more of a coffee table book. The book is pretty comprehensive in looking at steampunk from the literary, the artistic, popular culture, craftmanship, fashion, and media. Given I am more of a reader, the parts I found most interesting were those related to literature and graphic novels. However, there is a bit of everything in this book. If nothing else, this book will make you want to seek out some of the literary works mentioned in order to read them. For some folks, you may want to seek out some films or maybe try your hand at a new outfit to wear. If you enjoy steampunk in any of its forms, you want to take a look at this book. It is certainly one that lends itself to browsing as well. I read it from cover to cover, but skimming is perfectly fine. I know I will be looking up a few works after reading this book. Also, given that I have read some steampunk fiction pieces that were less than stellar, this book helped to reignite a bit of my joy in the genre.
quietjenn's review
2.0
I like reading about subcultures; probably more than I actually enjoy participating in any one subculture. And books like this are helpful because they give you a good grounding and keep you informed enough that you know what people are talking about and don't sound like an idiot in conversation. So, bully for that. At the same time, they tend to contain a lot of stuff that makes me sort of roll my eyes.
The best bits were the chapters on the history of steampunk and the primer on significant books and how lots of them are rooted in the classic literature, but maybe that's just my English major roots showing? It did give me a reading list - both of these classic authors and some more contemporary sci-fi writers. The less successful bits at least had pretty pictures, although maybe too many? I actually really disliked the structure of the book - too many side panels and whatnot badly integrated with the main text. It's a pet peeve, I admit.
The best bits were the chapters on the history of steampunk and the primer on significant books and how lots of them are rooted in the classic literature, but maybe that's just my English major roots showing? It did give me a reading list - both of these classic authors and some more contemporary sci-fi writers. The less successful bits at least had pretty pictures, although maybe too many? I actually really disliked the structure of the book - too many side panels and whatnot badly integrated with the main text. It's a pet peeve, I admit.
greeniee23's review
3.0
This is a thoroughly researched and well-organized resource. It does a very good job of tracing the history of this subculture and teasing out the controversial question of "What is Steampunk?" and untangling it from the myriads of other similar and influential movements. The reader is also introduced to the most recognized people involved in the subculture as well as to its most iconic literary, media, art, fashion and music productions. This is no light read; Jeff Vandermeer elicits and discusses opinions from scholars and critics, and is very careful to look at both sides of an issue. The text is reinforced by a collection of stunning visuals.