PUNK IT UP

Science-fiction is a popular genre as a whole, but readers and critics have made consistent efforts to subdivide it further into a host of different brackets. From space opera to dystopian fiction, an exploration of all the subsets of science-fiction would take more words that I have in this article – and probably more than are in this magazine in total. It’s also the source of plenty of lively debate online, as well as in the bar of many a genre convention up and down the country.

With that said, today’s topic is rather more niche than all that – the popularity of the numerous ‘punk’ subgenres. It’s a fascinating topic from the wider genre perspective, and one that also bears plenty of relevance to writers inside SF – and one we’re going to explore from both angles in this piece.

The beginnings – steam and cyber

Efforts to distinguish between different types of SF story began long before the emergence of the ‘punk’ in 1979. From its early days this was one of the biggest of the ‘punk’ movements, and its Victoriana-inspired, steam-powered, historical-leaning style of science-fiction is one of the most distinctive around. Its popularity still exists strongly, aided by a strong and clear visual aesthetic, and can be seen not only in books but also in TV and film. There is also a lively convention and cosplay scene, with outfits often taking months to prepare. Key books and authors in the field – for quick reference – would be the aforementioned KW Jeter, James Blaylock and Tim Powers, and Jeff Vandermeer’s excellent tome is a very worthwhile read also.