Joe Golem and the Drowning City by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden

Run - don't walk - to get Joe Golem and the Drowning City by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden, especially if you like steampunk.

I've recommended Christopher Golden's books here at readergirlz many times, and for good reason: his stories rock, and they often feature a strong female protagonist. In the heart of Manhattan, you'll find 14-year-old Molly McHugh. Described as "all freckles and red hair and youthful vigor," Molly is a force to be reckoned with. The girl's got moxie, and she can certainly hold her own. She trusts her gut, which has helped her to survive in the Drowning City.

Just what has happened to the once-glorious city? Here's a little backstory:

Fifty years ago, earthquakes shook Lower Manhattan, submerging the city and forever changing the landscape and livelihood of all who lived there. As the years passed, the gap between the classes widened: the wealthy live and thrive in Uptown, where they grow wealthier, as the poor people in submerged Downtown try desperately to survive in what is now known as the Drowning City.

It is in Downtown that aging magician Felix Orlov resides. Molly, his energetic and devoted assistant, lives the floor above him. Dark dreams, a seance, and an attack lead to Orlov's abduction and cause Molly to run away - and enlist the help of Simon Church, an investigator, and Joe Golem, the bodyguard to end all bodyguards. If Hellboy were mixed with Eliot Spencer from Leverage and dressed in clothes from some classic Warren Beatty films, he might just be Joe Golem.

Christopher Golden and Mike Mignola make me want to live in the Drowning City, to meet the wonderful characters they've created and help them defeat the monstrous villains. They've also offered up a short story, Joe Golem and the Copper Girl, but I still want more. Mignola's black-and-white illustrations are, as always, memorable. One only hopes that the movie, which is currently in development, captures the spirit and intensity of this book. The submerged city, falling buildings, and fight scenes need to be Inception-level awesome on screen. This captivating story deserves all of that, and more. I also recommend this novel to fans of Fringe. (Hello, Manhattan and alternate history!)

Want to know more? Read my full review at my blog, Bildungsroman.

Diva Delight: Steampunk!: An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories

You know we love steampunk at readergirlz. We had a blast with Scott Westerfeld, right? Well, how about a collection of steampunk short stories by some more of our favorite, favorite YA authors? You'll recognize many from our rgz Circle of Stars, past guests and contributors. Grab your goggles, because this collection by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant delivers!


So, what will you find in Steampunk: An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories? How about mystery, murders, and machines? Worlds of gears and steam in amazing new locations from the minds of 14 writers: M. T. Anderson, Holly Black, Libba Bray, Shawn Cheng, Cassandra Clare, Cory Doctorow, Dylan Horrocks, Kathleen Jennings, Elizabeth Knox, Kelly Link, Garth Nix, Christopher Rowe, Delia Sherman, and Ysabeau S. Wilce.


How fun to find new authors I hadn't discovered before among old friends, all writing speculative fiction which often left me with chills. This quote from Cory's short story "Clockwork Fagin" really captures the collective atmosphere of Steampunk!:

"For machines may be balky and they may destroy us with their terrible appetite for oil, blood, and flesh, but they behave according to fixed rules and can be understood by anyone with the cunning to look upon them and winkle out their secrets. Children are ever so much more complicated."

Perfect, right? With three starred reviews already, look for this release October 11th!

Steampunk!: An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories
edited by Kelly Link and Gary J. Gavin
Candlewick Press, 2011

Happy New Year, Steampunk Style!

I'm still steampunking around after our rgz Circle of Stars feature Scott Westerfeld back in March. So here you go, rgz. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

How are you ringing in 2011?

rgz Shout Out: vvb32 reads and steampunk

If you didn't get quite enough steampunk with Scott Westerfeld, earlier this year at rgz, check out vvb32 reads! Velvet has great posts to keep you happy. Everything from zombies, to steampunk, to Jane Austen with giveaways.

I mean she celebrates SteamBoyz! (YA steampunk stories with male protagonists) And I had no idea she likes steampunk haikus.

It's always so fun to meet peeps with similar passions. Go and enjoy!

Cherie Priest Loves Steampunk

Last month, the postergirlz recommended Cherie Priest's novel Boneshaker alongside our feature pick for March, Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld. I recently interviewed Cherie for my blog, Bildungsroman, and wanted to share a piece of our conversation here:

Little Willow: How were you introduced to steampunk?

Cherie Priest: I've always really loved the Victorian aesthetic, particularly the fun tech aspects of it -- so as steampunk has come into its own I went right along with it. Though it's been around for a long time (in movies, TV shows, video games, books, and more) it feels like the last five or ten years have really seen it gain serious pop culture traction.

I guess one of my earliest "awareness" moments was probably the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride at Disney World, which has since been revamped to a "Finding Nemo" themed ride -- much to my personal horror. The 20K LUTS had the whole nine steampunk yards going for it -- the look, the sound, the tech, the villains, the heroes ... all of it. The first time I ever went on that ride I was a kid (early to mid 1980s), and I remember thinking that one day I wanted a house decorated just like the Nautilus.

Click here to read the entire interview!

Meet Will, the real-life steampunk readerboy

I am pleased to introduce our very own steampunk readerboy: Will, the first mate of the H.M.A.S. Dauntless, pictured here with some of the crew, bosun Johnny "One-Button" and Sasha, at the PAX convention. They had a blast at this event, where they hung out with Harley Quinn, used the force with some Jedis, and ran into Frank from Donnie Darko, among others.

Oh, see those cool googles Will's wearing? He made those himself.











Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, this month's featured title at readergirlz, has joined the crew's bookshelf. You should have seen Will's face when I told him we got in a new steampunk title, back when the book first arrived in the store.

A mutual friend of ours, Brendan, would have loved this book. You are missed, Brendan.

The Steampunk World's Fair!

Speaking of Scott Westerfeld and LEVIATHAN, this event sounds amazingly cool:



Such a tempting reason to go to New Jersey in May! Think you might want to go? Here's the official site.

Poetry Friday: Steampunk

Photo by Emily Kay Grover

Steampunk

Like graphite smudges,
steampunk shadows flit through time
intersecting life.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2010

I'm super inspired by rgz pic Leviathan and the whole sci-fi fantasy subgenre of Steampunk. Of course, hanging at Radcon helped! Happy Poetry Friday, rgz!

Steampunk at Library Journal!

Perhaps you've heard Leviathan referred to as a Steampunk book. Perhaps, like me, you're still not entirely sure what Steampunk actually is. Or maybe you just want recs for more great Steampunk reads.

Readergirlz postergirl Jackie is a librarian goddess, you know, so she pointed me in the direction of School Library's list of 20 Core Steampunk Titles.

The article does a great job of introducing what Steampunk is all about, and it recommends a slew of books from the genre, including both classics and new arrivals. My favorite bit is how it says that steampunk usually has a positive outlook on the future.

We were both especially excited to see one of our suggested reads on the list: Cherie Priest's Boneshaker!








What do you like about Steampunk? Have any titles to add to the list?

March: It's All About Steampunk!

Our featured March read, Leviathan, comes out of the "steampunk" community, a large subculture with a wonderful visual culture. Steampunk folks make their own jewelry, clothing, and all kinds of art.

Check out these links:
Steampunk Jewelry

A Steampunk Gallery

Steampunk at Comic Con!

MTV's take on Steampunk

There was recently a steampunk exhibition at Oxford. Check it out:

Steampunk is really cool...

...especially when it involves Holly Black and her hidden library:

Holly Black's Hidden Library

Thanks to Chasing Ray for the cool link!

Holly Cupala, rgz diva & author