The Convention Season begins ... what is "Steampunk?"

There was quite an interesting panel on book cover art, including perspectives from authors, artists and an editor. They discussed the trend toward more impressionistic covers that don't necessarily specifically depict a scene in the book, as well as those "body parts" or back-view covers we've been seeing a lot of, especially in women's fiction, romance and urban fantasy. You know the ones, where you just see part of a torso, a foot, a leg, an arm, etc., without really seeing the person. The idea behind these is that the book cover isn't telling readers exactly what the main characters look like so they can form their own images in their heads. The goal of the cover is to give readers a sense of the tone of the book more than really depicting something out of the book. The artists were particularly fond of cover art that seems impressionistic, but once you've read the book, you can see that it actually does depict the book, and you see the art in a totally different way after reading the book. Although authors (and readers) often complain about book covers, the artists and publishers really do put a lot of thought into them. Another cover trend we're seeing a lot of is the leather-clad, tattooed urban fantasy heroines, and that boils down to the fact that right now, "tough chicks sell."

According to another panel discussion, one of the next big trends in science fiction and fantasy may be "steampunk." This is using technology from the past as the basis for stories. Think of the Jules Verne imagery, or the old TV series Wild, Wild West. Travel involves airships and dirigibles, and there are lots of cogs and gears. In some cases, it may be alternate universe, where the steam engine and other technology from that time period is the basis for an advanced modern or future culture. Or it may be alternate history, with the Victorians doing more with steam than they did in our timeline. Or it could be a dystopian future in which humanity has to take a step backward in technology because of exhausted resources. The interesting thing about this as a literary trend is that, apparently, steampunk style is something of a fashion trend among the club crowd. It involves Victorian or Edwardian clothes with punk touches, like frock coats worn with platform boots. I'm not sure if the books and the club kids' clothes are actually related -- if the people who wear the clothes are into the books, and vice versa. I've never really considered adopting a new fashion style based on what I'm reading. I'm not even sure what it would be.

The sad note of the convention was reaction to the recent death of Robert Asprin, author of the Myth series of humorous fantasy novels, as well as other series. He was a frequent convention attendee who performed as a musician in addition to being there as an author, so a lot of people had the chance to get to know him at conventions over the years. I devoured the Myth books when I was in high school and even collected the funny fictional quotes he used to start each chapter, so I was sad to hear of his passing.

Coming up, I've got the Conestoga convention and Fangs, Fur, Fey mini- convention in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the World Science Fiction Convention in Denver.

Until next time ... Shanna

Shanna Swendson writes "Fairy Tales for Modern Times" and is the author of the Enchanted, Inc. series about a Texan in New York City, a magical NYC. Visit her website or blog for more information.