After historical fantasy and post-apocalyptic, the Hitek editorial team offers you another selection of works linked to a genre that we definitely love: steampunk.
#1 The Time Nomad, by Michael Moorcock (1982)
One of the greatest fantasy authors, we owe to the writer Michael MoorcokElric the Necromancer and Hawkmoon. In 1982, the British author helped launch the steampunk movement with the first volume of the Time Nomad trilogy. Under Her Majesty's orders, Captain Oswald Bastable survives an earthquake, but finds himself plunged into an alternate future; in 1973, the Great Powers have imposed an illusory peace thanks to airships that roam the skies. The Revolutionaries of the League of Time Adventurers want to put an end to this order. Oswald will have to choose his side! The Time Nomad is a trilogy that is essential reading for anyone interested in steampunk.
#2 The City of Lost Children, by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro (1995)
Following the success of Delicatessen, their first feature film, the French directorial duo Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro embarked on the production of The City of Lost Children, their greatest masterpiece - which also marked the end of their collaboration. Off the coast of a port city, a depressed genius, who cannot dream, decides to kidnap children in order to steal their dreams. Miette, a clever girl who befriends a fairground giant played by Ron Perlman, tries to save her brother who has been kidnapped by the mad scientist's servants.Aesthetically crazy, The City of Lost Children is a gigantic steampunk film, full of poetry and inventiveness. A timeless masterpiece!
#3 His Dark Materials, by Philip Pullman (1995-2001)
Published between 1995 and 2001, the His Dark Materials trilogy by British writer Philip Pullman was the main competitor to J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter cycle. At the crossroads of fantasy and steampunk, this masterpiece of imaginary literature tells the adventures of Lyra Belacqua, a twelve-year-old girl raised by the Oxford Scholars. When her best friend is kidnapped by the Gobblers, Lyra sets out to find him. The beginning of a journey that will take her to the Far North, and to other worlds. Although the trilogy is often categorized as fantasy, it borrows heavily from steampunk aesthetics: Lyra's world is less technologically advanced than ours, airplanes do not exist and are replaced by zeppelins, and the characters wear clothing similar to the Victorian era. Note that Philip Pullman is currently working on the final volume of The Dust Trilogy, which will likely be released this year, and which continues Lyra's adventures after The Amber Mirror.
#4 The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill (1999-2019)
Already crowned with fame for Watchmen and V for Vendetta, the Englishman Alan Moore embarked on a more independent career in the 1990s, with From Hell and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. This latest series plunges us into Victorian England, and invites us to follow a band of heroes from 19th-century English literature, gathered around Miss Wilhelmina Murray (Mina Harker from Bram Stoker's Dracula). Together, they will face Dr. Fu Manchu, aliens from H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds, Lovecraftian creatures, and even Tom Riddle from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter cycle. A new masterpiece from the greatest comic book artist of all time!
#5 Fullmetal Alchemist, by Hiromu Arakawa (2001-2010)
A great shōnen classic written and illustrated by the great Hiromu Arakawa and published between 2001 and 2010 in the pages of Monthly Shōnen Gangan, the manga Fullmetal Alchemist follows the adventures of brothers Edward and Alfonse Elric in the country of Amestris, which has elevated alchemy to the level of universal science. In search of the Philosopher's Stone in order to regain their bodies, the two highly talented brothers become State Alchemists. But on their way, Edward and Alfonse will have to face several terrifyingly powerful enemies, starting with the Homunculi. Adapted twice into an animated series, Fullmetal Alchemist is one of those classics that we like to reread regularly.
#6 Treasure Planet: A New Universe, by Ron Clements and John Musker (2002)
After having largely contributed to the Second Golden Age of the Disney studio by directing in quick succession The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Hercules, the duo formed by Ron Clements and John Musker embarked on an adaptation of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson in the form of a film steampunk animation. A stroke of genius that unfortunately went unrewarded at the box office, since the film was one of the Disney studio's most unfair failures, grossing only $109 million for an estimated budget of $140 million. Since then, Treasure Planet has been widely rehabilitated, and many of us believe it is one of the rare animated classics that could make a great live-action film.
#7 Le Paris des Merveilles, by Pierre Pevel (2003-2015)
Renowned as one of the greatest French fantasy authors alongside Jean-Philippe Jaworski and Stefan Platteau, writer Pierre Pevel is also the author of Le Paris des Merveilles. In this universe, a struggle between different magical creatures revealed the existence of the Otherworld to the human world. In The Enchantments of Ambremer, we follow the adventures of the magician Louis Denizart Hippolyte Griffont, who investigates a traffic of enchanted objects, forced to join forces with a renegade fairy, Isabel de Saint-Gil. The trilogy The Paris of Wonders allows Pierre Pevel to pay a vibrant tribute to Maurice Leblanc and Gaston Leroux. We love it!
#8 Howl's Moving Castle, by Hayao Miyazaki (2004)
After the triumph of Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, the legendary Hayao Miyazaki embarks on a free adaptation of the novel Howl's Moving Castle by English writer Diana Wynne Jones. Since Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, the absolute master of Japanese animation has shown his love for machines; If Castle in the Sky already featured many steampunk elements, this aesthetic reaches its peak in Howl's Moving Castle. Moreover, the feature film is undoubtedly one of Hayao Miyazaki's most beautiful from an aesthetic point of view; it is enhanced by the compositions of Joe Hisaishi, who wrote perhaps his most beautiful score to date. A masterpiece!
#9 Steamboy, by Katsuhiro Otomo (2004)
Katsuhiro Ōtomo, who revolutionized cyberpunk with the masterpiece Akira, is also one of the big names in Japanese steampunk thanks to the animated film Steamboy, which he wrote and directed. The film tells the story of young Ray Steam, the last descendant of a line of inventors, who has had no news of his father or grandfather since they left for the American continent. As London prepares to host the World's Fair, which showcases steam engines, Ray is forced to flee when two men try to steal a mysterious package he has just received. Brilliantly directed, Steamboy is a great film from the legendary Ōtomo.
While it's not the best-known film by American-British writer Christopher Nolan, The Prestige remains, in our eyes, one of his most accomplished features. Adapting the eponymous novel by English writer Christopher Priest—whose plot focuses on illusionists Alfred Borden and Rupert Angier, ignoring their descendants—Christopher Nolan tells the story of the struggle between two magicians who hate each other in 19th-century England. The use of Nikola Tesla's discoveries for fantastical purposes completes the transformation of this aesthetically perfect film into a great steampunk film. While we could talk for hours about the elegance of Christopher Nolan's direction, we must also highlight the relevance of the casting, with first and foremost Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson and the singer David Bowie.
#11 Dishonored, from Arkane Studios and Bethesda Softworks (2012)
Developed by the Lyon-based studio Arkane Studios (to whom we owe, among others, the excellent Deathloop) and published by the giant Bethesda, behind the sagas The Elder Scrolls and Fallout, the Dishonored plunges us into the plague-ravaged city of Dunwall, inspired by Industrial Revolution England. Wrongly accused of killing Empress Jessamine Kaldwin of Dunwall, whose lover and bodyguard he was, Corvo Attano seeks revenge on those responsible. He will be able to count on the magical powers of the Outsider and a resistance group. The exciting universe of Dishonored is just one of the many qualities of the diptych Dishonored, which remains a great stealth game.
#12 The Star Castle, by Alex Alice (2014-...)
What if the race to conquer space hadn't taken place in the second half of the 20th century, but during the previous century? This is what the fascinating writer and comic book artist Alex Alice tells us in one of the most beautiful French-language steampunk stories. Inspired by the novel From Earth to Moonby Jules Verne, The Castle of Stars was first published in the form of journals, before being compiled into bound volumes. A must-read!
And you, what do you think of this ranking? Don't hesitate to tell us what your favorite steampunk works are!
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