Charles de Lint has written sixty-seven books to date, he is nothing if not prolific.  Ranging from collections of short-stories to full novels, almost all of them have helped to pioneer a growing area of fiction known as ‘urban fantasy.’  Like any genre, it’s a bit difficult to define, as every writer brings their own interpretation to it.  Imagine, if you will, the dragons, fairies, and elves of high fantasy.  Now put them in the nearest modern city and you'll have a fairly good approximation.

De Lint’s city of choice in about half of his books is Newford, a fictional North American town. Here a whole cast of characters reside each with their own past and problems. If you’ve ever read Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, you’ll understand how this works. While there is a chronological sequence of events, there isn’t a first book to start with or a last one with which to end.  After much fretting, I've decided to begin with the Onion Girl.

I was introduced to Lord Breaulove Whimsy and The Affected Provincial's Companion by my friend, Chronographia von Strangehours.  Chronographia, I am pleased to say, has agreed to write an upcoming book review for your enjoyment so you shall be making her acquaintance in greater detail shortly.

Quite frankly this is not my usual sort of read. But that is not to say I did not enjoy it as I most assuredly did! Please allow me to explain. I'm a nerd from way back, a Maker always, and most recently a Steampunk.  Now, while I have been interested in Steampunk fiction since it's inception in the early 1980's, I haven't self-identified as a Steampunk until much more recently.  In fact, it's only been in the past year or so that such a statement has even made sense!

Now, if one is to be a puplic Steampunk figure one must be comfortable in ones own skin. Moreover, you must be comfortable in a top hat, in public. That is where Lord Whimsy comes in . . .

After the amazing success of Tachyon Publication's special offer for Ann & Jeff VanderMeer's Steampunk (well over 100 books sold!) its become clear to me that one of the things our readers greatly enjoy is, well, reading.

Thus it is with real pleasure that I introduce a new feature here at The Steampunk Workshop; book reviews!  The books you will find discussed here will not be exclusively Steampunk books, though there will certainly be some of those, but books that are known and loved by our contributors.

Our first selection and review is brought to you by the Lady Almira, a young Special Weapons Officer currently serving aboad the H.M.S. Chronabelle and someone whom I had the great honour of being introduced to at this past weekend's Maker Faire.  After meeting several members of this crew I realized that I and my fellows are merely proto-SteamPunks and that the crew of the Chronabelle and their ilk are actually the first generation, and to that I say: "Huzzah!"

I've been thinking about what this whole Steampunk thing is and I still haven't gotten a handle on it.  But anything that brings together such a wide range of artists, makers, and fans has got to be good.  Is there any other hobby that will bring you email from HAM radio operators, Bay Area sculptors, European train buffs, Seattle musicians, media reporters, alternative energy tinkerers, clockmakers, goth fashion designers, literary agents, telegraphers, Scottish printmakers, LA fashion photographers, British narrow boat dwellers, and so many more?  I think not!

One such email arrived this morning from Suzanne R Forbes, a Berkeley artist who has created a work that embodies three of my most favorite memes!  In addition the painting (and Suzanne!) will be at Maker Faire next week and will ultimately be auctioned off to benefit one of those favorites, the Electronic Frontier Foundation.  The exercise of determining the other two favorites is left to the reader.

Prints are currently on sale at her Etsy store and $10 of each sale goes to benefit the EFF. Be sure to look for Suzanne, the EFF and the rest of us SteamPunks at Maker Faire next week!

I am happy to announce that The Steampunk Workshop will be making a grand appearance at this years Maker Faire! For those of you not acquainted with it; "Maker Faire is a two-day, family-friendly event that celebrates the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) mindset. It’s for creative, resourceful people of all ages and backgrounds who like to tinker and love to make things." Make magazine, sponsor of the event, has been very kind to SPWS and given us a space to create for you what we have named the Contraptors Lounge. It will be a space for Steampunk Makers, admirers, and the unaffiliated or uninitiated to meet, greet, fraternize, and otherwise hobnob with each other and us as well as see some awesome projects!

Appearing at the lounge will be the inimitable Datamancer (of steampunk laptop fame), The Legion Fantastique, Magpie and Libby Bulloff of Steampunk Magazine, Molly 'Porkshanks' Friedrich - whose work has been featured here on SPWS - as well as a several other travellers and Makers including yours truly, Meredith Scheff, and our esteemed proprietor Jake von Slatt.

Maker Faire is held in San Mateo, Ca, on the weekend of May 3rd and 4th. In addition to our humble encampment, there will be all manner of machinery, crafts, lectures, thing-a-ma-bobs, whatchamajigs, and whosawatsits to peruse at your leisure. In other words, if at all humanly possible, you should drag your bustled bootie out there and have yourself one hell of a good time!