Wings of Steam

Following the tradition set by Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, A. E. Moorat has created his own historical/horror mash-up novel. On October 15th, London publisher Hodder & Stoughton will release Queen Victoria: Demon Hunter, an “alternative history of Britains feistiest queen, packed full of blood, guts, and flesh-eating zombies.”

`There were many staff at Kensington Palace, fulfilling many roles; a man who was employed to catch rats, another whose job it was to sweep the chimneys. That there was someone expected to hunt Demons did not shock the new Queen; that it was to be her was something of a surprise.`

As a promotion for the release of the novel, the publisher has created a web page (wearenotamused.net) where you can read the first chapter of the book and enter a YouTube film competition. A winning entry for the best Victorian zombie short film could win you £100 of Hodder books. The contest closes on September 20th and the best entries will be used to promote the novel.

CGSociety.org, a digital artists’ community is currently holding a contest to create images and video which re-imagine myths and legends from across the ages in a steampunk style. This contest is the theme of their 23rd annual CGChallenge, which is being sponsored by big name companies such as Nvidia and Corel. There are many different categories and awards to win, with prizes totaling over $220,000 USD.

According to the contest rules, “steampunk is the application of advanced steam age technology to a modern or science fiction setting,” a definition which, to me, seems to be lacking. Despite this, there are many great entries so far, and I expect the results will be epic when the contest ends on February 3rd. Below are a few of the works in progress that can be found in the contest’s image forum.

Click here to see more.