Steampunk is “History in the Making” with the second issue of the Gatehouse Gazette, released this September.

From the origins of World War I by Mr Robert Rodgers to an article about Japan’s reasons for attacking Pearl Harbor by Mr J.D. Roger, it is history that the contributors to the Gazette are writing. Between all this war, there is fortunately more adventurious spirit also, in a narrative about the first motorized crossing of the Sahara, by Mr Joost van Ekris, a report on steampunkness in Disneyland Resort Paris, by Ms Hilde Heyvaert, plus an article about Hugh Ferriss, “delineator of Gotham”. And the Gazette offers an exclusive preview of Mr Toby Frost’s upcoming novel, God Emperor of Didcot!

Please click here to download it.

I recently finished reading Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman. This is a fine novel. I love superheroes, and any novel that includes the line “I fought for prize money in unlicensed hero fights in Bangkok” gets my vote. That line does a good job of summing up the story: it’s a more realistic look at the spandex-and-cape world. Some people have called it a parody or a satire, and while it’s funny at parts, it never feels like it’s making fun of superheroes.  It loves being a superhero story and embraces it wholeheartedly. If you like superheroes or just want a good, quirky read, I highly recommend it.

The story follows the world’s greatest villain, Doctor Impossible, as he breaks out of jail for the twelfth time and tries once again to take over the world. It also follows a young cyborg, Fatale, as she joins the world’s greatest team of superheroes and tries to fit in.

But why am I mentioning it in a Steampunk blog? (more…)