The other day, I was watching a movie, and my wife asked me what genre it was supposed to be, and I had the hardest time describing it.

Steampunk, the retrofuturistic and anachronistic genre of steam-powered inventions, historical fiction, and usually a smattering of mystery and horror, has been tossed into the dustbin of history.

Machines, engines and weaponry: Verne’s gadgets Verne and steampunk share a fascination with technology and scientific apparatus. The same dials, pumps, meters, gears and coils which scatter ...