Similarities Between Weird West & Steampunk

Weird West is a literary subgenre that combines elements of the Western with another literary genre, usually horror, occult, fantasy, or science fiction.

Steampunk, a genre of science fiction that has a historical setting and typically features steam-powered machinery rather than advanced technology. A style of design and fashion that combines historical elements with anachronistic technological features inspired by science fiction.

"The essence of steampunk is homage to vintage fashion with a modern, sassy twist."

Now that we have the definitions of each genre, the big question is this: are weird west and steampunk similar, and if so, just how similar are they? Yes, they do have similarities, and we will go over them and see just how alike and even how unalike they are.

-They are both lesser-known known underrated sub-genres

-Both can be considered to be a form of a sub-genre of Fantasy

-They both are weird, odd, and unique in their own right, and share a specific quality with them

-They take place during a certain time period

-They both introduce and contain the use of magical technology such as weaponry, forms of transportation, and machinery

-Both tend to be associated with and combine Historical Fiction, either using real people or places

-At times, both create various situations involving the use of time travel

-Both tend to, at times, be set in their own utopia or interesting world

So in many ways, Weird West and Steampunk are similar and sometimes tend to draw in the same audience. They are both unique genres that really capture the essence of creativity, magic, and technology. They, like other small sub-genres, tend to go unnoticed or underrated; however, over the last few years, the popularity of each of them.

Here are some popular authors of each genre:

Weird West-

-Mike Resnick

-Joe R. Landsdale

-Jonathan Maberry

-Tim Curran

-Eric S. Brown

-Steampunk

-Michael Coorlim

-Scott Westerfield

-Gail Carriger

-Cherie Priest

-Paul Di Filippo

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