Guest Post: Inspirations for the Steampunk World of The Diamond Conspiracy

Since Pip and I entered the steampunk community in 2011, we’ve noted an elite few have been so bold as to say, “Oh, the ‘punk’ is just tacked on to sound cool. Steampunk is just Victorian science fiction.” This kind of black-and-white definition can only be limiting. Steampunk may have its roots in 19th century science fiction, but what inspires steampunk authors—in particular our own award-winning Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series—reaches far deeper than romantic Victoriana, goggles, and brass fixtures.
What has stoked the boilers of our imagination? We are proud to say that the authors and books that inspire us are wide, varied, and not what you might expect.

H.G. Wells
There is a reason why the man and his works are classics. We are old enough to remember when books like The Time Machine and War of the Worlds were considered just “science fiction.” However, they’ve now been grandfathered into the steampunk genre, and it should come as no surprise that we draw inspiration from Wells. Readers will find that The Diamond Conspiracy, as well as previous books in the series, are peppered with references to his work. The author himself is just as fascinating as the fiction he is famous for, romanticized in films like Time After Time and analyzed in biographies penned by him and others.

Morlock Night and Infernal Devices, by K.W. Jeter
It would be wrong to say that our work doesn’t draw from the works of K.W. Jeter, the man who coined the term “steampunk” in the first place. In our own world, we pull not just from the lighter and darker corners of Victorian history, but also from the integration of technology (and its effects on society) that K.W. Jeter does so well in his steampunk works.

The Bourne Identity, by Robert Ludlum
What? You were expecting only other steampunk novels? Writers—even genre ones—do not live on science fiction alone. The Bourne Identity is actually one of the stronger influences on the mood and the feel of The Diamond Conspiracy. In the previous three books, our characters are enjoy madcap adventure and mystery across England and America, butthis one goes a bit darker, throwing them into the middle of a complex situation with few details to help them make sense of it. Much like with Jason Bourne, Agents Books and Braun must dig into what has occurred in order to find out what has happened to their Ministry. This intensity was so much fun to play with, and offers readers something very different from previous volumes.

The Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson
Now we make another jump, from fiction to history, and a look at one of its darkest individuals. What we pull from The Devil in the White City is a madness we have only brushed against with another madman, Henry Jekyll. H.H. Holmes’ crimes sound more like something out of a gothic horror novel than something that truly happened; it is that visceral, twisted curiosity that serves as Jekyll’s own passion. This book took us to a dark place, and it made an impression with us.
Bonus: The International Spy Museum, Washington D.C.
Pigeons, fitted with cameras that work on a timer, providing aerial surveillance. An assassin’s gun hidden within a ring. A cane with a concealed sword. All this, along with the history of spies, only a metro ride away from the place we call home. We spent many afternoons walking the various floors of the Spy Museum, and for The Diamond Conspiracy, we made a few notes on our more recent visits. The more fact you can weave within your fiction, the stronger your characters and stories become.
Ending with a museum instead of a book may seem out of place, but when it comes to inspirations behind our steampunk, or any of our work, we find life has an incredible ability to nudge us when we least expect it. Some of these books we will return to for additional insight or ideas, but we realize inspiration can come from just about anywhere, whether it’s a conversation at an event or on vacation in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
Much like the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, we writers always have to be observant and ready.