Three Flavours of Gaslamp Fantasy
For all you Lady Adventurers, Fine Upstanding Gentlemen, and Witchy Faefolk...
Haunted houses and madwomen in the attic. Summoning spirits through seances over tea. Monsters lurking in the dark back alleys of soot-stained industrial cities. There is nothing quite so deliciously thrilling as a fantasy story set in the 1800s.
Medieval Fantasy (such as Sword and Sorcery) might be more familiar to most. But Gaslamp Fantasy — the subgenre of historical fantasy that spans from the British Regency Era to Pre-WWI — provides a particularly rich setting for exploration. Whether delving into themes of nature vs. industrialisation, unpicking issues of class and racism, or simply providing the perfect atmosphere for tragic romance (with a vampire or otherwise), the era has a lot to offer.
If you're just starting to dip your toes into Gaslamp Fantasy, the breadth of stories, themes, and tropes might be overwhelming at first. But while looking for a taste of what the subgenre can offer, may I suggest considering which flavour you're in the mood for?
Steampunk - for Action and Adventure with Airships
“Make yourself a myth and live within it, so that you belong to no one but yourself.”
—Roshani Chokshi, The Gilded Wolves
Steampunk may more properly be classed as a type of science fiction rather than fantasy, as it often deals with the more technological side of things. No matter how you're powering your airships, though — whether it's some anachronistic technology or newly discovered magic — Steampunk is perfectly placed to explore the effects of industrialisation and colonisation across a shifting landscape. In short, if you're looking for action-packed Victorian adventures, this is the subgenre that'll help you get your fix.
Common Tropes: Alternate History, Mechanical Monsters, Sky Pirates
Some Titles to Check Out: Perdido Street Station, Leviathan Series by Westerfeld, The Golden Compass, The Bartemeus Cycle
Magic and Manners - for Scandal, Spells, and the Ton's Grand Ball
“There are no safe choices. Only other choices.”
—Libba Bray, A Great and Terrible Beauty
Exploring the far less adventuresome side of 18th century society, stories within the Magic and Manners subgenre delve deep into cultural mores and societal expectations of the day. Often they explore the pressures placed upon young people within the 19th century to marry well and climb the social ladder. Of course, the addition of magic — forbidden or otherwise — can only ever create scandalous complications. Bridgerton, basically, but with spells.
Common Tropes: Spirited Young Ladies, the Grand Dame, Secret Relationships
Some Titles to Check Out: The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, The Ladies of Grace Adieu, The Night Circus, The Binding
The Gothic - for Ambiguous Morals and Deadly Secrets
“Curiosity is a strong fire, and once ignited, it is not easily put out.”
—Susan Dennard, Something Strange and Deadly
And then there are the haunted houses and the skeletons lurking in dark corners: the taboos that the highly structured society of the Age of Revolutions would rather not acknowledge. From Wuthering Heights to Dracula, Gothic fiction has its roots within the era itself, and so it's not surprising that modern Gaslamp Fantasy can sometimes lean heavily on the 19th century's darker tropes. But of course, nowadays, we acknowledge that the real monsters aren't always the obvious ones.
Common Tropes: Malevolent Architecture, Things Man was Not Meant to Know, Sins of Our Fathers
Some Titles to Check Out: Gallant, House of Salt and Sorrows, Juniper and Thorn
What’s your favourite flavour of Gaslamp Fantasy? Any titles you particularly love? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
As for this webseries, The Ravenscourt Tragedies as a whole pulls together a mixture of all three flavours. The first book, A Murder of Crows, is firmly in Gothic territory though. If you want to stay updated and catch the start of the series when it goes live this Halloween, drop your email below to make sure you never miss a chapter.
I'll be delving deeper into some of the books on these lists in a future post. But for now, happy exploring!