8 Sentence Sunday On Dieselpunks #28

Rand Hart’s conversation with von Osler continues. Twenty Gs to deliver a little box!

“I need this box in the hands of a certain person in Rio de Janeiro by noon on the eleventh of May. I will give you twenty-five thousand deutsche marks now and the person to whom you give this box will give you another twenty-five thousand.”

Hart thought a moment. “That’s around twenty thousand dollars. Twenty Gs just to deliver a box?”

“Yes.”

“What’s in it?”

“It is best if you not know, Herr Hart.”

To be continued!

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8 Sentence Sunday On Dieselpunks #27

Today, Rand Hart discovers what the meeting with von Osler is all about. And it’s not an invitation for tea and crumpets.

“I am pleased, Herr Hart, you decided to meet with me.”
“What’s on your mind, Mr von Osler?”
“I have a small job for you.”
Hart’s eyes narrowed. “What kind of job?”
“I want you to deliver a package.”
“What kind of package?”
The German took a small box out of his suit coat pocket, put it on the table, and said, “This.”
Hart reached for the box and von Osler put his hand over it.

To be continued!

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8 Sentence Sunday on Dieselpunks #5

In today’s snippet, Dru, her friend Dunyasha, and Branson (a member of the expedition) are making their way out of the wooded hills at night to Kutaisi, Georgia. They are armed in the event of trouble and, of course, trouble comes. Our party of three encounter men walking up the road from the opposite direction. The men have lanterns to light their way. Dru and her team take to the shallow ditch along side the road for cover. It’s touch and go if Dru and her companions will be discovered. Here’s the snippet:

… I saw the lanterns were very close and then I sneezed.

In a heart beat, four gun barrels were pointed at me. In the language I know best, English, I said, “I guess you boys found me.”

They said something in Georgian. I started to get up, when Dunyasha yelled, “Down!” The rapid fire  “chu-chu-chu” of the suppressed Sten gun spoke. When the firing stopped, I waited for a moment before I looked up and saw Dunyasha looking at the bodies. Her figure was illumined by the light of the fallen lanterns.

If you write or read Dieselpunk, join in the fun: 8 Sentence Sunday on Dieselpunks.

[Originally posted 1 February 2015 on www.cwhawes.com.]

Dieselpunk or Decopunk?

I am a newcomer to the Dieselpunk world. I’ll admit that right up front. Many have paved the way before me. In order to understand the genre, I’ve read the fiction and I’ve read the discussions and attempted definitions.

From my reading, I gather there is no hard set definition as of yet. There is, however, a certain understanding of what is in-bounds and out-of-bounds. Having gotten that far, I was then thrown for a loop when I discovered the term “Decopunk” and even more puzzled when I learned “Decopunk” occupies the same time period as Dieselpunk. So what differentiates a story as Decopunk or Dieselpunk? Is it a simple case of authorial whim?

It seems the granddaddy of all the punk genres is cyberpunk. So what is cyberpunk? As near as I can tell, cyberpunk is set in the future, on earth, features advanced and invasive computerized information technology, and is dystopic. It has noir and hardboiled elements and is often nihilistic.

Writers, always looking for new turf to plow, began applying the punk characteristics of individualism and anti-establishmentarianism to the Victorian Era. An appropriate field to plow due to the rapid technological advances of the era, their vision of a high tech future, and the dark undercurrent which existed beneath the prim and proper and polite surface.

Steampunk, however, to my mind, seems to focus more on alternative history and the generally progressive mood of the Victorian Era. It does not seem to be overly dystopic in tone.

Dieselpunk is definitely grittier; incorporating to a greater degree the noir, hardboiled, and nihilistic elements of cyberpunk. There may be an optimistic note, but war and totalitarianism always seem to be lurking in the background.

So where does Decopunk fit in? How does it differ from Dieselpunk? Supposedly, Decopunk is sleeker and shinier that Dieselpunk. It is the chrome-plated version. It is the car, without the grease and oil covered mechanic nearby. Decopunk seems more focused on the art of the era: Art Deco and Streamline Moderne. Somewhat less of a technological emphasis in favor of an artistic one. Art rather than diesel. It might be a bit more positive as well, reflective of the art of the era.

As always, I look forward to your comments and opinions!

[Originally published 27 January 2015 on www.cwhawes.com.]