Making Steampunk Cool(er) Part Two – What’s in a Name?

Jeter's 1979 novel (here with a contemporary cover) was a science-fiction/fantasy tale set in 19th century England threatened by the eponymous creatures from The Time Machine. It was in describing it, along with the work of his colleagues Blaylock and Peters, that Jeter invented the term "Steampunk[s]."

Names are powerful things. They provide foundations for castles and the bedrocks of empires. But that strength is seductive, and inevitably comes at a cost. At some point, instead of being empowering they become constricting – instead of describing reality they create it . . . and instead of liberation they offer enslavement. I was [...]