All Things Punk: DECOPUNK

A genre of books, movies and other entertainment media set primarily in the Art Deco and Streamline Moderne art eras-- mostly from the early 1920s-50s.

Prior to World War I, France was the center of art and learning in the modern world. The artistic style named Art Deco became popular in Paris during this time, and spread throughout the world. Art Deco, or Style Moderne, is characterized by rich colors, bold geometry and decadent detail work. Writers and producers of the DECOPUNK style have infused science fiction into the bold world of the roaring 20s and beyond.

My first foray into the world of decopunk took place when I saw the fantastic Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Combining the movie-glamour of the early WWI spy scene with the over-the-top adventure and futuristic tech, SC&TWoT was one of the freshest and most imaginative movies I'd ever seen. 

You can't go wrong with intrigue, glamour, fashion, and murder! When ingenue Phryne Fisher returns to her hometown of Melbourne and takes up the dubious title of Lady Detective sparks fly between her and Inspector Jack Robinson. This is classic decopunk! Set in Australia after WWI, we get to see the world through the eyes of the magnificent Miss Fisher. She experiences all that the time period has to offer, and we get to tag along. 

Whenever you "punk" any era, you're expected to take the standards of fashion and give it a sci-fi flare. In the photo above (courtesy of DeviantArt @doppleganger) the standard German serviceman's suit has been given a high-tech upgrade in the form of her headphones. What do you think she hears through those?!

Do you adore the glitz, glamour and fashion of The Great Gatsby? Do you thirst for sci-fi, high-tech action? Combine the two and you get DECOPUNK! The books above are just a few of the books currently available in the genre. You'll see that they share the love of bold colors, geometric patterns, and intricate details. Suave spies dashing about in pre-War London, chasing flapper girls in glittering gowns who carry pistols loaded with diesel-powered bullets? You'll find that and more when you explore the exciting world of DECOPUNK!

Even the video game industry is falling in love with DecoPunk. In Fallout 4, the 40s and 50s never ended and the world is a place of peace and prosperity until the great Resource War ends in nuclear holocaust. When the player, the Lone Survivor, emerges from his vault, he finds a post-apocalyptic world with smudges of the world he remembers remaining. There are hundreds of DecoPunk touches sprinkled in with the chaos of Fallout 4. 

There is nothing more enchanting than discovering a world of glittering excitement and intrigue mixed with your favorite sci-fi tropes. The fashion of the 20s-50s, the architecture and the romance, combined with elements of sci-fi make DECOPUNK a genre you won't want to miss!

Cyborg Sunday: Meet Primary One

Meet Primary One

Hello and welcome to Cyborg Sunday. If you're here of your own free will, I thank you. If the cyborgs dragged you here to assimilate you-- well, just try to relax and enjoy it!

Let's do a little bit of background about my particular group of cyborgs before we introduce today's character. The year was 2638. A group of monks, certain that their mission was heaven-sent, created a secret project to explore how the use of cybernetics might help prolong the most precious gift: life. The project was Aeon Project, and Primary One was their first subject. Flash forward a few decades and MANY tragedies later, and Primary One is now free of the monks and the military who later took over the project. He lives on a backwater planet in the ERCA Territories with his four sons. He takes pleasure in growing plants and nourishing them, just as he tries to heal the many wounds, both psychological and physical, that his sons bear. 

One is a quiet man, whose anger and rage long ago burned down into smoldering embers. He managed to put aside most of his personal grief so that he can take care of his sons. When the army began to worry that One was too attached to his family, they separated him from his wife and implanted a chip in his brain to control him. One's sons, after enduring countless experiments of their own, also ended up with the implant. Their mother disappeared, and they became part of an elite force fighting for the military. One was able to break the hold the government had on his mind, and eventually he was able to free his sons. They ran, and never looked back. 

FLASH FORWARD to 2677. Sharyn has shared a staggering bit of news with One and the other cyborgs. Their mother, One's wife, is still alive. After their separation, the military put her into cryostasis in a defunct lab near Dead Man's Drift. Upon learning that Yurie is still alive, One races to find her and bring her home. DARK STAR is book 2 of the Aeon Project series, and it will tell the story of One and Yurie reuniting after twenty three long years. 

I'll tell you a quick secret about One. He is one of the sweetest, most gentle characters in An Enduring Sun. He says so many profound things, and the way he loves his sons is undeniable. But, in Dark Star, you will get to see another side to Primary One. The raw, dark side that would do anything to protect those he loves. And I do mean ANYTHING. The thing about One is that his deep sense of loyalty and honor wasn't something that the monks or the military could give him-- he was born with it. It makes him a fearsome opponent and a dedicated husband. These are some of the many reasons that I have deeply enjoyed writing One's journey back to Yurie. 

"If they find out who we are, they'll come for us," Ren said.

"Let them come. It's time they faced what they made. If they can."

Despite his understanding of what they are, and what they've done, One deeply believes that he and his sons deserve a chance at real happiness. He is the first to tell his sons that they can't run from their past forever. Standing to fight is the only way they can keep the peace they have stolen for themselves. When it comes to Yurie, however, One has more fear than he ever showed on the battlefield. She is the one person who could break him with a rejection, or make him whole with a kiss. 

Thanks for stopping by (or being dragged in) to Cyborg Sunday. Stay tuned for next week, when we meet Ren's younger brother and One's second son-- VEX. 

Dark Star is book 2 of the Aeon Project series, and will release in the summer of 2017 from Challis Tower Books and the Takamo Universe Project.

Catch up on the series now, and pick up An Enduring Sun, book 1, at the retailer of your choice. 

www.books2read.com/anenduringsun

Wanna read the previous blog post to catch up on my cyborg heroes? Find it HERE.

Until next time remember:

CONVERSION FOR ALL OR LIFE FOR NONE.