Gaslamp Fantasy: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

Gaslamp fantasy, also called gas''light'' fantasy, is [[Steampunk]]'s magical cousin. It's a subgenre of fantasy (and more specifically of [[Historical Fantasy]]) with a setting that is clearly recognizable as the real-world 19th or very early 20th century (or a reasonable analogue thereof). That's the [[Regency England|Regency period]] and the [[Victorian Britain|Victorian]] and [[The Edwardian Era|Edwardian]] eras, if the work's set in England, which it usually, though not necessarily, is. [[Victorian London]] is especially popular. It may be identical to the real world with a [[Masquerade]], or it may be a full-on [[Alternate History]] where magic exists openly and has affected the course of events. Gaslamp fantasy often draws on [[Gothic Horror Tropes]], and is sometimes seen as a sort of [[Reconstruction]] or revival of the genre.

== Film ==

* ''[[Van Helsing]]''

 

== Literature ==

* ''[[His Dark Materials]]'' By Phillip Pullman. A multi-universe spanning triogy. The first book "Northern Lights" is set in a alternate victorian northen europe and contains many elemants. Most prominatly the Gothic undertones (innocence lost, evil churches) and the daemons that every human has which are an expression of their personallity.

* ''[[The Parasol Protectorate]]''

* ''[[Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell]]'' is about the last two practicing magicians in Georgian England (also, [[The Fair Folk|fairies]]).

* ''[[The Native Star]]'' is fantasy set in America in the 1800s.

* The [[Alvin Maker]] series by [[Orson Scott Card]] is America-based 1800s fantasy as well.

* The [[Gemma Doyle]] trilogy centers around a group of young Victorian ladies who get caught up in a secret magical conspiracy.

* Mercedes Lackey's ''[[Elemental Masters]]'' series is about mages in Post-Victorian England. The stories are loosely based on [[Fairy Tales]].

* ''[[Infernal Devices]]'' is set an alternate Victorian London that contains elements of a Masquerade: things such as magic, demons, werewolves, vampires, etc. wander around in the open - but only people with The Sight can see them.

* Naomi Novik's [[Temeraire]] series follows the adventures of a British captain in His Majesty's Dragon Corps during the Napoleonic Wars.

* ''[[Victoriana RPG]]''

* ''[[Unhallowed Metropolis]]'', set in a future dystopian version of Victorian London.

 

== [[Video Games]] ==