Introduction

This pseudo-novel was originally begun as a NANOWRIMO (National Novel Writing Month) project, but as these things usually go...it will not be completed in time. Too much life got in the way. However, I had a good time working on it, and have done enough world building and character development that I want to keep it going. I'm posting it here so that it can be enjoyed at leisure and so that I can receive feedback.

Please note that this is a work in progress. Usually I am wary of letting people see things I write before I edit the heck out of it, but we are going to experiment anyway. I am always open to suggestion and will implement ones that fit and that I feel would improve the story.

I classify this as a steam punk story because a tenet of steam punk is the idea of wiping away technology and starting over at a certain point in time. The idea that we would not have the amenities that we enjoy now. This story keeps a lot of the steam punk aesthetic...there is a lot of Victorian dress and some classic steam punk staples like pocket watches and welding goggles and airships.
I felt steam punk was appropriate because most of the story revolves around another byproduct of the Victorian era: Vampires. There have been legends of vampiric creatures almost since writing began, but our modern notion (and none of this Stephanie Meyer bullcrap) stems directly from Victorian "repression."
You can tell a lot about a culture by studying what they were afraid of. With all of the pent up sexuality and concerns about deviance and assertiveness, it is not surprising that the Victorian monster would be a seductive, powerful, controlling creature born of shadow and blood and desire.
While I ignore a lot of vampire assumptions and recreate others (mine have heartbeats, for example), it is this classic, terrifying creature that I am using as a base. Creatures that were never intended to be sympathetic or loving or moral.
Fantasy readers will probably get a "Drow" sense, from the Forgotten Realms universe, which in turn probably, like myself, takes a lot from political intrigues of Ancient Rome. I wanted more than just a monster story, I wanted a deep political mystery ala Dune (but no where near that talented I'm afraid).

This story could also be classified as Atomic Punk. Certainly there has been a nuclear fallout, there are aesthetics of this as well. Gas masks are probably the most recognizable. Futuristic technology, such as androids, cyborgs and nanobots mix with mutants and zombies. While I've tried to stay within the bounds of reason concerning the effects of a nuclear winter, there are gaps in my knowledge, and so if some things seem to be just too much of a stretch, I apologize. The zeitgeist of the atomic era, of course, is the zombie. What this says about our society...the desire to question our basic moral foundations, to push the limits of science to the point of analyzing our very notions of humanity...is still open to debate.

I admit the story starts slow. I'm a very visual writer and wanted the reader to get a good view of the world. At the same time, much needs to be explained, context seems constantly required. I beg the reader's indulgence in this matter, as it is a concern I am still attempting to address.

Have I scared you off yet? No? Good. Then put on your Breathers, and enter...the Wasteland.