Tevun-Krus #17 - CandlePunk

So What Is This CandlePunk Malarkey..? - An Article by @AngusEcrivain

Well that's the question, isn't it? It's one that I'll do my best to answer, too, although please do consider that in doing so I'll confuse you all the more!

Like all of the 'punk,' sub-genres of Science Fiction, CandlePunk depicts a society, which in this case is one of a medieval nature, riddled with a given amount of futuristic - futuristic in this case meaning post-medieval - technology and ideals.

How do knights and soldiers communicate whilst out on the battlefield? Well, why not install a primitive - or not so primitive, of course - bluetooth unit within their helmet? Or how about lightsabre-esque swords clashing and flashing up on the ramparts of a castle flying through the air, propelled by a fusion drive?

All of these things, and many others besides, are possible within the CandlePunk sub-genre.

You may choose to go a different way entirely, of course. This sub-genre fits very nicely with the Time Travel sub-genre, so consider your band of brave, fearless knights facing off on the battlefield against an army of robotic, cybernetic warriors.

Or perhaps a portal or a wormhole could result in futuristic technology falling into the hands of those without any knowledge of how such tech works.

There doesn't have to be any kind of technology involved at all, to be perfectly honest. Imagine, if you will, the Spanish Flu epidemic if it had occurred in medieval England, or if AIDS had appeared in Eastern Europe in the 8th Century AD.

You can even think politically, too... For example, would the make-up of the United Kingdom be different today Kenneth MacAlpin, first King of the Scots, had been able to enjoy afternoon tea on the terrace with Mussolini? I think it's far to say, maybe...

Of course the big talking point of medieval times, is religion. It was an age of theological discovery for many peoples that massively influenced the way we live our lives today. But what if Norse Mythology had taken a far greater hold way back? Would all other religions have been eliminated, or would there simply be another 'big,' religion, followed worldwide and believed in by millions.

The key to CandlePunk, just like with any other sub-genre of Science Fiction, is 'What If..?' Ask yourself that question before you start writing and before you know it, there'll be a whole world of possibilities laid spread-eagle before you!