Gaslamp fantasy places magic and supernatural elements in a setting that looks like 19th-century Europe, with gaslit streets, corsets, carriages, and the social structures of the era. Unlike steampunk, which focuses on technology, gaslamp fantasy foregrounds the magic. The aesthetic is gothic elegance, and the tone often balances mystery, manners, and the supernatural.
If your fantasy keeps drifting toward Victorian aesthetics, gaslamp gives you a subgenre to name and research. It's also a great example of how setting and time period create reader expectations about tone, plot structure, and social dynamics. Understanding the label helps you find your comp titles and audience.
Magic returning to Regency-era England, told in a style that mimics 19th-century literary prose.
Regency-era magical society with sharp commentary on race and gender, wrapped in a mannered, witty voice.
Spans centuries but roots its aesthetic in the candlelit, pre-electric European world.
Write a scene set in a gaslit drawing room where a character uses magic the way a Victorian would use a calling card: socially, with precise etiquette and unspoken rules. Let the magic system reflect the manners of the era.