What happens when you mix the aesthetic appeal of 1800s Victorian England, scientifically advanced, steam- and gear-powered inventions and the type of alternate historical realities explored in popular culture through movies like “Wild Wild West”? You get steampunk: an inventive, rule-bending subgenre of science fiction that has found a growing niche in Sacramento. The term steampunk stemmed from literature like H.G. Well’s “The Time Machine,” published in 1895, and Jules Verne’s 1870 novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, according to members of the Sacramento Steampunk Society.These early steampunk works, which feature elements of time travel, whimsically inventive, steam-powered inventio

Last Saturday, the SacAnime Convention kicked off with the highest number of attendees in its five-year existence. Anime, the pop culture term for animation that is distinctly Japanese, was celebrated by fans from all over northern California at the Radisson Hotel. Security official Peter Kraus said that in his four years working the convention, he has never seen a crowd this large. "Last year we were at the Scottish Rite Center, and it moved to this location, which is significantly bigger. It's pretty incredible, the way it's grown each year," Kraus said. "I just asked the folks up front what the official number was. They said they are low-balling it at three and a half to four thousand

This weekend Sacramento fans can get their fill of everything anime during the 5th annual SacAnime Convention at the Radisson Hotel. The event has increased in popularity since its inception in 2004. In an e-mail interview director of console gaming and press liaison Jason Dube said last year's event was attended by several thousand people. This year the numbers are expected to be even bigger. According to SacAnime's website the convention began as an extension of the Sac Con show, an event geared more toward comic books, toys and collectibles. In 2004, the manager of Waldenbooks at the Sunrise Mall store approached founder and convention organizer Dan Houck and his Sac Anime volunteer s