What’s with the goggles anyway?

I just finished Boneshaker last night.   Cherie Priest did a lovely job of characterization, and fully brought  Briar Wilkes Blue and Ezekial Blue to life on the page.  What she did to Seattle was fairly terrible, but interesting in an alternate fantasy historical fashion.   And she answered my question:  she gave us excellent reasons for goggles and weird guns and many of the other oddities about Steampunk. 

Well worth a read.  Even if, like me, you don’t much like zombies.  You can always  just close your eyes through those parts.