Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this collection is how the editors, Link and Grant, put a moratorium on "Victorian London" steampunk. There is more than one story set during the late 1800's and one story set in London, but none of the pieces are set during that combination of time and place that's come to define the steampunk genre.
Overall, this collection was wonderful. The quality of the stories was very strong as a whole, and I really appreciated the thematic messages than ran throughout the pieces. This is steampunk not just spinning its cogs, but actually thinking about what it can communicate as a genre.
Some Fortunate Future Day by Cassandra Clare · 4 stars
One day, in a war-torn landscape, Rose finds a fallen airship soldier in her back garden.
I really enjoyed Clare's story. Not many people have rated it highly, but I found it moving. I thought it communicated something important about loneliness and regret. It's true that the technology in this story is abruptly explained, but I can forgive that because the machinery was actually integrated into the plot in crucial ways. I'm standing by myself, here... I was touched by this piece.
The Last Ride of the Glory Girls by Libba Bray · 4 stars
Using time-stopping technology, Adelaide turns to a life of crime with the Glory Girls.
Bray spins a singular coming-of-age story that combines elements of steampunk with familiar Wild West tropes. Compared with Bray's contribution to Summer Days and Summer Nights, this story was well edited and nicely organized. I have to give major props to Bray for reigning in her tendency to ramble. Instead, she let her imagination shine within proper limits.
Clockwork Fagin by Cory Doctorow · 4.5 stars
The inmates at an orphanage for mutilated children kill their evil caretaker and replace him with an automated puppet.
Incredibly grisly, Clockwork Fagin is nonetheless compelling. It has the air of a classic tale, as if it were not merely set in an older time, but written then, as well. Charles Dickens would like this, I think. There was only one element of the story that I disliked — there was a child character whose dialogue was much too stiff and adult for his age. Otherwise, Clockwork Fagin was perfect, reminiscent of Oliver Twist and Sweeney Todd.
Seven Days Beset by Demons by Shawn Cheng ·
As a graphic short story, this title was unavailable to me through the audiobook.
Hand in Glove by Isabeau S. Wilce · 2 stars*
An overlooked constable fights the skepticism of her higher-ups when she insists a serial killer is still at large.
*I feel uncomfortable rating this story so low, because it has everything to do with the audiobook narrator of this piece. Unfortunately, I did not have access to the text, or I would have read this story instead of listening to it. How can I explain... the narrator put on a fake southern accent that was offensive. The performer did not sound southern... she sounded brain damaged. Only my determination to listen to the story in full kept me from walking away from Wilce's piece. Unfortunately, I can't separate my hatred for the audio-narration from the worth of the writing.
The Ghost of Cwmlech Manor by Delia Sherman · 4 stars
Tacy's devotion to a mouldering manor house leads its machinist heir to hire her as the housekeeper.
This was a delightful tale in the traditional steampunk vein. In fact, it's the only story in the anthology that touches upon "Victorian London" in any way. I loved how Sherman chose a lower-class narrator, a girl who is beginning her career as a housekeeper. Oftentimes, stories set in this period are not told from the "downstairs" perspective. It was a nice touch, how Tacy's class influenced her personality and reactions. Overall, this piece was incredibly charming and the most cheerful ghost story I've ever encountered.
Gethsemane by Elizabeth Knox · 2 stars
On the island port of Gethsemane, a young witch and her older companion befriend two visiting sailors.
I had to listen to this story twice to understand it. Okay, three times. And I still don't get it. I made a strong effort to connect to this story, but to no avail. Not only did I struggle to keep my interest in place, but the point of the story eluded me. The piece has more to do with magical realism than steampunk, I thought. The inclusion of an airship does not a steampunk tale make.
The Summer People by Kelly Link · 2.5 stars
A family, living deep in Appalachia, is bequeathed mechanical inventions by the mountain fae folk, but for a price.
Kelly Link has built her writing career around short stories, so I'm disappointed that I didn't like The Summer People more. I found the concept interesting, but the steampunk elements were oddly integrated. Like Gethsemane, The Summer People should have been a part of a magical realism anthology. How ironic that the editor's contribution sticks out from the collection like a sore thumb.
Peace In Our Time by Garth Nix · 5 stars
The retirement of Alfred, former Grand Technomancer, is interrupted upon the visit of a formidable young woman who demands answers.
A simple story that surprised me, Peace In Our Time engages dystopian questions surrounding steampunk... Would the advent of advanced technology bring about the end of civilization? I thought the finale of the story, in particular, had a fable-ish quality to it. Alfred's answer to the final question — why? — is simple and almost childish, but symbolic of something much greater and pertinent to our own times.
Nowhere Fast by Christopher Rowe · 2 stars
In dystopian Kentucky, a girl begins to question her world when an out-of-town teen gets arrested for inappropriate use of machinery.
Meh, this story was just boring. It words themselves weren't poorly written, but it was dull. Garth Nix did a much better job incorporating dystopian elements with steampunk, in my opinion. This story is absolutely the weakest piece in the anthology. What a shame.
Finishing School by Kathleen Jennings ·
As a graphic short story, this title was unavailable to me through the audiobook.
Steam Girl by Dylan Horrocks · 4 stars
An average boy becomes amazed by a high school outcast who tells incredible stories.
I really liked how Dylan Horrocks interpreted the steampunk theme — by writing about a teenage girl who loves and creates steampunk fiction herself. By doing so, our author gets at the root of why people love this genre so much. Also, the contemporary setting of Steam Girl was refreshingly different compared to the other pieces in this anthology. However, the story still fit into the collection seamlessly. Nicely done.
Everything Amiable and Obliging by Holly Black · 4.5 stars
In Regency London, a young woman is livid when her friend becomes betrothed to an artificially intelligent automaton.
This story had a message that was explored through genre themes, so of course I loved it. Holly Black decided on a very bold story, and one that fit wonderfully within the steampunk tradition. It raised so many interesting and provoking questions! I will say that I thought the final scene did the complexity of the story a disservice. I would have appreciated a more ambiguous ending in lieu with the rest of the piece.
The Oracle Engine by M.T. Anderson · 5 stars
In ancient times, a Roman boy grows up to invent a machine that produces oracles, all to enact his cunning plan of revenge.
I'm pretty sure this is what genius looks like. I may have loved this revenge-tale extra because I attended classical school growing up, but I also think the piece is objectively wonderful. Riffing off of classical historians, such as Plutarch, Herodotus, and Ovid, Anderson tells a gripping account of Marcus Furius and his vendetta against the madly wealthy Croesus.
Steampunk! is hands down the strongest anthology collection that I've read to date. Overwhelmingly, the steampunk genre was interpreted in wonderful ways and messages really shone through. I highly recommend this anthology.
I really like the sound of this, especially hearing that there are many takes on the genre!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, have you ever read Revenge and the Wild by Michelle Modesto? Because I bet you would like it, if you haven't!
I actually own Revenge and the Wild but haven't read it yet! So many books, etc.
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah, I thought all the different takes on Steampunk were wonderful. Garth Nix did a really great job especially, in my opinion, dreaming up a dystopian/steampunk world!
I got this from my library! So excited to read this one!
ReplyDeleteI've had this book forever and a day. I bought it because I wanted to test my tolerance for steampunk. Ask me if I'd read it yet. Go ahead, ask me.
ReplyDelete