ineffablebob's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
As with any anthology, different readers will find their own favorites in this one. I think the variety is such that everyone is likely to find something they like, though. My personal favorites were Steam Girl and The Ghost of Cwmlech Manor. One warning note - if you read the ebook version, make sure it's on a large enough screen that you can see the two graphic novel-style stories.
snowkab's review against another edition
4.0
It was pretty good. The anthology introduced me to quite a few new authors that I think I'll really like. They ended on the worst story in the anthology which is unfortunate.
aigra's review against another edition
3.0
Like most anthologies, this one has some good stories and some not so good stories. All in all, it's well worth reading though, especially, if you're looking for steampunk(ish) stories that are a bit outside of the box that is Victorian London.
tehani's review against another edition
5.0
I need to start this by saying I REALLY enjoyed it- there's great stories (not all of them in straight prose on the page) in this book, excellent writing, and I'm terribly impressed to see two Aussie authors and a New Zealand writer in here (and I've even published one of the Aussies!).
Having said that I thought the stories were excellent, I do need to say two things: 1. The definition of steampunk here is not, in many stories, anything even CLOSE to any definition of steampunk I've ever come across before, and 2. Although this has been advertised as a young adult anthology, it's not a lot like any YA I've seen either.
Don't get me wrong - some stories have a definite steampunk flavour, utilising elements we've come to know and identify with the genre. But many pay only passing lip service to the idea. And as for YA, well… Few stories contain the "coming of age" or "journey to adulthood" themes I'd expect, or even have a teen protagonist that many publishers think is the indicator of a YA story. I don't think anything in the book actually *precludes* it from being YA, but at the same time, I wouldn't identify most of the stories in this way.
Of course, such classifications are often problematic anyway, and of course publishers/editors need to push boundaries for fresh, exciting work. But for me, I wondered if the publishers were riding the steampunk wave as a marketing tool, rather than giving the book a less, hmm, felicitous title and promoting it differently.
To be honest, it doesn't matter - the book is a good one, and you should read it - just don't go into it expecting a lot of steam in your punk!
Having said that I thought the stories were excellent, I do need to say two things: 1. The definition of steampunk here is not, in many stories, anything even CLOSE to any definition of steampunk I've ever come across before, and 2. Although this has been advertised as a young adult anthology, it's not a lot like any YA I've seen either.
Don't get me wrong - some stories have a definite steampunk flavour, utilising elements we've come to know and identify with the genre. But many pay only passing lip service to the idea. And as for YA, well… Few stories contain the "coming of age" or "journey to adulthood" themes I'd expect, or even have a teen protagonist that many publishers think is the indicator of a YA story. I don't think anything in the book actually *precludes* it from being YA, but at the same time, I wouldn't identify most of the stories in this way.
Of course, such classifications are often problematic anyway, and of course publishers/editors need to push boundaries for fresh, exciting work. But for me, I wondered if the publishers were riding the steampunk wave as a marketing tool, rather than giving the book a less, hmm, felicitous title and promoting it differently.
To be honest, it doesn't matter - the book is a good one, and you should read it - just don't go into it expecting a lot of steam in your punk!
jena_33's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
librovert's review against another edition
2.0
2/5 Stars - Overall Rating
3/5 Stars - Audiobook Performance
3.3/5 Stars - Average Story Rating
If you are looking for a good collection of Steampunk stories - this isn't it. The book claims to stretch the Steampunk vision (inspired by Gail Carriger's Steampunk Vampires and Cherie Priest's Steampunk Zombies) but for me, it totally missed the mark, which is why I've rated it so low - it seemed almost like false advertising.
There were a handful of stories that sprinkled clockwork or zepplins into the mix to give it a Steampunk flair but I felt the stories could have been stripped of these references and stood as their own - not really the mark of Steampunk, in my opinion. Not to mention, I think Steampunk is equal parts an aesthetic and a mood - many of these stories felt closer to fantasy to me. Link's "The Summer People," for instance, focuses on a modern teen girl who looks after a mystical race of fairy-like beings - who happen to make clockwork toys (which happen to play a very SMALL part in the overall story). Knox's Gethsemane (as far as I remember) might have referenced a steam-powered drill and a zeppelin. There were however some really great examples of Steampunk.
Audiobook Review (2/5*)
I listened to the audiobook version of Steampunk! and it was ok, as far as audiobooks go. There were five different narrators and I wish I knew who had narrated each piece so I could give a better review - I don't.
The stories in Steampunk! take place all over the world, so the accents were all over the place. Most I could deal with - but some were very thick and very fake.
Story Run-Down
I'm going to do a little assessment of each story with their own star rating, if you don't want to read about each story then this is the end of the review - I'll save you a scroll. :)
3/5* "Some Fortunate Future Day" by Cassandra Clare. A quirky tale about a young girl falling in love with a wounded soldier that she rescues. The main character is pretty whiny and I didn't connect with her at all, but there were some themes that I really enjoyed.
4/5* "The Last Ride of the Glory Girls" by Libba Bray. This wild west tale about a group of female outlaws was one of my favorite in the bunch. The characters were strong and driven and there was some very interesting clockwork technology underlying the whole thing.
5/5* "Clockwork Fagin" by Cory Doctrow. This was my favorite in this anthology. It follows a group of orphans who create a clockwork man so they can control their own lives. Not only did this story have clockwork technology - it had the gritty themes of anti-establishment and oppression that I love in Steampunk.
4/5* "Hand in Glove" by Ysabeau S. Wilce. This story's "steampunk" aesthetic comes from a Frankenstein style experiment and the revolutionary idea of forensics in a small town police force. Not the best steampunk example, but I loved this story anyway. You can never go wrong with a good sassy female protagonist.
3/5* "The Ghost of Cwmlech Manor" by Delia Sherman. Started off slow, decent wrap-up but pretty meh overall.
1/5* "Gethsemane" by Elizabeth Knox. I don't even remember what happened in this story - it was that memorable.
2/5* "The Summer People" by Kelly Link. I hated that this story was branded as Steampunk and there were a lot of things that just felt unnecessary in the story.
4/5* "Peace in Our Time" by Garth Nix. Another good example of the darker Steampunk themes. This story started off quite strange, but I ended up really enjoying it.
3/5* "Nowhere Fast" by Christopher Rowe. This was the most stretched steampunk story in the bunch. Nowhere Fast is pseudo-post-apocalyptic. It's set in a world where humans live a more basic life to heal the environment of the damages done in the past. The steampunk aspects include a car built from scraped pieces, some flying machines used by the government, and some supercharged mechanical horses used by the police. Interesting concept and I probably would have enjoyed it more if it wasn't trying to be Steampunk.
4/5* "Steam Girl" Another fun story with some unexpected twists. This was the most human story of the bunch - focusing on a relationship between a boy and the new girl at school who shares her stories of Steam Girl, an alternate-reality daughter of an inventor who travels through space. Some aspects of this story were rough - but it was overall a fun read.
3/5* "Everything Amiable and Obliging" by Holly Black. This was a steampunk take on the classic question of whether an artificial intelligence can learn to have feelings and to love. Outside of this main conflict though, it was a bit boring.
4/5* "The Oracle Engine" by M.T. Anderson. I love a good alternate-history, so bringing the Steampunk idea back to ancient Rome was fun for me. This is also another good example of the darker side of steampunk.
3/5 Stars - Audiobook Performance
3.3/5 Stars - Average Story Rating
If you are looking for a good collection of Steampunk stories - this isn't it. The book claims to stretch the Steampunk vision (inspired by Gail Carriger's Steampunk Vampires and Cherie Priest's Steampunk Zombies) but for me, it totally missed the mark, which is why I've rated it so low - it seemed almost like false advertising.
There were a handful of stories that sprinkled clockwork or zepplins into the mix to give it a Steampunk flair but I felt the stories could have been stripped of these references and stood as their own - not really the mark of Steampunk, in my opinion. Not to mention, I think Steampunk is equal parts an aesthetic and a mood - many of these stories felt closer to fantasy to me. Link's "The Summer People," for instance, focuses on a modern teen girl who looks after a mystical race of fairy-like beings - who happen to make clockwork toys (which happen to play a very SMALL part in the overall story). Knox's Gethsemane (as far as I remember) might have referenced a steam-powered drill and a zeppelin. There were however some really great examples of Steampunk.
Audiobook Review (2/5*)
I listened to the audiobook version of Steampunk! and it was ok, as far as audiobooks go. There were five different narrators and I wish I knew who had narrated each piece so I could give a better review - I don't.
The stories in Steampunk! take place all over the world, so the accents were all over the place. Most I could deal with - but some were very thick and very fake.
Story Run-Down
I'm going to do a little assessment of each story with their own star rating, if you don't want to read about each story then this is the end of the review - I'll save you a scroll. :)
3/5* "Some Fortunate Future Day" by Cassandra Clare. A quirky tale about a young girl falling in love with a wounded soldier that she rescues. The main character is pretty whiny and I didn't connect with her at all, but there were some themes that I really enjoyed.
4/5* "The Last Ride of the Glory Girls" by Libba Bray. This wild west tale about a group of female outlaws was one of my favorite in the bunch. The characters were strong and driven and there was some very interesting clockwork technology underlying the whole thing.
5/5* "Clockwork Fagin" by Cory Doctrow. This was my favorite in this anthology. It follows a group of orphans who create a clockwork man so they can control their own lives. Not only did this story have clockwork technology - it had the gritty themes of anti-establishment and oppression that I love in Steampunk.
4/5* "Hand in Glove" by Ysabeau S. Wilce. This story's "steampunk" aesthetic comes from a Frankenstein style experiment and the revolutionary idea of forensics in a small town police force. Not the best steampunk example, but I loved this story anyway. You can never go wrong with a good sassy female protagonist.
3/5* "The Ghost of Cwmlech Manor" by Delia Sherman. Started off slow, decent wrap-up but pretty meh overall.
1/5* "Gethsemane" by Elizabeth Knox. I don't even remember what happened in this story - it was that memorable.
2/5* "The Summer People" by Kelly Link. I hated that this story was branded as Steampunk and there were a lot of things that just felt unnecessary in the story.
4/5* "Peace in Our Time" by Garth Nix. Another good example of the darker Steampunk themes. This story started off quite strange, but I ended up really enjoying it.
3/5* "Nowhere Fast" by Christopher Rowe. This was the most stretched steampunk story in the bunch. Nowhere Fast is pseudo-post-apocalyptic. It's set in a world where humans live a more basic life to heal the environment of the damages done in the past. The steampunk aspects include a car built from scraped pieces, some flying machines used by the government, and some supercharged mechanical horses used by the police. Interesting concept and I probably would have enjoyed it more if it wasn't trying to be Steampunk.
4/5* "Steam Girl" Another fun story with some unexpected twists. This was the most human story of the bunch - focusing on a relationship between a boy and the new girl at school who shares her stories of Steam Girl, an alternate-reality daughter of an inventor who travels through space. Some aspects of this story were rough - but it was overall a fun read.
3/5* "Everything Amiable and Obliging" by Holly Black. This was a steampunk take on the classic question of whether an artificial intelligence can learn to have feelings and to love. Outside of this main conflict though, it was a bit boring.
4/5* "The Oracle Engine" by M.T. Anderson. I love a good alternate-history, so bringing the Steampunk idea back to ancient Rome was fun for me. This is also another good example of the darker side of steampunk.
toluolowo's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this. I generally don't like short story collections,but steampunk is always a winner as far as I'm concerned.
neddasai's review against another edition
3.0
Steampunk! an Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories is full of very creative, steampunky, well-written short stories.
I liked it well enough, my favourite story is Clockwork Fagin by Cory Doctorow. Also for those who are curious about “that whole steampunk thing.” It may convince you!
Overall, a solid compilation.
I liked it well enough, my favourite story is Clockwork Fagin by Cory Doctorow. Also for those who are curious about “that whole steampunk thing.” It may convince you!
Overall, a solid compilation.
beaniedorman's review against another edition
4.0
Favorites:
Some Fortunate Future Day by Cassandra Clare
Everything Amiable and Obliging by Holly Black
Some Fortunate Future Day by Cassandra Clare
Everything Amiable and Obliging by Holly Black
geekgirl33's review against another edition
The book walked away from me I think that another reader in my house has absconded with it.