hellvis's review
4.0
Mechanized Masterpieces really does live up to its name, and diving in to the short stories contained within took me back to my time competing in, and judging Sci-Fi Smackdowns. The entire anthology is one big smackdown between the best authors Xchyler has on its team, with the challenge set being to take a classic work of American literature, reimagine it, and give it the Steampunk treatment.
The Xychler crew really stepped up to the challenge on this one.
Opening with A Princess of Jasoom, based on by A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, we follow Emily; A.I. employee and Inventor as she seeks to replicate a naturally mined crystal which enables man to communicate with machine. But when both her employer and her assistant turn out to be not what they seem, she's forced to make some life-changing decisions.
My favourite carachter by far has to be the aptly named 'Nauty,' a cheeky, betentacled, but strangely endearing contraption.
4/5
Winged Hope, inspired by Emily Dickinson is a tale of love which endures, even after death, within the hearts of machines. As sorrowful as it is exciting, deceit takes center stage, with machinery becoming a worthy and conquering opponent.
Although it's an engaging tale, Winged Hope didn't quite have the same vibe as some of the other tales, so this one gets a 3/5
The Van Tassel Legacy, based on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving marries Steampunk and Science Fiction. With contraptions which prolong death, and a cast comprised of the smart, the ruthless, and the deceitful, the Legend of Sleepy Hollow truly comes to life here.
Behind the inventions though is the inevitable fragility of the human condition, and the desire to have one final adventure - to go out in style. Here's to one final ride, Mr Bones.
5/5
Invested Charm is another tale inspired by Emily Dickinson. Madame Mauve is a vigilante of sorts. Of Romany descent, she can influence as well as predict the future from behind her veil, ridding her city of ne'er do-wells one by one. Although Invested Charm has a feminine air, Mauve has a core of steel and a will of iron, retaining a pure heart in spite of the death she doles out on a daily basis.
4/5
Payoff for Air Pirate Pete, based on The Ransom of Red Chief by O. Henry sticks close to its original inspiration, this time with a husband and wife robber duo.
In this tale of comeuppance, ex-military couple Clayton and Effie kidnap 'Pirate Pete' for ransom money to fund a device needed for their next heist. He's a right little shit, is Pete, and he takes to their dirigible like a destructive duck to water. Hijinks in the sky rival frustration, and while this imagining stuck a little too close to the original to my liking, the humour bumps it up to 3.5/5
The Rise of the House of Usher, based on The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe is delightfully dark and macabre, detailing a young woman's descent in to madness. This tale could easily serve as a prequel to The Fall of the House of Usher, for it leads well in to its original inspiration, with mechanical zombies and Frankenstein-esque creatures. Be warned, for the dragon is impatient.
5/5
The silver Scams, based on The Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge is another tale where the thief gets a little more than he bargained for (or less in this instance). Where the buffoon unwittingly outwits the mastermind, and double crossing is the order of the day. Built around 'The Boy and the Dike' this tale has little in common with its inspiration, other than a well-placed thumb, but is enjoyable nonetheles.
3/5
Nautilus Redux is inspired by both Moby Dick by Herman Melville and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Vern.
What would happen if Captain Nemo met captain Ahab - not dead, as the tale tells, but marooned for decades? What would happen if the great whale's foe sailed upon the seven seas once again, both having nurtured a festering hatered of the other? Sub-aquatical shennanigans abound here as the Nautilus and the great Whale come head-to-head beneath the churning waves.
5/5
Mr. Thornton takes its inspiration from The Call of the Wild by Jack London, beginning at the end before circling back to the story proper. This is John Thornton's story, not Buck's, and as Buck was once stolen to pay gambling debts, a foolish gamble likewise ends John's livelihood and passion, marking the beginnings of a journey sure to break any man's spirit until sheer coincidence marries him with his dearest creation once more.
5/5
West End, inspired by Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is a love story at its core.
Denied by Jo, Laurie throws himself in to his studies and the honing of his craft, making leaps and bounds in medicinal mechanics, with Jo never far from his mind. Old friends become dastardly enemies with great influence, power, and clout from which a high risk game of cat and mouse emerges. Can Laurie vanquish his enemy, save his friends, and get the girl?
4/5
The law of averages gives Mechanized Masterpieces a 4/5
The Xychler crew really stepped up to the challenge on this one.
Opening with A Princess of Jasoom, based on by A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, we follow Emily; A.I. employee and Inventor as she seeks to replicate a naturally mined crystal which enables man to communicate with machine. But when both her employer and her assistant turn out to be not what they seem, she's forced to make some life-changing decisions.
My favourite carachter by far has to be the aptly named 'Nauty,' a cheeky, betentacled, but strangely endearing contraption.
4/5
Winged Hope, inspired by Emily Dickinson is a tale of love which endures, even after death, within the hearts of machines. As sorrowful as it is exciting, deceit takes center stage, with machinery becoming a worthy and conquering opponent.
Although it's an engaging tale, Winged Hope didn't quite have the same vibe as some of the other tales, so this one gets a 3/5
The Van Tassel Legacy, based on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving marries Steampunk and Science Fiction. With contraptions which prolong death, and a cast comprised of the smart, the ruthless, and the deceitful, the Legend of Sleepy Hollow truly comes to life here.
Behind the inventions though is the inevitable fragility of the human condition, and the desire to have one final adventure - to go out in style. Here's to one final ride, Mr Bones.
5/5
Invested Charm is another tale inspired by Emily Dickinson. Madame Mauve is a vigilante of sorts. Of Romany descent, she can influence as well as predict the future from behind her veil, ridding her city of ne'er do-wells one by one. Although Invested Charm has a feminine air, Mauve has a core of steel and a will of iron, retaining a pure heart in spite of the death she doles out on a daily basis.
4/5
Payoff for Air Pirate Pete, based on The Ransom of Red Chief by O. Henry sticks close to its original inspiration, this time with a husband and wife robber duo.
In this tale of comeuppance, ex-military couple Clayton and Effie kidnap 'Pirate Pete' for ransom money to fund a device needed for their next heist. He's a right little shit, is Pete, and he takes to their dirigible like a destructive duck to water. Hijinks in the sky rival frustration, and while this imagining stuck a little too close to the original to my liking, the humour bumps it up to 3.5/5
The Rise of the House of Usher, based on The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe is delightfully dark and macabre, detailing a young woman's descent in to madness. This tale could easily serve as a prequel to The Fall of the House of Usher, for it leads well in to its original inspiration, with mechanical zombies and Frankenstein-esque creatures. Be warned, for the dragon is impatient.
5/5
The silver Scams, based on The Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge is another tale where the thief gets a little more than he bargained for (or less in this instance). Where the buffoon unwittingly outwits the mastermind, and double crossing is the order of the day. Built around 'The Boy and the Dike' this tale has little in common with its inspiration, other than a well-placed thumb, but is enjoyable nonetheles.
3/5
Nautilus Redux is inspired by both Moby Dick by Herman Melville and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Vern.
What would happen if Captain Nemo met captain Ahab - not dead, as the tale tells, but marooned for decades? What would happen if the great whale's foe sailed upon the seven seas once again, both having nurtured a festering hatered of the other? Sub-aquatical shennanigans abound here as the Nautilus and the great Whale come head-to-head beneath the churning waves.
5/5
Mr. Thornton takes its inspiration from The Call of the Wild by Jack London, beginning at the end before circling back to the story proper. This is John Thornton's story, not Buck's, and as Buck was once stolen to pay gambling debts, a foolish gamble likewise ends John's livelihood and passion, marking the beginnings of a journey sure to break any man's spirit until sheer coincidence marries him with his dearest creation once more.
5/5
West End, inspired by Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is a love story at its core.
Denied by Jo, Laurie throws himself in to his studies and the honing of his craft, making leaps and bounds in medicinal mechanics, with Jo never far from his mind. Old friends become dastardly enemies with great influence, power, and clout from which a high risk game of cat and mouse emerges. Can Laurie vanquish his enemy, save his friends, and get the girl?
4/5
The law of averages gives Mechanized Masterpieces a 4/5
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