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anushb's review against another edition
3.0
Some stories were better than others, some seemed to have nothing to do with steampunk (surprisingly, the one written by the editor, Kelly Link). I really enjoyed the story by Libba Bray. I read the first two books of the Gemma Doyle trilogy and really enjoyed them when I was younger, but I have new found respect for her as a YA writer.
suzysai's review against another edition
5.0
I had such a great time reading this anthology. As with all collections, some stories were better than others, but ALL were entertaining. I have truly found a genre in Steampunk that speaks to my desire to be transported to another world. The highlights for me were:
1. "Some Fortunate Day" by Cassandra Clare - atmospheric and creepy. I remember as a little girl reading a story about dolls coming to life, and this is reminiscent of that, with a nice time travel addition.
2. "The Last Ride of the Glory Girls" by Libba Bray - girl powered Steampunk with on Old West flavor - yum!
3. "Hand in Glove" by Ysabeau S. Wilce - unconventional police procedural with a fantastic female lead
4. "Nowhere Fast" by Christopher Rowe - thought-provoking commentary on environmental issues
5. "Steam Girl" by Dylan Horrocks - a great mix of realistic and steampunk elements, with a sweet love story twist.
My favorite has to be "The Summer People" by Kelly Link. It is simply all of the elements I want to read in a short story. So much is hidden in the shadows, and it just makes me want to poke my head into every room of that scary, seductive, amazing house.
If you have any interest in reading the Steampunk genre, this would be a great introduction to the wonders it holds.
1. "Some Fortunate Day" by Cassandra Clare - atmospheric and creepy. I remember as a little girl reading a story about dolls coming to life, and this is reminiscent of that, with a nice time travel addition.
2. "The Last Ride of the Glory Girls" by Libba Bray - girl powered Steampunk with on Old West flavor - yum!
3. "Hand in Glove" by Ysabeau S. Wilce - unconventional police procedural with a fantastic female lead
4. "Nowhere Fast" by Christopher Rowe - thought-provoking commentary on environmental issues
5. "Steam Girl" by Dylan Horrocks - a great mix of realistic and steampunk elements, with a sweet love story twist.
My favorite has to be "The Summer People" by Kelly Link. It is simply all of the elements I want to read in a short story. So much is hidden in the shadows, and it just makes me want to poke my head into every room of that scary, seductive, amazing house.
If you have any interest in reading the Steampunk genre, this would be a great introduction to the wonders it holds.
cornmaven's review against another edition
5.0
Some of the best authors of YA and adult literature have offered their steampunk imaginings in this collection, and it would be a good introduction to the genre. I could hardly put this book down, reading late into the night and getting up early in the morning to soak up all the imagery. There’s romance, history, and cautionary tales. M.T. Anderson delivers an alternate version of Rome’s conquests, complete with flying machines and a computer nerd guild which tends a handmade machine designed to predict the success of future war campaigns based on all of humankind’s past efforts! It certainly made me appreciate the “history repeats itself” saying, especially in light of the invasion of Iraq. Dylan Horrocks’ Steam Girl is a very poignant framed tale of a girl who writes steampunk as a way to escape her reality. I absolutely loved Cory Doctorow’s Clockwork Fagin for its salute to Dickens’ Oliver Twist. And it certainly had some very remarkable twists. Some of these tales are set in modern times, others in the past. And I loved them all. Many not so subtly comment about current events, and lead the reader to ponder many layers of meaning, such as Christopher Rowe’s question of whether ease in life and personal satisfaction trump saving our planet.
si_hui_olive's review against another edition
3.0
_Thoughts for myself_
Decent read. It's my getting back into fiction book. It always surprises me how much adventure and emotion can be contained within a book.
Sometimes I'll pick up a book, not opening it and just think "there's a while nother world inside this thing".
It was the cover which drew me in. It's honestly such a fantastic cover, it really does a great job of presenting the possibilities and adventure that can be found within.
I realised that I enjoy reading about relationships more than plot. I think that's why I enjoy complex relationship books.
Some fortunate days is very Cassandra Clare, but a bit eh. Seven days was an amusing break from pure texts. Hand in glove was a fun read. I really liked Gethsemane, and I found out that the author is actually based in Wellington! Crazy. Finishing school was an intriguing comic. I enjoyed Everything Amiable and Obliging. The Oracle Engine was tragic all the way through.
So yeah, a bit of an eh book. I don't think it was my type. There were some interesting parts but mostly I found myself how many more pages there were. Which is terrible you shouldn't read a book like that...
Decent read. It's my getting back into fiction book. It always surprises me how much adventure and emotion can be contained within a book.
Sometimes I'll pick up a book, not opening it and just think "there's a while nother world inside this thing".
It was the cover which drew me in. It's honestly such a fantastic cover, it really does a great job of presenting the possibilities and adventure that can be found within.
I realised that I enjoy reading about relationships more than plot. I think that's why I enjoy complex relationship books.
Some fortunate days is very Cassandra Clare, but a bit eh. Seven days was an amusing break from pure texts. Hand in glove was a fun read. I really liked Gethsemane, and I found out that the author is actually based in Wellington! Crazy. Finishing school was an intriguing comic. I enjoyed Everything Amiable and Obliging. The Oracle Engine was tragic all the way through.
So yeah, a bit of an eh book. I don't think it was my type. There were some interesting parts but mostly I found myself how many more pages there were. Which is terrible you shouldn't read a book like that...
calbowen's review against another edition
4.0
Over all, I would say that this has something for everyone, but not everything will be enjoyed by everyone. Whatever is to your liking, you will gravitate more towards some tales than others, but I feel that anyone that enjoys this genre will come away with liking at least half of these stories.
Cassandra Clare "Some Fortunate Future Day"
Though short, this is an interesting short story about love and time travel. Kind of a Groundhog Day vibe.
Libba Bray "The Last Ride of the Glory Girls"
This was a ton of fun. I would love to have a series about this group, as I felt that the tale was too short. A female cast for an Edgar Rice Burroughs type tale.
Cory Doctorow "Clockwork Fagin"
Yeah – this is a nice Oliver Twist kid of vibe for me – very cool story.
Ysabeau Wilce "Hand in Glove"
I hated the dialog tags in this one. He Said, She said after EVERY sentence, even if it was a question. The story is not horrible, a bit of a Jack the Ripper feel.
Delia Sherman "The Ghost of Cwmlech Manor"
More ghost story than Steampunk – I did not care for this one – when it ended, it finished abruptly.
Elizabeth Knox "Gesthemane"
Not a very memorable tale at all – the next day, I have forgotten everything about it.
Kelly Link "The Summer People"
This is an interesting tale, though I do not like the ending, as it holds nothing final.
Garth Nix "Peace in Our Time"
Took a few turns unexpectantly, but fell flat by the end.
Christopher Rowe "Nowhere Fast"
This had a great potential, but again, then ending was abrupt and non-absolute.
Dylan Horrocks "Steam Girl"
This was a relief, after I began to think that the rest of the collection would be bad. A modern day tale, with a girl that writes Burroughs-esque fantasy.
Holly Black "Everything Amiable and Obliging"
This is not really a good story. Has a bit of a quirky romance, but nothing contained made me enjoy this short story.
Anderson "The Oracle Engine"
This reads like Di Vinci in the Roman Empire. A new twist to the formula, which was enjoyable, but, the ending was very flat. And the science was a bit heavy handed for a short story.
Cassandra Clare "Some Fortunate Future Day"
Though short, this is an interesting short story about love and time travel. Kind of a Groundhog Day vibe.
Libba Bray "The Last Ride of the Glory Girls"
This was a ton of fun. I would love to have a series about this group, as I felt that the tale was too short. A female cast for an Edgar Rice Burroughs type tale.
Cory Doctorow "Clockwork Fagin"
Yeah – this is a nice Oliver Twist kid of vibe for me – very cool story.
Ysabeau Wilce "Hand in Glove"
I hated the dialog tags in this one. He Said, She said after EVERY sentence, even if it was a question. The story is not horrible, a bit of a Jack the Ripper feel.
Delia Sherman "The Ghost of Cwmlech Manor"
More ghost story than Steampunk – I did not care for this one – when it ended, it finished abruptly.
Elizabeth Knox "Gesthemane"
Not a very memorable tale at all – the next day, I have forgotten everything about it.
Kelly Link "The Summer People"
This is an interesting tale, though I do not like the ending, as it holds nothing final.
Garth Nix "Peace in Our Time"
Took a few turns unexpectantly, but fell flat by the end.
Christopher Rowe "Nowhere Fast"
This had a great potential, but again, then ending was abrupt and non-absolute.
Dylan Horrocks "Steam Girl"
This was a relief, after I began to think that the rest of the collection would be bad. A modern day tale, with a girl that writes Burroughs-esque fantasy.
Holly Black "Everything Amiable and Obliging"
This is not really a good story. Has a bit of a quirky romance, but nothing contained made me enjoy this short story.
Anderson "The Oracle Engine"
This reads like Di Vinci in the Roman Empire. A new twist to the formula, which was enjoyable, but, the ending was very flat. And the science was a bit heavy handed for a short story.
ir_sharp2's review against another edition
4.0
Huh. Didn't think I'd like steampunk. Don't usually like short stories either. Liked this one a lot, though. Made my husband mad cuz I wouldn't turn off my phone (where I was reading it ebook style) and go to bed. Interesting.
amybraunauthor's review against another edition
3.0
I love steampunk because of its endless creativity, though I'm not sure about this anthology. Oh, the stories were great and the imagination was there, but I didn't love it as much as I hoped I would. It's not a bad book by any means, but I didn't find a lot of the stories to be memorable once I finished them. The best ones in my opinion were at the end, "Everything Amiable and Obliging," and "The Oracle Engine." They were deep and surprising, especially the end of "The Oracle Engine." Still, I would recommend this anthology to all steampunk lovers, just as a fun way to pass the time.
prathaaaaaaaaaaa_'s review against another edition
why was everyone marrying their cousins in the 18th century
rgyger's review against another edition
DNF
I only listened to three stories in this. The first was really short, but the character was just enough off her rocker to be engaging. And the second story started off well. However, by the end of the second story, I was bored by a character whose motivations were undefined and climax that left me confused by what actually happened. I skipped over the third story after about five minutes (I was listening on audiobook), and I didn't finish the fourth story either. That story had a repetitive writing style, but was actually fun up to the point when the world building started to contradict itself.
While I know that there are a lot more stories in this, and that any of them could be really amazing, I didn't feel like listening for another ten or so hours to find out. As for the narrators, I liked that they had different readers for each story. And I actually really liked a few couple of the readers I heard. I just wish the narratives were as engaging.
I only listened to three stories in this. The first was really short, but the character was just enough off her rocker to be engaging. And the second story started off well. However, by the end of the second story, I was bored by a character whose motivations were undefined and climax that left me confused by what actually happened. I skipped over the third story after about five minutes (I was listening on audiobook), and I didn't finish the fourth story either. That story had a repetitive writing style, but was actually fun up to the point when the world building started to contradict itself.
While I know that there are a lot more stories in this, and that any of them could be really amazing, I didn't feel like listening for another ten or so hours to find out. As for the narrators, I liked that they had different readers for each story. And I actually really liked a few couple of the readers I heard. I just wish the narratives were as engaging.
em_reads_romancex's review against another edition
4.0
The first story, by Cassandra Clare, was amazing, but the rest were only ok.