A review by alba_marie
Steampunk! an Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories, by
4.0
3.75 stars rounded up
Steampunk is one of those things I'm pretty sure that I'll like, if only I can find a way to introduce myself to the topic (much like science fiction or D&D). So when I saw this anthology, edited by Kelly Link, an author I really like, I knew I had to go for it.
Overall, though it took me a while (par for the course with anthologies), I am really glad I did.
Some Fortunate Future Day - Cassandra Clare - A bit boring and forgettable - unrequited love, a war-torn world and creepy dolls. 3/5
Last Ride of the Glory Girls Tried several times to read it, and just could not get past the 2nd page. I don't like stories written without punctuation or proper grammar. 0/5
Clockwork Fagan - Cory Doctorow - This was one of the best stories in the anthology! It was so well written, so well characterised, the world was so well built. Though only a few dozen pages, I was so enamoured with the orphans and invested in them and their lives. 5/5
7 Days beset by Demons - I am not a fan of graphic novel stories, though I do like things about demons. Sadly, this was kind of bland and I didn't like the demon angle. 1/5
Hand in Glove - Ysabeau Wilce - This was a pretty solid story, a sort of steampunk crime story with a Frankenstein body-snatching twist. 4/5
The Ghost of Cwmlech Manor - Delia Sherman - This was closer to my usual read (ghosts!), but further from what I'd expect a steampunk story to look like. That said, lots of automatons, combined with a missing treasure, a crumbling mansion, an eccentric inventor and of course the ghost. 4/5
Gethesemane - I actually forgot what this one was about so, that shows how much I liked it. There was a witch maybe? And a love potion? I don't really know. 1/5
The Summer People - Kelly Link's own story, this one was really well constructed and shows her mastery of the short story, and in particular, how to characterise and world build so convincingly in just a few pages. That said, I wanted more from the plot, esp. at the end when the pacing suddenly moved forward quickly. 4/5
Peace in our Time - This one was okay, more science-fiction-y than most. Assassins, evil dictators, bizarre worlds and longstanding wars. It was not the most engaging or memorable though. 3/5
Nowhere Fast - Christopher Rowe - Post-apocalyptic steampunk? Yes that sounds like a strange combination, and no, I'm not sure it worked. In typical post-apocalyptic fashion, cars don't work anymore. But atypical of the genre, the main character doesn't really want (or need) to move from her perceived safe haven to another; instead, someone comes to theirs, and they feel threatened. It was okay, but I felt it could have been better developed. 3.5/5
Finishing School - More graphics. Better than the demon one, this one was about a finishing school for ladies and two women who didn't fit in. But besides that, I found it hard to follow and not very interesting. Graphics really are not my thing. 2.5/5
Steam Girl - Dylan Horrocks - The best story in the collection, alongside Doctorow's. This was about a new girl at school who clearly is an outcast in this world but tells amazing steampunk stories about Steam Girl's adventures on other planets and worlds...that just might be true. I was hooked, and just wanted to keep reading more, and sad when the story ended. 5/5
Everything Amiable and Obliging - Holly Black - Lots of automatons and a weird love story between a human and an automaton. I found it a little disturbing and kind of bleugh. I wasn't blown away by it. Interesting how the unknown writers often shine and the famous ones fade to the shadows in these anthologies... 3/5
The Oracle Engine - MT Anderson - A revenge story set in ancient Rome (one of my favourite eras!). Did I enjoy the story? Yes. Did it evoke Ancient Rome and feel like a story that might have come out of that era? Yes. (Largely because many aspects of it are drawn from history). Was it a convincing revenge tale? Yes. Was it a convincing steampunk story? Not even close, imo. But it was still memorable. 4/5
Overall, I mostly enjoyed the book, though I would have removed the graphics and instead included another story. I think the longer short stories are usually better and would have focused on those, or in getting the chosen authors of the shorter ones to develop them further. But a great introduction to the genre, and I'm hasting to read more steampunk now for sure.
Steampunk is one of those things I'm pretty sure that I'll like, if only I can find a way to introduce myself to the topic (much like science fiction or D&D). So when I saw this anthology, edited by Kelly Link, an author I really like, I knew I had to go for it.
Overall, though it took me a while (par for the course with anthologies), I am really glad I did.
Some Fortunate Future Day - Cassandra Clare - A bit boring and forgettable - unrequited love, a war-torn world and creepy dolls. 3/5
Last Ride of the Glory Girls Tried several times to read it, and just could not get past the 2nd page. I don't like stories written without punctuation or proper grammar. 0/5
Clockwork Fagan - Cory Doctorow - This was one of the best stories in the anthology! It was so well written, so well characterised, the world was so well built. Though only a few dozen pages, I was so enamoured with the orphans and invested in them and their lives. 5/5
7 Days beset by Demons - I am not a fan of graphic novel stories, though I do like things about demons. Sadly, this was kind of bland and I didn't like the demon angle. 1/5
Hand in Glove - Ysabeau Wilce - This was a pretty solid story, a sort of steampunk crime story with a Frankenstein body-snatching twist. 4/5
The Ghost of Cwmlech Manor - Delia Sherman - This was closer to my usual read (ghosts!), but further from what I'd expect a steampunk story to look like. That said, lots of automatons, combined with a missing treasure, a crumbling mansion, an eccentric inventor and of course the ghost. 4/5
Gethesemane - I actually forgot what this one was about so, that shows how much I liked it. There was a witch maybe? And a love potion? I don't really know. 1/5
The Summer People - Kelly Link's own story, this one was really well constructed and shows her mastery of the short story, and in particular, how to characterise and world build so convincingly in just a few pages. That said, I wanted more from the plot, esp. at the end when the pacing suddenly moved forward quickly. 4/5
Peace in our Time - This one was okay, more science-fiction-y than most. Assassins, evil dictators, bizarre worlds and longstanding wars. It was not the most engaging or memorable though. 3/5
Nowhere Fast - Christopher Rowe - Post-apocalyptic steampunk? Yes that sounds like a strange combination, and no, I'm not sure it worked. In typical post-apocalyptic fashion, cars don't work anymore. But atypical of the genre, the main character doesn't really want (or need) to move from her perceived safe haven to another; instead, someone comes to theirs, and they feel threatened. It was okay, but I felt it could have been better developed. 3.5/5
Finishing School - More graphics. Better than the demon one, this one was about a finishing school for ladies and two women who didn't fit in. But besides that, I found it hard to follow and not very interesting. Graphics really are not my thing. 2.5/5
Steam Girl - Dylan Horrocks - The best story in the collection, alongside Doctorow's. This was about a new girl at school who clearly is an outcast in this world but tells amazing steampunk stories about Steam Girl's adventures on other planets and worlds...that just might be true. I was hooked, and just wanted to keep reading more, and sad when the story ended. 5/5
Everything Amiable and Obliging - Holly Black - Lots of automatons and a weird love story between a human and an automaton. I found it a little disturbing and kind of bleugh. I wasn't blown away by it. Interesting how the unknown writers often shine and the famous ones fade to the shadows in these anthologies... 3/5
The Oracle Engine - MT Anderson - A revenge story set in ancient Rome (one of my favourite eras!). Did I enjoy the story? Yes. Did it evoke Ancient Rome and feel like a story that might have come out of that era? Yes. (Largely because many aspects of it are drawn from history). Was it a convincing revenge tale? Yes. Was it a convincing steampunk story? Not even close, imo. But it was still memorable. 4/5
Overall, I mostly enjoyed the book, though I would have removed the graphics and instead included another story. I think the longer short stories are usually better and would have focused on those, or in getting the chosen authors of the shorter ones to develop them further. But a great introduction to the genre, and I'm hasting to read more steampunk now for sure.