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crafterwords's review
Full Disclosure #1:
I am SO FAR BEHIND on this. So late. Later than a White Rabbit to a very important date.
Yeah… I have no excuse, honestly, aside from life being a complete pain in my butt, sometimes literally. Adulting is hard and stuff. Dislike, etc.
Full Disclosure #2:
I received a free advanced copy of this (*cough* release day was March 2, 2021 *cough*) in exchange for my opinions. To be fair, I have been in contact with Rhonda, so she knows this is remarkably late because REASONS.
Let’s face it: My Mini-Me has been updating more regularly than I have, hasn’t he?
Full Disclosure #3:
I love steampunk. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE. This may cause my review to be biased.
BUT ENOUGH ABOUT THAT. HERE IS THE MEAT AND POTATOES OF THIS POST.
Clockwork, Curses, and Coal is an anthology edited by Rhonda Parrish that features 14 steampunk-style retellings of fairy tales. While I could go on about how much I liked each one – and I did – I’ll concentrate on my favorites.
The Coach Girl by M.L.D. Curelas
What happens when a mechanically-minded girl bonds with the minds of the mechanisms around her? And if said girl is wrongfully, shamefully ousted from her position as a betrothed bride on the cusp of a prosperous, if arranged, marriage?
That’s what we find out in The Coach Girl, a retelling of The Goose Girl.
What stuck out to me most in this is how deeply Tara’s character resonated with me. Her situation may be foreign, sure, but someone whose life was supposed to go one way but takes a rather dramatic turn for the unexpected? I’m a bit familiar with that concept, as most of us would be.
Curelas’ interpretation and reworking of The Goose Girl is a lovely bit of steampunk western drama. Maybe because it ever-so-slightly has an air of Firefly in it (*sings* You can’t take the sky from me!), but this story stands out as my absolute favorite in the anthology. All fourteen are great, but this one resounded deeply.
A Bird Girl in the Dark of Night by Sarah Van Goethem
I also have a fondness for running away to join the circus or carnival, so long as there are no clowns in the mix. I cannot deal with clowns. Coulrophobia is a thing. I can attest to this.
There are thankfully no clowns in Van Goethem’s story, though there is a man as evil and dark as any clown. Our heroine in this, Jane, wants to rescue her sisters from the dastardly clutches of Perry Featherstone, a wonderfully villainous name if ever there were one. An apt name, too, given the story. Jane fashions herself wings in order to get into Featherstone’s sideshow to get her sisters – conjoined twins – back from him.
Icarus she is not, and the story develops in ways unexpected and brilliant.
In Summary…
Rhonda Parrish has knocked it out of the park again with a round of stories as variegated as the cogs in the clockwork creations of the steampunk subculture. I recommend this for fans of steampunk, obviously, and those who enjoy works of the lesser known authors. I think that’s one thing that always shines with her anthologies: Rhonda consistently sheds light on authors whose skills I’m happy to now be familiar with.
I am SO FAR BEHIND on this. So late. Later than a White Rabbit to a very important date.
Yeah… I have no excuse, honestly, aside from life being a complete pain in my butt, sometimes literally. Adulting is hard and stuff. Dislike, etc.
Full Disclosure #2:
I received a free advanced copy of this (*cough* release day was March 2, 2021 *cough*) in exchange for my opinions. To be fair, I have been in contact with Rhonda, so she knows this is remarkably late because REASONS.
Let’s face it: My Mini-Me has been updating more regularly than I have, hasn’t he?
Full Disclosure #3:
I love steampunk. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE. This may cause my review to be biased.
BUT ENOUGH ABOUT THAT. HERE IS THE MEAT AND POTATOES OF THIS POST.
Clockwork, Curses, and Coal is an anthology edited by Rhonda Parrish that features 14 steampunk-style retellings of fairy tales. While I could go on about how much I liked each one – and I did – I’ll concentrate on my favorites.
The Coach Girl by M.L.D. Curelas
What happens when a mechanically-minded girl bonds with the minds of the mechanisms around her? And if said girl is wrongfully, shamefully ousted from her position as a betrothed bride on the cusp of a prosperous, if arranged, marriage?
That’s what we find out in The Coach Girl, a retelling of The Goose Girl.
What stuck out to me most in this is how deeply Tara’s character resonated with me. Her situation may be foreign, sure, but someone whose life was supposed to go one way but takes a rather dramatic turn for the unexpected? I’m a bit familiar with that concept, as most of us would be.
Curelas’ interpretation and reworking of The Goose Girl is a lovely bit of steampunk western drama. Maybe because it ever-so-slightly has an air of Firefly in it (*sings* You can’t take the sky from me!), but this story stands out as my absolute favorite in the anthology. All fourteen are great, but this one resounded deeply.
A Bird Girl in the Dark of Night by Sarah Van Goethem
I also have a fondness for running away to join the circus or carnival, so long as there are no clowns in the mix. I cannot deal with clowns. Coulrophobia is a thing. I can attest to this.
There are thankfully no clowns in Van Goethem’s story, though there is a man as evil and dark as any clown. Our heroine in this, Jane, wants to rescue her sisters from the dastardly clutches of Perry Featherstone, a wonderfully villainous name if ever there were one. An apt name, too, given the story. Jane fashions herself wings in order to get into Featherstone’s sideshow to get her sisters – conjoined twins – back from him.
Icarus she is not, and the story develops in ways unexpected and brilliant.
In Summary…
Rhonda Parrish has knocked it out of the park again with a round of stories as variegated as the cogs in the clockwork creations of the steampunk subculture. I recommend this for fans of steampunk, obviously, and those who enjoy works of the lesser known authors. I think that’s one thing that always shines with her anthologies: Rhonda consistently sheds light on authors whose skills I’m happy to now be familiar with.
msoul13's review
4.0
NOTE: I won a free eBook copy of this book in MOBI format from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers (February 2021).
Prior to reading this anthology, I knew the Steampunk genre only by name. This collection of short stories not only gave me a thorough introduction to the genre, but also showed me the wide range of possibilities for adapting well-known fairy tales and folklore. I found all of the stories engaging and a pleasure to read and delighted in the original works.
My reactions to each individual story:
(1) "The Iron Revolution:" I just loved the South Asian protagonist.
(2) "Clockwork Tea:" "Pinocchio" meets that episode of "The Twilight Zone" with the ventriloquist dummy.
(3) "A Future of Towers Made:" "Rapunzel" breaks out of her tower. Such a great feminist story!
(4) "A Bird Girl In the Dark Of Night:" Not sure what fairy tale this is derived from. I detected a theme of breaking patriarchal structures.
(5) "Checkmate:" I have long thought that the world needs something better for war than armies of thousands. This story presents a possible solution; however, it is the Chess Scene from "Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone" on steroids.
(6) "Necromancy:" "The Pied Piper" meets "The Walking Dead."
(7) "Blood and Clockwork:" Original and tragic, with shades of the French Revolution.
(8) "Sappho and Erinna:" "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" with a lesbian twist? Delightful.
(9) "Divine Spark:" Kind of a neat take on how humans are viewed and valued.
(10) "The Balance of Memory:" "Hansel & Gretel" with a twist. Still processing this one.
(11) "The Giant and the Unicorn:" This Aesop adaptation absolutely warmed my heart. Probably my favorite story in the book.
(12) "Ningyō:" The Japanese setting was intriguing, but my unfamiliarity with that culture meant that some of the details were lost on me. The ending was a cliffhanger and the story feels like it is really part of a novel. Still, I appreciated the references to Pure Land Buddhism.
(13) "Father Worm:" The least steampunk of the stories in this collection, I found this apocalyptic tale full of horror and liked the subtle commentary on religion and ritual.
(14) "The Coach Girl:" Though I am a stranger to "The Goose Girl," the source material for this story, I thoroughly enjoyed this adaptation. Great feminist ending to the anthology.
Prior to reading this anthology, I knew the Steampunk genre only by name. This collection of short stories not only gave me a thorough introduction to the genre, but also showed me the wide range of possibilities for adapting well-known fairy tales and folklore. I found all of the stories engaging and a pleasure to read and delighted in the original works.
My reactions to each individual story:
(1) "The Iron Revolution:" I just loved the South Asian protagonist.
(2) "Clockwork Tea:" "Pinocchio" meets that episode of "The Twilight Zone" with the ventriloquist dummy.
(3) "A Future of Towers Made:" "Rapunzel" breaks out of her tower. Such a great feminist story!
(4) "A Bird Girl In the Dark Of Night:" Not sure what fairy tale this is derived from. I detected a theme of breaking patriarchal structures.
(5) "Checkmate:" I have long thought that the world needs something better for war than armies of thousands. This story presents a possible solution; however, it is the Chess Scene from "Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone" on steroids.
(6) "Necromancy:" "The Pied Piper" meets "The Walking Dead."
(7) "Blood and Clockwork:" Original and tragic, with shades of the French Revolution.
(8) "Sappho and Erinna:" "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" with a lesbian twist? Delightful.
(9) "Divine Spark:" Kind of a neat take on how humans are viewed and valued.
(10) "The Balance of Memory:" "Hansel & Gretel" with a twist. Still processing this one.
(11) "The Giant and the Unicorn:" This Aesop adaptation absolutely warmed my heart. Probably my favorite story in the book.
(12) "Ningyō:" The Japanese setting was intriguing, but my unfamiliarity with that culture meant that some of the details were lost on me. The ending was a cliffhanger and the story feels like it is really part of a novel. Still, I appreciated the references to Pure Land Buddhism.
(13) "Father Worm:" The least steampunk of the stories in this collection, I found this apocalyptic tale full of horror and liked the subtle commentary on religion and ritual.
(14) "The Coach Girl:" Though I am a stranger to "The Goose Girl," the source material for this story, I thoroughly enjoyed this adaptation. Great feminist ending to the anthology.
gwenythlove's review
4.0
Very good collection of short stories. I very much enjoyed the majority of them.
Full review on my blog:
https://rantsnscribbles.blogspot.com/2021/03/review-clockwork-curses-and-coal-by.html
My Thoughts:
I don't read a lot of short stories because I prefer to really immerse myself in a story and really get to know my characters, and I find I often can't do that when it's a short piece. I was drawn to this collection because of the Steampunk theme, and the whole idea of gaslamp, which I had never heard of before. According to the introduction, gaslamp fantasy is "set in the same Victorian/Edwardian era as steampunk, but with a focus less on tech and more on the supernatural and magic. Often with an obvious gothic influence." So of course I had to check this out, and I don't regret it for a moment!
The editor warned that some of the stories might be dark, and she assumes this is because of the whole COVID thing going on while she was choosing the stories for the collection. Boy was she right! Some of these stories are D-A-R-K! I am going to break the collection down by story, but let me start off by saying that the collection of 14 stories as a whole was very well done, enjoyable, and entertaining. I loved the twists on many of the fairy tales.
The Iron Revolution by Christina Ruth Johnson
This story picks parts of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and The Princess and the Pea, wrapping them all neatly into a very well written and enjoyable tale. It does a very good job of showing the sexism of the time (1851). "Not many ask the girls if they want to go, but they all do anyway." The racism of the time is also emphasized as the girls in the story are split into two groups, girls of "porcelain skin" and girls with "darker complexions and more vivid fabrics." The story is filled with beautiful descriptions and is very visual. I loved how unique each girl is and how they are described by looks and talent. Unfortunately I found the story quite predictable and the ending quite rushed. I never really felt the connection that seems to be implied by the end. A good story, but could have been better.
Clockwork Tea by Joseph Halden
This story was one of my least liked stories. I understand the time and place they are writing about, but it still comes off a little racist to me. I also found the writing style very awkward and hard to get a good reading flow with, which in turn made it hard to enjoy. It was very dark and disturbing, which isn't a bad thing, seeing this evolution of what basically turns out to be a serial killer of sorts. He even keeps souvenirs like a serial killer would. There were some Pinocchio undertones that the author tried to work in, I am just not sure it really works. An odd little tale to be sure.
A Future of Towers Made by Beth Cato
I enjoyed this reimagining of Rapunzel. In this tale Rapunzel is a brilliant young woman trapped in an unhappy and abusive marriage where her husband steals all of her ideas and markets them as his own. Rapunzel, with the help of her dear friend, comes up with a plan to keep her most recent invention under her own name, and escape her marriage. It is a very well written story of feminism and standing up for yourself, and I loved every moment of it. I will have to look for more of Beth Cato's work.
A Bird Girl in the Dark of Night by Sarah Van Goethem
This story was another one I didn't enjoy very much. It was very dark as well, which I don't mind, and intriguing, but it was just all very odd. I suspected the twist that comes up near the end of the story, so I wasn't surprised. I did however kind of like the feeling of female empowerment that was brought up near the end, and I like the way certain things worked out, but it was all just a little too weird for me, and it did leave me with some questions not answered.
Checkmate by Brian Trent
I enjoyed this story so much I wanted more. I would read a whole novel, maybe even an entire series, set in this world. The world building was just so well done. It was intriguing and dark. I want to know how it got to be the way it is. I want to know so much more! Edward's character was well done and I understood his motivations for what he does, which makes the ending make sense. I expected the very ending, but that didn't take away from the enjoyment for me in this story because it was so well done. Brian, please tell me there is more!
Necromancy by Melissa Bobe
Where to start with this story? There is so much going on, and all of it wonderful. It's a dark and mysterious reimaging of the Pied Piper tale. The plague is attacking all the women of town, but what exactly is the plague? It's not what you would expect. I don't want to spoil it, but it fits the time and works really well for this dark story. There is so much I want to comment on, but with short stories it's hard to say much without basically giving away the whole story. Just read it! The writing is beautiful, the story is well written, and I loved the end. I will be looking for more of Melissa Bobe's work for sure.
Blood and Clockwork by Wendy Nikel
This story is one of my favorites in the collection. I read it so quickly. I didn't even stop to take notes! As was typical in this collection the story is very intriguing, and very dark. It was a little predictable at parts, but it was so well written, and just so damn good, that the predictableness of it is forgivable.
Sappho and Erinna by Lex T. Lindsay
This story is a very well done reimaging of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. I loved all of the characters in this story, each one was their own character that stood out from each other. I really loved the end.
Divine Spark by Diana Hurlburt
I didn't enjoy this story at all. The writing style was very awkward and I just couldn't get into the story at all. It had a kind of Frankenstein feel to it, which is too bad as the original is one of my favorite novels. Overall I found this story very confusing and not enjoyable at all.
The Balance of Memory by Reese Hogan
This story was a very interesting and very well written reimaging of Hansel and Gretel. There isn't a whole lot I can say without giving things away, but I was intrigued right away. I likened it almost immediately to someone who is dealing with identity issues, only to later discover that the author is non-binary, so they obviously have a very strong understanding of this. I still was left feeling like I was missing something at the end, but maybe that is the way it was meant to be.
The Giant and the Unicorn by Alethea Kontis
The beginning of this story threw me off a bit as it was written like a steampunk version of the bible. Some might find if offensive, just as a warning, but it didn't bother me. It was just odd. The rest of the story is a reimagining of The Lion and the Mouse. It was a cute little tale, but awkward in places, and a little predictable, but still an enjoyable read.
Ningyo by Laura VanArendonk Baugh
This story starts out on what we later learn is an airship, but I originally thought it was a regular ship. I was glad that section was very short as all the sailing terminology was starting to irritate me, all the unfamiliar words pulling me out of the story. The rest of the story made up for the beginning though. Overall it was an intriguing and entertaining story with interesting characters.
Father Worm by Adam Breckenridge
This story was dark and odd, and very difficult to read with its run on sentences and awkward writing style. The only thing I really liked about this story was the one quote: "Even if the trip didn't reinvigorate her old friend, she would not let her duties as captain keep her from the obligation all keepers of animals have to see their beloved companions through to their deaths." As a loyal pet owner this is something I feel strongly about. Overall it was a very strange story, with an equally odd ending. I did not find it enjoyable.
The Coach Girl by M.L.D. Curelas
For some reason I didn't take any notes while I read this story. I do remember enjoying it quite a bit, even though parts of it were very predictable. I think my favorite part of it is that there is no man needed to rescue the main character, and I remember being intrigued to figure out how she was going to get out of the mess she was in. Very well done and enjoyable.
I am not going to do pros and cons as it is very story dependent, but it was a very good collection and I am glad I took the time to read it.
Full review on my blog:
https://rantsnscribbles.blogspot.com/2021/03/review-clockwork-curses-and-coal-by.html
My Thoughts:
I don't read a lot of short stories because I prefer to really immerse myself in a story and really get to know my characters, and I find I often can't do that when it's a short piece. I was drawn to this collection because of the Steampunk theme, and the whole idea of gaslamp, which I had never heard of before. According to the introduction, gaslamp fantasy is "set in the same Victorian/Edwardian era as steampunk, but with a focus less on tech and more on the supernatural and magic. Often with an obvious gothic influence." So of course I had to check this out, and I don't regret it for a moment!
The editor warned that some of the stories might be dark, and she assumes this is because of the whole COVID thing going on while she was choosing the stories for the collection. Boy was she right! Some of these stories are D-A-R-K! I am going to break the collection down by story, but let me start off by saying that the collection of 14 stories as a whole was very well done, enjoyable, and entertaining. I loved the twists on many of the fairy tales.
The Iron Revolution by Christina Ruth Johnson
This story picks parts of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and The Princess and the Pea, wrapping them all neatly into a very well written and enjoyable tale. It does a very good job of showing the sexism of the time (1851). "Not many ask the girls if they want to go, but they all do anyway." The racism of the time is also emphasized as the girls in the story are split into two groups, girls of "porcelain skin" and girls with "darker complexions and more vivid fabrics." The story is filled with beautiful descriptions and is very visual. I loved how unique each girl is and how they are described by looks and talent. Unfortunately I found the story quite predictable and the ending quite rushed. I never really felt the connection that seems to be implied by the end. A good story, but could have been better.
Clockwork Tea by Joseph Halden
This story was one of my least liked stories. I understand the time and place they are writing about, but it still comes off a little racist to me. I also found the writing style very awkward and hard to get a good reading flow with, which in turn made it hard to enjoy. It was very dark and disturbing, which isn't a bad thing, seeing this evolution of what basically turns out to be a serial killer of sorts. He even keeps souvenirs like a serial killer would. There were some Pinocchio undertones that the author tried to work in, I am just not sure it really works. An odd little tale to be sure.
A Future of Towers Made by Beth Cato
I enjoyed this reimagining of Rapunzel. In this tale Rapunzel is a brilliant young woman trapped in an unhappy and abusive marriage where her husband steals all of her ideas and markets them as his own. Rapunzel, with the help of her dear friend, comes up with a plan to keep her most recent invention under her own name, and escape her marriage. It is a very well written story of feminism and standing up for yourself, and I loved every moment of it. I will have to look for more of Beth Cato's work.
A Bird Girl in the Dark of Night by Sarah Van Goethem
This story was another one I didn't enjoy very much. It was very dark as well, which I don't mind, and intriguing, but it was just all very odd. I suspected the twist that comes up near the end of the story, so I wasn't surprised. I did however kind of like the feeling of female empowerment that was brought up near the end, and I like the way certain things worked out, but it was all just a little too weird for me, and it did leave me with some questions not answered.
Checkmate by Brian Trent
I enjoyed this story so much I wanted more. I would read a whole novel, maybe even an entire series, set in this world. The world building was just so well done. It was intriguing and dark. I want to know how it got to be the way it is. I want to know so much more! Edward's character was well done and I understood his motivations for what he does, which makes the ending make sense. I expected the very ending, but that didn't take away from the enjoyment for me in this story because it was so well done. Brian, please tell me there is more!
Necromancy by Melissa Bobe
Where to start with this story? There is so much going on, and all of it wonderful. It's a dark and mysterious reimaging of the Pied Piper tale. The plague is attacking all the women of town, but what exactly is the plague? It's not what you would expect. I don't want to spoil it, but it fits the time and works really well for this dark story. There is so much I want to comment on, but with short stories it's hard to say much without basically giving away the whole story. Just read it! The writing is beautiful, the story is well written, and I loved the end. I will be looking for more of Melissa Bobe's work for sure.
Blood and Clockwork by Wendy Nikel
This story is one of my favorites in the collection. I read it so quickly. I didn't even stop to take notes! As was typical in this collection the story is very intriguing, and very dark. It was a little predictable at parts, but it was so well written, and just so damn good, that the predictableness of it is forgivable.
Sappho and Erinna by Lex T. Lindsay
This story is a very well done reimaging of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. I loved all of the characters in this story, each one was their own character that stood out from each other. I really loved the end.
Divine Spark by Diana Hurlburt
I didn't enjoy this story at all. The writing style was very awkward and I just couldn't get into the story at all. It had a kind of Frankenstein feel to it, which is too bad as the original is one of my favorite novels. Overall I found this story very confusing and not enjoyable at all.
The Balance of Memory by Reese Hogan
This story was a very interesting and very well written reimaging of Hansel and Gretel. There isn't a whole lot I can say without giving things away, but I was intrigued right away. I likened it almost immediately to someone who is dealing with identity issues, only to later discover that the author is non-binary, so they obviously have a very strong understanding of this. I still was left feeling like I was missing something at the end, but maybe that is the way it was meant to be.
The Giant and the Unicorn by Alethea Kontis
The beginning of this story threw me off a bit as it was written like a steampunk version of the bible. Some might find if offensive, just as a warning, but it didn't bother me. It was just odd. The rest of the story is a reimagining of The Lion and the Mouse. It was a cute little tale, but awkward in places, and a little predictable, but still an enjoyable read.
Ningyo by Laura VanArendonk Baugh
This story starts out on what we later learn is an airship, but I originally thought it was a regular ship. I was glad that section was very short as all the sailing terminology was starting to irritate me, all the unfamiliar words pulling me out of the story. The rest of the story made up for the beginning though. Overall it was an intriguing and entertaining story with interesting characters.
Father Worm by Adam Breckenridge
This story was dark and odd, and very difficult to read with its run on sentences and awkward writing style. The only thing I really liked about this story was the one quote: "Even if the trip didn't reinvigorate her old friend, she would not let her duties as captain keep her from the obligation all keepers of animals have to see their beloved companions through to their deaths." As a loyal pet owner this is something I feel strongly about. Overall it was a very strange story, with an equally odd ending. I did not find it enjoyable.
The Coach Girl by M.L.D. Curelas
For some reason I didn't take any notes while I read this story. I do remember enjoying it quite a bit, even though parts of it were very predictable. I think my favorite part of it is that there is no man needed to rescue the main character, and I remember being intrigued to figure out how she was going to get out of the mess she was in. Very well done and enjoyable.
I am not going to do pros and cons as it is very story dependent, but it was a very good collection and I am glad I took the time to read it.
theartofgoldsorrow's review
4.0
This book is such a sweet and magical bunch of stories. If you love short story collections at all, then I know you’ll enjoy this. I was fascinated by the steampunk twist on it. Steampunk has always been such an interesting concept to me, and I’d always thought of it as more of an aesthetic until I read this book. It was fascinating, and I know I’ll be thinking about this one for a while.
Every single story has something wonderful about it, and through the fairytales the authors address beauty, death, sorrow, and everything else you could possibly think of. I’ll cherish these stories, I can tell. They have the same feel of the stories you were told when you were a kid; the whimsical and magical truth only emphasized by its fantastical nature.
The book is already out, and I do recommend you guys read it!
It’s a 3.5 rounded up!
Every single story has something wonderful about it, and through the fairytales the authors address beauty, death, sorrow, and everything else you could possibly think of. I’ll cherish these stories, I can tell. They have the same feel of the stories you were told when you were a kid; the whimsical and magical truth only emphasized by its fantastical nature.
The book is already out, and I do recommend you guys read it!
It’s a 3.5 rounded up!
bookishstephaniek's review
I love the idea of this book. The steampunk fairytales. But overall, it just wasn't for me. I'm not really a short story person because I enjoy reading to really get to know characters and short stories just doesn't quite get there for me personally. That being said, I can see this being really enjoyable for people that do really like short stories. Figuring out which fairytale is being rewritten. The fun crossover between magic and technology. And it is well written.
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