Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
well, i liked 7/14. half. so i guess i half liked it alot. thats the problem with anthologies. they arent made by me. haha.
but out of the stories i liked, i really liked.
from the stories, i didnt understand, let me just tell you something. just becuase you have the word anamaton or zepplin doesnt make you a steampunk story. it just doesnt.
some fortunate future day was real good because it was macabre and a but messed up.
the last ride of the glory girls was awesome! the plot was great and it was really rich.
clockwork fagin was my absolute favorite. that was amazing. everything that happened was so creepy and well thought out. i was really impressed. especially becuase i didnt want to read it. i didnt want to read a steampunk version of oliver, but it really wasnt. it was great.
seven days beset by demons was awkwardly drawn and short and made me feel awkward.
hand in glove took me forever to read. but it was actually good when i finally finished it, albiet frustrating.
the ghost of cwmlech manor was okay. but thats it. nothing really memorable.
i was really really confused by gethsemane. i felt like i was reading a translated work. i was just lost so often that im not even really sure what happened in the first place.
the summer people was another one that took me forever to read. and the ending confused me. and the whole idea of the summer people was confusing. and every time ophelia spoke i was confused. it was like the story wanted to be set a long time ago, but they kept using modern references. so that was blurry.
peace in our time was pointless. like i dont even understand what happened. a girl comes and threatens this old man who helped destroy the world then randomly hes like "THE NOISE!" and foams at the mouth and dies. its like ooookay wtf?
nowhere fast was lame. again, why should i care?
finishing school was okay. too histrionic though.
steam girl was confusing. i couldnt figure out if she was pretending of it actually was her or what. and i think it was a great idea, i just wish it went somewhere else. like i wish she hung herself or something. like that sounds awful, and dont get me wrong, shes a cool character, but i thought it would have been cool if she was insane. haha
everything amiable and oblinging was fantastic. i love holly black. i love everything she does. but even the story was so interesting. the question of are they actually alive? was really strong and made me think. it had some irobot elements. it was pretty cool.
the oracle engine, so confused. was it translated? or what? either way it was too long and not very satisfying. i dont feel like ultimate revenge is the same as personal revenge. like if they have captured marcus furius and made him watch it fall to ruins it would have pleased me more than he just dies. cuz then i feel like he failed as a character. he didnt achive anything in his ultimate plan, and nothing ever came of the oracle machine. it just sat in a warehouse and the other countries were like pft silly roman magic. even though it was an acurate oracle.
overall, im glad i got it. it is really the first steampunk anthology and steampunk, although not new, is an upcoming genre. so to be here when it really starts up is special.
but out of the stories i liked, i really liked.
from the stories, i didnt understand, let me just tell you something. just becuase you have the word anamaton or zepplin doesnt make you a steampunk story. it just doesnt.
some fortunate future day was real good because it was macabre and a but messed up.
the last ride of the glory girls was awesome! the plot was great and it was really rich.
clockwork fagin was my absolute favorite. that was amazing. everything that happened was so creepy and well thought out. i was really impressed. especially becuase i didnt want to read it. i didnt want to read a steampunk version of oliver, but it really wasnt. it was great.
seven days beset by demons was awkwardly drawn and short and made me feel awkward.
hand in glove took me forever to read. but it was actually good when i finally finished it, albiet frustrating.
the ghost of cwmlech manor was okay. but thats it. nothing really memorable.
i was really really confused by gethsemane. i felt like i was reading a translated work. i was just lost so often that im not even really sure what happened in the first place.
the summer people was another one that took me forever to read. and the ending confused me. and the whole idea of the summer people was confusing. and every time ophelia spoke i was confused. it was like the story wanted to be set a long time ago, but they kept using modern references. so that was blurry.
peace in our time was pointless. like i dont even understand what happened. a girl comes and threatens this old man who helped destroy the world then randomly hes like "THE NOISE!" and foams at the mouth and dies. its like ooookay wtf?
nowhere fast was lame. again, why should i care?
finishing school was okay. too histrionic though.
steam girl was confusing. i couldnt figure out if she was pretending of it actually was her or what. and i think it was a great idea, i just wish it went somewhere else. like i wish she hung herself or something. like that sounds awful, and dont get me wrong, shes a cool character, but i thought it would have been cool if she was insane. haha
everything amiable and oblinging was fantastic. i love holly black. i love everything she does. but even the story was so interesting. the question of are they actually alive? was really strong and made me think. it had some irobot elements. it was pretty cool.
the oracle engine, so confused. was it translated? or what? either way it was too long and not very satisfying. i dont feel like ultimate revenge is the same as personal revenge. like if they have captured marcus furius and made him watch it fall to ruins it would have pleased me more than he just dies. cuz then i feel like he failed as a character. he didnt achive anything in his ultimate plan, and nothing ever came of the oracle machine. it just sat in a warehouse and the other countries were like pft silly roman magic. even though it was an acurate oracle.
overall, im glad i got it. it is really the first steampunk anthology and steampunk, although not new, is an upcoming genre. so to be here when it really starts up is special.
http://librarianaut.com/2013/03/20/book-review-steampunk-an-anthology-of-fantastically-rich-and-strange-stories/
Anthologies are kind of tricky to rate, because they're as excellent as their best stories and as crummy as their worst. Fortunately, this anthology has plenty of great stories in it; my favourites are Clockwork Fagin, Finishing School (mostly because it's set in Brisbane), Nowhere Fast, and Steam Girl. Also, I really liked that nearly all of these stories took steampunk to places outside of Victorian England.
This was my first exposure to Steampunk and it was very interesting. My favorite stories in the collection (whether they are actually part of the steampunk genre is beyond me) are as follows: "The Last Ride of the Glory Girls" by Libba Bray (who also wrote Beauty Queens), "Hand in Glove" by Ysabeau S. Wilce, "The Summer People" by Kelly Link, and "Steam Girl" by Dylan Horrocks.
I cannot say that I hated this book, but I also cannot say that I loved it. There were a few stories I enjoyed, but there were several that made me feel a bit bored. I skipped over a couple and admittedly did not really enjoy the comics. I think that the short story format did not really do some of the stories justice. Also, I've never read anything steampunk before, so I might not be used to this new genre.
All this being said, some of the stories were really good and I did enjoy some of the authors' writing styles. I will most likely search out novel length versions of their works.
Story breakdown:
[a:Cassandra Clare|150038|Cassandra Clare|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1270502031p2/150038.jpg], “Some Fortunate Future Day”
I really liked this one. A little creepy and very interesting.
[a:Libba Bray|2526|Libba Bray|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1206563678p2/2526.jpg], “The Last Ride of the Glory Girls”
A mix of the old west and girl power. This is one of those that could have been longer. Even at its current length it was still a fun read.
[a:Cory Doctorow|12581|Cory Doctorow|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1212526024p2/12581.jpg], “Clockwork Fagin”
A fun twist on the Oliver story. Nicely written, though at some times I was a bit put of by Monty.
[a:Shawn Cheng|4089004|Shawn Cheng|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66-251a730d696018971ef4a443cdeaae05.jpg], “Seven Days Beset by Demons” (comic)
A short little comic that depicts the seven deadly sins. The story was interesting and odd.
[a:Ysabeau Wilce|133908|Ysabeau S. Wilce|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1319486647p2/133908.jpg], “Hand in Glove”
Do not take this one seriously. It really is quite humorous and didn't feel nearly as depressing as the others. There was a talking monkey, so that pleased me.
[a:Delia Sherman|24|Delia Sherman|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-F-50x66-2a9d702c2a0f483c9f7dd119cc28a9a7.jpg], “The Ghost of Cwmlech Manor”
This is one that I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it. I like the mix of the supernatural and the technological, but the story wasn't all that fascinating.
[a:Elizabeth Knox|91085|Elizabeth Knox|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1241088778p2/91085.jpg], “Gethsemene”
Like the previous story, this one leaves me mixed. I like the intertwining stories, but at times it became a bit too mixed up.
[a:Kelly Link|24902|Kelly Link|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1219070642p2/24902.jpg], “The Summer People”
I tried finishing this one. I really did. I just didn't enjoy it, so I didn't finish it.
[a:Garth Nix|8347|Garth Nix|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1207583754p2/8347.jpg], “Peace in Our Time”
It was able to keep my interest to the end, but I still didn't enjoy it. It just lacked something to make me really care about any of it.
[a:Christopher Rowe|4690580|Christopher Rowe|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1299200573p2/4690580.jpg], “Nowhere Fast”
Interesting little story about our dependence on fossil fuels. The characters were okay. I'm more interested in the background of the story than the characters that are introduced.
[a:Kathleen Jennings|3405063|Kathleen Jennings|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66-251a730d696018971ef4a443cdeaae05.jpg], “Finishing School” (comic)
I had a hard time getting into this one and really cannot remember what happened.
[a:Dylan Horrocks|42127|Dylan Horrocks|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1330197652p2/42127.jpg], “Steam Girl”
This was one of my favorites. I liked the characters. I liked the inability to tell whether or not she is delusional or lost in a dimension so distant from her own.
[a:Holly Black|25422|Holly Black|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1261867163p2/25422.jpg], “Everything Amiable and Obliging”
I really liked this one. It questions whether or not automatons can feel and even brings up human beings and a loss of choice.
[a:M.T. Anderson|31688|M.T. Anderson|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1247706514p2/31688.jpg], "The Oracle Engine"
This is the other story I was unable to finish. I really didn't enjoy the way it was written.
All this being said, some of the stories were really good and I did enjoy some of the authors' writing styles. I will most likely search out novel length versions of their works.
Story breakdown:
[a:Cassandra Clare|150038|Cassandra Clare|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1270502031p2/150038.jpg], “Some Fortunate Future Day”
I really liked this one. A little creepy and very interesting.
[a:Libba Bray|2526|Libba Bray|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1206563678p2/2526.jpg], “The Last Ride of the Glory Girls”
A mix of the old west and girl power. This is one of those that could have been longer. Even at its current length it was still a fun read.
[a:Cory Doctorow|12581|Cory Doctorow|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1212526024p2/12581.jpg], “Clockwork Fagin”
A fun twist on the Oliver story. Nicely written, though at some times I was a bit put of by Monty.
[a:Shawn Cheng|4089004|Shawn Cheng|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66-251a730d696018971ef4a443cdeaae05.jpg], “Seven Days Beset by Demons” (comic)
A short little comic that depicts the seven deadly sins. The story was interesting and odd.
[a:Ysabeau Wilce|133908|Ysabeau S. Wilce|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1319486647p2/133908.jpg], “Hand in Glove”
Do not take this one seriously. It really is quite humorous and didn't feel nearly as depressing as the others. There was a talking monkey, so that pleased me.
[a:Delia Sherman|24|Delia Sherman|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-F-50x66-2a9d702c2a0f483c9f7dd119cc28a9a7.jpg], “The Ghost of Cwmlech Manor”
This is one that I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it. I like the mix of the supernatural and the technological, but the story wasn't all that fascinating.
[a:Elizabeth Knox|91085|Elizabeth Knox|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1241088778p2/91085.jpg], “Gethsemene”
Like the previous story, this one leaves me mixed. I like the intertwining stories, but at times it became a bit too mixed up.
[a:Kelly Link|24902|Kelly Link|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1219070642p2/24902.jpg], “The Summer People”
I tried finishing this one. I really did. I just didn't enjoy it, so I didn't finish it.
[a:Garth Nix|8347|Garth Nix|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1207583754p2/8347.jpg], “Peace in Our Time”
It was able to keep my interest to the end, but I still didn't enjoy it. It just lacked something to make me really care about any of it.
[a:Christopher Rowe|4690580|Christopher Rowe|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1299200573p2/4690580.jpg], “Nowhere Fast”
Interesting little story about our dependence on fossil fuels. The characters were okay. I'm more interested in the background of the story than the characters that are introduced.
[a:Kathleen Jennings|3405063|Kathleen Jennings|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66-251a730d696018971ef4a443cdeaae05.jpg], “Finishing School” (comic)
I had a hard time getting into this one and really cannot remember what happened.
[a:Dylan Horrocks|42127|Dylan Horrocks|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1330197652p2/42127.jpg], “Steam Girl”
This was one of my favorites. I liked the characters. I liked the inability to tell whether or not she is delusional or lost in a dimension so distant from her own.
[a:Holly Black|25422|Holly Black|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1261867163p2/25422.jpg], “Everything Amiable and Obliging”
I really liked this one. It questions whether or not automatons can feel and even brings up human beings and a loss of choice.
[a:M.T. Anderson|31688|M.T. Anderson|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1247706514p2/31688.jpg], "The Oracle Engine"
This is the other story I was unable to finish. I really didn't enjoy the way it was written.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A really fun little collection of Steampunk stories! Loved it.
There are some terrific stories in this collection. Even when they turn dark and gruesome, they still somehow exemplify the playful, romantic spirit that has always attracted me to the genre. What a fun read!
Read about 6 stories so far. All varying shades of fantastic.