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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This sampling of Steampunk shorts prides itself on avoiding the staples of Victorian England, showcasing locales and times from the battlefields of ancient Rome to modern-day American suburbia. The Kelly Link, Holly Black, Garth Nix, and Cassandra Clare shorts stood out as particular highlights, while others left me cold...but the brevity and tight focus of this anthology mean it's easy enough to dip in and out of the tiny worlds at one's leisure. A good primer, although it did feel overwhelmingly white and straight in its focus: a pity.
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Mixed bag of short fiction.
Some Fortunate Future Day : Cassandra Clare : weird.
The Last Ride of the Glory Girls : Libba Bray : weird, but good.
Clockwork Fagin : Cory Doctorow : good.
Seven Days Beset by Demons : Shawn Cheng : weird. okay.
Hand in Glove : Ysabeau S. Wilce : good.
Ghost of Cwmleh Manor : Delia Sherman : bad, did not finish.
Gethsemane : Elizabeth Knox : good.
The summer people : Kelly Link : too weird.
Peace in our time : Garth Nix : good.
Nowhere Fast : Christopher Rowe : quite good.
Finishing School : Kathleen Jennings : no. just no.
Steam Girl : Dylan Horrocks : good.
Everything available and obliging : Holly Black : eh.
Oracle Engine : M.T. Anderson : excellent.
Some Fortunate Future Day : Cassandra Clare : weird.
The Last Ride of the Glory Girls : Libba Bray : weird, but good.
Clockwork Fagin : Cory Doctorow : good.
Seven Days Beset by Demons : Shawn Cheng : weird. okay.
Hand in Glove : Ysabeau S. Wilce : good.
Ghost of Cwmleh Manor : Delia Sherman : bad, did not finish.
Gethsemane : Elizabeth Knox : good.
The summer people : Kelly Link : too weird.
Peace in our time : Garth Nix : good.
Nowhere Fast : Christopher Rowe : quite good.
Finishing School : Kathleen Jennings : no. just no.
Steam Girl : Dylan Horrocks : good.
Everything available and obliging : Holly Black : eh.
Oracle Engine : M.T. Anderson : excellent.
Anthology of steampunk stories, seemingly written for this collection: set in a variety of times and places, from ancient Rome to modern New Zealand suburbia, these stories range from Victorian melodrama to adventure and mystical fantasy.
Even tho this is shelved in the Teen area, I thought this might be an interesting delving into this whole genre that I haven't really sampled yet (tho I've read the "original" steam punk stories of Verne and Wells, and Moorcock's Victorian sci-fi books in the 70s). However, almost all of the stories are about teens and from a teenager's perspective; entertaining, but not sure if I can base whether I like the genre on what I've sampled so far. I need to find some denser steampunk to see what I think of it all. Call me "Steampunk Curious."
Even tho this is shelved in the Teen area, I thought this might be an interesting delving into this whole genre that I haven't really sampled yet (tho I've read the "original" steam punk stories of Verne and Wells, and Moorcock's Victorian sci-fi books in the 70s). However, almost all of the stories are about teens and from a teenager's perspective; entertaining, but not sure if I can base whether I like the genre on what I've sampled so far. I need to find some denser steampunk to see what I think of it all. Call me "Steampunk Curious."
Rating a book of short stories is hard. I liked a few of the stories and didn't like a few. I did discover I'm not really a fan of steampunk. I think it's the words used to name some of the robots and clockwork things. Each story changes what they are called and how they work. But I'm glad I got out of my comfort zone to read something new and different.
This collection of Steampunk stories mostly avoid Victorian England and range from the Roman Empire to the future. They are generally quite good, though not all of course. I especially enjoyed Dylan Horrock's Steam Girl and Cory Doctorow's Clockwork Fagin.
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.