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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
This was a stronger anthology than many of the ones I have read recently. All of the stories were readable, and I didn't feel like I was missing something from a story that was linked to a larger series. As you can guess from the title, the stories were organized around a steampunk theme. That said, some stories were better aligned with the theme than others. I'm not sure that I would personally consider the inclusion of a single device or technical element to make something steampunk, but so it goes. The inclusion of two graphic stories was a fun touch, and they had good placement within the anthology. Interesting blend of stories here.
I picked up this book because I'm intrigued by Steampunk, and would like to know more about it. I love the look, I find the concept fascinating.
After reading the stories in this anthology, I'm still a little puzzled about how Steampunk plays out. In general, I enjoyed them, I'm just not certain they all met my image of what Steampunk is.
Steampunk meets the Wild West seems like an interesting variant-- the same time period but another location. Steampunk meets ancient prophets and Steampunk meets the Faery world seemed like an interesting something else (I loved the Faery Story, it was one of my favorites in the book).
I think I need to look up a definitive Steampunk work, and base my genre impressions off of that instead.
After reading the stories in this anthology, I'm still a little puzzled about how Steampunk plays out. In general, I enjoyed them, I'm just not certain they all met my image of what Steampunk is.
Steampunk meets the Wild West seems like an interesting variant-- the same time period but another location. Steampunk meets ancient prophets and Steampunk meets the Faery world seemed like an interesting something else (I loved the Faery Story, it was one of my favorites in the book).
I think I need to look up a definitive Steampunk work, and base my genre impressions off of that instead.
I don't buy / read anthologies. Nothing against authors that take part in them. It's just that in the past, say, five years or so, I've purchased exactly one of them - I was so excited as there was an author or two I wanted to read it in it. By the end of it I'd felt I spent full price for on a book of abut 15 stories for about 3 short stories I REALLY liked and the rest I'd not care if I never read again.
Still when this popped up in Vine, well... Thing is I like Steampunk art and jewelry. I've never read a book that would be classified as Steampunk though I think somewhere on my Kindle I may have one or two waiting. In this case an anthology should be perfect. I don't know anything about any of the authors. It's a YA collection (a genre I love). if one story isn't great, who cares, maybe I'll like the next one better and if by the end of this book I didn't like any of them? Welp then Steampunk, in its written format, not for me. I saw it as a test sampler in this case.
The YA category is definitely appropriate but I can also see people who do not like YA enjoying most, if not all, of these stories. I'm struggling to think of a story that would be inappropriate for an even slightly younger audience. Some might be a little above a younger audiences heads but I think most, if not all of them, are fine. There is a story where a boy mentioned playing with Barbies (something some parents get iffy about but I'd be fine with - the whole gender "appropriate" thing being touched upon) and there is bullying in the same story, including a boy who bullies girl (Steam Girl). There's violence in some stories, mentions of wars, kids who are treated poorly, etc. BUT none of it is any more graphic than books, cartoons, movies, etc. the 9-12 age group usually include.
There are plenty of mechanical people, toys and gadgets made of cogs and gears and the like. Stories where fingerprinting is new fangled technology. Aeroplanes are but dreams of mad people.
14 stories in all. 12 are plain text, 2 are comic format. Yes, some you will surely like better than others, I know I did. None were what I would call bad. Some were so good that I ran off to look up the authors individually.
Still when this popped up in Vine, well... Thing is I like Steampunk art and jewelry. I've never read a book that would be classified as Steampunk though I think somewhere on my Kindle I may have one or two waiting. In this case an anthology should be perfect. I don't know anything about any of the authors. It's a YA collection (a genre I love). if one story isn't great, who cares, maybe I'll like the next one better and if by the end of this book I didn't like any of them? Welp then Steampunk, in its written format, not for me. I saw it as a test sampler in this case.
The YA category is definitely appropriate but I can also see people who do not like YA enjoying most, if not all, of these stories. I'm struggling to think of a story that would be inappropriate for an even slightly younger audience. Some might be a little above a younger audiences heads but I think most, if not all of them, are fine. There is a story where a boy mentioned playing with Barbies (something some parents get iffy about but I'd be fine with - the whole gender "appropriate" thing being touched upon) and there is bullying in the same story, including a boy who bullies girl (Steam Girl). There's violence in some stories, mentions of wars, kids who are treated poorly, etc. BUT none of it is any more graphic than books, cartoons, movies, etc. the 9-12 age group usually include.
There are plenty of mechanical people, toys and gadgets made of cogs and gears and the like. Stories where fingerprinting is new fangled technology. Aeroplanes are but dreams of mad people.
14 stories in all. 12 are plain text, 2 are comic format. Yes, some you will surely like better than others, I know I did. None were what I would call bad. Some were so good that I ran off to look up the authors individually.
This was an alright read and way out of my normal genre...I don't care for many dystopian type novels...(there are a few, but very few exceptions)...this read was an extremely pleasant surprise.
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.
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.
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.
_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...
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.
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.