A review by laura_txt
The Sea Is Ours: Tales from Steampunk Southeast Asia by Joyce Chng

4.0

A wonderful, refreshing anthology. As with many anthologies, this is a bit of a mixed bag, with some stories much more engaging than others, but every one was interesting nonetheless. Saying that there is something for every taste sounds like a tired cliché, but it's true. The result is cohesive without being boring, and diversified without being inconsistent. In particular, it was a breath of fresh air to read steampunk stories that aren't rooted in imperialism and colonialism, and further that actually combat it (often literally). I found that the book wasn't impervious to non-South Asian readers (such as me), without attempting to target that readership specifically, which would have made it artificial and stale. Overall, I felt it was masterfully done, and a book that can be read many times over.