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A review by marimoose
Corsets & Clockwork: 13 Steampunk Romances by Trisha Telep
4.0
(OMG YES. I CAN ACTUALLY PUT CHOCOLATE METAPHOR TO GOOD USE. BEAR WITH ME.)
Short stories are usually a mixed box of chocolates. Someone might like the one with the caramel inside and despise the nougat with coconut shavings. Another person might hate the entire box altogether (but the fact one would hate chocolate makes me wonder WHY said person has that kind of box in possession...). And the last person just says "CHOCOLATES?! YESSSSS!"
Needless to say I fall into the latter category.
I enjoyed all the stories to a certain degree. Of course I can't say I enjoyed them all in equal amounts, because some certainly did stand out more than others. But it's steampunk. As Trisha Telep asked her readers to "come for the steam, stay for the punk," I did just that. I'm a long-time fan of this little niche in the scifi-fantasy world, and I'm only too happy that I'm discovering gems like this through goodreads-stalking my friends' lists, and through random Google searches of "steampunk books." I've also managed to add to my to-reads pile with authors whose short stories I absolutely enjoyed. Anyway, here are just a few things to say about my faves:
"Rude Mechanicals" - It was the first story, sure, but it was one great way to start. It was quite tragic, and quite romantic, and the best take of Romeo and Juliet that I could ever read anywhere. And this is saying something, because I hate that tragedy.
"Wild Magic" - Love, love, love, SO MUCH LOVE for this one. No joke. I'm not sure if it's because it involved the faery (or Ferisher) courts, or the fact that there's a lot of clandestine magic meetings and flirting between the heroine and the romantic interest. And the clockwork mechanisms running about! Ugh. I definitely added the author on my to-reads list, and looking forward to reading Enclave at some point in the foreseeable future!
"Code of Blood" - Very chilling, dramatic, and utterly cute. I notice that there's a lot of alchemy as a base in some of these stories. "Code of Blood" was the first one I encountered, and probably my favorite of the bunch where the elementals are concerned (but not the last one I'm going to point out). Also added this author on my list to read.
"Under Amber Skies" - I did not think I would enjoy this as much as I did. I'm pretty sure my thought process was "Oh...a war piece...eh...wait, what...NAZIS?!" Things picked up from there. But heck, I loved it for the little twist at the end that just made me sympathize with the character so much more.
"King of the Greenlight City" - Also one with elementals, but I liked this not so much for that but for the twist at the end. So tragic! I loved it, though, even when I spent a few minutes blinking and thinking that "No, this person could NOT have done what I think she just did!" Sigh.
"Tick, Tick, Boom" - This was the last story in the book, and a basic one about mistaken identity and such. But I enjoyed it for the two characters playing as Scarlet Pimpernels in their own minds. They were two peas in a pod, so to speak, and fit rather well together. Plus, I enjoyed the first-person narrative mind of Lady Ashbury.
So yes, I enjoyed my chocolates. Thank you very much!
Short stories are usually a mixed box of chocolates. Someone might like the one with the caramel inside and despise the nougat with coconut shavings. Another person might hate the entire box altogether (but the fact one would hate chocolate makes me wonder WHY said person has that kind of box in possession...). And the last person just says "CHOCOLATES?! YESSSSS!"
Needless to say I fall into the latter category.
I enjoyed all the stories to a certain degree. Of course I can't say I enjoyed them all in equal amounts, because some certainly did stand out more than others. But it's steampunk. As Trisha Telep asked her readers to "come for the steam, stay for the punk," I did just that. I'm a long-time fan of this little niche in the scifi-fantasy world, and I'm only too happy that I'm discovering gems like this through goodreads-stalking my friends' lists, and through random Google searches of "steampunk books." I've also managed to add to my to-reads pile with authors whose short stories I absolutely enjoyed. Anyway, here are just a few things to say about my faves:
"Rude Mechanicals" - It was the first story, sure, but it was one great way to start. It was quite tragic, and quite romantic, and the best take of Romeo and Juliet that I could ever read anywhere. And this is saying something, because I hate that tragedy.
"Wild Magic" - Love, love, love, SO MUCH LOVE for this one. No joke. I'm not sure if it's because it involved the faery (or Ferisher) courts, or the fact that there's a lot of clandestine magic meetings and flirting between the heroine and the romantic interest. And the clockwork mechanisms running about! Ugh. I definitely added the author on my to-reads list, and looking forward to reading Enclave at some point in the foreseeable future!
"Code of Blood" - Very chilling, dramatic, and utterly cute. I notice that there's a lot of alchemy as a base in some of these stories. "Code of Blood" was the first one I encountered, and probably my favorite of the bunch where the elementals are concerned (but not the last one I'm going to point out). Also added this author on my list to read.
"Under Amber Skies" - I did not think I would enjoy this as much as I did. I'm pretty sure my thought process was "Oh...a war piece...eh...wait, what...NAZIS?!" Things picked up from there. But heck, I loved it for the little twist at the end that just made me sympathize with the character so much more.
"King of the Greenlight City" - Also one with elementals, but I liked this not so much for that but for the twist at the end. So tragic! I loved it, though, even when I spent a few minutes blinking and thinking that "No, this person could NOT have done what I think she just did!" Sigh.
"Tick, Tick, Boom" - This was the last story in the book, and a basic one about mistaken identity and such. But I enjoyed it for the two characters playing as Scarlet Pimpernels in their own minds. They were two peas in a pod, so to speak, and fit rather well together. Plus, I enjoyed the first-person narrative mind of Lady Ashbury.
So yes, I enjoyed my chocolates. Thank you very much!