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A review by kristamccracken
Altered America: Steampunk Stories by Cat Rambo
4.0
An interesting mix of steampunk, alternative history, and fantasy short stories.
Some highlights for me were "Rappaccini's Crow" which features a mute, transgender, Native American as the main character. The portrayal of this complicated character was well done and had a lot of depth considering the shortness of the story. I also loved the personality of the crow/evil bird in this story.
I also really enjoyed "Memphis BBQ" for its visceral descriptions and fast moving plot. This one also had a bit more of a steampunk feel and did a better job of integrating technology into the story then some of the other pieces.
Lastly, I liked the characters Elspeth and Artemus who appeared in a couple of the stories. Elspeth is a strong female in a law keeper role and Artemus is her steampunk inspired mechanical partner. Both characters were a delight to read about.
Over all a great collection of short stories - a few of the pieces weren't my cup of tea, but that's more personal preference than anything. Similarly one or two stories seemed a bit of out of place with the steampunk and alternative history theme of the collection, but were solidly written.
Some highlights for me were "Rappaccini's Crow" which features a mute, transgender, Native American as the main character. The portrayal of this complicated character was well done and had a lot of depth considering the shortness of the story. I also loved the personality of the crow/evil bird in this story.
I also really enjoyed "Memphis BBQ" for its visceral descriptions and fast moving plot. This one also had a bit more of a steampunk feel and did a better job of integrating technology into the story then some of the other pieces.
Lastly, I liked the characters Elspeth and Artemus who appeared in a couple of the stories. Elspeth is a strong female in a law keeper role and Artemus is her steampunk inspired mechanical partner. Both characters were a delight to read about.
Over all a great collection of short stories - a few of the pieces weren't my cup of tea, but that's more personal preference than anything. Similarly one or two stories seemed a bit of out of place with the steampunk and alternative history theme of the collection, but were solidly written.