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The Art of Forgetting
Airship Shape & Bristol Fashion
Bringing together tales from the light and dark sides of Steampunk. Living ghosts, walking ferns and ingenious androids populate versions of the city at once familiar and peculiar. Above them soar the magnificent men, and women, in their flying machines. Whether they're seeking release, revenge or adventure, the characters in these stories will draw you down the side-streets of Bristol to the brass and steam filled worlds you never dreamed were there.
Contents
Case of the Vapours, by Ken Shinn
Brassworth, by Christine Morgan
The Lesser Men Have No Language, by Deborah Walker
Brass and Bone, by Joanne Hall
The Girl with Red Hair, by Myfanwy Rodman
Artifice Perdu, by Pete Sutton
Miss Butler and the Handlander Process, by John Hawkes-Reed
Something In The Water, by Cheryl Morgan
The Chronicles of Montague and Dalton: The Hunt for Alleyway Agnes, by Scott Lewis
The Sound of Gyroscopes, by Jonathan L. Howard
Flight of Daedalus, by Piotr Świetlik
The Traveller’s Apprentice, by Ian Millsted
Lord Craddock: Ascension, by Stephen Blake
The Lanterns of Death Affair, by Andy Bigwood
Contents
Case of the Vapours, by Ken Shinn
Brassworth, by Christine Morgan
The Lesser Men Have No Language, by Deborah Walker
Brass and Bone, by Joanne Hall
The Girl with Red Hair, by Myfanwy Rodman
Artifice Perdu, by Pete Sutton
Miss Butler and the Handlander Process, by John Hawkes-Reed
Something In The Water, by Cheryl Morgan
The Chronicles of Montague and Dalton: The Hunt for Alleyway Agnes, by Scott Lewis
The Sound of Gyroscopes, by Jonathan L. Howard
Flight of Daedalus, by Piotr Świetlik
The Traveller’s Apprentice, by Ian Millsted
Lord Craddock: Ascension, by Stephen Blake
The Lanterns of Death Affair, by Andy Bigwood
- GenresSteampunkAnthologies
342 pages, Paperback
First published March 14, 2011
About the author
Joanne Hall
27 books120 followersJoanne Hall is the same age as Star Wars, which explains a lot…. She lives in Bristol, England with her partner. She enjoys reading, writing, listening to music, playing console games, watching movies, pottering about on her allotment and playing with the world’s laziest dog.
A full-time author since 2003, Joanne’s “New Kingdom” fantasy trilogy was published by Epress Online, and was a finalist in both the PLUTO and EPPIE awards . Her short stories have appeared in many publications, both print and online, including Afterburn SF, Quantum Muse, and The Harrow.
She has had short stories published in several anthologies, including “Pirates of the Cumberland Basin” in Future Bristol, and “Corpse Flight” in Dark Spires. A short story collection, “The Feline Queen” was published in March 2011 by Wolfsinger Publications, and her fourth novel, “The Art of Forgetting”, was released in two volumes by Kristell Ink. Volume One, “Rider” was published in July 2013 to a warm critical reception, while Volume Two, “Nomad” was released in May 2014. “Rider” was longlisted for the 2014 Tiptree Award.
Joanne was formerly the Chair of BristolCon, Bristol’s premier science fiction and fantasy convention, but has recently stepped down to pursue other projects. She has recently taken on the position of Acquisitions Editor for Kristell Ink. She has also edited novels, comics, and content for social media games.
She is the co-editor, with Roz Clarke, of “Colinthology”, a tribute anthology to the late Colin Harvey, which also includes her short story “Lukewarm in Lynhelm.” “Colinthology” was published as an ebook in October 2012 by Wizards Tower, and launched at BristolCon. Roz and Jo also edited a Bristol-themed steampunk anthology, “Airship Shape and Bristol Fashion”, published by Wizard’s Tower in February 2014, and “Fight Like A Girl”, for Kristell Ink, which has been shortlisted for the BFS Award for Best Anthology.
Joanne’s latest novel, “The Summer Goddess”, which tells the story of a woman’s battle with a demon-worshipping cult to save her lost nephew, was published by Kristell Ink and shortlisted for the BFS Award for Best Novel. She is currently working on a new flintlock fantasy series.
She sometimes talks about herself in the third person on the internet and is inclined to ramble on about courgettes and greyhounds unless forcibly prevented. She is always happy to hear from readers
A full-time author since 2003, Joanne’s “New Kingdom” fantasy trilogy was published by Epress Online, and was a finalist in both the PLUTO and EPPIE awards . Her short stories have appeared in many publications, both print and online, including Afterburn SF, Quantum Muse, and The Harrow.
She has had short stories published in several anthologies, including “Pirates of the Cumberland Basin” in Future Bristol, and “Corpse Flight” in Dark Spires. A short story collection, “The Feline Queen” was published in March 2011 by Wolfsinger Publications, and her fourth novel, “The Art of Forgetting”, was released in two volumes by Kristell Ink. Volume One, “Rider” was published in July 2013 to a warm critical reception, while Volume Two, “Nomad” was released in May 2014. “Rider” was longlisted for the 2014 Tiptree Award.
Joanne was formerly the Chair of BristolCon, Bristol’s premier science fiction and fantasy convention, but has recently stepped down to pursue other projects. She has recently taken on the position of Acquisitions Editor for Kristell Ink. She has also edited novels, comics, and content for social media games.
She is the co-editor, with Roz Clarke, of “Colinthology”, a tribute anthology to the late Colin Harvey, which also includes her short story “Lukewarm in Lynhelm.” “Colinthology” was published as an ebook in October 2012 by Wizards Tower, and launched at BristolCon. Roz and Jo also edited a Bristol-themed steampunk anthology, “Airship Shape and Bristol Fashion”, published by Wizard’s Tower in February 2014, and “Fight Like A Girl”, for Kristell Ink, which has been shortlisted for the BFS Award for Best Anthology.
Joanne’s latest novel, “The Summer Goddess”, which tells the story of a woman’s battle with a demon-worshipping cult to save her lost nephew, was published by Kristell Ink and shortlisted for the BFS Award for Best Novel. She is currently working on a new flintlock fantasy series.
She sometimes talks about herself in the third person on the internet and is inclined to ramble on about courgettes and greyhounds unless forcibly prevented. She is always happy to hear from readers
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 6, 2014
Some might say that you should not review an anthology where you are one of the authors. I can understand that, but well, this is the first chance I have had to read everyone else's stories and honestly, I've not re-read my own because I worry that I will hate it.
So this is my, 'me free', review.
I've been getting more and more interested in Steampunk for a while now. I love the idea of wild steam and clockwork technologies, within a Victorian-esque setting.
This book is brilliant. The tales are all engaging and highly enjoyable. I won't mini-review every story but in each section I'll mention a couple in a little more detail.
It is divided into three sections. The first is 'Less Than Men'.
'Case of the Vapours' by Ken Shinn opens the book with a fantastic take on augmented slaves and the human spirit resisting these shackles. It plays like a very cool detective - noir.
'Brassworth' by Christine Morgan is brilliantly eccentric tale of an automaton, who becomes a man servant. The human character is wonderfully created. I pictured him as being like Nigel Bruce (Dr Watson, to Basil Rathbone's Holmes, if you're not sure).
'The Lesser Men Have No Language' by Deborah Walker follows and then 'Brass and Bone' by Joanne Hall.
The second section is 'Lost Souls'.
The stories in this section are:
'The Girl with Red Hair' by Myfanwy Rodman
'Artifice Perdu' by Peter Sutton
'Miss Butler and the Handlander Process' by John Hawkes-Reed
'Something in the Water' by Cheryl Morgan
'The Chronicles of Montague and Dalton: The Hunt for Alleyway Agnes' by Scott Lewis
Again just picking out a couple, 'Artifice Perdu' is a very creepy tale that I feel the need to point out to you, but want to say no more as it really is a bit special and needs to be read without spoilers.
I also really enjoyed Cheryl Morgan's 'Something in the Water'. I've seen other reviews say it is very 'Lovecraft'. Yep, I'd agree but I'll also throw in 'Adele Blan-Sec' and I mean that in a very complimentary way.
The third and last section is 'Travelling Light'. It comprises of the following stories:
'The Sound of Gyroscopes' by Jonathan L. Howard
'Flight of Daedalus' by Piotr Šwietlik
'The Traveller’s Apprentice' by Ian Millsted
'Lord Craddock: Ascension' by Stephen Blake
'The Lanterns of Death Affair' by Andy Bigwood
This final group of stories are tales of daring-do. Ignoring my entry the others are again excellent. Being a lover of 50's and 60's sci-fi films, 'The Traveller's Apprentice' by Ian Millsted, is a wonderful H G Wells inspired tale, which I cannot say anymore about for fear of giving it away.
If I'm allowed a favourite, then the last entry 'The Lanterns of Death Affair' is it. If this were a film, I'd pay to see it. If it became a novel, I'd buy it in hardcover and get the author to sign it. I loved it. Brilliant characters, excitement and a satisfying end that leaves you wanting more. The images of a young lad, effectively hang-gliding with a kite, are brilliant. It's his job to drop anchor for the airship. I'll say no more but that is only the beginning of that tale.
So, yes I wrote a story for it, yes I am probably biased, but hand on heart, I really, really enjoyed all of the stories in this book. It seemed wrong not to say so.
So this is my, 'me free', review.
I've been getting more and more interested in Steampunk for a while now. I love the idea of wild steam and clockwork technologies, within a Victorian-esque setting.
This book is brilliant. The tales are all engaging and highly enjoyable. I won't mini-review every story but in each section I'll mention a couple in a little more detail.
It is divided into three sections. The first is 'Less Than Men'.
'Case of the Vapours' by Ken Shinn opens the book with a fantastic take on augmented slaves and the human spirit resisting these shackles. It plays like a very cool detective - noir.
'Brassworth' by Christine Morgan is brilliantly eccentric tale of an automaton, who becomes a man servant. The human character is wonderfully created. I pictured him as being like Nigel Bruce (Dr Watson, to Basil Rathbone's Holmes, if you're not sure).
'The Lesser Men Have No Language' by Deborah Walker follows and then 'Brass and Bone' by Joanne Hall.
The second section is 'Lost Souls'.
The stories in this section are:
'The Girl with Red Hair' by Myfanwy Rodman
'Artifice Perdu' by Peter Sutton
'Miss Butler and the Handlander Process' by John Hawkes-Reed
'Something in the Water' by Cheryl Morgan
'The Chronicles of Montague and Dalton: The Hunt for Alleyway Agnes' by Scott Lewis
Again just picking out a couple, 'Artifice Perdu' is a very creepy tale that I feel the need to point out to you, but want to say no more as it really is a bit special and needs to be read without spoilers.
I also really enjoyed Cheryl Morgan's 'Something in the Water'. I've seen other reviews say it is very 'Lovecraft'. Yep, I'd agree but I'll also throw in 'Adele Blan-Sec' and I mean that in a very complimentary way.
The third and last section is 'Travelling Light'. It comprises of the following stories:
'The Sound of Gyroscopes' by Jonathan L. Howard
'Flight of Daedalus' by Piotr Šwietlik
'The Traveller’s Apprentice' by Ian Millsted
'Lord Craddock: Ascension' by Stephen Blake
'The Lanterns of Death Affair' by Andy Bigwood
This final group of stories are tales of daring-do. Ignoring my entry the others are again excellent. Being a lover of 50's and 60's sci-fi films, 'The Traveller's Apprentice' by Ian Millsted, is a wonderful H G Wells inspired tale, which I cannot say anymore about for fear of giving it away.
If I'm allowed a favourite, then the last entry 'The Lanterns of Death Affair' is it. If this were a film, I'd pay to see it. If it became a novel, I'd buy it in hardcover and get the author to sign it. I loved it. Brilliant characters, excitement and a satisfying end that leaves you wanting more. The images of a young lad, effectively hang-gliding with a kite, are brilliant. It's his job to drop anchor for the airship. I'll say no more but that is only the beginning of that tale.
So, yes I wrote a story for it, yes I am probably biased, but hand on heart, I really, really enjoyed all of the stories in this book. It seemed wrong not to say so.
January 16, 2016
Some great idea behind the stories in this anthology - the execution of some leads a lot to be desired, but others work really well. Highlights for me were stories by Cheryl Morgan and Jonathon L Howard
October 23, 2017
This book contains a collection of ‘Steampunk’ short stories all related to Bristol.
There were some great ideas in this book, but the majority came across as not fully formed or poorly executed – the two exceptions were the Scott Lewis and Jonathan L. Howard pieces.
There were some great ideas in this book, but the majority came across as not fully formed or poorly executed – the two exceptions were the Scott Lewis and Jonathan L. Howard pieces.
November 17, 2015
I really enjoyed these stories; I haven't read a lot of steampunk but I find it a fascinating genre, so a collection like this is a great way to discover more. I particularly liked Cheryl Morgan's Something in the Water, with its echoes of William Hope Hodgson's watery monsters from the deep, and I'd like to read more Amelia Edwards stories. Also very enjoyable was the Woosteresque Brassworth by Christine Morgan. But there are a lot of good stories in here and each one has something to offer.
Disclosure: I know Cheryl Morgan - we've done events in Bristol and I've been interviewed by her on Radio Ujima. Nevertheless, the views I've expressed here are my genuine opinion. I don't know any of the other writers in the anthology.
Disclosure: I know Cheryl Morgan - we've done events in Bristol and I've been interviewed by her on Radio Ujima. Nevertheless, the views I've expressed here are my genuine opinion. I don't know any of the other writers in the anthology.
February 16, 2014
Proving the good things sometimes DO come from good ideas, this anthology of Victorian steamship punk, set in the city of Bristol and its surrounding regions, including the currently underwater Somerset, came into being as a way to generate income that the BristolCon Foundation could use “To encourage the creation and enjoyment of Speculative Fiction, in all its forms, with a focus on the West Country and South Wales.”
What has emerged is a collection of quirky, thoughtful, often challenging ‘what if?’ stories, that, whilst celebrating Bristol’s awesome technological achievements, and world class inventors and explorers, men and women of courage and curiosity, do not shy away at exposing its unsavoury past as a major slave transit port.
Before I describe the individual stories, I want to mention an issue that is a particular passion and too frequent irritation of mine: the location, the setting, the world-building… whatever you want to call it… if the milieu of the story doesn’t ring out with a clear voice of its own, then I quickly lose interest. In almost every story in Airship Shape & Bristol Fashion, the city of Bristol with all its landmarks, peculiarities, charms and warts strides alongside the characters so vividly that I came to feel I knew it as well as the individuals that inhabit that city and these stories.
The first section, Less Than Men contains four stories. As the title suggests, these deal with the issue of slavery in a variety of forms. Despite the flashes of humour these are potent attempts to demand that the reader consider what it might mean to have no rights under the law and to be legally, less than men.
We begin with Case of the Vapours by Ken Shinn. What begins as a somewhat unusual missing person case for Detective Dan Bowyer, soon evolves into plot to rescue a group of vapours. These are slaves that have been mechanically modified to make then better suited to perform certain types of jobs. That they have no rights is painfully obvious from the first pages.
The next story, Brassworth, by Christine Morgan explains how Reginald Wilmot, Reggie to his friends, acquires a mechanical valet that is a bang-up cocktail maker, and who proves to be smarter that his creators and quite a good matchmaker to boot.
After Brassworth’s tongue in cheek charm, The Lesser Men Have No Language by Deborah Walker addresses in sharp fashion issues of unemployment, abuse of vulnerable workers, hidden homosexuality in Victorian times and scientific inquiry – quite a lot of themes for one short story.
The final story in this section, Brass and Bone, by Joanne Hall herald’s the future for artificial joints limbs and bodies. After a suicide attempt, Angela Porter wakes up in Dr Charles experiment clinic with much of her ruined body replaced by metal parts. A second important theme here is spousal abuse in Victorian times, making this little story resonate very powerfully with me.
The second section opens with The Girl with Red Hair by Myfanwy Rodman, a scary tale much in the style of The Woman in White. Peter Sutton’s Artifice Perdu, is another Gothic tale of possession by dark forces.
Moving away from the chill of Victorian Gothic, Miss Butler and the Handlander Process by John Hawkes-Reed, is a delightful story of how a well brought up young lady escaped the conventions of her class and became a spy in the process. Next up, Cheryl Morgan’s Something In The Water, is classic Lovecraft, with all the implied terrors in just the right places. Scott Lewis’ The Chronicles of Montaque and Dalton: The Hunt for Alleyway Agnes is a well conceived homage to Sherlock and Dr Watson.
In Part Three, we get individual adventurers, beginning with The Sound of Gyroscopes by Jonathan L. Howard, where an early attempt at manned gyroscopic flight turns into a desperate chase to catch a group of thieves. Piotr Świetlik’s Flight of Daedalus, a far future adventure about three pilots that have survived their space journey, is the only story not really set in Bristol, and reads like the first chapter of what I hope he plans to make into a full novel
Ian Millsted’s The Traveller’s Apprentice introduces us to the redoubtable Vic (aka Victoria) who talks her way into a job with the famous inventor / investor Mr Adamson. In Lord Craddock: Ascension, by Stephen Blake, we are back in Gothic horror territory. Here a black former slave and a blind man must confront the efforts of an embittered and deformed man to destroy them. And finally in The Lanterns of Death by Andy Bigwood, set during the time of the American War of Emancipation, a young airman learns that neither pretty young women nor older brothers can be trusted.
I hope I’ve successfully conveyed how much I enjoyed this collection. The stories are meaty, and thought provoking while at the same time put across their messages with wit and humour
A final word about Bristol In places the dichotomy between Bristol and the metrop, as one character calls London, reminded me of the competition between New York City and Chicago. If Bristol is the Chicago of this contest, than this poem by Carl Sandburg could have been written for Bristol
They tell me you are wicked and I believe them, for I
have seen your painted women under the gas lamps
luring the farm boys.
And they tell me you are crooked and I answer: Yes, it
is true I have seen the gunman kill and go free to
kill again.
And they tell me you are brutal and my reply is: On the
faces of women and children I have seen the marks
of wanton hunger.
And having answered so I turn once more to those who
sneer at this my city, and I give them back the sneer
and say to them:
Come and show me another city with lifted head singing
so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning.
Flinging magnetic curses amid the toil of piling job on
job, here is a tall bold slugger set vivid against the
little soft cities;
Bareheaded,
Shoveling,
Wrecking,
Planning,
Building, breaking, rebuilding,
This collection has also created in me a powerful desire to visit this extraordinary city that has played such an important role in creating the world we live in today.
June 22, 2020
This anthology of fantastic stories set in Bristol is a collaboration between Wizard’s Tower Press and the BristolCon Foundation which organizes a science-fiction convention in that city. The noble aim of the editors was to provide a platform for new writing and many of the stories are by previously unpublished authors. The book is divided into three sections. ‘Less Than Men?’ deals with slavery and emancipation. ‘Lost Souls’ is more fantasy and horror and ‘Travelling Light’ focuses on adventure. The overall theme is meant to be Steampunk but some of the stories stretch that definition quite a lot. I’ll split them into the above categories here to give the review some kind of order.
LESS THAN MEN
‘Case of the Vapours’ by Ken Shinn is a detective story which starts in a classic way with a beautiful woman hiring the hero. The body of a Vapour has been snatched. Vapours are black slaves enhanced with clockwork and steam-powered - a sort of steampunk cyborg. The story is set in Bristol and there were no slaves in Bristol. Apart from that, I enjoyed it very much.
‘Brassworth’ by Christine Morgan is a Jeeves and Wooster spoof. When rich, amiable but useless Reggie Wilmott does a favour for his old chum Cyril Moglington his reward is Brassworth, a mechanical manservant of surprising competence in all things. This was great fun and I kept imagining a mechanical Stephen Fry as Brassworth, though I usually avoid Wodehouse on television. It doesn’t work. Read the books.
In ‘The Lesser Men Have No Language’ by Deborah Walker, which is set in 1885 the following line appears. ‘Anna’s skin was dark, a not uncommon sight in Bristol with its legacy of slavery.’ This is wrong. Dark skin was a very uncommon sight in Bristol because the slaves didn’t come here. They went to the West Indies or America. In general this yarn about a fern that had some human DNA in it (How?!) It’s far fetched even as fantasy and as science-fiction, it’s just plain impossible. It was well written and had good characters but my disbelief in the main premise meant I couldn’t really enjoy it.
‘Brass and Stone’ by Joanne Hall begins when lovelorn Angela Porter jumps off Bristol’s suspension bridge. As in one famous case, her skirts billowed out and she was saved from death. However, she was seriously broken up. ‘We can rebuild you,’ says the doctor. ‘We have the technology.’ They do in their steampunk way. She muses about the ships ‘carrying sugar and slaves and rum to and from the port.’ Wrong again. Slaves didn’t come into Bristol. Also, Angela gets her treatment at Frenchay hospital which didn’t open until 1921 which seems a bit late for Steampunk. It was a pretty neat story though and the errors can be overlooked.
LOST SOULS
Aetherics are a specially selected group of people sensitive to fluctuations in the aether, which was all the rage in Victorian science. Inspector Fidelity ‘Del‘ Blackamoor is one of their number and in ‘The Girl with Red Hair’ by Myfanwy Rodman she sees a vision of said wench down by the harbour. Investigations lead her to the posh area of Clifton. This was a well-constructed detective yarn with a rich background that could be used as the foundation for many more. The unlikely ethnicity of the heroine in Victorian Bristol, for reasons mentioned above, is a slight drawback.
An architects assistant encounters a mysterious being in the attic of Bristol cathedral in ‘Artifice Perdu’ by Pete Sutton. It was alright but a bit predictable. ‘Miss Butler and the Handlander Process’ by John Hawkes-Reed had entertaining moments but I found some of the terminology confusing. Perhaps I had better brush up on Victorian engineering.
‘Something in the Water’ by Cheryl Morgan is a first-person narration taken ‘from the personal records of Miss Amelia Edwards, dated June 1877.’ Mr Thomas Guppy, engineer, is attempting to build a barrage across the Severn estuary but strange things are happening. This is more Lovecraftian horror than anything else but nicely done. The story concludes with notes on the historical figures who appear in it. Sadly, Cheryl Morgan is under the impression that there was an immigrant community in Saint Pauls, Bristol during Victorian times. Not so. It was a favourite location for wealthy slave-trading merchants a bit earlier than that but not for slaves. The West Indians came over in the 1950s as part of the so-called Windrush generation.
A similar narrative technique to that used by Cheryl Morgan is used by Scott Lewis for ‘The Chronicles of Montague and Dalton: The Hunt for Alleyway Agnes’. The story is taken ‘from the memoirs of Doctor William Nathaniel Dalton, esq., 23rd July 1913. First-person narration was all the rage back then as it lent a sort of authenticity to the more far fetched stories. Like Doctor Watson, the most famous exemplar, Doctor Dalton is assistant to a most brilliant man, in this case Professor Cornelius S. Montague, scientist, adventurer, philanthropist and scholar. Together they help the Bristol constabulary solve the baffling case of Alleyway Agnes. They are aided by Katherine McClure, a beautiful, fiery, Irish archaeologist as they chase a creature from the realm of Faerie that is causing trouble in our world. Conan Doyle believed in Faeries so this is a clever link. An entertaining ripping yarn of the old fashioned kind.
TRAVELLING LIGHT
There is a long history of tales told in gentlemen‘s clubs to which may be added ‘The Sound of Gyroscopes’ by Jonathan L. Howard. The pace is unhurried for this adventure story of a gyroscope chase up the Avon gorge but that’s not a drawback. The pleasure lies in the language rather than the plot. There are a couple of neat similes and an amusing bit of repartee about a standard Victorian storytelling habit. Along with ‘Brassworth’, this was probably my favourite in the book.
In ‘Flight of Daedalus’ by Piotr Swietlik an astronaut wakes up in a hospital room attached to complex machinery. His surroundings seem wrong somehow. He is rescued by Lieutenant Ezra Stubbings and told that the world has changed greatly since he went into space. Quite enjoyable but it seems to be the first chapter of a novel rather than a complete short story.
‘The Traveller’s Apprentice’ by Ian Millsted was a confusing time travel story. A man in Bristol is inventing things before Thomas Edison can get around to it. A waif scrounger girl finds his gold cigarette case buried. It has his name on it. He employs her and another fellow follows her back to his house and attacks them. Time machines are mentioned. I didn’t get the ending at all.
‘Lord Craddock: Ascension’ by Stephen Blake is a story of the fight against slavery in Bristol. It’s a fast-moving adventure yarn full of people with 21st-century attitudes to ethnic minorities, women, the disabled, liberty and everything else. ‘The Lanterns of Death Affair’ by Andy Bigwood was also a fast-moving adventure yarn with airships. Obviously it was anti-slavery and had a bold, modern capable heroine to the fore. Since it focused more on the adventure than the moral lesson, I preferred it. It’s the last story in the book. Coincidentally, while reading this anthology I also happened to peruse a short biography of Ramsay Macdonald, the first Labour Prime Minister (of England) and came across a mention of airships. His friend Lord Thomson was killed when the Airship R 101 crashed en route to India. The flight was meant to inaugurate an empire spanning airship service but the whole plan was cancelled after this accident. That, Steampunks, is the moment in history when reality let you down. There are, apparently, giant airship sheds at Cardington in England.
Beginning authors have a tendency to be preachy or to set out to obviously the ‘message’ of their story. Slavery and racism are bad, no doubt, but nearly everyone thinks so nowadays anyway. John Prescott used to say that New Labour was about ‘traditional values in a modern setting.‘ Most of these stories are about modern values in a traditional setting. To an extent, the editors asked for this as part of their remit was to explore ‘the dark side of Victoriana’. Obviously they picked the stories they liked with an emphasis on ethnic issues and feminism. Hey ho. I can’t help wondering what stories were rejected.
The theme is okay but the main problem in its execution is the notion that Bristol was teeming with Africans and even that the immigrant population of the Saint Paul’s area of the city was African. This is not true. The ships went from Bristol to Africa to pick up slaves who were then taken on the infamous ’middle passage’ to the Caribbean or the southern United States and sold. The ships then bought sugar, rum or tobacco back to the home port. At no point did slaves come to Bristol. There was a brief period when it was trendy for the gentry to have a slave as a valet or such - like the famous Pero - but they were few. The ethnic minority population of Saint Paul’s is from the West Indies and consists of people who came over since the fifties and their descendants. If one takes the view that this is all set in alternate timelines where slaves were bought into Bristol - economic madness though that would be - I suppose we can let the authors get away with it.
Overall it was an enjoyable anthology and worth a look, especially for Bristolians. There’s a certain frisson in reading about fantastic events taking place in surroundings with which you are familiar. For the denizens of the world’s great cities, this happens all the time as films and books are often set in New York, London or Paris. For we simple folk in the west country to be extended that privilege is a rare treat. Despite my concerns about historical inaccuracies, I am grateful to the editors and publishers for organizing the whole thing and to the worthy authors for coming up with the goods.
Eamonn Murphy
June 14, 2014
I'd heard a few rumours about a book being funded by the BristolCon Foundation, a charitable organisation that runs the BristolCon SF & Fantasy convention - which takes place in Bristol every October - and here's the result of their labours, and their first short-story anthology to help promote local writers and artists.
Airship Shape & Bristol Fashion (ASBF) is a collection of short stories set in and around the city of Bristol and they all share a similar theme - they are all written in the genre of 'steampunk', a genre that I'm familiar with but have never looked into with any seriousness. ASBF is my first proper dive into this popular and ever-expanding alternate history setting, so would this book turn me off it or draw me into the world of brass, steam and technology?
The book is made of three sections covering three themes;
Less Than Men, covering stories such as slavery and the slave trade and how it affects individulas, societies and perceptions of freedom and property. My favourite story in this section was 'The Lesser Men Have No Language' by Deborah Walker which challenges preconceptions. It ends rather suddenly and I was left feeling that there was more to be said, but it's a good story that made an impression on me.
Lost Souls has a much more supernatural and mystical slant to it. These are dark and somewhat brooding and there's a hint of horror in there, but they are a great collection of tales you'll want to read on a stormy night in front of a crackling fire. My favourite story here was 'The Girl with Red Hair' by Myfanwy Rodman and it certainly kept me hooked from the first sentence to the very last.
Finally there's Travelling Light that is, basically, a collection of action adventure stories. 'The Lanterns of Death Affair' by Andy Bigwood was my favourite story in this section as it's a good tale blending adventure, steampunk and alternate history.
So, what has this book done for me? Has it made me a steampunk fan? Well, yes and no. While it hasn't made me want to suddenly start a huge collection of steampunk paraphernalia and delve into the genre a lot deeper, it certainly has made me appreciate it a lot more and fully understand what it is that people enjoy about it. I will be looking a little more into what steampunk can offer and see what else I can get out if it.
I enjoyed the stories here and found them fulfilling and thought provoking. Most of them hit the mark for me and even those that didn't were a good read. In all, there are plenty of stories covering plenty of different ideas, styles and moods so there's a lot of material that'll suit most fans of the steampunk genre. I can easily recommend it.
Contents:
Case of the Vapours, by Ken Shinn
Brassworth, by Christine Morgan
The Lesser Men Have No Language, by Deborah Walker
Brass and Bone, by Joanne Hall
The Girl with Red Hair, by Myfanwy Rodman
Artifice Perdu, by Pete Sutton
Miss Butler and the Handlander Process, by John Hawkes-Reed
Something In The Water, by Cheryl Morgan
The Chronicles of Montague and Dalton: The Hunt for Alleyway Agnes, by Scott Lewis
The Sound of Gyroscopes, by Jonathan L. Howard
Flight of Daedalus, by Piotr Świetlik
The Traveller’s Apprentice, by Ian Millsted
Lord Craddock: Ascension, by Stephen Blake
The Lanterns of Death Affair, by Andy Bigwood
Hopefully this is a sign of things to come and the BristolCon Foundation is already planning their next collection.
Airship Shape & Bristol Fashion (ASBF) is a collection of short stories set in and around the city of Bristol and they all share a similar theme - they are all written in the genre of 'steampunk', a genre that I'm familiar with but have never looked into with any seriousness. ASBF is my first proper dive into this popular and ever-expanding alternate history setting, so would this book turn me off it or draw me into the world of brass, steam and technology?
The book is made of three sections covering three themes;
Less Than Men, covering stories such as slavery and the slave trade and how it affects individulas, societies and perceptions of freedom and property. My favourite story in this section was 'The Lesser Men Have No Language' by Deborah Walker which challenges preconceptions. It ends rather suddenly and I was left feeling that there was more to be said, but it's a good story that made an impression on me.
Lost Souls has a much more supernatural and mystical slant to it. These are dark and somewhat brooding and there's a hint of horror in there, but they are a great collection of tales you'll want to read on a stormy night in front of a crackling fire. My favourite story here was 'The Girl with Red Hair' by Myfanwy Rodman and it certainly kept me hooked from the first sentence to the very last.
Finally there's Travelling Light that is, basically, a collection of action adventure stories. 'The Lanterns of Death Affair' by Andy Bigwood was my favourite story in this section as it's a good tale blending adventure, steampunk and alternate history.
So, what has this book done for me? Has it made me a steampunk fan? Well, yes and no. While it hasn't made me want to suddenly start a huge collection of steampunk paraphernalia and delve into the genre a lot deeper, it certainly has made me appreciate it a lot more and fully understand what it is that people enjoy about it. I will be looking a little more into what steampunk can offer and see what else I can get out if it.
I enjoyed the stories here and found them fulfilling and thought provoking. Most of them hit the mark for me and even those that didn't were a good read. In all, there are plenty of stories covering plenty of different ideas, styles and moods so there's a lot of material that'll suit most fans of the steampunk genre. I can easily recommend it.
Contents:
Case of the Vapours, by Ken Shinn
Brassworth, by Christine Morgan
The Lesser Men Have No Language, by Deborah Walker
Brass and Bone, by Joanne Hall
The Girl with Red Hair, by Myfanwy Rodman
Artifice Perdu, by Pete Sutton
Miss Butler and the Handlander Process, by John Hawkes-Reed
Something In The Water, by Cheryl Morgan
The Chronicles of Montague and Dalton: The Hunt for Alleyway Agnes, by Scott Lewis
The Sound of Gyroscopes, by Jonathan L. Howard
Flight of Daedalus, by Piotr Świetlik
The Traveller’s Apprentice, by Ian Millsted
Lord Craddock: Ascension, by Stephen Blake
The Lanterns of Death Affair, by Andy Bigwood
Hopefully this is a sign of things to come and the BristolCon Foundation is already planning their next collection.
April 30, 2014
As usual with anthologies it's down to picking favourites and there are some crackers here. Just the second story, Brassworth by Christine Morgan, is a brilliant mimic of Jeeves and Wooster. It has all the Wodehouse touches, even down to the plot.
Another honourable mention goes to Cheryl Morgan with her writer's hat on. Something in the Water is a fine blend of historical fact, what-ifness and a ripping yarn. Indeed, ripping yarns seem to be the order of the day with Alleyway Agnes (to abbreviate), a tale in a Holmesian vein but action stylee, by Scott Lewis.
Jonathan L Howard's The Sound of Gyroscopes also treads the same boards but with added turns on the conventions of story-telling. You know those strange dashes in Victorian literature? Neatly used here and rounded off by the best punch-line in the book.
Another honourable mention goes to Cheryl Morgan with her writer's hat on. Something in the Water is a fine blend of historical fact, what-ifness and a ripping yarn. Indeed, ripping yarns seem to be the order of the day with Alleyway Agnes (to abbreviate), a tale in a Holmesian vein but action stylee, by Scott Lewis.
Jonathan L Howard's The Sound of Gyroscopes also treads the same boards but with added turns on the conventions of story-telling. You know those strange dashes in Victorian literature? Neatly used here and rounded off by the best punch-line in the book.
May 28, 2014
ok, it's steampunk, it's about Bristol, & it's got stories from friends of mine in there-did you really think I'd 1-star it....?
Declarations of interest notwithstanding, this is a great volume of steampunk tales set in Bristol: I won't critique each tale individually, but suffice it to say there is not a duff story in there, & many of the tales definitely left me wanting more.
worthy of your attention.
Declarations of interest notwithstanding, this is a great volume of steampunk tales set in Bristol: I won't critique each tale individually, but suffice it to say there is not a duff story in there, & many of the tales definitely left me wanting more.
worthy of your attention.
March 6, 2017
Really enjoyed this steampunk anthology. A great mixtures of tales, from automatons and airships, to the paranormal. Also, as it's set in my home city, this gave an added dimension to the book for me, as I could picture the characters locations well.
My favourite stories were The Lesser Men Have No Language and The Girl With Red Hair.
My favourite stories were The Lesser Men Have No Language and The Girl With Red Hair.
August 19, 2014
Caveat: I've ONLY read the J.L.Howard story so can't really 'review' the whole book, but v much enjoyed the story and look forward to reading the others
Read
September 13, 2020DNF
May 19, 2014
It's short stories. Steampunky. JLH's is good; not his best. There's a freaky voodoo one at the beginning I quite liked. Fully half the book is unreadable.
December 10, 2017
Marvellous.
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