Jonathan Peto's Reviews > Steampunk! An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories

Short story anthologies are tough. This one is a strong three stars. Even though there were no lost causes, as I read I never thought I'd give it four. Some stories soared, but I guess not high enough or long enough.

Another thing, and it is a Catch-22, but I found myself impatiently flipping pages at times, wondering how many remained. I longed for novels, I think. I wanted the stories to draw me in faster and deep, some did, yet I was still impatient, wondering when it would end.

One last thing. Steampunk? This was a good introduction. Turns out I've read some steampunk (Philip Pullman). Even though I will read more steampunk, including some of these authors, I did tire, at times, of reading this all at once. I appreciate the effort to develop speculative fiction, fantasy, and not emulate Tolkien. I like the machines and the respect for mechanical skills, but am not entirely convinced including those things alone makes a distinct genre. Some of the stories contained more of those elements than others.

Brief, perhaps idiosyncratic and unhelpful, responses to each story:

"Some Fortunate Future Day" by Cassandra Clare: Included dirigibles. Wartime. Abandoned female lead who may amuse and/or appall. Ambiguous ending? Mostly enjoyed.

"The Last Ride of the Glory Girls" by Libba Bray: Interesting world. Strong female leads. Orphans. Rebellion. Ambiguous ending that may satisfy. Mostly enjoyed.

"Clockwork Fagin" by Cory Doctorow: Read one of his novels. Orphans. Rebellion. Murder. Mostly enjoyed.

"Seven Days Beset by Demons" by Shawn Cheng: Comic. Deadly Sins. Enjoyed.

"Hand in Glove" by Ysabeau S. Wilce: Still plan to read one of her novels. Murder. Horror. Female detective lead, mostly strong. Mostly enjoyed.

"The Ghost of Cwmlech Manor" by Delia Sherman: Mystery. Admiration for rank. Strong female lead. Mostly enjoyed.

"Gethsemane" by Elizabeth Knox: Less steampunk perhaps. Dirigibles. Technology goes very wrong. Female lead who perhaps sells out. Ambiguous ending. Witchcraft. Googled the author. Enjoyed.

"The Summer People" by Kelly Link: Also one of the editors. Less steampunk perhaps. Female lead who may be evil. Sinister. Mostly enjoyed.

"Peace in Our Time" by Garth Nix: May be too cute. Selfish old man. Okay.

"Nowhere Fast" by Christopher Rowe: Googled the author. Bicycles. Enjoyable female lead. Community. Memory. Longing. Enjoyed.

"Finishing School" by Kathleen Jennings: Comic. Harder to draw me in. Somewhat strong female leads. Less developed but it may just be me and comics.

"Steam Girl" by Dylan Horrocks: Googled the author. Setting seems to be our world. Steampunk elements are mainly in the a story within the story. Sensitive "loser" boy saved by "loser" girl and her story. Mostly enjoyed.

"Everything Amiable and Obliging" by Holly Black: Read a novel by this author. Strong female lead. Technology goes wrong. Slightly disturbing topic of machines and love. Enjoyed.

"The Oracle Engine" by M.T.Anderson: Strong narrative voice. Flying machines. War. Men. Revenge. Twists. Enjoyed.

I enjoyed the stories. I guess something about their execution kept me from being completely drawn in? This could easily be four stars for some/many people, I suspect. All these authors are writers to keep an eye on.