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Steam-Powered #2
Steam-Powered 2: More Lesbian Steampunk Stories
These fifteen thrilling and ingenious tales take the familiar genre of steampunk in exciting new directions, following women from across the globe and through pasts that never were (but could have been) on their search for money, adventure, prestige, freedom--and the love of another woman. Here you'll meet a Moroccan airship engineer and an English diplomat who receive a cryptic message and an exploding music box, a librarian who doubts her God, a Malaysian shipping clerk who dreams of adventure, a terracotta bride from the Tenth Circle of Hell, and an aeronaut on her way to certain death and a surprising discovery--and many more.
Though they hail from across the globe and universes far away, each of them is driven to follow her own path to independence and to romance. The women of Steam-Powered 2 push steampunk to its limits and beyond.
"Journey's End," by Elizabeth Porter Birdsall
"Amphitrite," by S.L. Knapp
"In the Heart of Yellow Mountain," by Jaymee Goh
"Playing Chess in New Persepolis," by Sean Holland
"A Thousand Mill Lofts Gray," by Jeannelle Ferreira
"Dark Horse," by A.M. Tuomala
"The Return of Cherie," by Nisi Shawl
"One Last Interruption before We Begin," by Stephanie Lai
"Selin That Has Grown in the Desert," by Alex Dally MacFarlane
"Granada's Library," by Rebecca Fraimow
"The Canary of Candletown," by C.S.E. Cooney
"Fruit Jar Drinkin', Cheatin' Heart Blues," by Patty Templeton
"Deal," by Nicole Kornher-Stace
"Not the Moon But the Stars," by Shveta Thakrar
"The Terracotta Bride," by Zen Cho
Article/Afterword: "Winding Down the House: Taking the Steam out of Steampunk," by Amal El-Mohtar
Though they hail from across the globe and universes far away, each of them is driven to follow her own path to independence and to romance. The women of Steam-Powered 2 push steampunk to its limits and beyond.
"Journey's End," by Elizabeth Porter Birdsall
"Amphitrite," by S.L. Knapp
"In the Heart of Yellow Mountain," by Jaymee Goh
"Playing Chess in New Persepolis," by Sean Holland
"A Thousand Mill Lofts Gray," by Jeannelle Ferreira
"Dark Horse," by A.M. Tuomala
"The Return of Cherie," by Nisi Shawl
"One Last Interruption before We Begin," by Stephanie Lai
"Selin That Has Grown in the Desert," by Alex Dally MacFarlane
"Granada's Library," by Rebecca Fraimow
"The Canary of Candletown," by C.S.E. Cooney
"Fruit Jar Drinkin', Cheatin' Heart Blues," by Patty Templeton
"Deal," by Nicole Kornher-Stace
"Not the Moon But the Stars," by Shveta Thakrar
"The Terracotta Bride," by Zen Cho
Article/Afterword: "Winding Down the House: Taking the Steam out of Steampunk," by Amal El-Mohtar
438 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2011
About the author
JoSelle Vanderhooft
26 books36 followersA dramaturg and something of a lapsed playwright, Vanderhooft works as a freelance journalist, poet and fiction writer. Her work has appeared or will soon appear in print and online in such venues as Aofie’s Kiss, Byzarium, Cabinet des Fées, Jabberwocky, Not One of Us, MYTHIC, Mythic Delirium, Reflections Edge, Star*Line and several others.
To date, she has published seven poetry books: 10,000 Several Doors (Cat’s Eye Publishing, 2005), The Minotaur’s Last Letter to His Mother (2007, Ash Phoenix Press, to be re-released by Sam’s Dot Publishing in the future), Ossuary (2007, Sam’s Dot Publishing), The Handless Maiden and Other Tales Twice Told (2008 Sam’s Dot Publishing), The Memory Palace (2009, Norilana Books) and Fathers, Daughters, Ghosts & Monsters (2009, VanZeno Press).
Her first novel The Tale of the Miller’s Daughter was released from Papaveria Press in June, 2006 and her second and third, Owl Skin, and Ebenezer, a retelling of A Christmas Carol, are forthcoming from Papaveria and Drollerie Press, respectively . She edited the Torquere Press anthology of lesbian fairytales Sleeping Beauty, Indeed (reissued in 2009 by Lethe Press) as well as Steam-Powered: Lesbian Steampunk Stories (2011, Torquere Press) and (with Catherine Lundoff) Hellebore & Rue, an anthology of stories about lesbian magic users (Drollerie Press, 2010). Bitten By Moonlight, an anthology of lesbian werewolf stories, will be released from Zumaya Books in 2011.
To date, she has published seven poetry books: 10,000 Several Doors (Cat’s Eye Publishing, 2005), The Minotaur’s Last Letter to His Mother (2007, Ash Phoenix Press, to be re-released by Sam’s Dot Publishing in the future), Ossuary (2007, Sam’s Dot Publishing), The Handless Maiden and Other Tales Twice Told (2008 Sam’s Dot Publishing), The Memory Palace (2009, Norilana Books) and Fathers, Daughters, Ghosts & Monsters (2009, VanZeno Press).
Her first novel The Tale of the Miller’s Daughter was released from Papaveria Press in June, 2006 and her second and third, Owl Skin, and Ebenezer, a retelling of A Christmas Carol, are forthcoming from Papaveria and Drollerie Press, respectively . She edited the Torquere Press anthology of lesbian fairytales Sleeping Beauty, Indeed (reissued in 2009 by Lethe Press) as well as Steam-Powered: Lesbian Steampunk Stories (2011, Torquere Press) and (with Catherine Lundoff) Hellebore & Rue, an anthology of stories about lesbian magic users (Drollerie Press, 2010). Bitten By Moonlight, an anthology of lesbian werewolf stories, will be released from Zumaya Books in 2011.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 3, 2011
I received an eArc from Zen Cho ("The Terracotta Bride").
So...I like stories about women! I like stories about queer women! I'm ambivalent about steampunk, because I'm not so into Victorian England or colonialist nostalgia, both of which seem to abound.
Happily, this is an anthology about mostly working class queer woman, many of color, and not one story is set in Victorian England or drenched with the "romance" of colonization. Granted, I'm not sure all the stories are steampunk, which doesn't bother me at all but might bother someone with a narrow definition of steampunk hoping to find that and only that here.
"Journey's End," by Elizabeth Porter Birdsall - One of my favorite stories in the anthology, this drew a picture of an intriguing technology (sentient aetherium ships) and an engaging protagonist. It's also one of the best-plotted in terms of being a short story--it didn't feel rushed, stretched thin, or lacking in emotional "punch." I would happily read a novel set in this world.
"Amphitrite," by S.L. Knapp - Probably my least favorite story in the anthology. The characters left me cold, and I'm mildly squicked by "older person takes younger person under sexual wing and teaches them the way of the world" as a trope. The take on mermaids didn't feel original, and the whole thing left a kind of weird mental aftertaste.
"In the Heart of Yellow Mountain," by Jaymee Goh - This felt sort of like that ridiculous trap sequence in every action/adventure movie where the protagonists have to get through the mysterious booby-trapped maze/temple/palace/whathaveyou. I am not sure those work as well in print as in visual media, and this could have been a lightweight story, but Goh worked in some interesting themes of class. I liked it.
"Playing Chess in New Persepolis," by Sean Holland - I enjoyed this story, but it didn't really feel to me like it had enough "punch" to it for a solid short story. The romance also felt rushed (a common problem with short story romances, I think). I'm not sure why it was set in Persia. It would have made a fine set-up for a novel.
"A Thousand Mill Lofts Gray," by Jeannelle Ferreira - I wanted to like this story more than I did; the writing sometimes felt opaque, making it difficult to tell the order of events (there are two separate points in the story which could have been the beginning of the sexual/romantic relationship, and I'm not sure which was supposed to be the real beginning). It also raised a lot of questions about the role of mechanization that it never really resolved--and I'm not sure why it had to be steampunk. The steampunk elements could have been removed and the same story told about the real advent of mechanization (a fine story, to be sure, but not a speculative one). Overall I liked it, but I felt it ended too tidily and needed a bit more editing.
"Dark Horse," by A.M. Tuomala - A fun romp about Moroccan mercenaries and international espionage! I really enjoyed this one, and will have to look up the author's other work.
"The Return of Cherie," by Nisi Shawl - This is an excerpt from a novel-in-progress, not a short story, and it shows. I think novel excerpts rarely work as short stories, and this left me not really caring much about these people. Who were they? What were they doing? Why should they matter to the reader? I'm sure the novel answers these questions, but the story didn't.
"One Last Interruption before We Begin," by Stephanie Lai - Another favorite; I think this is the first story I've read where the protagonist is a shipping clerk. It did feel rather like a set-up for a novel in some ways, but I felt there was enough resolution for a short story. (I'd read a novel in this world, too.)
"Selin That Has Grown in the Desert," by Alex Dally MacFarlane - Loved the setting, loved the writing style, but I felt like this tried to cram way too much into a short story, rushing the emotional denouement and wrapping up loose ends too conveniently. I'd read the novel.
"Granada's Library," by Rebecca Fraimow - Cranky librarians observe the revolution. I'm...not sure how I felt about this story, to be honest. I think I am too much of an atheist and a humanist to come down on the side of there being a "role" for religious libraries that bar non-members from reading secular texts by members.
"The Canary of Candletown," by C.S.E. Cooney - This story dealt with serious historical topics, on a slant, but I just couldn't get into it. Not a fan of the author's writing style, and one of the main characters, although over 18, felt awfully young to me.
"Fruit Jar Drinkin', Cheatin' Heart Blues," by Patty Templeton - Another very stylistic story, which I guess a lot of people found funny. Left me cold.
"Deal," by Nicole Kornher-Stace - I didn't much like genuine tall tales as a kid, and I didn't much like this steampunk tall tale, either. Personal taste.
"Not the Moon but the Stars," by Shveta Thakrar - I think this is the story that frustrated me the most. I loved Thakrar's style, and I thought the setup was interesting, but I felt it raised the very real question of whether mechanization is good for the poor and then...never addressed it. The protagonists are for it, therefore the farmers must be wrong, I guess, but I wasn't convinced.
"The Terracotta Bride," by Zen Cho - Of all the stories in the anthology, I think this is the least steampunk. I am not actually sure it is steampunk at all! But this is okay with me, because it is a fantastic story with excellent worldbuilding, good plotting, and real-seeming characters with real feelings. I think it is one of my favorites of Zen's stories.
Overall a solid, fun anthology with no major clunkers. I'm definitely going to check out the first volume now.
So...I like stories about women! I like stories about queer women! I'm ambivalent about steampunk, because I'm not so into Victorian England or colonialist nostalgia, both of which seem to abound.
Happily, this is an anthology about mostly working class queer woman, many of color, and not one story is set in Victorian England or drenched with the "romance" of colonization. Granted, I'm not sure all the stories are steampunk, which doesn't bother me at all but might bother someone with a narrow definition of steampunk hoping to find that and only that here.
"Journey's End," by Elizabeth Porter Birdsall - One of my favorite stories in the anthology, this drew a picture of an intriguing technology (sentient aetherium ships) and an engaging protagonist. It's also one of the best-plotted in terms of being a short story--it didn't feel rushed, stretched thin, or lacking in emotional "punch." I would happily read a novel set in this world.
"Amphitrite," by S.L. Knapp - Probably my least favorite story in the anthology. The characters left me cold, and I'm mildly squicked by "older person takes younger person under sexual wing and teaches them the way of the world" as a trope. The take on mermaids didn't feel original, and the whole thing left a kind of weird mental aftertaste.
"In the Heart of Yellow Mountain," by Jaymee Goh - This felt sort of like that ridiculous trap sequence in every action/adventure movie where the protagonists have to get through the mysterious booby-trapped maze/temple/palace/whathaveyou. I am not sure those work as well in print as in visual media, and this could have been a lightweight story, but Goh worked in some interesting themes of class. I liked it.
"Playing Chess in New Persepolis," by Sean Holland - I enjoyed this story, but it didn't really feel to me like it had enough "punch" to it for a solid short story. The romance also felt rushed (a common problem with short story romances, I think). I'm not sure why it was set in Persia. It would have made a fine set-up for a novel.
"A Thousand Mill Lofts Gray," by Jeannelle Ferreira - I wanted to like this story more than I did; the writing sometimes felt opaque, making it difficult to tell the order of events (there are two separate points in the story which could have been the beginning of the sexual/romantic relationship, and I'm not sure which was supposed to be the real beginning). It also raised a lot of questions about the role of mechanization that it never really resolved--and I'm not sure why it had to be steampunk. The steampunk elements could have been removed and the same story told about the real advent of mechanization (a fine story, to be sure, but not a speculative one). Overall I liked it, but I felt it ended too tidily and needed a bit more editing.
"Dark Horse," by A.M. Tuomala - A fun romp about Moroccan mercenaries and international espionage! I really enjoyed this one, and will have to look up the author's other work.
"The Return of Cherie," by Nisi Shawl - This is an excerpt from a novel-in-progress, not a short story, and it shows. I think novel excerpts rarely work as short stories, and this left me not really caring much about these people. Who were they? What were they doing? Why should they matter to the reader? I'm sure the novel answers these questions, but the story didn't.
"One Last Interruption before We Begin," by Stephanie Lai - Another favorite; I think this is the first story I've read where the protagonist is a shipping clerk. It did feel rather like a set-up for a novel in some ways, but I felt there was enough resolution for a short story. (I'd read a novel in this world, too.)
"Selin That Has Grown in the Desert," by Alex Dally MacFarlane - Loved the setting, loved the writing style, but I felt like this tried to cram way too much into a short story, rushing the emotional denouement and wrapping up loose ends too conveniently. I'd read the novel.
"Granada's Library," by Rebecca Fraimow - Cranky librarians observe the revolution. I'm...not sure how I felt about this story, to be honest. I think I am too much of an atheist and a humanist to come down on the side of there being a "role" for religious libraries that bar non-members from reading secular texts by members.
"The Canary of Candletown," by C.S.E. Cooney - This story dealt with serious historical topics, on a slant, but I just couldn't get into it. Not a fan of the author's writing style, and one of the main characters, although over 18, felt awfully young to me.
"Fruit Jar Drinkin', Cheatin' Heart Blues," by Patty Templeton - Another very stylistic story, which I guess a lot of people found funny. Left me cold.
"Deal," by Nicole Kornher-Stace - I didn't much like genuine tall tales as a kid, and I didn't much like this steampunk tall tale, either. Personal taste.
"Not the Moon but the Stars," by Shveta Thakrar - I think this is the story that frustrated me the most. I loved Thakrar's style, and I thought the setup was interesting, but I felt it raised the very real question of whether mechanization is good for the poor and then...never addressed it. The protagonists are for it, therefore the farmers must be wrong, I guess, but I wasn't convinced.
"The Terracotta Bride," by Zen Cho - Of all the stories in the anthology, I think this is the least steampunk. I am not actually sure it is steampunk at all! But this is okay with me, because it is a fantastic story with excellent worldbuilding, good plotting, and real-seeming characters with real feelings. I think it is one of my favorites of Zen's stories.
Overall a solid, fun anthology with no major clunkers. I'm definitely going to check out the first volume now.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 22, 2012
Update 2/22/12: I finally finished all of the stories in this volume, so I'll update my review asap with my thoughts on the rest of them.
I haven’t read the first volume in this series of steampunk lesbian tales, but I intend to look for it as soon as I’ve finished this one so that I can compare. I plan on updating my review as I read the stories, rather than wait until I’ve finished the whole thing. As of December 31, I’ve read five out of 15 stories.
So far, the stories in this book are notable for not being the kind of steampunk I expected (i.e., taking place in Victorian London and involving plucky English ladies or mad scientists, for example). The settings and people are extremely varied -- Persian, Moroccan, Malaysian, and so on – as are the steampunk elements, but the actual lesbian relationships are underplayed compared with the backdrop of the stories: war, politics, class, etc. Maybe because it’s necessary to do a certain amount of world building in alternate histories, but with a short story, there’s less room to do it coherently without sacrificing something else. My favorite stories right now balance the world-building details with character/relationship development.
I received the ebook version of this from Shveta Thakrar.
"Journey's End," by Elizabeth Porter Birdsall – I liked the idea of the sentient airships, the way they communicate and bond with their crew, and the way the story explores the meaning of death/dying rituals, including what would cause a person to volunteer to “go down with the ship”, to make that sacrifice. I couldn’t really emotionally invest in the character’s journey – the narrative felt too distant and the main character too melancholy – but I found it a thoughtful, well-paced story.
"Amphitrite," by S.L. Knapp – From women piloting sentient airships to submarines! I’m not sure how I feel about this story. Sirens/mermaids causing the men piloting submarines to wreck themselves is a fine idea, as is some countries therefore requiring women to pilot the submarines. But I don’t see why the sirens cannot affect women the same way they lure men if the woman in question is a lesbian; it stands to reason the siren’s voice should be able to manipulate her as well. It’s all about sexual desire, right? Maybe I just missed the point. Otherwise, the details of this alternate history (time period, place, political situation) just didn’t feel clear to me.
"In the Heart of Yellow Mountain," by Jaymee Goh – This was a Lara Croft-style adventure story, with two women who distrust each other ending up navigating a booby-trapped maze through a mountain in order to gain political influence with their country’s new ruler. I enjoyed the women’s back-and-forth relationship and like that it didn’t go exactly where I expected, and I liked how they used their various strengths to survive. The Asian-inspired setting was particularly well-done.
"Playing Chess in New Persepolis," by Sean Holland – I loved the whole idea behind this mechanized chess competition, whereby the participants build their own pieces to move across the board on command and destroy their opponent’s. It’s a cool mix of chess strategy and geeky scientific/robotic engineering. The parts of the story that concentrated on the chess stuff were excellent, but the romance between opponents felt rushed, like most of it happened off the page.
"A Thousand Mill Lofts Gray," by Jeannelle Ferreira – This was the first of the stories to really concentrate, and show, the romance, with a little of the sexy bits thrown in, so I really wanted to like it. Yet too much of the love story between a wealthy photojournalist and the poor seamstress happened off page. I had trouble keeping track of the order of events, because the narrative jumped time without any cues and rarely covered what happened in the interim. At least the ending was happy.
"Dark Horse," by A.M. Tuomala – So far, this was my favorite story, even though the ending lost me. (I have no idea what happened or what it means, and I will have to read the story again to see if it’s me being obtuse or the story being cryptic.) The romance is pretty hot and the plot, involving political intrigue from a mercenary standpoint, has a lot of action and drama. It’s a sort of Moroccan spy story and was the most fun to read.
I haven’t read the first volume in this series of steampunk lesbian tales, but I intend to look for it as soon as I’ve finished this one so that I can compare. I plan on updating my review as I read the stories, rather than wait until I’ve finished the whole thing. As of December 31, I’ve read five out of 15 stories.
So far, the stories in this book are notable for not being the kind of steampunk I expected (i.e., taking place in Victorian London and involving plucky English ladies or mad scientists, for example). The settings and people are extremely varied -- Persian, Moroccan, Malaysian, and so on – as are the steampunk elements, but the actual lesbian relationships are underplayed compared with the backdrop of the stories: war, politics, class, etc. Maybe because it’s necessary to do a certain amount of world building in alternate histories, but with a short story, there’s less room to do it coherently without sacrificing something else. My favorite stories right now balance the world-building details with character/relationship development.
I received the ebook version of this from Shveta Thakrar.
"Journey's End," by Elizabeth Porter Birdsall – I liked the idea of the sentient airships, the way they communicate and bond with their crew, and the way the story explores the meaning of death/dying rituals, including what would cause a person to volunteer to “go down with the ship”, to make that sacrifice. I couldn’t really emotionally invest in the character’s journey – the narrative felt too distant and the main character too melancholy – but I found it a thoughtful, well-paced story.
"Amphitrite," by S.L. Knapp – From women piloting sentient airships to submarines! I’m not sure how I feel about this story. Sirens/mermaids causing the men piloting submarines to wreck themselves is a fine idea, as is some countries therefore requiring women to pilot the submarines. But I don’t see why the sirens cannot affect women the same way they lure men if the woman in question is a lesbian; it stands to reason the siren’s voice should be able to manipulate her as well. It’s all about sexual desire, right? Maybe I just missed the point. Otherwise, the details of this alternate history (time period, place, political situation) just didn’t feel clear to me.
"In the Heart of Yellow Mountain," by Jaymee Goh – This was a Lara Croft-style adventure story, with two women who distrust each other ending up navigating a booby-trapped maze through a mountain in order to gain political influence with their country’s new ruler. I enjoyed the women’s back-and-forth relationship and like that it didn’t go exactly where I expected, and I liked how they used their various strengths to survive. The Asian-inspired setting was particularly well-done.
"Playing Chess in New Persepolis," by Sean Holland – I loved the whole idea behind this mechanized chess competition, whereby the participants build their own pieces to move across the board on command and destroy their opponent’s. It’s a cool mix of chess strategy and geeky scientific/robotic engineering. The parts of the story that concentrated on the chess stuff were excellent, but the romance between opponents felt rushed, like most of it happened off the page.
"A Thousand Mill Lofts Gray," by Jeannelle Ferreira – This was the first of the stories to really concentrate, and show, the romance, with a little of the sexy bits thrown in, so I really wanted to like it. Yet too much of the love story between a wealthy photojournalist and the poor seamstress happened off page. I had trouble keeping track of the order of events, because the narrative jumped time without any cues and rarely covered what happened in the interim. At least the ending was happy.
"Dark Horse," by A.M. Tuomala – So far, this was my favorite story, even though the ending lost me. (I have no idea what happened or what it means, and I will have to read the story again to see if it’s me being obtuse or the story being cryptic.) The romance is pretty hot and the plot, involving political intrigue from a mercenary standpoint, has a lot of action and drama. It’s a sort of Moroccan spy story and was the most fun to read.
March 14, 2012
I won a copy of this book from the giveaways on Goodreads. I wasn't sure at first what to think about winning it and I was skeptical about how good it would be because I sort of hate romance stories. However, I'm the type of person that if a book is stuck in front of my face, I'm going to give it a shot. Also, I thought, this book was supposed to be lesbian romance and, therefore, not likely to be typical romance.
I was VERY pleasantly surprised. While there are elements of romance (in varying degrees) in the stories in this book, the romance is of much less importance than the lives of the women and their circumstances. The stories in this book are about courageous women who want to live and just so happen to be lesbian. The stories really get to know these women and how they feel about their lives and circumstances. The stories highlight different cultures and different areas of the world. The stories aren't even typical "steampunk" much like the essay at the end of the book points out- it's more like technologically inclined fantasy than run of the mill "steampunk". What you come back with is a medley of stories that show you strong, interesting women in every size, shape, age, ethnicity, and color in many different settings and places facing interesting (and entertaining or moving) situations.
Particularly, I found "Journey's End", "Dark Horse" and "In the Heart of Yellow Mountain" to be excellent adventure stories with interesting and motivating plots. "Selin That Has Grown in the Desert", "Fruit Jar Drinkin', Cheatin' Heart Blues" and "Deal" had rich scenery and feeling that really made the womens' worlds really come to life. "Not the Moon But the Stars" made use of thought provoking philosophical and spiritual imagery. The stories were entertaining, thought provoking and rich.
Even though there were a couple of stories in the book that I didn't like, I would recommend that anyone who likes reading about strong women, interesting settings, and adventures pick up this book and give it a try.
I was VERY pleasantly surprised. While there are elements of romance (in varying degrees) in the stories in this book, the romance is of much less importance than the lives of the women and their circumstances. The stories in this book are about courageous women who want to live and just so happen to be lesbian. The stories really get to know these women and how they feel about their lives and circumstances. The stories highlight different cultures and different areas of the world. The stories aren't even typical "steampunk" much like the essay at the end of the book points out- it's more like technologically inclined fantasy than run of the mill "steampunk". What you come back with is a medley of stories that show you strong, interesting women in every size, shape, age, ethnicity, and color in many different settings and places facing interesting (and entertaining or moving) situations.
Particularly, I found "Journey's End", "Dark Horse" and "In the Heart of Yellow Mountain" to be excellent adventure stories with interesting and motivating plots. "Selin That Has Grown in the Desert", "Fruit Jar Drinkin', Cheatin' Heart Blues" and "Deal" had rich scenery and feeling that really made the womens' worlds really come to life. "Not the Moon But the Stars" made use of thought provoking philosophical and spiritual imagery. The stories were entertaining, thought provoking and rich.
Even though there were a couple of stories in the book that I didn't like, I would recommend that anyone who likes reading about strong women, interesting settings, and adventures pick up this book and give it a try.
January 22, 2012
This review is copied from my book review blog, The Towering Pile. Original review: http://thetoweringpile.blogspot.com/2...
First off, let me just say that it is so amazing to read 400 pages of steampunk with no male main characters. That alone makes this book worth reading for anyone who's feeling a little under-represented in the genre. Similarly, the stories take place all over the world, not just in Victorian England, so there's a lot more cultural diversity than is typical. Yay!
As for the individual stories, as usual with short story collections I liked some more than others. However, I definitely liked more than I usually do in this one. For example, in the first story, Journey's End by Elizabeth Porter Birdsall, a material from asteroids is used to build engines, which causes ships to become sentient. After some decades of serving her crew, a sentient ship chooses a crewmember to fly her to her death. In Playing Chess in New Persepolis by Sean Holland, people from around the world participate in a chess tournament with giant steam-powered chess pieces of their own design, where both their technical abilities and their chess skills are put to the test. In The Terracotta Bride by Zen Cho, the reader is shown a fascinating concept of the afterlife, in which people go to Hell, and then try to stay there rather than be reincarnated, and for belongings people have whatever their descendants burn for them.
So overall, while there were a few stories that didn't really do anything for me, I think there were more stories that had truly original ideas, really captured the essence of steampunk, and were really well-written stories that kept me interested and entertained.
Full disclosure: Free copy received through a Goodreads giveaway.
First off, let me just say that it is so amazing to read 400 pages of steampunk with no male main characters. That alone makes this book worth reading for anyone who's feeling a little under-represented in the genre. Similarly, the stories take place all over the world, not just in Victorian England, so there's a lot more cultural diversity than is typical. Yay!
As for the individual stories, as usual with short story collections I liked some more than others. However, I definitely liked more than I usually do in this one. For example, in the first story, Journey's End by Elizabeth Porter Birdsall, a material from asteroids is used to build engines, which causes ships to become sentient. After some decades of serving her crew, a sentient ship chooses a crewmember to fly her to her death. In Playing Chess in New Persepolis by Sean Holland, people from around the world participate in a chess tournament with giant steam-powered chess pieces of their own design, where both their technical abilities and their chess skills are put to the test. In The Terracotta Bride by Zen Cho, the reader is shown a fascinating concept of the afterlife, in which people go to Hell, and then try to stay there rather than be reincarnated, and for belongings people have whatever their descendants burn for them.
So overall, while there were a few stories that didn't really do anything for me, I think there were more stories that had truly original ideas, really captured the essence of steampunk, and were really well-written stories that kept me interested and entertained.
Full disclosure: Free copy received through a Goodreads giveaway.
December 16, 2011
ARC from Alex.
Finished! This was a solid collection, and in many ways seemed more professional than the previous installment, but overall it lacked some of the... idk, the exuberance of the previous and didn't fill me with the same level of squeeful feelings.
There were exceptions, of course - I loved Zen Cho's bittersweet vision of the afterlife with automatons in Terracotta Bride and Alex Dally MacFarlane's story of a young Turkish woman's dilemma as she realizes she has no interest in marriage in Selin That Has Grown in the Desert. I cackled over the hilariously tempestuous love of two moonshine-brewing swamp-dwellers in Fruit Jar Drinkin', Cheatin' Heart Blues by Patty Templeton. Deal by Nicole Kornher-Stace and Amphitrite by S.L. Knapp were also really fun.
There was also In the Heart of Yellow Mountain, by Jaymee Goh, which I really liked but would have loved were it about an antagonistic, on-again-off-again love/hate affair between the two characters instead of... what it was about, but ah well, tastes differ and all that. (I love me some love/hate relationships, okay.)
As for the others, I did enjoy most of them, but they also mostly fell a bit out of my strike range.
Finished! This was a solid collection, and in many ways seemed more professional than the previous installment, but overall it lacked some of the... idk, the exuberance of the previous and didn't fill me with the same level of squeeful feelings.
There were exceptions, of course - I loved Zen Cho's bittersweet vision of the afterlife with automatons in Terracotta Bride and Alex Dally MacFarlane's story of a young Turkish woman's dilemma as she realizes she has no interest in marriage in Selin That Has Grown in the Desert. I cackled over the hilariously tempestuous love of two moonshine-brewing swamp-dwellers in Fruit Jar Drinkin', Cheatin' Heart Blues by Patty Templeton. Deal by Nicole Kornher-Stace and Amphitrite by S.L. Knapp were also really fun.
There was also In the Heart of Yellow Mountain, by Jaymee Goh, which I really liked but would have loved were it about an antagonistic, on-again-off-again love/hate affair between the two characters instead of... what it was about, but ah well, tastes differ and all that. (I love me some love/hate relationships, okay.)
As for the others, I did enjoy most of them, but they also mostly fell a bit out of my strike range.
Currently reading
May 26, 2014The first story Journey's End by Elizabeth Porter Birdsall! Amazing! it totally left me wanting to read more about the universe, the ship, and the passengers! I hope the author has more planned. I also liked Playing Chess in New Persopolis. Grenada's library was another delightful story -- very profound and quiet. The wonder and sanctity of books. The last lines were especially great. I am really enjoying that there is a diversity of people and places -- not the typical white European-like people all the time. It is refreshing and wonderful. As with any collection of short stories the quality varies, but the varieties of places and people often make up for any literary deficiencies.
July 4, 2012
An interesting anthology, if a little uneven. Some stories are five stars worth, others one or two. Some the effects of a changing steampunk society on lesbian relationship were explored, others the lesbian relationship seemed tokenistic, a chance to get a story in a more unusual book.
To be fair though, I did have a good friend "edit" the ebook so I could avoid the uncomfortable associations had with one of the writers in particular. While I would not have otherwise read the book, I can't guarantee it still didn't leave me a little cautious about this anthology.
To be fair though, I did have a good friend "edit" the ebook so I could avoid the uncomfortable associations had with one of the writers in particular. While I would not have otherwise read the book, I can't guarantee it still didn't leave me a little cautious about this anthology.
August 27, 2012
I should say that I love steampunk cause well its sci-fi and its awesome.
Some stories which this book contained really had some descriptions which I loved, the details, the world how it is written was awesome. But the characters in many ways just couldn't catch me...don't know why...there was only one.
In the Playing Chess in New Persepolis by Sean Holland-probably cause I too love to play this game..and the character were very fit for the whole story and atmoshpere...
Some stories which this book contained really had some descriptions which I loved, the details, the world how it is written was awesome. But the characters in many ways just couldn't catch me...don't know why...there was only one.
In the Playing Chess in New Persepolis by Sean Holland-probably cause I too love to play this game..and the character were very fit for the whole story and atmoshpere...
May 23, 2013
Worth reading. The stories are very uneven in terms of quality but make up for it, overall, by pushing the boundaries of the genre and going well beyond mainstream steampunk (steam, copper, victorian england).
October 4, 2011
ARC from Zen.
Shelved as 'other'
November 13, 2013Huge fan of Tuomala's, so very curious about this. Hope to pick it up once I have a moment's breath.
Want to read
October 27, 2011Oh Hell Yes!
November 15, 2012
Great book, would recommend this book to others.
*Won on GoodReads First Reads*
*Won on GoodReads First Reads*
April 23, 2015
Some stories great, some stories not so great! Overall, yes good I would like more of this.
July 15, 2018
A collection of fantastic multicultural lesbian steampunk tales. Some of them tackle colonialism, for instance. Others tackle the meaning of life and sentience. All of them are fascinating.
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