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Steampunk II: Steampunk Reloaded (2010)

by Ann VanderMeer(Favorite Author)

3.69 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1616960019 (ISBN13: 9781616960018)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Tachyon Publications

series

Steampunk

review 1: Somehow, this took me a long time to work my way through. None of the stories were terrible, and some were great. My favorites included: Shweat Narayan, The Mechanical Aviary of Emperor Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar; Stephen Baxter, The Unblinking Eye (which ends inconclusively within the world of the story, but with a great reveal for the reader); and Margaret Ronald, A Serpent in the Gears. At least the first two of these, strictly speaking, reach well beyond steampunk into fantasy, or alternate history; and what makes each so effective is that it has a strong and interesting story/idea at the core. Other stories suffer from the characteristic flaw of weak steampunk - distinctive Victorian trappings, but no heart. One of the last stories in the book, Vilhelm Bergsoe, ... moreFlying Fish Prometheus, is reminiscent of a Jules Verne (mis-)adventure. First published in Danish in 1870, and translated into English for the first time in this collection, it compares favorably with the rest of the stories by living authors.
review 2: Steampunk II: Steampunk Reloaded is a good anthology as far as anthologies go, but not all its stories are equal. The inequalities are evident both in entertainment value and even in meeting the very definition of being an actual steampunk story. A rather surprising inclusion is a recently translated piece written in 1870 by Danish author Vilhelm Bergsoe. "The Flying Fish Prometheus" is by far the best of the group. It truly has every element in it that a steampunk story should have--including the Victorian values and social structure along with the wildly creative steam tech. Stories by Cherie Priest of "Boneshaker" fame, G.D. Falksen and Tanith Lee are also outstanding. Artwork that includes "Lovelace and Babbage" and essays on what exactly is the steampunk movement are also strong offerings. A good intro into the genre for those who have stumbled into steampunk through fashion or other creative endeavor. less

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