The ramblings of a bibliophile.
I thoroughly enjoyed this short story. Not just the quick, sharp, fast pace. But the uniqueness of the storyline and the way that it drew me in from the very beginning. The way that the story was broken up into almost mini-chapters helped to lend this fast-paced feeling to the story and moved it forward beautifully.
Read more Numismatics in the Reigns of Naranh and Viu by Alex Dally MacFarlane
The flow of this is not even remotely what I’m used to, or what I expected. Jane’s story is told, but it is also partnered with the wording in her fliers. Quick, pithy sentences that get the point across – mostly about feministic values such as equality. Or at least, that was what I got out of this story.
Read more The Anachronist’s Cookbook by Catherynne M. Valente
I really don’t know how I felt about this story. The idea of love and loss was a good theme. The use of two homosexual men and their roles in their societies was fun. But this just didn’t grab me and sweep me away like so many other stories in The Mammoth Book of Steampunk. And, since I liked all of the concepts in this, I was really disappointed in myself for not being swept away.
So many of the steampunk short stories that I have read so far have featured the entire idea that pride comes before the fall. And this is no different from any other. It also reminds me of the tale of the Trojan Horse. And reminds us that maybe we should take what is offered in the spirit which it is offered, instead of being prideful and resentful.
Read more The Clockwork Goat and the Smokestack Magi by Peter M. Ball
Reading the title of this short story made me think it was going to be really funny. And a little quirky. And it really wasn’t. There was discussion of minorities, freedom and prejudice. All topics that I love to read about and sink my teeth into on a frequent basis.
I was quite surprised by this short story. Not because of the steampunk themes and threads running throughout, but because of the Mayan theme to it. Somehow I never really associated steampunk with Mayan. And, weirdly enough, it worked incredibly well.
Read more Prayers of Forges and Furnaces by Aliette de Bodard
I really enjoyed this story. The idea of a mechanical aviary built by a mechanical bird in and of itself is a great little story. Add to this the fact that a tale of morals is interwoven throughout, and this was the most fun I’ve had in the past few weeks. It was just so beautifully different and engaging. Without being overbearing in the way the message is outlined.
Read more The Mechanical Aviary of Emperor Jala-ud-din Muhammad Akbar by Shweta Narayan
The narrator of this story quite frankly pissed me off. Which was the idea that I think the author was going for – it was this idea that once married, his fiancé would become the “perfect woman”. And conform to what he felt that he needed. WRONG!
Never judge a book by it’s cover. And never make assumptions on a person based on how they look. That’s the message that overwhelmingly resonates with me after reading this short story.
Read more The Zeppelin Conductors’ Society Annual Gentlemen’s Ball by Genevieve Valentine
Well. This was not what I was expecting. I thought something that featured Tom Edison would be a lot more concise and filled with a little less fantasy. But it was like a mad, crazy wild western tale that featured someone who is completely obsessed with electricity.
Read more Tom Edison and His Amazing Telegraphic Harpoon by Jay Lake
