Clockwork Fairies

by Cat Rambo

Desiree feels the most at home with her clockwork creations, but Claude worries about all this science and Darwinist nonsense—after all, where do clockwork fairies fall in the Great Chain of Being?At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Steampunk, Short Stories, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Ebooks, Historical, Victorian

25 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 22, 2011

About the author

F&SF writer Cat Rambo lives and writes in the Midwest. They have been shortlisted for an Endeavour Award, Locus Award, World Fantasy Award and most recently the Nebula Award. Their debut novel, BEASTS OF TABAT, appeared in 2015 from WordFire Press, the same year she co-edited AD ASTRA: THE SFWA 50TH ANNIVERSARY COOKBOOK. Their most recent book is DEVIL'S GUN (novel, Tor Macmillan). They are a former two-term President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) and still volunteers with the organization.
They run the popular online writing school focused on fantasy and science fiction, the Rambo Academy for Wayward Writers. (academy.catrambo.com)

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Reviews

[Althea Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brilliant steampunk inventor of mixed racial heritage is insistent on her engagement to a man who is wholly incompatible with her, even though her loving father opposes the match.

I'm loving Cat Rambo's writing, but this is my least favorite story by her so far.

The unsuitability of the match (and the clear 'made in heaven' (or Faerie) nature of the protagonist's compatibility with someone else) robs the story of all tension. The situation possesses no ambiguity, and there's really no question about how things will turn out. The whole story has a bit of a "trying too hard" vibe.

[Alina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting short story, touching on themes like racism, women discrimination, religion, but unfortunately only "touching", as the themes are not really developed; also, there's a little supernatural thrown in. The characters aren't very believable and the heroine oscillates between being an intelligent and down to earth scientist and a gullible damsel who's afraid she will remain a spinster. At least the ending wasn't contrary to my hopes.
Worth a read, it can be found on TOR.com

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

4-5 stars. #10 on the short story personal challenge.

A tale taking place during the early to mid-1800s. So right away I knew what to expect in terms of class consciousness, manners, the ton, and all that Regency-era stuff. The lovely Desiree is an inventor, engineer, and really, an artist (her mechanical fairies!!) who isn't interested in out-snooting or even spending time with high society. She'd rather be tinkering and building, something she is clearly gifted at. She is however, involved with Claude, a young man who could help her secure a respectable place among the gentry. Claude seems interested in Desiree (thanks to her inheritance), though Lord Southland, her father, has reservations about her suitor. Desiree, being brown, would require, at minimum, marriage to Claude to ensure her ability to move within society.

I loved Desiree, and that she's brown and brilliant at what she does. I also wished this had been a longer story.

[The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book for two very important reasons:

1) The main character, Desiree, is a woman of color and there's no cover fail. In fact, the cover is just absolute art and I'd love a full-sized print;

2) It's a steampunk story. With a woman of color as heroine. And she's a smart heroine. An inventor heroine. How cool is that?

Okay, for some readers reason number one might not be all that important, but for sci-fi/fantasy readers of color such as myself, seeing our images in a positive way in these worlds is refreshing, and frankly is long since time.

My only huge complaint: I really, really wish this had been a full-length novel. It deserved to be. I wanted to know so much more about Desiree and her rather unique upbringing.

[La Coccinelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This could've been better. Unfortunately, the narrator, a "blasted pedantic popinjay" (according to his fiancee's father), was insufferable. He was sexist, racist, possessive, and greedy. Which all would've been fine if he'd been dealt a satisfactory ending. With all of Desiree's mechanical creations--such as winged fairies and cats--I was expecting some sort of revenge by automaton. While Claude did get screwed in the end, it wasn't as satisfying as I'd hoped. He'd learned nothing, and we were left watching him cry self-pitying tears. I didn't care. I would've rather seen his face scratched off by the mechanical cat.

The story had an interesting setting, and it was fairly well written, but the choice of narrator and his character arc left a lot to be desired. I wasn't that impressed with this one.

Quotable moment:

Sitting in my refuge, I was about to put it down when I came to a sentence that made me realize that even the falsest text might hold some grain of truth. The sentence read, "To understand one woman is not necessarily to understand any other woman."

I put the book aside but took that sentence with me, considering whether or not it was true. Certainly, every woman's personality was different, but there were commonalities at the heart of them all: a love of gossip, for instance. Concern with trivialities. An attraction to beauty.

[Indigo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a short story that was too short in my opinion.

I habitually shy away from the steampunk genre because of the trappings of the environment. Historical fiction is not kind to black readers. Nor women readers. This story maintained these uncomfortable truths from that period.

Women were mistreated and devalued by smug, sneering, scoffing men; white supremacy was all dolled up prettily with the selective delusion that England and her sons are the wisest and best.

Those elements were in this story. The narrator, Claude, espoused every odious and infuriating belief. But Cat Rambo beautifully snipped the stitches of his hide bound worldview as he tried to convince himself that courting a woman of racially mixed heritage was an inconvenience he would need to endure in order to secure his fortune with her dowry. She also setup a marvelous skewering for allowing himself to consider Desiree his property.

I should have liked to have seen more about brilliant Desiree rather than hearing Claude completely miss all the things besides her beauty, wit and intelligence. But the ending was satisfying enough that my imagination will let me get on with the notion that while Claude's hubris and sexism left him in ruins, Desiree would go in to see and produce wonders in an environment where she might well live to a time in which her knowledge is appreciated and not scoffed at.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was good.
Short stories often let me uninvolved; not this one. It wasn't the height of literature, but sure as hell it kept me raging against the male lead almost from the get-go. The insufferable schmuck, made me want to rearrange his stuck up mug. When the girl finaly opened her eyes, I almost danced a jig (so to speak). Good riddance Claude, and keep a can of oil,and a good mechanic at hand.

Link here:http://www.tor.com/stories/2010/10/cl...

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the woman in the story, of course, it's impossible to resist a clever tinkerer. The guy was a schmuck but typical for the times. The story was fine but I didn't believe the end at all, I don't believe the guy in this story was capable of weeping, and not over this situation, he didn't get it all along, he wouldn't suddenly get it at the end.

[M.W. Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cat Rambo's "Clockwork Fairies" receives four stars from me. It is an intriguing story, with lots for people to discuss.

I found it listed as one of the best steampunk short stories one could read right now! The reviewer said it is a good example of a really unlikeable narrator. Stone is indeed unlikeable. But being unlikeable doesn't mean we should dismiss him. He is a complicated character that could fill a reading club with interesting discussion. He raises questions like: does he believe himself? Is he being honest? Why do we find him so unlikeable? Do the people of his world find him as unlikeable as we?

Desiree is also a great character, one that Rambo could base a series of novels on if she wishes. (I hope she wishes).

What Rambo does well: great vocab that fits the time; good short descriptions that do not get in the way; excellent storytelling skills regarding plot; choosing present tense verbs for the story giving it a good bit of tension.

Recommended: Sure, it is a good storytelling, and builds a steampunk world relatively quickly, and has some good themes like seeing ones' self as good when one is not; believing our own lies; being honest with children (in this case I mean Desiree and her father, he is very clear on what he thinks she should do, yet doesn't force his opinion on her), and identity.

[Netanella · Rating 3 out of 5]

A steampunk-y short story set in 18th century London, where a young girl of mixed heritage invents clockwork fairies and is engaged to a prudish clergyman. I enjoyed the story, but not the characters.

[Chris Pavesic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review—with Spoilers
John Barth described Cat Rambo’s writings as “works of urban mythopoeia” — her stories take place in a universe where chickens aid the lovelorn, Death is just another face on the train, and Bigfoot gives interviews to the media on a daily basis. Clockwork Fairies is another entry into this type of world where steampunk and magic exist side-by-side.

Clockworks Fairies is the story of Desiree, a mulatto heiress who grew up in Rambo’s reimagined Victorian Era England ostracized from upper class London society simply because of the color of her skin. It is told through the point of view of Claude, her fiancé, who is a traditional English gentleman, Oxford Dean, and stout believer in the religious dictates of the Church of England.

What makes Rambo a masterful writer is her use of conversation, interior monologue, and immediate events to describe the world in which Desiree lives. There are no long passages of exposition; the readers see the world through the eyes of Claude, mostly at the same time that he experiences it. (Some immediate events and conversation will trigger a short reminiscence on his part that directly applies to the storyline.)

The story opens with Claude visiting Desiree’s house one Sunday evening and encountering her newest creations:

At first I thought them hummingbirds or large dragonflies. One hung poised before my eyes in a flutter of metallic skin and isinglass wings. Delicate gears spun in the wrist of a pinioned hand holding a needle-sharp sword. Desiree had created another marvel. Clockwork fairies, bee-winged, glittering like tinsel. Who would have dreamed such things, let alone made them real? Only Desiree.
(Rambo, 2011)

Throughout the story Desiree continues her work and builds even more complex creatures. While he marvels at them, Claude also disapproves. He is very much concerned with appearances and the ways that society views both himself and his fiancé. The members of the upper class will not care about her inventions; they will only care about how she dresses, speaks, and behaves at social functions. Throughout the story Claude gives the impression of a weak man who almost blindly follows the values of his society, except for his fascination with Desiree.

This is what makes their love story tragic. Desiree is attracted to Claude because of the way he looks and his position as a Dean at Oxford. Being accepted in a society that made her late mother a near shut-in is important to her, but it hurts when the color of her skin exposes her to stares and outright snubs by others of her class.

Claude finds her beautiful and enjoys her company, but believes she could be so much more: “Dressed properly,” he tells her “you would take the city by storm” (Rambo, 2011). In effect, he is sometimes blind to the reactions of others. “Did you not see Lady Worth turn away lest she contaminate herself by speaking to a Negro? Or perhaps you did not overhear the sporting gentleman laying bets on what I would be like between the sheets?” she asks him after a social gathering (Rambo, 2011). He is shocked that such words would come out of her mouth and does not think to comfort her over the insults she suffered.

Desiree’s father, Lord Southland, actively discourages the marriage because he believes Claude is not intellectual enough for his daughter and believes too much in religion. Claude admits that he is interested in Desiree for her inheritance as well as her beauty, but that is not unusual in the Victorian Era where marriages were arranged more often than not among the upper class based on social position and wealth. Lord Southland does everything in his power to entice Desiree to reject Claude’s offer. But Claude has something his daughter wants: a place in society where she will be accepted. They both want what the other has to offer; even though it is not everything they would wish.

A twist of fate intervenes when Lord Tyndall, an Irish noble and landowner, takes an interest in Desiree’s clockwork designs. Tyndall invites Desiree, her father, and Claude to his estate for a shooting party. Desiree is delighted, for she had enjoyed speaking to Tyndall about her work and wants to see the countryside that inspired her design for the clockwork faeries. Although he feels that Tyndall might have ulterior motives for the invitation, for the man seems entranced by Desiree, Claude agrees to the journey. There, isolated from English society in a castle overlooking the Irish seaside, they are able to look at each other, and their own desire to pursue the marriage, clearly.

I enjoyed Clockwork Fairies a great deal. Cat Rambo weaves a wonderful tale with settings and characters that I enjoyed. The steampunk elements are essential to the story and the “touch” of magic in the Irish castle by the sea is not overdone; it adds a sparkle to a story and helps push Claude and Desiree toward a resolution that they may not have otherwise reached.

This is a “recommended read” for anyone who enjoys Neo-Victorian Era Steampunk and Fantasy.

[Seawood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where to start? There are a lot of great things about this...novelette? I think that's the right thing. Firstly I wish it had been a novel-length story. A strong, clever woman of colour is portrayed mostly very well, but the story is told from her snotty white Oxford don fiance's point of view. That's a curious, deftly-handled format but damnit, Desiree is so much more interesting than Claude can see! I don't think I've disliked a narrator so much in a very long time, I wanted to punch his lights out on every page (yes, yes, angry feminist here, and no doubt what the author was going for). Again, I can admire the skill with which this was done but I would love to read a story from Desiree's POV, exploring her work and the setting, which was also intruiging.

The only thing that really bothered me was the ending when Desiree goes off with the Irish fairy lord. It just all seemed a bit sudden, which I suppose is what happens when the POV character isn't involved in that relationship - it was a surprise for him too. I guess my take-away from this would be to beg the author to tell us what happened next from Desiree's point of view, please! :)

[Maggie Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clockwork Fairies features a most unlikable protagonist, and it's a fantastic steampunk read! A dean of Oxford is looking for a wife, and he believes he finds a suitable mate in Desiree, a woman of colour that British society rejects because of the colour of her skin. Desiree is also an impressive engineer, making a variety of creatures from gears and metal. The dean, however, thinks that he must tame her, but loses her when confronted with a better adversary.

It's hard to write protagonists who are so thoroughly terrible in such a readable manner, but Cat Rambo gives us a very well crafted character who is a gigantic prat. The world he lives in is full of wonders, even if he can't see them. Desiree sounds like someone I would love to meet, and I'm glad she escapes him in the end (though not sure her new friend isn't going to present the poor women with a host of other problems!).

[A.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Desiree is the daughter and only heir of Lord Southland. She’s also a very beautiful woman with dark skin like her mother, and she invents things: including tiny clockwork fairies. Claude is a dean and thinks she’ll make a perfect wife, once she has given up her reading and inventing.
And once she had started bearing, such fancies would fall away. Her inventions, her clever machines, were simply a way to channel her maternal instinct. Once she had a child, she would find herself devoted to it.
*eyes narrow* Claude, you are not endearing yourself to me.
He insists that she attend a ball but he won’t stay by her side (it would be unseemly) and he loses her in the crowd. He finds her talking in the garden alone with a man. *gasp* He is the darkly handsome Irish Lord Tyndall. Claude hates him on sight but Desiree and her father accept an invitation to go shooting on his estates so Claude goes along, too.
***
Interestingly, we only get Claude’s pov, and I really wanted Desiree’s. He is clearly no intellectual match for her, her father is right. And he will probably be more than happy with the substitute she leaves him.
I am left asking: and THEN what happened? There is clearly more of Desiree’s tale to tell.
Read it here:
http://www.tor.com/2010/10/20/clockwo...
3 stars

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the language in this novella. A little bit old style, a little bit inventive. Read it for free on tor.com It was a nice embryo for a full novel. It would´ve been cool to see if things panned out the way it was presented or not. The last paragraph about Claude could have been longer. The hasty ending for both main carachters made it feel a little like "writing excerise over". Still gets 5 stars.

[Seth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jackass protagonist fucks up his relationship by being himself. Which can be done well, but here, it's overdone, and not to comedic effect. The guy's not just misogynistic and racist, he's also a very conservative Christian, and a pompous socialite, arrogant in his estimation of his own sex appeal and intelligence, yet also insecure, and constantly injecting all that into his narration. It's pure cringe until the abrupt ending.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting setting, with realistic characters for the time period of Victorian England. I didn't like the ending, though, which was very rushed and failed to resolve the conflicts of the story.

[_eol_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting - even if not pleasant - point of view. The ending was a bit anticlimactic, though. I felt as if the last two or three paragraphs were unnecessary.

Overall it was very good.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the worldbuilding of this steampunk Victorian England, but it was a highly unsatisfying ending.

[Heni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Smart woman in the world of men. Your usual drill. Nothing really stands out.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable, but albeit bittersweet story. I couldn't decide whether to admire or hate Claude Stone (our narrator) for switching between moments of open-mindedness and strict decorum (much to do with the rather prudish, Victorian era). I see him as a flawed character, that despite the spiritual and societal thoughts upon him also comes to realize how he admires Desiree's genius (but too late). Now I just wonder how Desiree is doing in the "elsewhere"?

[Kimikimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Tor.com short story.

This was more interesting steampunk. I swear I'm not doing it on purpose, blame Tor for having a running theme lately! Anyway this one is neat, it has a very unsympathetic narrator. In fact I think anyone with ovaries is going to see this guy as pretty much the devil, while most guys who comment merely think of him as unlikeable. The other characters are quite lovely though, and it's fun to see them through such untrustworthy eyes.

[Lucille · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this short story as part of the Altered America: Steampunk Stories short story collection, but as I saw that one could also be found on her own I decided to come and rate her individually! I'm still reading Altered America right now but I'll post a review when I'm done! also, would you look at that cover?? Gorgeous!

[Shel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful fantasy. Reminds me of Rambo's "The Dead Girl's Wedding March."

Pairs well with: Rambo's collections Eyes Like Sky and Coal and Moonlight and, with Jeff VanderMeer, The Surgeon's Tale and Other Stories.

[Kristýna Šuleková · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the narration of the story. Claude was an unsympathetic character but his was a refreshing point of view. I was happy to see that the author didn't have him change his preconceptions in the end, because that would spoil the story's credibility for me.

[Rosalind M · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful opportunity to read a fantasy with a woman of (Earth-origin) color as the main character. I worried for Desiree's choice until the final pages, but when all was said and done, the ending was quite satisfying. And deserved.

[This Is Not The Michael You're Looking For · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice little short story about an intelligent, tinkering, outcast woman and her society-driven beau.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

As much as Claude annoyed me, I found the story enjoyable & refreshing as it brought in a brilliant woman of color and fantasy elements.
A fun little short story!

[Seizure Romero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally read in The Mammoth Book of Steampunk.

[Jeremy Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

A steampunk / fairy crossover story - enjoyable.