In an alternate war-torn Victorian-era world, a young girl and her guardian seek the Emperor to ask him to stop the ten year civil war: A war between those who are for, and those who are against new technologies, and between the non-religious versus those that still believe. This short story is a prelude to my steampunk novel The Clockwork Universe.
Caitlin McColl has been writing stories as soon as she learned how to read and write. As a young girl and in her teenage years she wrote many short stories, mostly fantasy - with dragons and wizards and other fantastical monsters. Now she also writes Steampunk and post apocalyptic stories.
She lives in beautiful Vancouver, BC with her husband and her dog
I don't read many steam punk stories. It's not a genre that really appeals to me, but I did enjoy the small glimpse into a steam punk world that this story offered. The story centers mostly on the characters, with the world only seen in the background.
I did find the plot to be a little too easy. There seem to be no obstacles or conflict to slow down the characters. They wanted something, so they ran out and did it. With everyone and everything around them acquiescing to their desires.
As a prequel to a novel, this short story serves the purpose to introduce the world and some characters.