Monsters and Machines: A Strange Happenings Collection

by Kelsey Josephson

Monsters, mad science, and recklessly brave women collide in an unforgettable trip to the 1893 World’s Fair.

Fireman Rosie dreams of attending the Columbian Exposition for a glimpse of her hero, Nikola Tesla. When she is assigned to an overnight train bound for Chicago, she jumps at the chance. Her shift takes a dark turn when a peculiar trunk is discovered, and a passenger goes missing. Caught in a nightmare, Rosie must use her wit and courage to uncover the truth behind the mysterious cargo before more passengers disappear.

Strange Happenings is a series of short stories set in an alternate timeline, where steampunk technology clashes with the monstrous. The Monsters and Machines collection brings together five tales of mystery, horror, and adventure:

Something Happened on the Way to the World’s Fair
The Blood is Life
The Living Metal Man
The Assistant
The Resurrection Experiment

158 pages, Paperback

Published March 28, 2023

About the author

Kelsey Josephson is a sci-fi fantasy author and member of SFWA and ALLi from the Midwest. She has a deep love for Universal Monster movies, all things related to Nikola Tesla, and iced coffee.

Her work includes Strange Happenings, a gaslamp fantasy series set in an alternate timeline, and Forsaken Beauty and the Etherbeast, which was an Ongoing Serial Finalist in the Laterpress 2022 Genre Fiction Contest.

Reviews

[Willie Heredia · Rating 5 out of 5]

(4.5) Rounding up! This was such a fun read! Rosie and Lucille were fantastic characters and I really enjoyed the entire atmosphere of the story. It left me wanting more fleshing out of the world but that’s such a minor thing that it didn’t ruin the reading experience. Josephson’s style is addicting and she keeps the chapters tight, making you want to keep reading to see what happens next! I believe this is a serial book, which each chapter as a separate reading but I really enjoyed them altogether. I don’t delve much into the steampunk genre but this was refreshing!

[TaniaRina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I already enjoyed this first story about a year and a half ago, so was excited when I saw this collection with the next four.


REVIEW: Something Happened on the Way to the World’s Fair
A retelling of a classic gothic tale mashed up with “The Orient Express”.

REVIEW: The Blood is Life
Only at The White City would people not be surprised to see a walking machine.
Reminded me a wee bit of “Flowers for Algernon”.

REVIEW: The Living Metal Man
‘Use science for the betterment of humanity.’
Be careful whom you entrust with your inventions and other secrets.

REVIEW: The Assistant
This hearkens back to orphanages in 1870’s New York City. To this day, we are still sending out our high school age-outs into the world unprepared.

REVIEW: The Resurrection Experiment
We’ve lost our sense of wonder…
Imagine living in a world in which light bulbs were phenomenal.


Looking forward to reading more by this author.

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fireman Rosie wants to attend the world's fair. She has a natural knack for engineering. On her way she meets a mad scientist and her machine, Lucille. Rosie and Lucille now spend their time discovering more about how Lucille works and avoiding others who may want too much from her.
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Monsters and Machines is a collection of short stories, The Strange Happenings Collection.

There's some seriously strange things happening. People who are more machine than person and biomedical engineering are the main focus of this book.

If you like sci-fi you will like this. It's a quick read and has enough action that you remain interested and can't put it down.

Thank you to the author for the chance to read this book.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was plenty of fun! I really liked the first story, I thought Rosie was instantly compelling and an enjoyable protagonist. I felt some elements of the world and characters weren't as fleshed out as they could have been when the anthology is looked at as a whole, but I enjoyed the mystique and adventure of the world as well as Lucille & Rosie's relationship. It's a super quick read so it's a nice way to spend a couple hours, though I wish a couple elements were just a little bit tighter. I'd be very down to read a novel in this world with just a little more polishing and fine tuning.

[Joseph Lau · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun adventure in history, with the usual steampunk charm: technology, alternative history, and action.
This series of short stories raises the specter of cyborgs and robots, coming to us in the late 19th century. It includes all strong female characters – interwoven well, it doesn’t seem forced to be all-female (as much publishing now seems to be).
Quick and easy to read, it has me excited for the author’s other work.

[Divya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an entertaining book! Although I am not a big fan of steam punk, this book totally changed my opinion. The story follows Rosie, a young woman who works as a coal hand in the railways. On one of her trips she meets a monstrous creation and the story follows their adventure together. The story moves at a good pace and is split into several short stories that unite well. I received a free copy of the ebook and this is my voluntary and honest review.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection! Stories all revolve around the same two main characters, so it's almost more of a novella. If you're a fan of steampunk, mad science, and Nicola Tesla, this is definitely a book you'll enjoy!

[River Caron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

This book was easy to read and flowed really well. I enjoyed the suspense and twists throughout. I definitely had a hard time putting it down!

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a collection of stories that have strange happenings. Impossible to not love everything about them. Intriguing all the way to the end.

[Adam Sikes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun adventure set in a world I would love to go to.

The characters were fantastic, from the heroine and the supporting cast. Unique voices and vivid descriptions of the world and mechanisms.

Great steampunk adventure.