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Bellows of the Bone Box
The Steampunk and Horror genres are masterfully combined in the twelve stories contained within Bellows of the Bone Box. Each of the authors has transported you to an age where steam is the dominate means of power and has woven a tale that will fascinate, or possibly scandalize you. In this volume, you will find clockworks, pneumatic tubes, airships, and leather worn out of necessity - not vanity. Can an engine be powered by human blood; should it be? What about body modification; what happens when the mechanical meets the biological and goes awry? Does the heart rule the machine, or does the machine consume the humanity that once existed within it? What of airships, regeneration, or hallucination; is it safe to trifle with such things? Should technology that can rift time and dimensions be researched; and if that research proves fruitful, should it ever see the light of day? Packed full of intrigue, imagination, and horror, lovers of Steampunk will have a hard time deciding which of the twelve is their favorite!
294 pages, Paperback
First published April 16, 2013
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About the author
Gloria Bobrowicz
36 books12 followersGloria Bobrowicz is the editor of Sirens Call Publications.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 29, 2014
I love horror, and I have a secret love of the steampunk genre, so when I found this anthology through a friend I was ecstatic to pick it up. The cover was nicely done with the right amount of macabre and steampunk, and I was very pleased when got it. Gloria Bobrowicz's anthology itself is a middle ground collection of stories. There are some good ones in here, but also some terrible ones. The levels of horror and steampunk vary from tale to tale, being extremely heavy in some, yet almost non-existent in others. There were even a few that I questioned their inclusion within this anthology, which I mention below. Still, this anthology is worth getting as most of the stories are enjoyable and worth reading.
I will talk about the stories themselves individually so that you have an idea what to expect within this collection.
The Blood Engine by Kirk Jones
->This is a nice story with a good helping of steampunk and horror. It contained a few classic horror moments and overall was a really enjoyable story to read. Jone's characters were fascinating and entertaining which helped to drive the story and keep me on my toes.
Clockwork Doll by Laura Brown
->A story that that is a mix of action, horror and steampunk, Brown has created an interesting world in her story. The mystery of the little girl and her automaton companion works really well in creating tension along with the masked killer. However, at points all of the explanations and dialogue tended to slow the pacing of the story to a crawl, removing that tension. There are some elements in this story that are handled really well, prime among them being Veronica's witness of the Whitechapel murderer.
The Frequency of Demons by Vivian Caethe
-> Overall not a bad story. Caethe presents an interesting steampunk story, though the horror element within was almost unnoticeable. Still, not a bad story.
Jen by Tarl Hoch
->A combination of Frankenstein, From Beyond, and a number of other story traditions, this story had a large lovecraftian feel to it. There were some elements that were handled really well, such as the music box in the laboratory and Jen's overall change. The ending was a bit drawn out and could have used some tightening to it, but for the most part this story had large horror and steampunk elements to it that made it a creepy read.
Into the Ether by Kate Monroe
->Starting off with a ton of action, Monroe's story ends quietly, almost too quietly. The horror aspect of this story is almost non-existent, the Leviathan creating more of a feeling of true terror than the intended element of horror at the end of the story. This tale feels like two stories that have been stitched together and would have worked better had one or the other been cut off and only one element concentrated upon. (be that the attack of the Leviathan in the first half, or the protagonist's experiences in the second half of the story)
Chasing Rabbits by Megan Dorei
->This is a confusing story that feels more science fiction than it does horror. If asked what the horror element to the tale was, I would struggle to give an answer. Now, Dorei does put some nice steampunk/clockwork elements into this story, which are handled really well. The imagery and settings are easy to visualize which makes this story an entertaining read and one that kept me engaged from start to end.
Edward Vincell of the 37th Platoon by Alex Chase
->Chase has crafted an interesting tale full of a number of nice twists that keep coming right up until the end. The characters are written well, and the settings are nicely pulled together. The only issue I had with this story is the fact that the entire first part of the story with the airship felt unnecessary and most of the elements within could have been handled after they had already crashed.
Disarmament by Gavin Ireland
->The steampunk and horror aspect of this story were very nice, both aspects handled well by Ireland. There was a nice build up to the end, and the clues were subtle enough to give a nice rise to the tension levels as the story went on.
Shred by Brad Bass
->This story confused me. The only steampunk element within this story was also the only horror element, the Bone Box, from which this anthology seems to take its name from. If the setting was supposed to be steampunk, I couldn't find it or any references to it. Rather, it felt akin to a dystopian science fiction tale.
That said, the action was handled with an expert pen and read like an action movie from start to end. Yet despite that, I couldn't shake the feeling that this story didn't belong amongst the other stories in this anthology and had been shoehorned in. (It would be similar to calling Clive Barker's The Hellbound Heart a steampunk story simply because the Lemarchand box was a work of clockwork.) I feel this story would have gotten a better response if it was in a different anthology, perhaps a science fiction or post apocalyptic anthology.
Rip Me A New One, Jack! by Christofer Nigro
->Unlikable characters killed this story for me. Throughout the entire story the protagonists come across as nothing but egotistical bullies who revel in yabbering about how awesome they are. It created a story that felt like it was written by a young teenager with strong anti-authority issues. Nigro could have handled his characters interactions with the inspector so much better and still gotten the same points across. (I mean, really, shooting the police officer so he shits himself? What are we, ten?)
This story may have been salvageable if that was the only issue with it, yet a majority of this story's word count is pseudo-religious arguments that serve no point in the story what so ever, and add nothing relevant to the world building of the tale. This tale could have half its word count cut and be a lot better for it. Instead, Nigro's story is easily the worst one in this entire anthology and almost had me setting the anthology aside to never be picked up again.
Love Is For The Living by O.M. Grey
->A love story, Grey has crafted a tale that frustrates as only love can. Containing a number of steampunk and horror elements, the love story behind it all comes out far stronger than the other two elements. The horror aspect is minute when compared to the rest of the story, and the threat of it dispatched all to easily which was disappointing. There was also next to no build up prior to it, rather, it just shows up which deflates the horror aspect drastically. Still, Grey's got a good love story here and it was an enjoyable read.
The Vampyre and the Clockwork Man by Paul Boulet
->This story had an interesting premise, though it got bogged down in large chunks of ranting on behalf of the professor. The vampyre's dialect, though well done, detracted from the story and perhaps would have worked better had it been implied rather than phonetically spelled out. I am curious as to why the Clockwork Man was included in the story as it played a very small role in the story and in the end, didn't really have a confrontation with the vampyre as the story's title implies. Still, the story itself was enjoyable and besides the accent, Boulet's vampire was a thing of horrific beauty.
I will talk about the stories themselves individually so that you have an idea what to expect within this collection.
The Blood Engine by Kirk Jones
->This is a nice story with a good helping of steampunk and horror. It contained a few classic horror moments and overall was a really enjoyable story to read. Jone's characters were fascinating and entertaining which helped to drive the story and keep me on my toes.
Clockwork Doll by Laura Brown
->A story that that is a mix of action, horror and steampunk, Brown has created an interesting world in her story. The mystery of the little girl and her automaton companion works really well in creating tension along with the masked killer. However, at points all of the explanations and dialogue tended to slow the pacing of the story to a crawl, removing that tension. There are some elements in this story that are handled really well, prime among them being Veronica's witness of the Whitechapel murderer.
The Frequency of Demons by Vivian Caethe
-> Overall not a bad story. Caethe presents an interesting steampunk story, though the horror element within was almost unnoticeable. Still, not a bad story.
Jen by Tarl Hoch
->A combination of Frankenstein, From Beyond, and a number of other story traditions, this story had a large lovecraftian feel to it. There were some elements that were handled really well, such as the music box in the laboratory and Jen's overall change. The ending was a bit drawn out and could have used some tightening to it, but for the most part this story had large horror and steampunk elements to it that made it a creepy read.
Into the Ether by Kate Monroe
->Starting off with a ton of action, Monroe's story ends quietly, almost too quietly. The horror aspect of this story is almost non-existent, the Leviathan creating more of a feeling of true terror than the intended element of horror at the end of the story. This tale feels like two stories that have been stitched together and would have worked better had one or the other been cut off and only one element concentrated upon. (be that the attack of the Leviathan in the first half, or the protagonist's experiences in the second half of the story)
Chasing Rabbits by Megan Dorei
->This is a confusing story that feels more science fiction than it does horror. If asked what the horror element to the tale was, I would struggle to give an answer. Now, Dorei does put some nice steampunk/clockwork elements into this story, which are handled really well. The imagery and settings are easy to visualize which makes this story an entertaining read and one that kept me engaged from start to end.
Edward Vincell of the 37th Platoon by Alex Chase
->Chase has crafted an interesting tale full of a number of nice twists that keep coming right up until the end. The characters are written well, and the settings are nicely pulled together. The only issue I had with this story is the fact that the entire first part of the story with the airship felt unnecessary and most of the elements within could have been handled after they had already crashed.
Disarmament by Gavin Ireland
->The steampunk and horror aspect of this story were very nice, both aspects handled well by Ireland. There was a nice build up to the end, and the clues were subtle enough to give a nice rise to the tension levels as the story went on.
Shred by Brad Bass
->This story confused me. The only steampunk element within this story was also the only horror element, the Bone Box, from which this anthology seems to take its name from. If the setting was supposed to be steampunk, I couldn't find it or any references to it. Rather, it felt akin to a dystopian science fiction tale.
That said, the action was handled with an expert pen and read like an action movie from start to end. Yet despite that, I couldn't shake the feeling that this story didn't belong amongst the other stories in this anthology and had been shoehorned in. (It would be similar to calling Clive Barker's The Hellbound Heart a steampunk story simply because the Lemarchand box was a work of clockwork.) I feel this story would have gotten a better response if it was in a different anthology, perhaps a science fiction or post apocalyptic anthology.
Rip Me A New One, Jack! by Christofer Nigro
->Unlikable characters killed this story for me. Throughout the entire story the protagonists come across as nothing but egotistical bullies who revel in yabbering about how awesome they are. It created a story that felt like it was written by a young teenager with strong anti-authority issues. Nigro could have handled his characters interactions with the inspector so much better and still gotten the same points across. (I mean, really, shooting the police officer so he shits himself? What are we, ten?)
This story may have been salvageable if that was the only issue with it, yet a majority of this story's word count is pseudo-religious arguments that serve no point in the story what so ever, and add nothing relevant to the world building of the tale. This tale could have half its word count cut and be a lot better for it. Instead, Nigro's story is easily the worst one in this entire anthology and almost had me setting the anthology aside to never be picked up again.
Love Is For The Living by O.M. Grey
->A love story, Grey has crafted a tale that frustrates as only love can. Containing a number of steampunk and horror elements, the love story behind it all comes out far stronger than the other two elements. The horror aspect is minute when compared to the rest of the story, and the threat of it dispatched all to easily which was disappointing. There was also next to no build up prior to it, rather, it just shows up which deflates the horror aspect drastically. Still, Grey's got a good love story here and it was an enjoyable read.
The Vampyre and the Clockwork Man by Paul Boulet
->This story had an interesting premise, though it got bogged down in large chunks of ranting on behalf of the professor. The vampyre's dialect, though well done, detracted from the story and perhaps would have worked better had it been implied rather than phonetically spelled out. I am curious as to why the Clockwork Man was included in the story as it played a very small role in the story and in the end, didn't really have a confrontation with the vampyre as the story's title implies. Still, the story itself was enjoyable and besides the accent, Boulet's vampire was a thing of horrific beauty.
December 14, 2013
What a cool anthology...steampunk horror. I loved it! The writers in this collection are just amazing and the editor did a brilliant job choosing diverse stories that stick so well to the theme.
If you enjoy short stories, horror, and steampunk, check this out. The writing is very tight and vivid.
If you enjoy short stories, horror, and steampunk, check this out. The writing is very tight and vivid.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews