By Means of Clockwork Selection

by Polenth Blake

Connie survived the plague that devastated plants, animals and clockwork alike. Her life has settled into the relative peace of farming clockwork ponies and marriage to her childhood sweetheart, Bess. But the threat of plague is never far away. Mutated oaks are spreading over the ruins of London and stories of outbreaks abound. She fears the worst when a pony collapses, but the true cause is far more surprising. It might be the key to rebuilding the world. (A novelette.)

33 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 11, 2013

About the author

I'm a fantasy and science fiction writer. When I'm not writing, I enjoy walking and art. I live in England with my pet cockroaches.

Reviews

[R. James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every once in a while, a story comes along that you read, form an initial opinion. And then, just when you move on to something else, your mind wanders back to what you just read...and you get the feeling were dead wrong. By Means of Clockwork Selection is just one of those types of stories.

It's short, simple and fits into the Steampunk genre (insert subgenre here). It's an easy read - but the more I think about it, there's something else there. I can't quite nail down what it is, but when I read it I can only assume there is some deeper meaning to it all. And that intrigues me to no end.

There were a small amount of errors, but for something so short there shouldn't be any at all.

Polenth Blake has a unique talent for storytelling, and I applaud this author's method. 4 stars!

[Kerri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, unique and far too short. Would love to spend more time in this strangely altered London.