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The Mammoth Book of Steampunk Adventures
Looking to the future through the lens of the past, here is a second fantastic collection of over 30 typically anarchic mash-ups that push the boundaries of steampunk from the same editor of the bestselling Mammoth Book of Steampunk.
529 pages, Paperback
First published September 18, 2014
About the author
Sean Wallace
188 books27 followersSean A. Wallace (born January 1, 1976) is an award-winning American science fiction and fantasy anthologist, editor, and publisher best known for his work on Prime Books and for co-editing two magazines, Clarkesworld Magazine, and Fantasy Magazine. He has been nominated a number of times by both the Hugo Awards and the World Fantasy Awards, won two Hugo Awards and one World Fantasy Award, and has served as a World Fantasy Award judge.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
March 12, 2018
As with most short story collections, there are usually a mixture of good ones and bad ones. In this book though, unfortunately, I couldn't seem to find one that stood out, and to be honest, they were all fairly mediocre to what I was actually expecting.
The stories are all written by various authors, most of these I've never heard of. The theme of the stories are fairly grotesque, which isn't a problem. The main problem with the majority of this collection are the rather weak plots, plus the fact that some of the stories just seem to have something clockwork simply thrown in somewhere, just to make it steampunk themed. I can say now, that just doesn't work. The theme has to be consistent to be classed as a true steampunk style story.
The stories are all written by various authors, most of these I've never heard of. The theme of the stories are fairly grotesque, which isn't a problem. The main problem with the majority of this collection are the rather weak plots, plus the fact that some of the stories just seem to have something clockwork simply thrown in somewhere, just to make it steampunk themed. I can say now, that just doesn't work. The theme has to be consistent to be classed as a true steampunk style story.
December 30, 2015
I have never read any Steampunk so this seemed to be a good place to start. There are 26 different short stories in here from stars of the genre like Cherie Priest to others that I have never heard of. As with any short story collection you do get a mixed bag. There were some really good ones that captured the essence of Steampunk perfectly, with the machines, dirigibles and automata making you feel that the time machine that you had just stepped out of had bought you to a very different world. Others didn’t work for me, either because they didn’t have the right Victorian feel, or seem Steampunk enough.
Not bad overall, but not outstanding. It has give me the impetus to explore the genre further though.
Not bad overall, but not outstanding. It has give me the impetus to explore the genre further though.
June 19, 2022
Like most anthologies, there is a mix of good stories and not-so-good stories included in this one. I’ve read quite a bit of steampunk over the years, but the stories I’ve read tend toward Victorian era British steampunk stories. I was glad to see this anthology greatly expands on that trope and include stories from many countries and cultures across the world. Therefore, I had high hopes for this collection.
Unfortunately, as I slowly read through these 25 stories (reading one between each novel I read, as is my way), I encountered far more stories that I didn’t care for than those I liked. Of course, other readers may well feel differently. Many of the authors represented here are award winners and have published in a variety of publications, big and small. I tended to enjoy the stories from those authors I had read before, such as Cherie Priest and Carrie Vaughn. I also found a couple of new-to-me-authors that I would like to pursue, including Nisi Shawl and Ken Liu. But the majority of what I read in this volume was not my cup o’tea.
My ongoing search for a really good steampunk anthology continues.
Unfortunately, as I slowly read through these 25 stories (reading one between each novel I read, as is my way), I encountered far more stories that I didn’t care for than those I liked. Of course, other readers may well feel differently. Many of the authors represented here are award winners and have published in a variety of publications, big and small. I tended to enjoy the stories from those authors I had read before, such as Cherie Priest and Carrie Vaughn. I also found a couple of new-to-me-authors that I would like to pursue, including Nisi Shawl and Ken Liu. But the majority of what I read in this volume was not my cup o’tea.
My ongoing search for a really good steampunk anthology continues.
January 29, 2016
Seven stories were actually good. The rest were O.K., but not especially memorable. Details to follow on my blog.
July 6, 2019
A short story collection of steampunk tales. Most are reprints.
Many steampunk stories are set in Victorian England but I’ve read some set in the Wild West settings and of course those set in fantasy worlds with steampunk machines and magic side-by-side and alternate worlds without actual magic. This collection has wide variety of settings from imaginary worlds to Mongolian steppes and rain forests of South-America.
The characters are also quite varied. Some of the stories are from “SteamPowered II: More Lesbian Steampunk Stories” so we also get lesbian lovers (no sex scenes), along with the usual spies, adventurers, detectives, and apprentices. The moods of the stories range from adventurous to horror to contemplative. However, especially those stories that are set in the past, racism and sexism is shown affecting the main character. Also, I don’t consider all stories to be adventure but they do have social conscience, so they definitely have a “punk” attitude. In some stories that conscience is hidden, rather than overt and some explore the evils of tech (such as genetic engineering) slightly sideways. A couple of the stories are about the horrors of war.
Tobias S. Buckell: “Love Comes to Abyssal City”: Tia is a young diplomat whose job is to meet the people who come to Abyssal City. However, that job demands that she spends time away from her social duties, spending time with the travelers when they’re quarantined before letting them into the city. Even the day when she’s supposed to meet her future cardmate, she instead spends three days together with a young traveler from another city. She’s fascinated by his stories and him. Perhaps more than she should be because the city itself notices the anomaly when she doesn’t like the man the city has computed to be her perfect match.
A.C. Wise’s “A Mouse Ran up the Clock” is set in Nazi Germany. Simon Shulewitz can build mechanics inside animals and they don’t die. Unfortunately, his skills attract attention from the ruling Nazis.
Cherie Priest: “Tanglefoot” is set in her Clockwork Century series, even though you don’t need to know anything about the series. Dr. Archibald Smeeks is an inventor and a builder but is now quite elderly and lives in the basement of a sanitarium. Edwin is one of the orphans there and does his best to assist the doctor both in work and in remembering. Edwin has his own job, too; he’s building a mechanical boy as a new friend.
Jay Lake: “Benedicte Te”: Algernon Black-Smith is a secret agent for Her Majesty. But someone tries to murder him quite spectacularly with a runaway steam train. Then the Consul-General sends him to a secret mission into the Republic of Texas. However, Algernon strongly suspects that the Consul-General himself tried to assassinate him. So, he must be very careful.
Benjanun Sriduangkaew: “Five Hundred And Ninety-Nine”: This story starts in the modern day Krungthep (Bangkok). Nathamol and Rinnapha are roommates in a university. At first, Nathmol’s biggest problem is that she’s in love with Rinnapha. But when China and America go to war, electricity and other modern comforts are stripped away.
Christopher Barzak: “Smoke City”: The main character of this story has two lives. She lives in the modern world with her husband and kids. But she’s from Smoke City where she has another husband who must work in the steam factories. She also has other children whose destiny is to work, too, in those same factories.
Carrie Vaughn: “Harry and Marlowe and the Talisman of the Cult of Egil”: This is essentially a female Indiana Jones story. Harry (a woman) steals the talisman and then must try to take it back to England in Marlowe’s airship. However, while she and her handsome partner Marlowe have been getting the talisman, the Germans have blockaded the whole island.
Jonathan Wood: “Anna In The Moonlight”: In this world, England has been torn by civil war because some people have had animal parts ingrafted into them and others think that’s against god’s will. Frank is a soldier in that war. The killing hardens him. Until he meets a woman.
Chris Roberson: “Edison’s Frankenstein”: Set in the Chicago World Fair and in a world where prometheic matter has replaced the fledgling electricity as the main power source for steam engines and “Antediluvian” machinery. Archibald Cahabane is the leader of the Algerian Exhibit and he’s trying to get the Exhibit to be built in time. But then a strange man is found and Archibald hears that someone has been murdered.
C.S.E. Cooney: “The Canary of Candletown”: The coal to power steam engines must come from somewhere. Candletown is a coal town where the children born are automatically put to work, with barely enough food to survive. Canary is one of those children. One day she meets with a woman from outside the town.
E. Catherine Tobler: “Green-Eyed Monsters In The Valley Of Sky, An Opera”: Dinosaurs! Opera! Mechanical dinosaurs! In South America.
Alex Dally MacFarlane: “Selin That Has Grown in the Desert” in set on the Mongolian plain. Dursun’s parents are talking about finding a husband for her. But she doesn’t want that because she isn’t attracted to men. However, no other woman is like that and she knows she must do her duty. But then the traders come and with them is a strange looking woman who has many secrets.
Gord Sellar: “The Clockworks Of Hanyang”: MacMillan is a brilliant and famous English detective. He and his long-time friend Lasher are in Hanyang, Korea. They’re disturbed by the local mechanical constructs, the mechanika, which can’t speak and which are built without the knowledge of language. That and the fact that they’re built with the five relationships of Confusious are supposed to ensure that they never rebel, unlike the Western mechanika. However, a mysterious young lady asks MacMillan to investigate on her behalf and he agrees, even though Lasher has more doubts than usual.
Tony Pi: “The Curse of Chimère”: Professor Tremaine Voss has been invited to the screening of one of the first color films, an new invention by alchemists. However, when he arrives, people are running away from the cinema in panic or unable to move and bleeding from the eyes. Luckily, Voss is a very experienced investigator of supernatural things gone wrong. The story’s available for free online at Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
Aliette de Bodard: “Memories In Bronze, Feathers And Blood”: Nezahual used to be a Jaguar Knight. Now he builds mechanical creatures and some of them even come alive. Then Acamapixtli tries to convince Nezahual to start building a different, more peaceful world with his machines. Even the idea is threatening to some. The story is told from the POV of one of Nezahual’s mechanical creatures. The story’s available for free online at Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
Nisi Shawl: “The Return of Chérie”: Lisette is an agent of Kalima, an independent African state. She returns with secret offers of alliance from two different nations to the head of state. She also meets Daisy, who is a secret agent for Kalima and Lisette’s former lover. Oh, they’re both over 50.
Lisa L. Hannett: “On The Lot And In The Air”: A mechanical crow is part of an carnival show where people try to throw rocks at him to make him drop the golden cog in his beak.
Genevieve Valentine: “Terrain”: A steampunk Western. Fa Liang, who builds mechanics, Shoshune siblings Faye and Frank, freedman Joseph and his wife Maria, and Elijah, who is the only one of them who can own land legally, are living and working together on a small farm. They also run a message service where the boys ride mechanical dogs instead of horse. But the railroad is coming and threatening their livelihood and their very lives. Available for free at Tor.com
Sofia Samatar: “I Stole the DC’s Eyeglass”: Pai-te is a servant in the DC’s household. One day she steals his eyeglass. She gives it to her sister who develops a “spirit eye” and starts to build strange things.
Caitlín R. Kiernan: “The Colliers’ Venus (1893)”: Professor Jeremiah Ogilvy is a curator of his own museum and a geologist. When the local miners find a woman trapped inside a mineral deposit, the professor demands to speak with her even though she has killed two men.
Cat Rambo: “Ticktock Girl” is told from the POV of an automata which was built to by wheelchair-bound Lady Sybil to be her legs and fists. A reporter is asking the robot to remember her life and she remembers snippets of it.
K.W. Jeter: “La Valse”: The wealthy with long, long pedigrees are preparing for their annual New Year Eve Ball. Herr Doktor Pavel and his young assistant Anton are making sure the mechanical orchestra functions and that the aristocrats of both genders are property tightened into their mechanical body cages which will make them seem somewhat younger. Then something goes wrong.
Margaret Ronald: “The Governess And The Lobster”: Rosalie has come to Hakuma as a governess for four orphan children. She’s also required to find out if a school should be started in that town. However, Hakuma is a city of transients; both humans and automata rarely stay there for longer than a few months. Apparently, the automata have their own city nearby. The children have had no formal education and pretty much left to their own devices.
Samantha Henderson: “Beside Calais”: In this world, flying machines roam wild, like a cross between birds and horses. Some have been captured and tamed to work and when war threatens, humans start breeding the flying machines for war. In France, the breeding is planned to begin on a seaside farm where éoles and a couple of other breeds of machines still fly wild. Ian Chance has taken a commission to oversee it. On the farm is Ian’s previous lover Claire. When Claire was grievously hurt, crippled, four years ago, Ian ran away. Now he must face her again.
Ken Liu: “Good Hunting”: Liang’s father is a monster hunter and when Liang turns 13, his father takes him along to hunt a hulijing, a fox woman. Young Liang finds out that his father doesn’t know everyone. But the British are building a railroad through China and the old magic is disappearing. Both monsters and their hunters must find new ways to survive.
All of the stories have fascinating worlds. I liked all of the stories although not all of them have adventure. My favorites were “Beside Calais”, “The Governess and the Lobster”, and of course Carrie Vaughn’s story. The stories set in other countries than US or Britain brought a whole new angle to steampunk which I very much enjoyed.
Many steampunk stories are set in Victorian England but I’ve read some set in the Wild West settings and of course those set in fantasy worlds with steampunk machines and magic side-by-side and alternate worlds without actual magic. This collection has wide variety of settings from imaginary worlds to Mongolian steppes and rain forests of South-America.
The characters are also quite varied. Some of the stories are from “SteamPowered II: More Lesbian Steampunk Stories” so we also get lesbian lovers (no sex scenes), along with the usual spies, adventurers, detectives, and apprentices. The moods of the stories range from adventurous to horror to contemplative. However, especially those stories that are set in the past, racism and sexism is shown affecting the main character. Also, I don’t consider all stories to be adventure but they do have social conscience, so they definitely have a “punk” attitude. In some stories that conscience is hidden, rather than overt and some explore the evils of tech (such as genetic engineering) slightly sideways. A couple of the stories are about the horrors of war.
Tobias S. Buckell: “Love Comes to Abyssal City”: Tia is a young diplomat whose job is to meet the people who come to Abyssal City. However, that job demands that she spends time away from her social duties, spending time with the travelers when they’re quarantined before letting them into the city. Even the day when she’s supposed to meet her future cardmate, she instead spends three days together with a young traveler from another city. She’s fascinated by his stories and him. Perhaps more than she should be because the city itself notices the anomaly when she doesn’t like the man the city has computed to be her perfect match.
A.C. Wise’s “A Mouse Ran up the Clock” is set in Nazi Germany. Simon Shulewitz can build mechanics inside animals and they don’t die. Unfortunately, his skills attract attention from the ruling Nazis.
Cherie Priest: “Tanglefoot” is set in her Clockwork Century series, even though you don’t need to know anything about the series. Dr. Archibald Smeeks is an inventor and a builder but is now quite elderly and lives in the basement of a sanitarium. Edwin is one of the orphans there and does his best to assist the doctor both in work and in remembering. Edwin has his own job, too; he’s building a mechanical boy as a new friend.
Jay Lake: “Benedicte Te”: Algernon Black-Smith is a secret agent for Her Majesty. But someone tries to murder him quite spectacularly with a runaway steam train. Then the Consul-General sends him to a secret mission into the Republic of Texas. However, Algernon strongly suspects that the Consul-General himself tried to assassinate him. So, he must be very careful.
Benjanun Sriduangkaew: “Five Hundred And Ninety-Nine”: This story starts in the modern day Krungthep (Bangkok). Nathamol and Rinnapha are roommates in a university. At first, Nathmol’s biggest problem is that she’s in love with Rinnapha. But when China and America go to war, electricity and other modern comforts are stripped away.
Christopher Barzak: “Smoke City”: The main character of this story has two lives. She lives in the modern world with her husband and kids. But she’s from Smoke City where she has another husband who must work in the steam factories. She also has other children whose destiny is to work, too, in those same factories.
Carrie Vaughn: “Harry and Marlowe and the Talisman of the Cult of Egil”: This is essentially a female Indiana Jones story. Harry (a woman) steals the talisman and then must try to take it back to England in Marlowe’s airship. However, while she and her handsome partner Marlowe have been getting the talisman, the Germans have blockaded the whole island.
Jonathan Wood: “Anna In The Moonlight”: In this world, England has been torn by civil war because some people have had animal parts ingrafted into them and others think that’s against god’s will. Frank is a soldier in that war. The killing hardens him. Until he meets a woman.
Chris Roberson: “Edison’s Frankenstein”: Set in the Chicago World Fair and in a world where prometheic matter has replaced the fledgling electricity as the main power source for steam engines and “Antediluvian” machinery. Archibald Cahabane is the leader of the Algerian Exhibit and he’s trying to get the Exhibit to be built in time. But then a strange man is found and Archibald hears that someone has been murdered.
C.S.E. Cooney: “The Canary of Candletown”: The coal to power steam engines must come from somewhere. Candletown is a coal town where the children born are automatically put to work, with barely enough food to survive. Canary is one of those children. One day she meets with a woman from outside the town.
E. Catherine Tobler: “Green-Eyed Monsters In The Valley Of Sky, An Opera”: Dinosaurs! Opera! Mechanical dinosaurs! In South America.
Alex Dally MacFarlane: “Selin That Has Grown in the Desert” in set on the Mongolian plain. Dursun’s parents are talking about finding a husband for her. But she doesn’t want that because she isn’t attracted to men. However, no other woman is like that and she knows she must do her duty. But then the traders come and with them is a strange looking woman who has many secrets.
Gord Sellar: “The Clockworks Of Hanyang”: MacMillan is a brilliant and famous English detective. He and his long-time friend Lasher are in Hanyang, Korea. They’re disturbed by the local mechanical constructs, the mechanika, which can’t speak and which are built without the knowledge of language. That and the fact that they’re built with the five relationships of Confusious are supposed to ensure that they never rebel, unlike the Western mechanika. However, a mysterious young lady asks MacMillan to investigate on her behalf and he agrees, even though Lasher has more doubts than usual.
Tony Pi: “The Curse of Chimère”: Professor Tremaine Voss has been invited to the screening of one of the first color films, an new invention by alchemists. However, when he arrives, people are running away from the cinema in panic or unable to move and bleeding from the eyes. Luckily, Voss is a very experienced investigator of supernatural things gone wrong. The story’s available for free online at Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
Aliette de Bodard: “Memories In Bronze, Feathers And Blood”: Nezahual used to be a Jaguar Knight. Now he builds mechanical creatures and some of them even come alive. Then Acamapixtli tries to convince Nezahual to start building a different, more peaceful world with his machines. Even the idea is threatening to some. The story is told from the POV of one of Nezahual’s mechanical creatures. The story’s available for free online at Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
Nisi Shawl: “The Return of Chérie”: Lisette is an agent of Kalima, an independent African state. She returns with secret offers of alliance from two different nations to the head of state. She also meets Daisy, who is a secret agent for Kalima and Lisette’s former lover. Oh, they’re both over 50.
Lisa L. Hannett: “On The Lot And In The Air”: A mechanical crow is part of an carnival show where people try to throw rocks at him to make him drop the golden cog in his beak.
Genevieve Valentine: “Terrain”: A steampunk Western. Fa Liang, who builds mechanics, Shoshune siblings Faye and Frank, freedman Joseph and his wife Maria, and Elijah, who is the only one of them who can own land legally, are living and working together on a small farm. They also run a message service where the boys ride mechanical dogs instead of horse. But the railroad is coming and threatening their livelihood and their very lives. Available for free at Tor.com
Sofia Samatar: “I Stole the DC’s Eyeglass”: Pai-te is a servant in the DC’s household. One day she steals his eyeglass. She gives it to her sister who develops a “spirit eye” and starts to build strange things.
Caitlín R. Kiernan: “The Colliers’ Venus (1893)”: Professor Jeremiah Ogilvy is a curator of his own museum and a geologist. When the local miners find a woman trapped inside a mineral deposit, the professor demands to speak with her even though she has killed two men.
Cat Rambo: “Ticktock Girl” is told from the POV of an automata which was built to by wheelchair-bound Lady Sybil to be her legs and fists. A reporter is asking the robot to remember her life and she remembers snippets of it.
K.W. Jeter: “La Valse”: The wealthy with long, long pedigrees are preparing for their annual New Year Eve Ball. Herr Doktor Pavel and his young assistant Anton are making sure the mechanical orchestra functions and that the aristocrats of both genders are property tightened into their mechanical body cages which will make them seem somewhat younger. Then something goes wrong.
Margaret Ronald: “The Governess And The Lobster”: Rosalie has come to Hakuma as a governess for four orphan children. She’s also required to find out if a school should be started in that town. However, Hakuma is a city of transients; both humans and automata rarely stay there for longer than a few months. Apparently, the automata have their own city nearby. The children have had no formal education and pretty much left to their own devices.
Samantha Henderson: “Beside Calais”: In this world, flying machines roam wild, like a cross between birds and horses. Some have been captured and tamed to work and when war threatens, humans start breeding the flying machines for war. In France, the breeding is planned to begin on a seaside farm where éoles and a couple of other breeds of machines still fly wild. Ian Chance has taken a commission to oversee it. On the farm is Ian’s previous lover Claire. When Claire was grievously hurt, crippled, four years ago, Ian ran away. Now he must face her again.
Ken Liu: “Good Hunting”: Liang’s father is a monster hunter and when Liang turns 13, his father takes him along to hunt a hulijing, a fox woman. Young Liang finds out that his father doesn’t know everyone. But the British are building a railroad through China and the old magic is disappearing. Both monsters and their hunters must find new ways to survive.
All of the stories have fascinating worlds. I liked all of the stories although not all of them have adventure. My favorites were “Beside Calais”, “The Governess and the Lobster”, and of course Carrie Vaughn’s story. The stories set in other countries than US or Britain brought a whole new angle to steampunk which I very much enjoyed.
December 7, 2017
As usual with these compilations the quality was variable, but overall this was a good read. Some of the stories were barely what I would call Steampunk - it was like some of the writers thought they'd better add a clockwork object or two to make their stories more steampunk. My favourite stories were Smoke, by Christopher Barzak, Harry and Marlowe and the Talisman of the Cult of Egil, by Carrie Vaughn, Anna In the Moonlight, by Jonathan Wood, Selin That Has Grown In the Desert, by Alex Dally MacFarlane, On the Lot and In the Air, by Lisa L Hannett, The Collier's Venus, by Caitlin R Kiernan, Beside Calais, by Samantha Henderson, and Good Hunting, by Ken Liu. The Jonathan Wood story and the last two mentioned were especially good. Henderson imagines sentient airplanes that graze on grass and need to be 'broken in'. Liu takes Chinese myths and remakes them into something rich and strange and very moving, and very Steampunk.
November 15, 2016
Finished "Harry and Marlowe and the Talisman of the Cult of Egil" by Carrie Vaughn, which is basically a mini Indiana Jones adventure if Indy were a woman and a princess, and I very much want to know if there's more!
Also read "Smoke City" by Christopher Barzak last night, and the world building and imagery there is amazing and beautiful.
"The Colliers' Venus (1893)" by Caitlin R. Kiernan has excellent world building and structure. I'm also super into the thoughts expressed about time.
Also read "Smoke City" by Christopher Barzak last night, and the world building and imagery there is amazing and beautiful.
"The Colliers' Venus (1893)" by Caitlin R. Kiernan has excellent world building and structure. I'm also super into the thoughts expressed about time.
September 17, 2017
This collection is a mixed bag, and I'm glad of that. Stories that don't quite behave as they ought are stories written by authors and picked by editors who are pushing at boundaries. Some of these stories are not comfortable for me to read ('Five Hundred and Ninety-Nine' and 'Anna in the Moonlight', for example). The diverse viewpoints are greatly welcomed, and they add fascinating layers of conflict.
I really admired 'The Clockworks of Hanyang' and 'Selim that has Grown in the Desert'.
I really admired 'The Clockworks of Hanyang' and 'Selim that has Grown in the Desert'.
July 16, 2023
I love steampunk books and my 4/5 rating is a bit on the low side. But it's mainly because it's an anthology of short stories, some of which I found hard to get into. Others were amazing and held my attention but I always find short story anthologies rather difficult to really get into and they take me longer to finish. I think that's more of a reflection on myself than the book - but for that reason I was having trouble pushing myself to read it.
On the other hand there are some really gorgeous ideas and stories in this book. One of my favourites I think was only 5 pages long - or just felt that short because it was a beautiful short story. Others were poignant in the story in the story. But some were just beautiful, with their origin not necessarily in the western world and taking into account differences in society or even culture that allowed for other beautiful ideas to be transposed on paper.
So the book is 500 pages long and about 25 contributors. I had been tempted to write about each of the stories and realized my review would be longer than some of the stories themselves.
If you like Steampunk I would definitely give this a read. As it's an anthology, you'll find some you like and some you don't but there is a sufficient variety that you should find somethink you like in it.
On the other hand there are some really gorgeous ideas and stories in this book. One of my favourites I think was only 5 pages long - or just felt that short because it was a beautiful short story. Others were poignant in the story in the story. But some were just beautiful, with their origin not necessarily in the western world and taking into account differences in society or even culture that allowed for other beautiful ideas to be transposed on paper.
So the book is 500 pages long and about 25 contributors. I had been tempted to write about each of the stories and realized my review would be longer than some of the stories themselves.
If you like Steampunk I would definitely give this a read. As it's an anthology, you'll find some you like and some you don't but there is a sufficient variety that you should find somethink you like in it.
July 8, 2019
As with every anthology, you get a mixture of good and bad. I thought the writing quality overall was pretty good, but I feel this anthology is let down by the fact that many of the stories, whilst well-written, really aren't steampunk. Which likely explains why I get putting this book to one side and going on with other books, so that it took me a bit over a year to read the whole book.
Steampunk is traditionally defined by being set in the Victorian era, but even if that restriction is ignored (many of these stories are not set in that era), a lot of them just aren't steampunk. There are many (often quite good) that are other genres but with a few steam-powered gadgets or automata thrown in to make it look steampunk.
So, quality of the stories overall - probably 4 stars, but relevance to a steampunk anthology - only 2 stars.
Steampunk is traditionally defined by being set in the Victorian era, but even if that restriction is ignored (many of these stories are not set in that era), a lot of them just aren't steampunk. There are many (often quite good) that are other genres but with a few steam-powered gadgets or automata thrown in to make it look steampunk.
So, quality of the stories overall - probably 4 stars, but relevance to a steampunk anthology - only 2 stars.
Currently Reading
September 8, 20208 SEP 2020. So how come no-one has mentioned the late Jay Lake's repeated use of the derogatory racist W-word in his story Benedice Te? I'm guessing that this particular term of abuse wasn't as commonly used in the US as it was in the UK in my youth. It has largely died out over here - the last time I heard it used was by a gentleman in his 90s, a few years ago. It annoyed me so much that I had to stop reading the story which sucks because I've enjoyed some of the author's other short works.
Another lesser niggle I have with this editor's collections is that he somehow misses glaring errors like "the breaks on the car". He picks some excellent stories but he really should get a decent proofreader to run through them for him before publication.
Another lesser niggle I have with this editor's collections is that he somehow misses glaring errors like "the breaks on the car". He picks some excellent stories but he really should get a decent proofreader to run through them for him before publication.
November 28, 2024
The Mammoth Book of Steampunk Adventures contains over thirty steampunk short stories. As with most short story collections, there were some that I enjoyed and some that I didn't, The ones I really liked, I wish had been longer.
Some of the stories captured the essence of Steampunk by including dirigibles or automatons in the story. Some of the stories didn't seem steampunk at all, but low tech post-apocalyptic stories.
This collection has wide variety of settings from imaginary worlds to Mongolian steppes and rain forests of South-America. All of the stories have fascinating worlds. I liked some of the stories, although not all of them have an adventure aspect.
I can't say I particularly cared much for this book. I like steampunk stories set in worlds other than Victorian England, but a short story doesn’t make it possible to really develop much world building.
Some of the stories captured the essence of Steampunk by including dirigibles or automatons in the story. Some of the stories didn't seem steampunk at all, but low tech post-apocalyptic stories.
This collection has wide variety of settings from imaginary worlds to Mongolian steppes and rain forests of South-America. All of the stories have fascinating worlds. I liked some of the stories, although not all of them have an adventure aspect.
I can't say I particularly cared much for this book. I like steampunk stories set in worlds other than Victorian England, but a short story doesn’t make it possible to really develop much world building.
June 24, 2019
This book is a great introduction to those new to steam punk, as well as a treat for those who've read the genre before. A great spread of authors, themes, and settings, and high quality -- there wasn't a single story I didn't enjoy. Carrie Vaughn weighs in with another Harry and Marlowe story (she told me at a book fair last year that she's planning a full length Harry and Marlowe novel!), and there are stories by Ken Liu and other well known authors, as well as many who were new to me. Being a story collection, it's great for dipping into when you need it, since you don't need to read it cover to cover.
August 10, 2018
This was a pretty good anthology with some excellent steampunk stories. However, I think the net was cast a bit too wide. Some of the stories didn't seem steampunk at all, but low tech post-apocalyptic stories. If it doesn't have steam or a sort of Victorian flavor, is it really steampunk? I don't think it is.
August 19, 2020
30+ steam punk short stories. As with all short story collections, there were some that I really liked and others that I didn't... and as always, the ones that I liked, I wanted to be developed as a full length novel, and the ones that I didn't I was really glad that they were short and I was done with them.
May 5, 2021
Like most anthologies, a mixed bag. Some of the stories were really good, and others I didn't finish due to lack of interest. I hadn't really read any steampunk before and wanted to get a taste of this genre, so it was good for that. Also for an introduction to various authors I hadn't heard of or read before, as well as some I had.
May 1, 2018
Enjoyed every story. They were all unique and fascinating, and most of them shockingly progressive considering the time period they tend to be set in. Highly recommended for any Steampunk fan. It certainly lives up to its name. It is a mammoth read, but worth the time and effort.
August 15, 2019
Great collection of short stories that is very diverse. I was often left wanting a continuation of some story lines. Not all stories in this collection are as good as the others.
May 31, 2020
A decent compilation of steampunk short stories. some are better than others.
January 15, 2022
Enjoyed most of the stories
March 30, 2022
One of my favorites
February 21, 2017
First Thoughts
I picked this up while I was writing my first Steampunk novel, hoping to get a glimpse into his mysterious world of amazing steam and clockwork powered inventions, and alternate universes where electricity was obsolete. I was hoping for grandiose descriptions, compelling characters, incredible machines, fantastical worlds, and grungy, sooty Victorian-Era stories. What I got was a little bit of that, but mostly it was other genres set in a steampunk world where you don’t see much of the steam. It wasn’t the greatest anthology but it was just enough. Just.
Story
There were 30 stories in this anthology, and not all of them were great, which is why I’ve been reading this book for over a year now. Haha *looks away guiltily* Some of the stories I ate up like a good double bacon and egg burger, and other’s I chewed over like overcooked steak. Here were a few that stood out:
Tanglefoot – Cheri Priest
Harry and Marlowe and the Talisman of the Cult of Egil
Edison’s Frankenstein – Chris Robertson
Green Eyed Monsters in the Valley of Sky, An Opera
The Clockworks of Hanyang – Gord Sellar
I Stole the DC’s Eyeglass – Sofia Samatar
The Collier’s Venus – Caitlin R. Kiernan
Final Thoughts
Eh I wasn’t severely impressed. A few stories were tantalizing only to end abruptly, while other’s dragged on forever and they weren’t the most compelling. I got a sense of the Steampunk genre but not enough to fall in love with it as I had expected. I think I’ll have to read a proper novel next.
I picked this up while I was writing my first Steampunk novel, hoping to get a glimpse into his mysterious world of amazing steam and clockwork powered inventions, and alternate universes where electricity was obsolete. I was hoping for grandiose descriptions, compelling characters, incredible machines, fantastical worlds, and grungy, sooty Victorian-Era stories. What I got was a little bit of that, but mostly it was other genres set in a steampunk world where you don’t see much of the steam. It wasn’t the greatest anthology but it was just enough. Just.
Story
There were 30 stories in this anthology, and not all of them were great, which is why I’ve been reading this book for over a year now. Haha *looks away guiltily* Some of the stories I ate up like a good double bacon and egg burger, and other’s I chewed over like overcooked steak. Here were a few that stood out:
Tanglefoot – Cheri Priest
Harry and Marlowe and the Talisman of the Cult of Egil
Edison’s Frankenstein – Chris Robertson
Green Eyed Monsters in the Valley of Sky, An Opera
The Clockworks of Hanyang – Gord Sellar
I Stole the DC’s Eyeglass – Sofia Samatar
The Collier’s Venus – Caitlin R. Kiernan
Final Thoughts
Eh I wasn’t severely impressed. A few stories were tantalizing only to end abruptly, while other’s dragged on forever and they weren’t the most compelling. I got a sense of the Steampunk genre but not enough to fall in love with it as I had expected. I think I’ll have to read a proper novel next.
August 10, 2016
What a great collection of stories! And what a lot of new authors to look out for now!
There are a lot of very different Steampunk worlds here, including the African country of Everfair from Nisi Shawl, a Thai post-apocolyptic world from Benjanun Sriduangkaew, an Aztec maker of clockwork birds from Aliette de Bodard, and many more, with airships and mechanical creatures and fairgrounds full of marvels, a floating city full of opera houses, the Mongolian plains, the beginning of the film industry - there's such a lot of variety, and so much good writing.
There are a lot of very different Steampunk worlds here, including the African country of Everfair from Nisi Shawl, a Thai post-apocolyptic world from Benjanun Sriduangkaew, an Aztec maker of clockwork birds from Aliette de Bodard, and many more, with airships and mechanical creatures and fairgrounds full of marvels, a floating city full of opera houses, the Mongolian plains, the beginning of the film industry - there's such a lot of variety, and so much good writing.
March 18, 2015
I greatly enjoyed reading all the stories in this volume. While not all of them were my style, I appreciated seeing how different authors approach the subject and do Steampunk in their way. I am trying to write a Steampunk story of my own so this rounded out some new perspectives for me.
June 1, 2015
So I didn't finish this book. To me, the quality of the stories was kind of weak and some of them had only the most tenuous claim to steampunk. That'd be okay, if the quality of the stories was better. On my Couldn't Finish shelf.
October 31, 2014
Varied selection of stories within the parameters. Liked Ken Liu's best.
April 8, 2016
Like many Short Story anthologies, this book is uneven. Recommended by a friend, if you like the genre, I say give it a try.
July 26, 2018
Engaging collection of enjoyable stories. As with any anthology, I found some to be better than others, but I liked most of them quite a bit.
December 20, 2020
Very enjoyable book to jump in and out of. I've found myself going back to this anthology between reading other books.
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