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Fantastic Tales of Steampunk
The collected steampunk fiction of Award-Winning Author Jeffrey Lyman
The Fall of Autumn
A young girl with exceptional engineering skills and a haunting past must rediscover ages-old precepts for dimensional bridges before all of humanity is torn asunder and communities forever cut off from their lost loved ones, all while fighting off creatures attacking from those dimensional rifts.
The Troll King
An unlikely candidate for a survival challenge, Jack is called to stand with the other first sons of the kingdoms though he has barely a withered leg to stand on. Only Jack's cunning more than makes up for his physical handicaps.
Ice-Locked at Hatter’s Island
Here there be monsters... And that's no lie. When a passenger ship is stranded, ice-bound over waters of which ominous tales are told, rescuers must battle the elements, the unknown, and time itself to bring the survivors safely home.
The Camera
They say a camera's lens can capture the soul. But one hobbyist photographer discovers a chilling truth when his photographs reveal a more damning threat trapped in the hull of an airship found floating adrift over The Harrow,
The Ring of Hours and Seconds
A thief in a thriving megapolis is trapped into an unsanctioned theft from a tower only the most frightening of necromancers dares to inhabit. In his success, he learns there are greater things to fear... an only the most cunning are apt to survive.
The Fall of Autumn
A young girl with exceptional engineering skills and a haunting past must rediscover ages-old precepts for dimensional bridges before all of humanity is torn asunder and communities forever cut off from their lost loved ones, all while fighting off creatures attacking from those dimensional rifts.
The Troll King
An unlikely candidate for a survival challenge, Jack is called to stand with the other first sons of the kingdoms though he has barely a withered leg to stand on. Only Jack's cunning more than makes up for his physical handicaps.
Ice-Locked at Hatter’s Island
Here there be monsters... And that's no lie. When a passenger ship is stranded, ice-bound over waters of which ominous tales are told, rescuers must battle the elements, the unknown, and time itself to bring the survivors safely home.
The Camera
They say a camera's lens can capture the soul. But one hobbyist photographer discovers a chilling truth when his photographs reveal a more damning threat trapped in the hull of an airship found floating adrift over The Harrow,
The Ring of Hours and Seconds
A thief in a thriving megapolis is trapped into an unsanctioned theft from a tower only the most frightening of necromancers dares to inhabit. In his success, he learns there are greater things to fear... an only the most cunning are apt to survive.
164 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2025
4 people want to read
About the author
Jeffrey Lyman
26 books8 followersJeffrey Lyman is an engineer in the New York City area. His work has appeared in the anthologies Sails and Sorcery from Fantasist Enterprises, New Blood from Padwolf Publishing, and Breach the Hull, So It Begins, By Other Means, Best Laid Plans, and Dragon’s Lure from Dark Quest Books. He was co-editor of No Longer Dreams and all four volumes of the award-winning Bad-Ass Faeries anthology series. He is a 2004 graduate of the Odyssey Writing School, and won 2nd place in the fourth quarter of the 27th Annual Writers of the Future Award.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 31, 2026
I enjoyed these as a whole. My least favorites were the first and 4th stories, and then only because this was a first steampunk read for me. It took a moment for me to grasp the vernacular, however I was still intrigued by the stories. The author has a real talent for engaging the reader in only a few sentences. I could feel the cold, heat, and tension of the atmosphere and I could really feel the character’s emotions.
I am only sad they are short, I was totally engrossed and I wanted to know what happened next!! I will definitely look for more from this author, excited I won this copy to sample.
I am only sad they are short, I was totally engrossed and I wanted to know what happened next!! I will definitely look for more from this author, excited I won this copy to sample.
March 15, 2026
Fantastic Tales of Steampunk has five great stories. The stories range wide from creating bridges to other places to ships locked in ice and wary of sea monsters to a photographer taking photos for a police investigation aboard a dirigible that flew through the Harrow.
My favorites were "The Troll King" and "The Ring of Hours and Seconds" . The Troll King is protected by steampunk armor and has an army of similarly suited ogres. Forty-eight young men of the kingdoms must survive three challenges against ogres taking place on land, in the air, and underwater. Few are expected to survive, but ogres can be beaten. The question becomes, can the Troll King be beaten as well?
The Ring of Hours and Seconds is owned by a necromancer and must be stolen by Toten to pay off his girl's gambling debts. The necromancer makes a counter-offer, asking Toten to take on a different challenge, which could clear the debt if successful, or possibly kill him.
A nice, varied collection of stories showing what steampunk can do. Great for readers new to steampunk.
I received a copy of this book from Library Thing.
My favorites were "The Troll King" and "The Ring of Hours and Seconds" . The Troll King is protected by steampunk armor and has an army of similarly suited ogres. Forty-eight young men of the kingdoms must survive three challenges against ogres taking place on land, in the air, and underwater. Few are expected to survive, but ogres can be beaten. The question becomes, can the Troll King be beaten as well?
The Ring of Hours and Seconds is owned by a necromancer and must be stolen by Toten to pay off his girl's gambling debts. The necromancer makes a counter-offer, asking Toten to take on a different challenge, which could clear the debt if successful, or possibly kill him.
A nice, varied collection of stories showing what steampunk can do. Great for readers new to steampunk.
I received a copy of this book from Library Thing.
May 3, 2026
This collection of five short stories explores a variety of intriguing steampunk ideas, not just airships. Each story is unique while still containing steampunk elements, and some also touch on magic and the paranormal.
I enjoyed all the tales and their unique approaches. Several conveyed a delicious sense of peril, sometimes even a dose of creepiness. And there was a bit of humor, too, unexpectedly jumping out to alleviate the disquiet.
The stories were well-written and drew me in quickly, although the last one seemed a little rougher than the others. It jumped around in a couple of parts and glossed over some events that seemed important to the story. But it still held my attention, and it had a great twist that I didn't see coming.
Overall, I enjoyed this collection of steampunk tales. It's varied and engrossing, an entertaining read.
(I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. My review is my own honest and uninfluenced opinion, my personal experience reading the book.)
I enjoyed all the tales and their unique approaches. Several conveyed a delicious sense of peril, sometimes even a dose of creepiness. And there was a bit of humor, too, unexpectedly jumping out to alleviate the disquiet.
The stories were well-written and drew me in quickly, although the last one seemed a little rougher than the others. It jumped around in a couple of parts and glossed over some events that seemed important to the story. But it still held my attention, and it had a great twist that I didn't see coming.
Overall, I enjoyed this collection of steampunk tales. It's varied and engrossing, an entertaining read.
(I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. My review is my own honest and uninfluenced opinion, my personal experience reading the book.)
May 3, 2026
Five short stories, some with more steampunk connections than the others. And a couple that are more Lovecraftian. I’d like to see the worlds of The Camera and The Ring of Hours and Seconds fleshed out in longer forms, novels, or even novellas teasing a novel. I really like the visual incarnations of steampunk and am always looking for written works that can capture the same inventiveness. My thanks to the author and LibraryThing for making this available in the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program.
March 30, 2026
https://www.librarything.com/ner/deta...
I really enjoyed this book. I loved that the stories were short and sweet; there was enough information to understand what was happening, the intro and endings were satisfactory, and there was no needless side stories. Many of the stories reminded me of other stories like Mortal Engines and The Terror. I would definitely read more stories/books like these.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved that the stories were short and sweet; there was enough information to understand what was happening, the intro and endings were satisfactory, and there was no needless side stories. Many of the stories reminded me of other stories like Mortal Engines and The Terror. I would definitely read more stories/books like these.
March 9, 2026
One of the best short-story steampunk collections I've read in a while, if you're a fan of sci-fi, this work will not disappoint. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the stories included, but The Troll King was my favorite. Beautiful cover art too. I would definitely pick up works by this author in the future.
LibraryThing Early Reviewer
LibraryThing Early Reviewer
May 6, 2026
A great collection of short stories about Steampunk.
There are battles, mysteries, and horrors. The last story was excellent. I don't want to spoil it, so I'll just say a man finds out a horrible truth about his world. Excellent!
There are battles, mysteries, and horrors. The last story was excellent. I don't want to spoil it, so I'll just say a man finds out a horrible truth about his world. Excellent!
February 12, 2026
4.75. First story was a little hard for me to get into but the rest were great. Highly recommended for a quick enjoyable read that keeps you guessing.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews