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Ghost in the Cogs: Steam-Powered Ghost Stories
Ghosts. Gaslight. Gears.
And incredible authors: Siobhan Carroll, Folly Blaine & Randy Henderson, Jessica Corra, Howard Andrew Jones, Emily C. Skaftun, Elsa S. Henry, Eddy Webb, Nayad Monroe, Jonah Buck, Erika Holt, Wendy Nikel, Parker Goodreau, Christopher Paul Carey, T. Mike McCurley, Scott Fitzgerald Gray, Richard Dansky, Nick Mamatas, Spencer Ellsworth, Liane Merciel, Richard Pett, James Lowder, Cat Hellisen.
Welcome to a wondrous age of steam where pirates, rust, and syphilis aren't all you need to worry about. Ghosts abound!
In this hissing and clanking steampunk anthology, there are moments that science just can't explain. All the mechanical geniuses scratch their heads and whisper words of ghosts and powers, of spirits and demons. Possessed automatons take on lives of their own. Superstitious pilots take all necessary precautions. Avant-garde machinists harness the spirits to power their creations. Revenge-minded ghosts stalk haunted gasworks. This is a mechanized playground for the souls of the dead.
Again and again, the spirit world proves itself inspiring and dangerous, useful and annoying. In rich steampunk worlds, chock full of gizmos and gadgets aplenty, these are the stories that go bump, clatter, boom in the night.
And incredible authors: Siobhan Carroll, Folly Blaine & Randy Henderson, Jessica Corra, Howard Andrew Jones, Emily C. Skaftun, Elsa S. Henry, Eddy Webb, Nayad Monroe, Jonah Buck, Erika Holt, Wendy Nikel, Parker Goodreau, Christopher Paul Carey, T. Mike McCurley, Scott Fitzgerald Gray, Richard Dansky, Nick Mamatas, Spencer Ellsworth, Liane Merciel, Richard Pett, James Lowder, Cat Hellisen.
Welcome to a wondrous age of steam where pirates, rust, and syphilis aren't all you need to worry about. Ghosts abound!
In this hissing and clanking steampunk anthology, there are moments that science just can't explain. All the mechanical geniuses scratch their heads and whisper words of ghosts and powers, of spirits and demons. Possessed automatons take on lives of their own. Superstitious pilots take all necessary precautions. Avant-garde machinists harness the spirits to power their creations. Revenge-minded ghosts stalk haunted gasworks. This is a mechanized playground for the souls of the dead.
Again and again, the spirit world proves itself inspiring and dangerous, useful and annoying. In rich steampunk worlds, chock full of gizmos and gadgets aplenty, these are the stories that go bump, clatter, boom in the night.
250 pages, Paperback
First published October 31, 2015
13 people are currently reading
380 people want to read
About the author
Scott Gable
33 books35 followersEditing and publishing speculative fiction gives me all the fuel I need. Keep an eye out for new and weird releases from Broken Eye Books!
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 2, 2015
I got an email a couple of weeks ago from Scott Gable asking if I would be interested in reviewing Ghost in the Cogs. I had a lot of commitments on my plate (still do), but since the last steampunk anthology I’d read and the last ghost story anthology I’d read had both been quite enjoyable, I decided to give it a go. This blending of genres seemed a natural combination, and it’s not one I’ve seen done a lot. Now, I’ve not read a large amount of steampunk, primiarily because there’s so much of it and I only have so much time. It seems I made the right decision to read Ghost in the Cogs.
There are 22 stories in this anthology. I’m not going to attempt to provide a quick synopsis of all of them. I’ll do what I usually do and highlight the ones I liked best. But I want to make some general remarks before I do.
The first thing I want to say is that this is one of the more enjoyable anthologies I’ve picked up in a while, and I’m including some short fiction magazines I’ve not reviewed (partly because I haven’t finished them). All of the stories are well written. I liked almost all of them, and the two or three didn’t work for me was because they went places that weren’t to my general taste. Every single story had aspects I did enjoy, so there weren’t any I flat out didn’t like. Steampunk often has a formality to it as well as a gentle humor other subgenres lack, which I think is part of the reason I enjoyed this anthology.
Second, the first thing that comes to (my) mind when you mention ghosts and steampunk is putting a ghost in some type of mechanical contraption. There were some stories that played with that idea. But by and large, I found the strongest stories to be the ones that went in a different direction. There’s quite a wide variety here, including two (count ’em, two) stories featuring William Hope Hodgson’s ghost hunter Carnacki.
So before I forget my manners completely, I’d like to thank Scott Gable for the review copy. Broken Eye Books is a publisher I’ll be keeping my eye on.
“Asmodeus Flight” by Siobhan Carroll concerns a young woman whose airship engine has been stolen. In this story, airship engines contain ghosts. No one thinks they’re actually sentient. What Effie discovers is going to turn her world upside down. There were a lot of hints in this one about a wider world that draws on the science fantasy of the Victorian era I’d like to see more of.
Howard Andrew Jones turns in a solid story with “The Ghost Pearl”, in which a couple of crooks have to rid themselves of a cursed pearl. This was one of the best in the book.
Eddy Webb gives us the first Carnacki story with “The Blood on the Walls”. It’s a top notch tale in which a recently widowed army officer asks Carnacki to investigate the strange goings-on in his new estate.
“Tipping Point” (Nayad Monroe) is the story of a young girl who is a medium. She was put in an asylum because of the ghosts she could see, specifically the ghost of her stillborn twin sister. She’s been “rescued” by a carnival owner who has a means of using her to make the ghosts visible. Only the process is killing her…
“T-Hex” by Jonah Buck is one of those stories which goes in directions you don’t expect but when you reach the end, you realize that everything that happened was inevitable. Here a young woman who exposes psychic frauds discovers that the ghosts conjured by one showman are tragically real. This is another world I’d like to see more of.
There’s an intriguing idea that’s the kernel of Wendy Nikel‘s “The Book of Futures”. A room in a monastary containing all the books of prophecy and prediction ever written. A room that appears to have become haunted. The steampunk elements in this one weren’t as prominent as most of the other stories, but it was a clever tale.
Of the stories in which a ghost is imprisoned/placed/enters a mechanical contraption, this is the one I liked best. “Clockwork of Sorrow” (Spencer Ellsworth) is written is a Rod-Serling type style and concerns the sacrifices siblings make for each other.
Finally, the last story that really stood out to me, Liane Merciel‘s “The Lady in the Ghastlight” concerns a man of reason who pays a high price to understand what animates a dancing woman in a carnival sideshow. He doesn’t realize just what price he’s going to be asked to pay. This one was one of the creepiest stories in the book and doesn’t take the easy ending.
Those are the stories Iiked best. Of course, YMMV. Ghost in the Cogs is an anthology I recommend to fans of both ghost stories and steampunk without reservation. It went on sale two days ago as I write this (Halloween), so check it out.
There are 22 stories in this anthology. I’m not going to attempt to provide a quick synopsis of all of them. I’ll do what I usually do and highlight the ones I liked best. But I want to make some general remarks before I do.
The first thing I want to say is that this is one of the more enjoyable anthologies I’ve picked up in a while, and I’m including some short fiction magazines I’ve not reviewed (partly because I haven’t finished them). All of the stories are well written. I liked almost all of them, and the two or three didn’t work for me was because they went places that weren’t to my general taste. Every single story had aspects I did enjoy, so there weren’t any I flat out didn’t like. Steampunk often has a formality to it as well as a gentle humor other subgenres lack, which I think is part of the reason I enjoyed this anthology.
Second, the first thing that comes to (my) mind when you mention ghosts and steampunk is putting a ghost in some type of mechanical contraption. There were some stories that played with that idea. But by and large, I found the strongest stories to be the ones that went in a different direction. There’s quite a wide variety here, including two (count ’em, two) stories featuring William Hope Hodgson’s ghost hunter Carnacki.
So before I forget my manners completely, I’d like to thank Scott Gable for the review copy. Broken Eye Books is a publisher I’ll be keeping my eye on.
“Asmodeus Flight” by Siobhan Carroll concerns a young woman whose airship engine has been stolen. In this story, airship engines contain ghosts. No one thinks they’re actually sentient. What Effie discovers is going to turn her world upside down. There were a lot of hints in this one about a wider world that draws on the science fantasy of the Victorian era I’d like to see more of.
Howard Andrew Jones turns in a solid story with “The Ghost Pearl”, in which a couple of crooks have to rid themselves of a cursed pearl. This was one of the best in the book.
Eddy Webb gives us the first Carnacki story with “The Blood on the Walls”. It’s a top notch tale in which a recently widowed army officer asks Carnacki to investigate the strange goings-on in his new estate.
“Tipping Point” (Nayad Monroe) is the story of a young girl who is a medium. She was put in an asylum because of the ghosts she could see, specifically the ghost of her stillborn twin sister. She’s been “rescued” by a carnival owner who has a means of using her to make the ghosts visible. Only the process is killing her…
“T-Hex” by Jonah Buck is one of those stories which goes in directions you don’t expect but when you reach the end, you realize that everything that happened was inevitable. Here a young woman who exposes psychic frauds discovers that the ghosts conjured by one showman are tragically real. This is another world I’d like to see more of.
There’s an intriguing idea that’s the kernel of Wendy Nikel‘s “The Book of Futures”. A room in a monastary containing all the books of prophecy and prediction ever written. A room that appears to have become haunted. The steampunk elements in this one weren’t as prominent as most of the other stories, but it was a clever tale.
Of the stories in which a ghost is imprisoned/placed/enters a mechanical contraption, this is the one I liked best. “Clockwork of Sorrow” (Spencer Ellsworth) is written is a Rod-Serling type style and concerns the sacrifices siblings make for each other.
Finally, the last story that really stood out to me, Liane Merciel‘s “The Lady in the Ghastlight” concerns a man of reason who pays a high price to understand what animates a dancing woman in a carnival sideshow. He doesn’t realize just what price he’s going to be asked to pay. This one was one of the creepiest stories in the book and doesn’t take the easy ending.
Those are the stories Iiked best. Of course, YMMV. Ghost in the Cogs is an anthology I recommend to fans of both ghost stories and steampunk without reservation. It went on sale two days ago as I write this (Halloween), so check it out.
September 15, 2016
Blending the spirits with the steam is just so much fun. These stories gripped me, and scared me, and made me laugh. Great anthology. The last story will ring in my dreams for years to come.
April 21, 2017
I'm not reviewing the entire book, just the story I cared about-- the one written by my friend Spencer Ellsworth, Clockwork of Sorrow.
It was awesome.
I love stories set in ye olde foggy London, authors addressing the reader (I'm a huge fool for Dickens), chubby toymakers, and ghosts that which I didn't even know that last bit. The imagery and language were evocative and beautiful, I wish to heck the story didn't end. Loved every moment. Sweet and sad and a bit spooky, each character deserves their own story.
It was awesome.
I love stories set in ye olde foggy London, authors addressing the reader (I'm a huge fool for Dickens), chubby toymakers, and ghosts that which I didn't even know that last bit. The imagery and language were evocative and beautiful, I wish to heck the story didn't end. Loved every moment. Sweet and sad and a bit spooky, each character deserves their own story.
June 5, 2017
I admit, I was skeptical going into this one. It came as part of a Humble Bundle, and while I enjoy Steampunk, I generally don't care for ghost stories. But I figured if I didn't like a story, I'd just skip to the next one (one of the advantages of collection volumes).
But I ended up enjoying all of them!
There's not one "woo-woo" spooky apparition in here, and they all had a strong steampunk association. Plus they were all engaging, and there was a nice variety among them.
I recommend it to any fan of the Steampunk genre.
But I ended up enjoying all of them!
There's not one "woo-woo" spooky apparition in here, and they all had a strong steampunk association. Plus they were all engaging, and there was a nice variety among them.
I recommend it to any fan of the Steampunk genre.
March 17, 2019
Bored stiff. About as frightening as a kitten. Stories that go nowhere, have no....
It's not worth the bother. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah rubbish.
It's not worth the bother. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah rubbish.
July 25, 2017
There is a lot of variety in the stories, a lot of twists and mysteries, for those who like the combination of steampunk and the supernatural, this is a good read.
January 12, 2022
There were a couple good stories in here, but most fell flat for me, either because the writing wasn't great or I never got invested in the characters.
September 19, 2023
I liked "Edge of the Unknown" by Elsa Sjunneson-Henry, "The Misplaced Body of FitzHugh Alvey" by Jessica Corra, "The Ghost Pearl" by Howard Andrew Jones, and "The Monster" by Erika Holt
March 21, 2017
I received a copy of this for free through Goodreads First Reads
I had never read steampunk before, but I am now in love! I don't normally like "horror" but the steampunk version is apparently right up my alley. I love the amount of creativity that must have gone into creating the whole steampunk genre.
I had never read steampunk before, but I am now in love! I don't normally like "horror" but the steampunk version is apparently right up my alley. I love the amount of creativity that must have gone into creating the whole steampunk genre.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews