Stars and Steam

Victoria Eternal #2

by Anthea Sharp

Steampunk with an intergalactic twist! Enter a fantastical world filled with alien spacecraft and Victorian sensibilities, formal balls and travel to the stars.

What if aliens had landed on the Buckingham Palace lawns in 1850 and presented Queen Victoria with a world-changing offer? What if the British Empire, ruled by an unchanging queen, spread out to the stars for centuries?Explore this alternate world from USA Today bestselling author Anthea Sharp in five tales filled with ball gowns and nano-tech, steam power and aliens, and the timeless nature of the human heart.

Stars & Steam is a collection of five short stories (approx 120 pages) set in the Victoria Eternal universe. Includes: The Sun Never Sets, The Perfect Perfume, Passage Out, Victoria Eternal, and Marianne's Flight.

Genres: Steampunk, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, Book Club

91 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 26, 2016

About the author

Growing up, Anthea Sharp spent her summers raiding the library shelves and reading, especially fantasy. She now makes her home in the Pacific Northwest, where she writes, plays the fiddle, hangs out in virtual worlds, and spends time with her small-but-good family. Contact her at antheasharp@hotmail.com, follow her on twitter, find her on facebook (http://www.facebook.com/AntheaSharp), and visit her website.

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ich weiß nicht ganz, was ich erwartet hatte, aber etwas mehr Steam und Victorian und nicht nur Korsetts und eine ewig regierende Queen Victoria dank eines Bündnisses mit Aliens, die praktisch immer im Hintergrund bleiben und über die man nichts erfährt?

Die 5 Geschichten sind allesamt sehr kurz, was an sich nicht schlecht ist. Leider springen sie über eine sehr große Bandbreite an Themen und Zeit. Anfangs bekommt man mit, wie die Aliens auf der Erde eintreffen und Queen Victoria als Regentin der Erde ein Abkommen mit ihnen trifft, später dann einzelne Episoden junger adeliger Damen hauptsächlich, die irgendwo auf der Erde oder im All ihre Geschichten auf 10 Seiten erleben. Da hatte ich mir mehr von versprochen. Vor allem bei der Geschichte "Passage Out" war ich enttäuscht über die Kürze, da ich hier gerne mehr erfahren hätte.

"Victoria Eternal" und "Mariannes Flight" spielen dann beide im Weltall, doch auch hier gibt es kaum eine große Rolle der Aliens oder fremden Welten. Auch wenn Sharp gute Spannungsbögen und Plots kreiert, fallen sie insgesamt einfach zu kurz aus und gehen mir viel zu sehr an dem im Titel versprochenen Thema vorbei.

Nicht unbedingt eine Empfehlung, es sei denn, ihr fühlt euch bei dem Thema unglaublich angesprochen und erwartet nicht zu viele Steam-Elemente.

[Naticia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little collection of strong women in a sci-fi steampunk setting.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just too short

The stories are wonderfully believable, but just too short. These are so well written, they left me wanting more. I cannot wait for the next stories written by Anthea

[The Mysterious Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a big fan of steampunk tales, but I have to admit that Anthea Sharp takes steampunk to s while new level with her insanely wonderful mashup of steampunk with space travel and aliens that is in the collection of tales in her wonderful Stars and Steam: Five Victorian Spacepunk Stories (Victoria Eternal). There simply are not enough superlatives. This is just superb stuff. I’ve read other books by this author (especially her Feyland tales that I’m totally addicted to), but this is a total departure from those works. Equally well written, however, and each of the stories here benefit from her trademark wonderful world-building, strong plots and superb lead and supporting characters. I feel a new addiction coming on and hope that there are many more stories to come in this wonderful new universe. But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises. The collection definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that this collection is most definitely one to read, and it is easy to highly recommend.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories were well crafted, and all set in the same universe, though it was hard to determine what, if any, connection there was supposed to be between them. As other reviewers said, they were too short to really get into, but even so - the characters were well drawn and the plotlines easy to follow. I just kept looking for some connection - generational, or successive, or even the presence of alien influence - between the people in the stories, and I found none. I was left with more questions about "who" and "why" than I was comfortable with. Perhaps I was looking too deeply into this book, than what it was meant to be..... It deserves a solid "good" rating, but I don't have any desire to pick it up and read it again (my criteria for a 4) or to buy a paper copy and keep it forever (my criteria for a 5). I will check out the author's other work in he future.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five entertaining stories, each with unique characters, all set in the same universe. The stories are all fun, and the universe is interesting on its own. More stars than steam, though, with alien technology providing the means for humans to colonize other worlds. Steam engines and clockwork aren't much featured. But society is stuck in the Victorian era of the British Empire, which is generally the era used for steampunk fiction. It's a fascinating alternate universe, one where acquiring technology freezes society in place rather than advancing it. Fun to read.

[Annie Lima · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I didn't realize these stories were all connected. As it is, they complement each other nicely. Each one can stand on its own, but they all take place in the same world and relate to the same situation, even though some are set hundreds of years apart. It's truly fascinating to picture what Victorian England would be like in the space age or on another planet. I would have liked a couple more stories to round things out a bit more and make a few more connections between them, and the book could have used a more thorough edit, but that didn't keep me from enjoying it.

[Jeanne M. Jacquet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Star dust dreams.

The characters were so real, I was able to feel their emotions. The reality of star travel is a dream that can be told in so many ways. Anthea Sharp does a good job of sharing her dreams.

[Tina Miles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good selection

These are good short stories. Quick and a pleasure to read. I particularly liked the one which is the story from which Star Compass arose. It was good to read the background story for Star Compass also.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting short stories that work both separately and as part of a whole.

[Alan T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nicely written steampunk space opera stories. Good characterization and plotting. The stories are based on the Victorian era with the British Empire spread to space.

[Ricki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked how these short alternative history/steam punk stories were interconnected, yet easily stood alone.

[alh_2k · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable short stories. I would love to read a novel in this alternative universe.

(Copied from Amazon - March 18, 2018)

[Natalie aka Tannat · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Katinka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review posted onhttp://www.momkatreads.com/2017/08/st...

[Serenity · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful short steampunk sci first stories

These wonderful stories are lovely and fun and leave you wishing they were just the beginnings to longer books set in this fun, steampunk alternate history. A great read with a cup of tea and a comfy chair. None of the stories leaves you truly hanging although all but the first leave you imaging more. The heroines are all smart and funny women who are looking for that small or large thing which will set them on a different path.

[Darlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice selection of short stories. Combining the Victorian with the space age. All the stories were connected but could be stand alone as well. I like that the main characters of the stories were women. I like strong female leads because they are unusual. If you like steampunk and sci-fi this is a good book.

[Barb Larson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nice!

All the stories were fast paced and end with no cliff hangers. I only wish that a couple of them would have been full length it made into a series. First time to read her work, I'm impressed.
Bel

[angie beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

Oh now I am ready for these to become series. These stories are wonderfully adventurous!!!! Recommended for everyone to read!!!

[Frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really want to read more of the series....