Steampunk Fairy Tales

Steampunk Fairy Tales #1

by Leslie Anderson, David T. Allen, Daniel Lind

A toyshop owner builds a set of magic clockwork dolls that delight a factory town. A three-inch tall samurai faces a giant iron ogre with only a sewing needle and a coin. A scientist seeks an antidote to his formula gone wrong, with the help of his partner’s beautiful daughter.

All of these stories and more are included in Steampunk Fairy Tales. Written by authors from three different continents, every enchanting tale combines the futuristic Victorian concept of steam and fashion with memorable stories, from the recognizable “Jack and the Beanstalk”, to other popular and unfamiliar works from Germany, France, Italy and Japan.

With steam driven gadgets such as mechanical goggles, hoverboards, and an orchestra of automatons. Steampunk Fairy Tales is a charming and unique collection of works for current lovers of the genre, and those just diving in.

Genres: Steampunk, Fantasy, Fairy Tales, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction, Science Fiction

89 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 26, 2016

About the author

Leslie and Dave are Pittsburgh, PA authors and caretakers to three unpredicatble, and often demanding, mutts.

Inspired by the worlds and stories of David Eddings, Baldur's Gate, and Final Fantasy VI, they always strive to imbue their fantastical stories with a dose of humor and plenty of intrigue.

On the rare instance they aren't writing, they forge ahead on any of their other numerous obsessions, such as gardening, programming, and putting together Legos while watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Reviews

[Christmas Carol ꧁꧂ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steampunk is coming back to my little town next weekend!

I think something did happen last year, but we were away.

In any case, it is definitely back this year, but possibly won't won't be at pre-COVID levels of excitement. Whatever. I love Steampunk & I love dressing up!

The cover on this book is just stunning! (I can be seduced by a good cover)These stories are supposed to be based on traditional fairy tales from around the world.

Let's go!

The Clockwork People by Angela Castillo
What a charming, old fashioned story beautifully told. I like the twist at the end. 5★

Perfection by Chris Champe
Mildly horrific, a little predictable. 3.5★

OK, this is ominous! I read the next two stories less than 24 hours ago & already can't remember a thing about them! I'll just reread enough to get the sense of them...

The Mech Oni and the Three Inch Tinkerer by Leslie and David T. Allen.
I'm not sure why I forgot this one so quickly, as it had an interesting (if kind of silly) premise. Well written. 3.5★

The Copper Eyes by Allison Latzko.
Out of the stories in this collection I have read so far, this one had the most Steampunk feel. Machinery! Diagrams! Goggles! But for all that, the writing was a bit pedestrian. 2.5★

Strawberry Sins by Heather White.
I liked this one! I was beguiled by Eliza too & there was a definite Steampunk feel. 4.5★

The Yellow Butterfly by Ashley Copeland
Japanese with a definite Steampunk feel. I couldn't predict where this one was going. 5★

Aubrey in the World Above by Daniel Lind A strong steampunk feel & very obvious which fairy tale inspired it. 4★

The stories finish at around 83%. The authors list the stories that inspired them. I did guess correctly for two original stories. There were then author bios, extracts to other works & various links - none of which I bothered to read.

Here is a souvenir bookmark from my town's festival. I'm going to the parade in a couple of hours!

& many thanks to Goodreads friend Debbie who has introduced me to the wonderful music of Steampunk Giraffe. I particularly recommend I'll Rust With You

https://wordpress.com/view/carolshess...

[Orient · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book contains seven fairy tales with steampunk spices and some background, taken from older tales. I quite liked the tales, some were good, some worse, some had recognizable retelling and some were new (The Japanese ones).

The Clockwork People by Angela Castillo. What a light and interesting steampunk fairy tale. It reminded me of Pinocchio and Frankenstein in some plot features. It was easy and quick to read. The ending was heart-breaking.
Perfection by Chris Champe. This is my favorite. Being quite creepy, steampunk and psychological it had all the keys to unlock my fangirlism. It was a great retelling of the Bluebeard.
The Mech Oni and the Three-Inch Tinkerer by Leslie and David T. Allen. A great tale about a male warrior Thumbelina with interesting Japanese plot and mythology mixed with steampunk.
The Copper Eyes by Allison Latzko. I liked this steampunk tale the least. Not just because it involved a heartless, mad mother, but because of a lack of complexity. The story could have a great potential as a fairytale for adults, but it was so simply written with some naivety. The story is told from a child’s POV, but the plot seemed to be better suited for a fairytale for kids. Still there are some writers who manage to write for kids and for adults in the same book (One of them is Roald Dahl. Thanks Sarah for reminding about him :) ). This tale was meant to represent the Crystal Ball by The Brothers Grimm. I didn’t know this story.
Strawberry Sins by Heather White. I mistook this tale for a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story and only the ending revealed that it was meant to be the Beauty and the Beast. Not much steampunk there. Just a freak on the loose

Miss Eliza flung herself into the chair, taking a moment to arrange her skirts. Wolfe kept his mouth shut, lest his tongue loll out like a common dog and betray his amusement.



The Yellow Butterfly by Ashley Capes. This tale has steampunk, but it’s not the core of the story. The saddest story of all the seven. It was retold as The Dream of Akinosuke. It reminded me of H. Murakami’s magical realism.
Aubrey in the World Above by Daniel Lind. Not quite sure about this one. It was meant to retell Jack and the Beanstalk fairy tale and it was awesome to find a steampunk bean with a GPS.



Also the tale had some girl’s unsuccessful struggle to blend and be loved. The ending was quite unexpected and was worth reading. What I didn’t like was no proper use for the Giants episodes and the crime-punishment side was some kind of strange and undeveloped.

As I wrote before – I wasn’t familiar with some tales, but it was interesting to watch the blend of old fairy tales and steampunk and try to guess what tale is it. I guess I’m stuck on three stars rating :D

[Stjepan Cobets · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating 3.8

The book of short fairy tales, "Steampunk Fairy Tales (Steampunk Fairy Tales # 1)" although most of the stories are based on some already famous fairy tales, I in the end, honestly liked most of the stories featured in Steampunk Fantasy word. Fairy tale lovers who love Steampunk fantasy will love this little collection. A solid piece that fans of the genre should read.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a delightful book containing various styles of fairy tales, all set in a Steampunk world. I love Steampunk anyway, so this book suited my needs well.
I think my favourite two stories are "The clockwork people" and "Perfection" Both very different but equally captivating. I could almost feel a creepy kind of element in these stories, which is rather welcoming.
I think what I enjoyed the most about these stories, is that each one has its own very unique and interesting twist on an already existing fairy tale. I will be reading the second story collection at some point in the future.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was sent this little gem of a book by one of its included authors, Ashley Capes. Thanks to Ashley, my evening was full of delight at having read this.

This is a short and sweet compilation of Steampunk Fairy Tales. Its up to the reader, to figure out which fairy tale each story most resembles.
I would love to have read fuller stories of each one, they were all so very good. The authors included here were fantastic and deff not their first rodeos.
My total favorite was Perfection by Chris Champe. A lady who wants to play the piano so badly but cant, due to something that isn't quite clear at first. She longs to play the keys, to hear the melodies.....her days are overwhelmed with thoughts of playing a piano, like she did before...Before what? As the story progresses in all its nuts and bolt wonders, you finally find out the whys and I was so surprised.

My next fav was called, "The Clockwork People" by Angella Castillo. This story actually made me cry. An old man who owns a toy shop, creates two little clockwork dolls. All of the towns people come to see the little dolls perform. I loooooved the ending of this one. I cant say too much about each story as they are short enough as it is. Id give too much away.

Another story I was totally sucked into was "The Yellow Butterfly" by Ashley Capes. I love any story that takes place in Japan and that is where we go with this one. I thought I knew which fairy tale this most resembled but boy was I wrong. A Japanese girl, kindhearted and interested in the welfare of others tries to help the folk who work for her father. A hard and mean man. I was sad at the ending of this one. Again I would love to have read this story in expanded form.

All of the stories are really good in this little book.
I love the cover art as well. Who wouldn't? Its beautiful.
I give this a 5 stars and I recommend this one to Steampunk lovers and Fairy Tale Twisters alike!

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concept. Uncommon fairy tales picked and twisted to fit the world of steampunk. Very short read recommended to those who enjoy the Brothers Grimm or the stories of childhood as well as those who like the fantasy of a robotic Victorian period-perfect stories

2017 Reading Challenge: steampunk

[Melissa Coleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love anything Steampunk and this book of tales certainly had all the elements. I really enjoyed The Copper Eyes. The descriptions of the mechanical creatures, their eyes and the way they looked made me want to turn the page. Thanks for a great read!

[Heather Hayden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Given that I love both fairy tale retellings and steampunk, I was excited to read this anthology, and it didn’t disappoint!

I should give a brief disclaimer before I continue with this review… I do know some of the authors published in this book, but they are casual acquaintances and no one solicited this book review. I’m reviewing it because I enjoyed the anthology and wanted to let more people know about it.

The anthology contains seven fairy tale retellings, each one of a different tale, some mixing elements from more than one. They are from a variety of cultures and put all sorts of spins on the classic stories.

I loved The Clockwork People, a retelling of Pinocchio by Angela Castillo. Perfection by Chris Champe sent chills down my spine. I remember studying a variety of retellings of Blackbeard in my Fairytales class in college, but this one takes it to another level.

The Mech Oni and the Three-Inch Tinkerer by Leslie and David T. Allen is my favorite of the bunch–I have a weakness for Japanese fairy tales and they capture the essence of the original tale with a smooth steampunk twist.

Allison Latzko‘s The Copper Eyes was creepy, but awesome, and I loved how she handled the damsel-in-distress. Strawberry Sins by Heather White was even creepier, vying with Perfection for most sinister (Perfection wins that competition, but only just.)

The Yellow Butterfly by Ashley Capes was as lovely as its title, and the haiku that evolves as the story unfolds captures perfectly the heartache of the main character. The last story of the anthology, Aubrey in the World Above by Daniel Lind, I will admit was my least favorite. Although I love retellings of Jack and the Beanstalk, this one didn’t quite capture me. The pacing felt off, almost rushed at times, and the ending was quite sudden. It felt as though some important parts of the story were missing. However, I have read stories in a similar style before, and I think it’s less the story’s fault as my own; I prefer a little more cohesive narrative.

All in all, I greatly enjoyed this anthology and will be saving it on my Kindle to read again in the future.

[Diana Parparita · Rating 4 out of 5]

These seven fairy tale retellings with a steampunk setting are generally dark. The feeling is more of fairy tale than of steampunk, in spite of the gadgets. If you like your steampunk to be upbeat, then these stories might not be for you. Also, the stories themselves are quite short, with the "About the author" section taking up about 20% of the book. In spite of this, the first three stories are so beautiful that I would have given the book 5 stars if I would have liked all the stories as much.

[Anniken Haga · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this for free on Kindle, but I've come to not expect much from free books. That's why it was such a pleasent surprise that most of these novellas were both OK and good — see individual reviews below. Unfortunatly, those that were bad were really bad, and pulled down the rating a lot.
Despite that, I was impressed by many of them, but that may be because I realized the original stories and that way felt the shorts were finished, which is often a problem for me

1:
The Clockwork People by Angela Castillo. 

A short and quick story. I rather liked it, but I'm not sure what the original fairytale was. Maybe Pinoccio? That's at least my thoughts. I liked the mix of magic and steampunk. 
And the story in itself... so heartfelt. 

4/5"

2:
"PERFECTION by Chris Champe

Rather early I thought this a retelling of Bluebeard, and I'm still sure it was, with a nice twist, and well written. 
This story resonated with me, as I know just too well how a failing body impact the mind.

5/5"

3:
"THE MECH ONI AND THE THREE—INCH TINKERER by Leslie and David T. Allen

Those names sound familiar... 
Anyway, an interesting story for which I don't know the origin. Was entertaining enough, and I like all the Japanese elements. The only thing that annoyed me was that they introduced themselves wrong. 

3.5/5"

4:
"THE COPPER EYES by Allison Latzko

This one... was not so good. I have no idea what the original story was, but maybe an mid—european one. 
The rest... didn't impress. I found the writing stiltes and uninspiring. The characters bland, and the way the story was actually told just didn't work for me. 

2/5"

5:
"STRAWBERRY SINS by Heather White

My first thought was DR JEKYL AND MR HYDE, but that's not a fairy tale, so I don't know. I liked the story, though, with the science and aestetics. I don't really have anything bad to say about it. 
4/5"

6:
"THE YELLOW BUTTERFLY by Ashley Capes

Another Japanese one that I didn't know, but I think it has a lot of focus on how the modern world is.killing nature — this one at least did. 
Well written and interesting, if a little slow. 

3.5/5"

7:
"AUBREY IN THE WORLD ABOVE by Daniel Lind

Not a favorite, this one. I found it boring and slow, and the multiple mistakes didn't help. it looked like the story was just thrown together and not edited once!
1/5"

[H.L. Burke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology gives you a good mix of stories and styles, from a little bit of Gothic feel to a few that are more old fashioned fairy tale or adventure. While there weren't any major clunkers, not all of them particularly resonated with me, and if I do have one complaint for the anthology as a whole, I think they could've skewed the anthology a little more up beat. Not that all stories have to have happy endings, but the over all tone was perhaps a little darker and more cynical than I would've wanted ... ironically, perhaps, I think my favorite story of the lot, "Perfection," is actually one of the darkest of the lot, but it was early on and sandwiched between two more upbeat stories which were also both a lot of fun.
That said, I think it would be a mistake to consider this for kids. Three of the pieces (The Clockwork People, The Mech Oni and the Three Inch Tinkerer, and Copper Eyes) have a fun, magical feel to them. Perfection and Strawberry Sins have more of a Gothic/Horror feel to them, and The Yellow Butterfly feels more literary. I wasn't quite sure how to classify the last one. I think it was going for the fun side but had a definite cynicism to it.

Overall, a good sample of the various authors' styles.

[Elise Edmonds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic fairy tales with a steampunk twist. Great read. My favourite was 'Perfection'. Interesting to see the inclusion of two Japanese fairy tales as well as some more traditional tales.

[Clay Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice twist on some classic fairy tales.

[Francesco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rielaborare le fiabe non è mai semplice, però anche se mi è piaciuto molto l'elemento steampunk (non sempre ben riuscito) non altrettanto la scelta di contaminarle ha giocato a favore.
Sicuramente il fatto di riuscire a "indovinare" quale fosse la storia di partenza ha penalizzato i retelling che partivano da storie dei Grimm o di Perrault, perché conoscendone già la trama sono rimasto deluso per la contaminazione di altre storie; non perché fossero fuori luogo, ma sono cresciuto con l'idea che le "fiabe" sono i topoi letterari e quindi trovavo una dissonanza cognitiva tra la storia che leggevo e quello che mi aspettavo.
Laddove invece la storia di partenza era russa o giapponese sono riuscito ad apprezzare meglio la versione "steampunk".

[rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute

Pacing was a little off on all of the stories, either ended a few in story minutes too soon or too late.

[Stefi Rashkova · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining

Some of the stories are really good, so good actually that I wished they wouldn't be that short! And the steampunk additions are really interesting.

[Chris The Story Reading Ape · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining reads.

Anthologies are always worth reading to assess authors, and this one is no exception. The reimagined tales within are all well done in steampunk style.

[Angel Leya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a neat anthology. It was interesting to see how people took fairytales and turned them on their head with steampunk elements. I think my favorites were The Mech Oni And the Three-Inch Tinkerer by Leslie Anderson and David T. Allen and The Copper Eyes by Allison Latzko.

But overall, I think I was expecting these fairytales to be a little more . . . happy? These were overall kind of dark, more of the Grimm variety than Disney. Which is fine, just not what I was expecting. Not that every story was dark or ended sadly, but just that most tended toward that way.

It's a fairly short collection, and I loved that they had a bit at the end explaining which fairytale they chose and some of the inspiration behind the changes.

[Clock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. I just finished it, and I think that my favorite story in it was Aubrey in the World Above by Daniel Lind. But overall, the fact that these stories are based off original fairy tales and remade to fit in a steampunk world is absolutely amazing. I am extremely fascinated by the style of steampunk and these re-written stories, some of which I can remember from my childhood, are exactly the kind of stories that I have been looking for. I could identify the fairy tales of my culture that they were based off by identifying the moral.

[Debbie Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was surprised to have actually liked this book. Not a lot. But more than I thought I would.

I entered a reading challenge for 2017. You can find it at my link text if you are interested in checking it out and/or joining in.

I read this book to satisfy one of the reading challenge prompts - A Steampunk Novel.

One of the nice things about this group challenge is that there are discussion topics for the different prompts and people add comments about the books they are planning to read or just books they know would fit that prompt. Someone posted about this free book on Kindle that would fit the Steampunk prompt and so I got it immediately and read it that weekend to finish my first book for that challenge.

I have never read a Steampunk book so I was not sure what to expect.

Each story in the book was a makeover of a fairy tale. Some are classics I knew well and others were from others countries and I had never heard of them. My favorite story was "The Mech Oni and the Three-Inch Tinkerer." I liked it most because it was not quite as strange as some of the other stories and not as dark or sad. I do like happy endings.

I was quite pleased with this book and am happy I joined this challenge. I hope to complete all 52 prompts will will mean I will have to read more than 52 books this year because some of the books I want to read don't fit any prompts from the challenge... or I may have to count some books for more than one prompt... for instance Steampunk Fairy Tales could also count as the prompt - a book from a genre/ subgenre that you've never heard of. I am putting each book on one space for now and making note on paper of other places it could fit, in pencil, so if I read a separate book for that prompt later I can erase and replace with a different title.

Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge prompt(s) –
A steampunk novel
A book from a genre/subgenre that you've never heard of

Books may be removed from prompts at a later date if I have counted them for more than one prompt. If I have time to read another book that competes one of those prompts. It depends on what books I read and how my time for reading goes this year. I may read books that don't count for any prompt and therefore may need to count books for more than one prompt to finish the challenge. Counting books for more than one category is allowed. It is up to each individual.

[Dakota · Rating 3 out of 5]

not bad I like it. Various fairy tales retold in a steampunk world.

1. The Clockwork People Pinnochio poignant
2. Perfection Bluebeard a bit of a twist here but the storytelling was nice and creepy at the same time .
3. The Mech Oni and the Three-Inch-Tinkerer retelling of a Japanese folktale Issun-Boshi, similar to Tom Thumb ending was a bit different but mostly followed the original story with steampunk
4. The Copper Eyes - The Crystal Ball - liked Aileen, would have wanted more
5. Strawberry Sins - Beauty and the Beast - im a little confused by the ending
6. The Yellow Butterfly - The Dream of Akinosuke - much sadder than I expected
7. Aubrey and the World Above -Jack and the Beanstalk - feels super abrupt

My favs would be yellow butterfly, clockwork people and perfection. Some of them I feel like it just ended because theyre not sure where to go when it could have been better.

[Chasity Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved it

I love steampunk and was excited when I found this amazing collection. And the collection held up to being amazing and exactly what I wanted.

Each tale was wonderfully done and left you craving the next. And I absolutely love how at the end each writer described what story there study was derived from because some I wasn't sure if as I was reading through. I think them telling this at the end was a brilliant idea and I'm glad they did because it allowed the readers to learn about stories they may not have previously known.

I'd say my favorite in this collection is the first story about the toy maker and his magical dolls. The story reminded me a lot of one of my favorite movies, Mr. Moratorium's Wonder Emporium.

[Shannan · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be fair, I've never before read a steampunk book, so I took up this particular anthology as a way to introduce me to the genre. While these stories were all intriguing and very unique retellings of some lesser known fairy tales, if this is what the steampunk genre is usually like, then I think it's just not for me. I found the environments of all the stories very dank and depressing - not places I would want to live in, let alone visit, so it was a little difficult to get myself through all these stories. I won't say that these stories were bad, cuz they weren't, but I no longer have any interest in exploring the steampunk genre further.

[Karla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love these better than I did. The reader is encouraged to guess at which fairytales are being retold. This was not always easy, since I wasn't familiar with all of them. I liked the twist on how they were told, but not necessarily the execution. I particularly disliked the retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I am all about intelligent and witty women in leading roles, but I didn't like where this one went. I did like the clock-work dolls and the miniature samurai. I also really enjoyed that each of these authors rose to a challenge together and produced a creative work. I'm rating the overall book at a 3 as an average.

[A.J. Flowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creative and Thoughtful

What I loved most about this was each story is a unique twist on an existing fairytale. I enjoyed guessing if I knew the fairytale inspiration which I could confirm at the end of the book. An enjoyable read and a fun, educational game!

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Indiecember Novella*
An eclectic anthology of steampunk fairy tales! I loved Mech Oni and the Clockwork Children. Perfection had a shocking twist and a real mad scientist feel.

[Ана Хелс · Rating 4 out of 5]

Красотата на зъбчатите колелца среща някои от най-изящните легенди и приказки, някои сънувани, други прочетени, в повечето случаи – познати на едно специално ниво някъде вътре в стаята наречена тъга. Меланхолията на псевдо прогреса и студенината на технологиите, ако и да не са нашите, се смесва с разбитите сърца, излъганите надежди и желанието за земя под краката ни, неразорана от машини и незеселена от автоматоните. Две малки колекции от тихи сълзи, сбрани в утринта след нощ на бдение и блянове по отдавна изгубеното старо и твърде рано дошлото ново. Носталгия и аромат на стари дантели се омесва с машинно масло и мечти. Стиймпънк за уморени сърца, независимо от причината да търсите различност.

Малечко – Палечко като смел едносантиметров самурай ще се сблъска с мека – демони, малкия народ и умалената си любов с блеснали очи; Красавицата с кожени ръкавици и мотор с парен механизъм ще направи от Звяра онова, което Бел не успя – в добро домашно куче; Хензел и Гретел ще се озоват с средата на безмилостните фабрики за захар, където машините ядат своя малък обслужващ персонал пръст по пръст, а Фрея ще предпочете света на троловете пред този на новите хора, за които светът е само площадка за игра, а не храм за възпитание на души. Моргана ще срази 40-те автоматона убийци, за да отпътува към залеза с механичния си дирижабъл, ще подмине летящ кораб, носещ на борда си сплави от демони-двойници и оживели машини, а малката Пандора ще развърже своето любопитство, за да пусне на света не злините, а хаоса, мечтите и творческата искра, докато медните ѝ плитки носят промяна в света на не-магията.

По стъблото на Джак ще отидем в дебрите на мултивселената, където престъплението да си щастлив не винаги се наказва; в метални прегръдки красиви принцеси ще посрещнат своя последен дъх, докато пламъците на справедливостта на бившите ронини тлеят около тях; Синята брада е само създател на красиви роботи, но много неумел, и оставящ доста парчета съзидание около себе си, а светлината на вълшебните очила на Грим ще помогнат за разделението между човек и машина до форма, която е приемлива за общение. Пинокио ще остави с последния си дъх красиво потомство, което да дава трошица надежда на създателя си, че има красота; велик изобретател преоткрива машината на времето, за да се върне при загубената любима, а открива нещо много наподобяващо механична домашна котка; и за финал Василиса прекрасна ще влезе в дуел на механичното майсторство със самата Баба Яга.

Красотата има и своята тъжна усмивка, с която дарява несигурните в себе си, отчаяните мечтатели, и онези, които се страхуват от света навън. Меланхолията е въпрос, и отговор, и просто тишина. Освен когато е съчетана с едно кротко тиктакане на благословени или прокълнати часовникови механизми, отнасящи човечеството на следващата стъпка отвъд. Отвъд човещината, отвъд пошлостта, отвъд едно умиращо днес. Но е толкова красив Aпокалипсисът така погледнат, признайте…

[Susan Molloy · Rating 2 out of 5]

🖊 My review: These are curiously odd short stories, and for the right reader, they are gems. As for me, they are readable and interesting, but I discovered this is not my type of genre. My loss, eh?

🔻 Genre: Steampunk short story fiction.
💠 Setting: Various.
🖋 The writing style: Creative.
🗝 What I learned: This is not my type of genre, but others might like it.
💫 What I like best: The cover is clever.
📌 Would I read this again? No.
🤔 My rating 🌟🌟
🏮 Media form: Kindle Unlimited version.
🔲 Excerpts :

🔸 He gingerly held the flask up to the light. The chartreuse liquid inside bubbled and smoked, the caustic scent burning his nostrils, but the solution appeared stable. He breathed in hard to ease the tightness of his chest. Had he done it? He tapped the glass with a clawed nail. Too hard. The liquid sloshed up the side and flashed, settling back down in a gooey brown mess.

🔸 Wolfe rushed over to find the liquid had boiled over. He nearly threw his muzzle back to howl in fury, only to catch himself and slam his paws on the table, rattling the beakers and tubes. “Drat it all! It’ll have to be redone!” “May I help this time?” Miss Eliza approached, her skirts gently brushing the carpet with the sway of her stride, and stood at his elbow.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well Written, With Appeal For Target Audience.

These were simple tales in the tradition of folk tale writers like the Grimm brothers. The synopsis was very clear that these were retellings of traditional tales, but with the addition of steampunk elements. I’m not sure what other readers expected, but the tales were faithful to the style of the chosen original tales and were what I expected. If you choose a book of folk tales, then don’t expect long stories with sophisticated plots.

All of the stories had excellent writing mechanics, with the exception of a very infrequently missed word here and there. If these tales were representative of the writers’ attention to quality editing, then I would expect their longer works to be as well written.

This was a clean read, suitable for older children as well as adults. Although these were well written tales, I don’t believe they would appeal as much to an older adult audience, although I could be mistaken. I found they were good for when a short, light read was wanted, but I could easily have put the book down and I wouldn’t reread it. I don’t mean that as a criticism, because I don’t believe I am the target audience. I recommend this collection to the target audience, especially if the price is kept low.

[D.T. Powell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I opened this anthology wanting to like it. I've seen steampunk done well many times, and I hoped the same would be true of this collection. While there are clearly fairy tale and steampunk elements in every story, they all have problematic pacing. Most start too slowly and end much too abruptly. One wrapped up so fast I was left staring at the page wondering what I'd just read.

Many characters are flat, though fairy tale is rife with this, so I wasn't as concerned on that front. But one of the biggest difficulties I had with this collection was the prevalence of low quality prose. Every entry was riddled with either extraneous words, filter words, awkward wording, or a mixture of all three. It was so pervasive throughout the volume I literally almost fell asleep multiple times while reading.

Everyone has to start somewhere, and I'm thrilled these authors had the courage to put themselves out there, but I'd highly encourage them to level-up their self-editing skills and/or get an editor to assist so their stories can shine the way they intend them to instead of being hidden behind a veil of technical inadequacy.