Corsets and Clockwork: 13 Steampunk Romances [Paperback]

Trisha Telep (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 26, 2011

Dark, urban fantasies come to life in the newest collection of Steampunk stories, Corsets & Clockwork. Young heroes and heroines battle evils with the help of supernatural or super-technological powers, each individual story perfectly balancing historical and fantastical elements. Throw in epic romances that transcend time, and this trendy, engrossing anthology is sure to become another hit for the fast-growing Steampunk genre!

This collection features some of the hottest writers in the teen genre, including: Ann Aguirre, Jaclyn Dolamore, Tessa Gratton, Frewin Jones, Caitlin Kittredge, Adrienne Kress, Lesley Livingston, Dru Pagliassotti, Dia Reeves, Michael Scott, Maria V. Snyder, Tiffany Trent, and Kiersten White.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Layla Schaeffer, Duxbury Free Library YALSA Teen Reader
"As soon as you open the book, you are swept into these places that are so different, yet have parallels in the real world…it seems that all of these places could replace their counterparts in the real world… There were only 13 stories. I need more! Rated: Hard to imagine a better book."

Horn Books’ Out of the Box blog 8/18/11
“…authors such as Caitlin Kittredge, Dia Reeves, Kiersten White, and Adrienne Kress write the steamier side of steampunk, where “technomagical and natural desires collide.” This naturally means lots of flirting and first kisses (with gorgeous automatons or gentlemen criminals, aboard airships, or after narrowly escaping mad inventors); it also entails deeper ethical concerns about technology, progress, and humanity’s impact on nature.”

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Running Press Kids (April 26, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762440929
• ISBN-13: 978-0762440924
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 1.2 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #790,185 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars From Back to the Bookshelf: Corsets and Clockwork February 13, 2012

By Bonny Kate

Format:Paperback

Let's get one thing out of the way: I like novels, not short stories. Short stories frustrate me, because one of two things always occurs while I read. 1) As I read I think, "What on earth is going on?" and then it's over. 2) As I read I think, "Wow this is getting really good - " and then it's over. Either there's not enough time for proper worldbuilding and character development and nothing makes sense, or the story really captures me and then ends too soon.

The problem is that every two years or so I forget this and go and pick up a new anthology of short stories, like this one, Corsets and Clockwork. Oh, well...

All of the stories are steampunk, and have some elements of romance as well, which causes a massive outbreak of instalove! throughout the collection. Many take place in some sort of England, although others feature the Wild West, pre-WWII Germany, and fantasy environments. At least 10 of the stories mentioned corsets. Many of them had clockwork as well. In fact, there was even one story called "The Clockwork Corset."

If you've survived being whapped in the face with all the blatant steampunk-ness, we'll move on to the stories themselves. I tried to read all of them, I really did. However, old instincts and library due dates took over, so a few I either put down or skimmed. As for the ones I did read...

The best:

Code of Blood by Dru Pagliassotti - I read this author's Clockwork Heart earlier this year and really enjoyed it, and her short story here does not disappoint. In an alternate 19th century Venice, a nobleman's granddaughter has to save the city from French invaders. Pagliassotti's worldbuilding is well-done in a short span of time, with elementals, steamboats and a blood sacrifice.

The Airship Gemini by Jaclyn Dolamore - I can't remember having read a story with a Siamese twin as a protagonist before. Airships are always good, too (see the Airborn Trilogy by Kenneth Oppel - one of my all-time favorites). I really like Dolamore's novel Magic Under Glass and this story is intriguing. However, I feel it really could have been a full novel instead of a story especially since the ending is a bit of a deux ex machina.

Under Amber Skies by Maria V. Snyder - I swear that it's a coincidence that my three favorite stories were by authors that I had already read things by! I honestly wouldn't have recognized this story as being by Snyder, but come to think of it, Poison Study was very dark and so was this story. Set on the cusp of World War II, Nazis are looking for Zosia's father, an Polish inventor who disappeared months ago. Quite good, with a killer twist!

The one to avoid:

Cannibal Fiend of Rotherhithe by Frewin Jones - I knew Jones for the uber-frothy Faerie Path series (I mean, look at the covers!). I think he was trying to break away from that formula, because his story here is nothing like the faerie books. There is implied rape. There is main character who is a cannibalistic half-mermaid. There is general weirdness. Skip this one.

The rest of the stories were pretty mediocre. Some were entertaining (Tick Tick Boom by Kiersten White) and some were just confusing as all get-out (The Vast Machinery of Dreams by Caitlin Kittredge). The three favorites listed above were worth the read, but I would not recommend going out of your way to read this anthology.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

Cover & Title: As mentioned before, the title is...fitting. The cover is pretty, though they could have done something more imaginative than Generic Female Face Close-Up.

Where I got the book: Local library

Read more reviews by clicking on my username and visiting my blog, Back to the Bookshelf.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An exciting steampunk anthology! April 16, 2011

By MyBookishWays

Format:Paperback

I loved this collection of 13 Steampunk Romances! Trisha Telep is the talented editor of many wonderful anthologies, and this is no exception. She has an amazing knack for choosing authors that will not only complement each other, but will stand on their own as well! There's an amazing line-up of authors here. Instead of just raving about how great it is as a whole (which it is), I decided to break each story down and give you a little idea of what each story is about, and give each one a rating.

Wild Magic by Ann Aguirre:Pearl, an uppercrust socialite in an age of steam and clockwork, discovers a door to Faery, and through a handsome fae named Pick, the secret of her own magic. Loved this one. (4)

Under Amber Skies by Maria V. Snyder-A young girl in wartime Poland discovers just what her father's clockwork inventions are about, and the family secrets that may get her killed. (5)

The Vast Machinery of Dreams by Caitlin Kittredge:In the city of Lovecraft, where dark magic seethes and Elder Gods reign, a young writer falls in love with a beautiful girl that feeds on dreams...and may not be a girl at all...(4.5)

Tick, Tick, Boom by Keirsten White: Catherine, the daughter of an baron of industry, has a penchant for building things that go boom. In her efforts to stop unfair labor practices, and those that further them (such as her father), she meets a man that makes her lips tingle, and will turn her world upside down. (5)

Rude Mechanicals by Lesley Livingston: Quintillius Farthing, a disillusioned thespian counting the minutes until his Uncle's failing theatre closes, finally meets his perfect Juliet, a beautiful clockwork girl with copper filament hair and metallic skin. But will her Juliet be too realistic? (4)

The Cannibal Fiend of Rotherhithe by Frewin Jones: A rather disturbing tale of an evil man that kidnaps a mermaid and takes her as his wife. When she dies in childbirth, he raises the girl, Silka, shackled in a cage, telling her stories of how he will seek his true love in the big city. Around the time of her 15th birthday, Silka eats her father (she has teeth like a carp), breaks out of her shackles, and goes off to seek her true love. During her journey, she meets all manner of men with less then honorable intentions, so she eats them too. Then she meets a thief named Toby, who teaches her a better way to live. Like I said, rather disturbing, but also surprisingly sweet and probably one of my favorites of the bunch. (5)

Deadwood by Michael Scott: It's 1868, and the independent Martha Burke sets out to search for her brothers who have disappeared after seeing work in the mines. On an airship, she meets the charming JW. When their airship makes an unscheduled landing in Deadwood, it will take all of their wits to get them out of Deadwood. (4)

Code of Blood by Dru Pagliassotti: In 1815 Venezia, a young girl that commands air elementals will do anything to save her grandfather and her city. (3.5)

The Clockwork Corset by Adrienne Kress: 16 year old tomboy Imogen recognizes her growing affections for her childhood friend, but what will she do when he is called away to war? Why, join up, of course! (4)

The Airship Gemini by Jaclyn Dolamore: Siamese twins and freak show performers Faith and Patience, are once again performing on the Gemini airship. When a powerful magician offers to separate them, and uses the fate of their dearest friend as leverage, can they possibly refuse? (4)

King of the Greenlight City by Tessa Gratton: In the City of Light, a boy that can fly and a girl intended for another fall in love, but will it be their undoing? (3.5)

The Emperor's Man by Tiffany Trent: Corporal Reed, of the Imperial House Guard, is charged with keeping Princess Athena safe in the magic filled woods during the Hunt, and he will find out a truth about Athena that will change his life forever. This was a magic and wonder-filled story! (4)

Chickie Hill's Badass Ride by Dia Reeves: Welcome to 1961 Portero. Join Chickie Hill and Sue Jean for one hell of a ride. Time travel, otherworldy creatures, and as the title suggests, one badass ride are the order of the day for a town that sits just this side of normal. (5)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Clockwork and Corsets: 13 Steampunk Romances October 10, 2012

By Autumn

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I really enjoyed this book. Ever since Kiss Me Deadly, edited by the same person, came into my life, I've been a huge fan of anthologies, and this one was by far my favorite. I liked all almost all of the stories, but my favorite was the story by Frewin Jones, about a beautiful half mermaid girl. I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves anthologies, fantasy stories, or steampunk. 5 stars. (It also shipped quickly-I got it within three days and it came a day earlier than expected. Thank you so much!)