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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An exciting steampunk anthology!, April 16, 2011
This review is from: Corsets and Clockwork: 13 Steampunk Romances (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)
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3.0 out of 5 stars
From Back to the Bookshelf: Corsets and Clockwork, February 13, 2012
This review is from: Corsets and Clockwork: 13 Steampunk Romances (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.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Review from The Word Fiend, November 4, 2011
This review is from: Corsets and Clockwork: 13 Steampunk Romances (Paperback)
Corsets & Clockwork brings together thirteen romance-charged Steampunk stories in a dynamic anthology. They make a great introduction to the genre for beginners while still offering something for the more die-hard enthusiast. The cover design is a successful blend of the two main elements of the anthology: Steampunk and Romance. The soft-focus used on the model's face sets the romantic mood as your eye is guided up to her more in-focus eye - whose gaze captures you. The light flare on her pupil is the point where the two halves of the cover start to merge - if you look closely you will see what looks like metal pipes and steam. You are then drawn across to the cogs, gears, maps and mechanical drawings. It is a lovely cover and captures the essence of Corsets & Clockwork. I enjoy Steampunk - the merge of technology with magic and human endeavour is a fertile land for the imagination. And collected in the pages of this anthology are thirteen examples of the genre, albeit with a romantic twist. I really enjoyed the fact that the Romance didn't elbow the Steampunk out of the way - the two genres seem to have linked arms and leapt feet first into the fun. As with any anthology there were some stories that I enjoyed more than others. My rating for the book is based on my overall experience of all of the stories, but I just wanted to highlight three that really stood out for me. Deadwood by Michael Scott was a lot of fun to read, with a feisty and determined heroine and a hero who could keep up with her. Unlike most Steampunk stories, Deadwood is set in the US, but the time period is right and the feel of the story was spot-on. The Airship Gemini by Jaclyn Dolamore was definitely one of my favourite stories in Corsets & Clockwork. I was intrigued by the story of Siamese twins who are being pressured by a sorcerer and their guardian to be separated. I admired the girls' characters and Dolamore never lets you see them as victims, despite their life as a travelling curiosity. The Airship Gemini was a very satisfying read. Under Amber Skies by Maria V. Snyder is a delightful Steampunk story set at the start of World War II. A smart heroine, gadgets and gizmos aplenty and mechanical Nazis - what more do I need to say? Snyder has done a great job with this story. Corsets & Clockwork is an anthology that is definitely worth exploring.
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