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Steamlust: Steampunk Erotic Romance

by Kristina Wright (Goodreads Author) (editor), Meljean Brook (Goodreads Author) (Foreword), Lisabet Sarai (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Andrea Dale (Contributor), Mary Borsellino (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Nikki Magennis (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Anya Richards (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Sylvia Day (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) , more…

3.33 of 5 stars 3.33 · rating details · 123 ratings · 34 reviews

Steamlust is romantic erotica that reflects the excitement, fantasy and rebellion of steampunk. Not sure what steampunk is? Think Victorian elegance and aesthetics meets futuristic invention and exploration. The genre of steampunk itself has transcended the Victorian (or Edwardian) eras — in Kristina Wright's inventive anthology, it can be any time period, real or imagined...more

Paperback, 256 pages

Published October 4th 2011 by Cleis Press (first published October 1st 2011)

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Mar 25, 2013 Sara Nia (Tea and Parchment) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: steampunk, romance-sexuality-eroticism, anthologies-short-stories, books-i-own

I realized something about myself whilst reading this one. I like Steampunk. I like erotic short stories. I am left in a state of confusion as to whether I enjoy the two together in one book. While the stories were entertaining enough to read, I somehow always felt a sense of disappointment upon finishing them. The Steampunk element to the stories mostly centered around mechanical contraptions or an automaton or something similar - mechanized limbs was also a commonality. Under normal circumstan...more I realized something about myself whilst reading this one. I like Steampunk. I like erotic short stories. I am left in a state of confusion as to whether I enjoy the two together in one book. While the stories were entertaining enough to read, I somehow always felt a sense of disappointment upon finishing them. The Steampunk element to the stories mostly centered around mechanical contraptions or an automaton or something similar - mechanized limbs was also a commonality. Under normal circumstances I'd have no problem with these elements in a story, especially within the Steampunk genre, but the more I read about erotic contraptions of pleasure, or half-man/half-machine type sexual encounters (physical parts of whom often involved copious amounts of vibrating or some in-human ability to arouse the female protagonist to unfathomable levels of pleasure *rolls eyes*), the less I enjoyed the story. My favorite additions to this anthology were all involving (for the most part) two humans. Normal....appendages. Call me old-fashioned.

My favorite stories were 'Iron Hard' by Sylvia Day (on a side note, the titles alone provided massive amounts of 'snickering' material - I'm extremely mature in that sense ;)), 'Heart of the Daedalus' by Saskia Walker (although I take serious issue with her use of the word "puss". I don't know how many ways I must vehemently object to this even being considered a word), and 'Lost Souls' by Andrea Dale (although it ended too abruptly for my taste. When the actual sex only occurs in the final few sentences of an erotic story, something is a-wry). I did enjoy most of the others, but in all honestly, none of them floored me with their amazing-ness the way I was hoping. I think perhaps I need a full-length novel to truly enjoy Steampunk as a genre - short stories lack the epic quality of adventure that I find one of the most appealing elements of Steampunk in general. And apparently I like my sex...entirely human. So, all in all, an interesting experiment, but one that achieved limited levels of success.(less)

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Dec 20, 2011 Dark Haven rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: erotica

Rating 4.5

Steamlust is a compilation of Steampunk centered erotic stories. Steampunk is a cross between science fiction and fantasy that is more than just mechanical inventions. It also encompasses a view of the 19th century that is imagined and articulated in unexpected and delightful ways. Steamlust offers a variety of tales to capture a readers imagination. There are swashbuckling exploits among the clouds with fantastical airships; deeds of sacrifice and courage where life and limbs are for...more Rating 4.5

Steamlust is a compilation of Steampunk centered erotic stories. Steampunk is a cross between science fiction and fantasy that is more than just mechanical inventions. It also encompasses a view of the 19th century that is imagined and articulated in unexpected and delightful ways. Steamlust offers a variety of tales to capture a readers imagination. There are swashbuckling exploits among the clouds with fantastical airships; deeds of sacrifice and courage where life and limbs are forever altered; and mechanical automatons - some human in appearance – while another’s massive bulk traverses the land on spindly legs like the insects that inspired its creation. I’m in awe of the detail the authors within this anthology written into their stories and the characters they’ve imagined. There are rebels, thieves, captains of the sky, the prerequisite inventor or two and wonderfully, gutsy, heroines with the brains and courage to match any man.

All of the stories in this anthology are good, but for me, the best stories among them are those which intricately weave the mechanisms of steampunk with the romance and sexual expression of the characters. The cogs, gears and steam of the mechanical invention are not simply back drop to the story, but an integral part of the tale, whether it be a man’s mechanical fingers caressing and probing the body of his lover or the fascination and awe of a strong willed maid at the sight of a manly torso forged of metal and gears as well as blood, skin, and sinew.

Iron Hard by Sylvia Day, The Heart of Daedalus by Saachi Green, Sparks by Anna Meadows and Make Your Own Miracles by Nikki Magennis still resonant with me days after I’ve read them. For a wonderful blend of eroticism, passion and sheer poignancy, I recommend The Undeciphered Heart by Christine D’Abo. It is heartrending tale on the one hand, but a triumph of storytelling that was exquisite. There is something for everyone to enjoy in Steamlust and I highly recommend it.

(less)

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Sep 28, 2012 Nikki Vanderhoof rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, books-i-own, sexually-explicit-content

So first off I must say I have never read any sort of Erotica until this anthology. I stick pretty much to non-fiction, horror, and sci-fi genres and steer totally clear of anything that has any sort of romantic plot at the forefront of the story.

That being said, I loved that the characters in these stories were all strong-willed individuals. They knew what they wanted and weren't afraid to go after it. It just happens to be in these stories that the individuals that are involved mutually share...more

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Jan 06, 2012 Chechoui rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: steampunk

I found this book on the Steampunk Bookshelf on this site and I must admit I am not well versed in reading the genre of erotica, so I found myself smirking at all of the different terms used for various body parts throughout the text. (Highlights include her "cunny"; I kid you not.) Some of the stories were better than others, but overall it was certainly an interesting collection of erotic short stories set in a steampunk era. What I think is notable is that it is written by all female authors...more I found this book on the Steampunk Bookshelf on this site and I must admit I am not well versed in reading the genre of erotica, so I found myself smirking at all of the different terms used for various body parts throughout the text. (Highlights include her "cunny"; I kid you not.) Some of the stories were better than others, but overall it was certainly an interesting collection of erotic short stories set in a steampunk era. What I think is notable is that it is written by all female authors and from female character's perspectives. The downside of this was that it was a bit stereotypical of women sexually and it felt a bit limiting within traditional gender roles. For instance, many stories ended with the male character requesting the protagonist's hand in marriage, or committing to be with her until the end. It makes it appear that the women only slept with the men due to this promise, as opposed to some women just wanted to get their rocks off for one night. Furthermore, I think because of the authors trying to stick within a realistic Victorian era, many of the female protagonists are (well, now were) virgins. So these mind-blowing sexual encounters were also their first encounters. Well isn't that nice...and unrealistic. It seems that a more experienced and confident woman would be more apt for such rendevous and could garner more control of the situations, but that's the feminist perspective I personally would seek, not what the authors wanted to convey per se. Finally, there was also a bit too much of a pattern of the female protagonists saying "no" to these encounters and the male characters talking them into it. Again, I feel this feeds into a non-feminist perspective, the notion that it isn't acceptable for women to have sexual wants, and instead they have to be coerced. It also rings a tad of something more sinister, although in these stories the characters all do give consent, depite earlier protests. Yes, there were some strong female characters that bucked stereotypes as well, but it seemed more limited to their careers (scientists, engineers, pilots - yay!) and not when it came to the bedroom. Perhaps this is why I don't read erotica; I just can't ignore the set-up, plot and details. LOL! But I say this book is still worth a go if you like steampunk! I would be interested also to hear from straight male readers and what their take was on this collection.(less)

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Jan 03, 2012 Emerald Emerald rated it 5 of 5 stars

Simply put, Steamlust is one of the most gorgeous anthologies I've encountered. From the first page, I was dazzled, mesmerized, and relegated to a state of breathless arousal by story after story in this extraordinary, exquisite collection. Since I'm not very familiar with steampunk, I'm not sure what expectations I had of this anthology, but any notion of them seemed exceeded such as to render them obsolete by the end of the first story--a story, incidentally, that was one of my very favorites...more

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Oct 10, 2011 Erin O'Riordan rated it 5 of 5 stars

'Steamlust: Steampunk Erotic Romance' (Cleis Press, 2011) is the third anthology of short erotica edited by Kristina Wright that I've had the pleasure to read. I very much enjoyed Fairy Tale Lust: Erotic Fantasies for Women and Dream Lover: Paranormal Tales of Erotic Romance, so I eagerly anticipated Wright's latest anthology.

On the other hand, I was slightly disappointed by Cleis Press' other steampunk title this year,Carnal Machines: Steampunk Erotica, edited by D.L. King. I liked a few of th...more 'Steamlust: Steampunk Erotic Romance' (Cleis Press, 2011) is the third anthology of short erotica edited by Kristina Wright that I've had the pleasure to read. I very much enjoyed Fairy Tale Lust: Erotic Fantasies for Women and Dream Lover: Paranormal Tales of Erotic Romance, so I eagerly anticipated Wright's latest anthology.

On the other hand, I was slightly disappointed by Cleis Press' other steampunk title this year,Carnal Machines: Steampunk Erotica, edited by D.L. King. I liked a few of the stories in that anthology, but others just weren't interesting enough. I believe the key to good steampunk is the same as the key to good erotic romance: the beauty is all in the details.

Fortunately, Wright's editing instincts do not fail her, and Steamlust is full of glorious details. It's the clockwork lovebirds in Sylvia Day's "Iron Hard." In Vida Bailey's time-travel adventure "Undergrounded: Hannah Hawthorne and the Stranded Time Ship," it's the giant copper bathtub with its jets and nozzles. It's Pete's "melted chocolate" eyes in "Green Cheese" by Lisabet Sarai and the contents of the secret room in Andrea Dale's spiritualist tale "Lost Souls."

My personal favorite of the collection was "Sparks" by Anna Meadows. It imagines a Victorian version of Prohibition and a young smuggler who makes illicit intoxicating spirits from delicate flower petals. She's reunited with her lost love, Ezra, possibly the anthology's most drool-worthy male: "The scent of violets and roses mixed with the soft spice of ashes and cloves. Cambric and ash: it identified him as well as a fingerprint." Even Ezra's perpetually dirty fingernails and calloused hands are endearing in this sensual tale. But then there's Ezra's violet lightning, a very neat little trick...

I don't think anyone will be disappointed by 'Steamlust.' It's all that it claims to be. There are plenty of spinning gears, mechanical limbs, automatons, airships and parasols to delight the steampunk fan. There are erotic twosomes and threesomes steamy enough to satisfy the erotica reader.

On a sidenote, Anna Meadows and I both wrote stories published in the Cleis Press anthology Best Lesbian Romance 2010. Hers is called "Coming Out Party," and mine is called "Soaked." Andrea Dale and Sacchi Green also have stories in both anthologies. I have to admit, I've never read the entire anthology, but I think I will soon. (less)

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Oct 17, 2011 Julia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, historical-romance, own

Steampunk. I accidentally fell into this genre when I picked up a book with a pretty cover and decided to read it. How fun it was! Cool Victorian mannerism, things, ideals, added in with a twist of taking industrialization to its science fiction- fantasy extreme.
When this book came to me I was just thinking I wanted to read more erotica, and with steampunk being fun and unique, I thought this would be the best thing for it.

Steamlust, as aforementioned, is an anthology. Each story is roughly ten...more

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Jul 01, 2012 Melindeeloo marked it as finish-later · review of another edition

Erotic short steampunk romances, so a quick setup and then straight to the steamy stuff "of the human variety" (can't give the quote it's proper acknowledgement but it was the blurb to a samhain steampunk romance I read somewhere along the way:)

Iron Hard - Sylvia Day
Heart of the Daedalus - Saskia Walker
Fog, Flight and Moonlight - Sacchi Green -
The Undeciphered Heart - Christine d'Abo
Mr. Hartley's Device - Charlotte Stein

A Demonstration of Affection - Elizabeth Coldwell
Undergrounded: Hannah Hawth...more

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Apr 04, 2012 Penny rated it 5 of 5 stars

Kristina Wright's Steamlust is such a fresh angle for erotica! This newer genre, this quietly storming forward society is lust and enchantment and intelligent women and handsome, fearless, confident men with a precise purpose.

The romance and proper language of Victoriana mixed with futuristic mechanisms of pristine engineering will lull you into this alternate world where cogs and wheels, copper and brass are not only incorporated into the atmosphere around them, but into the actual fiber of the...more

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Dec 01, 2011 Lizcoldwell rated it 4 of 5 stars

A cracking collection of steampunk tales, where buttoned-up Victoriana gets a modern, erotic twist. If your dream men are military captains, light-fingered thieves or absent-minded inventors, you're not going to be disappointed by the heroes on display, while the heroines are feisty yet vulnerable, fighting against the constrictions of the time that seek to place them in narrow, traditionally feminine roles. In Green Cheese, Lisabet Sarai imagines a world where the British and French are fightin...more

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Jun 17, 2012 Mara rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I bought it on the force of the name of Ms Brook (who by the way wrote a very nice intro but no story). Unfortunately it suffers from the same fate of many anthologies: stories that are too short to be interesting or catch my attention. The fact that they are supposed to be erotic (and therefore not too deep?) does not save them. At all.

Eroticism has a different feel for me. These stories aren't porn (the way many erotica unfortunately is), but they weren't much erotic either. To feel, you have...more

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Jul 20, 2012 Smash added it

Shelves: steampunk, read-2012, erotica, read-own-ebooks, book-reviews

The Steampunk era is really fantastic setting for sex. I loved the mix of machinery and flesh. Holla!

*Iron Hard by Sylvia Day: Vibrating Copper Fingers FTW! Seriously. You need know nothing else about this one but vibrating copper fingers.
*Heart of the Deadalus by Saskia Walker in Steamlust: Nothing like a good sword fight to get those juices flowin! And the Deadalus creation was wicked cool. I want one! The author's use of puss had me giggle like an immature idiot. That word cracks me up.
*Fog,...more

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Oct 19, 2012 OhWell rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: steamy

I stumbled upon this anthology while searching the public library's e-book collection, and I read it out of curiosity. Iron Hard, Mr Hartley's Infernal Device, The Undeciphered Heart, Lost Souls seem the ones worth mentioning. I’m OK with erotic scenes as long as they are wrapped in a romantic story. Overall I guess the format and general feel just weren't my style though...

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Jan 26, 2013 Jens Kuhn rated it 3 of 5 stars

It's a nice collection of stories, but I didn't like it as much as Carnal Machines. Some of these stories, especially the first few were rather conventional erotic stories but set in a steampunk world. That's fair enough, but I find stories more intriguing where the steamy devices are actually used for the pleasuring itself.

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Jul 06, 2012 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: erotica, female-authors, historical-fiction, scifi-fantasy, short-story-collection

After a while, this anthology was repetitive. What happened was it was a terribly repetitive anthology, with two minor exceptions. Girl meets steampunked boy, bangs steampunk boy. There were only 2 pieces that I truly enjoyed,and they were at the very end. The authors took care to make them different -- one was a woman of colour and a threesome, and the other was a really unique twist on the genre. I don't know if I'd recommend it for everyone.

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Aug 18, 2012 Vicci rated it 4 of 5 stars

What an interesting mix of erotica with a dash of steam. Each of the novella/musings explores the eroticism of melding flesh to machine and the victorian ages fascination with the craft. I enjoyed them immensely.

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Dec 27, 2011 Sara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: steampunk, romance

Some of the stories were so great that I wished they wouldn't end, while others were only mediocre.

Favourite story: Mr. Hartley`s Infernal Device by Charlotte Stein, followed by Heart of Daedalus by Saskia Walker.

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Jan 26, 2012 Janine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: steampunk, erotica, romance

"Iron Hard" - Sylvia Day ★★★
"Heart of the Daedalus" - Saskia Walker ★★★
"Fog, Flight and Moonlight" - Sacchi Green ★★★
"The Undeciphered Heart" - Christine d'Abo ★★★
"Mr. Hartley's Infernal Device" - Charlotte Stein ★★
"A Demonstration of Affection" - Elizabeth Coldwell ★★
"Undergrounded: Hannah Hawthorne and the Stranded Time Ship" - Vida Bailey ★★★
"Sparks" - Anna Meadows ★★
"Green Cheese" - Lisabet Sarai ★★★
"Lost Souls" - Andrea Dale ★★
"Golden Moment" - Lynn Townsend ★★★
"Liberated" - Mary Borsellino...more

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Oct 20, 2011 Brenda rated it 5 of 5 stars

I love this new genre of Steampunk and I think this is terrific. As a side note, I am getting lots of decorating ideas from Steamlust, too!

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Nov 05, 2011 Christine rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author)

Full disclosure, I have a story in this anthology.

I was thrilled when I found out my little musing had been accepted into Kristina Wright's Steamlust anthology. I was even more so when I found out who some of the other authors were. Ms. Wright has pulled together some amazing stories, each one that illuminates a different aspect of what good steampunk means to me.

Now, I can't in all fairness comment on the individual stories, but I have to say as a reader, I loved this collection. I saved it a...more

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Nov 06, 2012 Danac rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a fun light read! No one took themselves or subjects too seriously, and hard questions were asked at a safe remove.

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Oct 09, 2012 sis rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, 2012

short steampunk themed erotic stories. on a whole, well written and engaging. a few were better than others. my first foray into the steampunk genre.

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Mar 13, 2013 Sheryl Thompson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Stories seemed good and I like the few I read. I don't think in the mood now for short stories

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Nov 19, 2011 George Ashmore marked it as to-read

Steampunk SciFi & hot love stories--why didnt someone write this years ago?

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Nov 18, 2012 Amy rated it 1 of 5 stars

I tried to read this but i did not care for steampunk.

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Apr 26, 2012 erin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, borrowed, library, steampunk

Fun! Very short stories so a good light read.

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Jul 25, 2012 Brenda Pike rated it 1 of 5 stars

This is why I hate anthologies.

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Nov 06, 2011 Krystal rated it 4 of 5 stars

Review to come via Fresh Fiction

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Oct 19, 2012 Ora rated it 5 of 5 stars

A rather good collection of short stories, some better than others. Definitely worth reading them all.

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Feb 17, 2013 Denicemarcell added it

good selection and variety of stories. not totally unsuitable for reading on public transport.

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