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The Mammoth Book of Steampunk
by
Sean Wallace ,
Paul Di Filippo, Catherynne M. Valente (Goodreads Author), Genevieve Valentine, Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author), Cherie Priest (Goodreads Author), Jeff VanderMeer (Goodreads Author), Caitlín R. Kiernan
,
more…
An anthology that looks to the future through the lens of the past, these 30 mash-ups of past and future push the boundaries of steampunk.
This is steampunk with a modern, post-colonial sensibility. Contributors include: Jeff VanderMeer, Caitlin Kiernan, Mary Robinette Kowal, Jay Lake, Cherie Priest, Cat Rambo, Catherynne M. Valente, Genevieve Valentine, and many more.
This is steampunk with a modern, post-colonial sensibility. Contributors include: Jeff VanderMeer, Caitlin Kiernan, Mary Robinette Kowal, Jay Lake, Cherie Priest, Cat Rambo, Catherynne M. Valente, Genevieve Valentine, and many more.
Paperback, 512 pages
Published
April 5th 2012
by Robinson
(first published January 1st 2012)
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(showing
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Feb 13, 2013
D
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Someone willing to pay for the whole book for a handful of lesbian steampunk stories?
Shelves:
anthologies,
lgbtq
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Reading. Love the prose and writing styles of the various authors, but I see what other reviewers mean: how the stories, despite their engaging quality, leave you hanging at the end. There's little or no sense of closure in what I've seen so far.
Additionally, others have cried unable to see the "steampunk" in this steampunk collection. It's there, but by its own admission, this book pushes the boundaries. There are pros and cons for doing so or not doing so (steampunk, after all), but it's enter...more
Additionally, others have cried unable to see the "steampunk" in this steampunk collection. It's there, but by its own admission, this book pushes the boundaries. There are pros and cons for doing so or not doing so (steampunk, after all), but it's enter...more
There were some slow places in this collection, but many amazing short stories throughout.
The story I enjoyed the most in this collection was "Reluctance". I will be looking up more work by this author. Great suspense and character development in such a small amount of words!
The best language in the book was in "To Seek Her Fortune". Amazing imagery. I also love the change of voice that built the relationship between the mother and son.
"Fixing Hanover" also contained some amazing word building...more
The story I enjoyed the most in this collection was "Reluctance". I will be looking up more work by this author. Great suspense and character development in such a small amount of words!
The best language in the book was in "To Seek Her Fortune". Amazing imagery. I also love the change of voice that built the relationship between the mother and son.
"Fixing Hanover" also contained some amazing word building...more
An anthology that looks to the future through the lens of the past, these 30 mash-ups of past and future push the boundaries of steampunk.
This is steampunk with a modern, post-colonial sensibility. Contributors include: Jeff VanderMeer, Caitlin Kiernan, Mary Robinette Kowal, Jay Lake, Cherie Priest, Cat Rambo, Catherynne M. Valente, Genevieve Valentine, and many more.
i...really wanted to love this book, but although the stories were fun there werent any that really grabbed me. however it was goo...more
This is steampunk with a modern, post-colonial sensibility. Contributors include: Jeff VanderMeer, Caitlin Kiernan, Mary Robinette Kowal, Jay Lake, Cherie Priest, Cat Rambo, Catherynne M. Valente, Genevieve Valentine, and many more.
i...really wanted to love this book, but although the stories were fun there werent any that really grabbed me. however it was goo...more
Introduction: Steampunk: Looking to the Future through the Lens of the Past by Ekaterina Sedia
“Fixing Hanover” by Jeff VanderMeer
“The Steam Dancer (1896)” by Caitlin R. Kiernan
“Icebreaker” by Elise Tobler (original)
“Tom Edison and His Amazing Telegraphic Harpoon” by Jay Lake
“The Zeppelin Conductors’ Society Annual Gentlemen’s Ball” by Genevieve Valentine
“Clockwork Fairies” by Cat Rambo
“The Mechanical Aviary of Emperor Jala-ud-din Muhammed Akbar” by Shweta Narayan
“Prayers of Forges and F...more
Nov 02, 2012
Midu Hadi
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
anthologies,
212books,
alternate-dimensions-worlds,
abuse,
alternate-history,
amazon-and-other-warriors,
angels,
apocalyptic-post-apocalyptic,
assasins,
crime-fiction,
cyborgs-automatons,
doctors-healers,
dystopian,
family,
fantasy,
historical,
humor,
letters,
pirates,
philosophical,
plagues-and-other-diseases,
romance,
religion,
science,
serial-killers-and-other-murderers,
singles,
steampunk,
urban-fantasy,
wars,
weird-creatures,
zombies
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Jan 14, 2013
Jeremy Preacher
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
short-stories,
scifi
I keep reading steampunk anthologies, and I keep liking them. Of course, it probably helps that this one had a substantial overlap with the material in Steampunk Reloaded. That was a touch disappointing, but otherwise, these were all generally engaging stories.
Not a huge fan, none of these stories hooked or kept my interest. They all seemed so bland. I enjoy reading steampunk short stories, but these all seemed to be just stories with a little steampunk like background thrown in. Disappointed to say the least.
Some of the stories are pretty nice but majority of them makes me say, "Why did I even bother?!" I even caught myself skipping a few lines or so. A lot of the stories are flat and doesn't even have that steampunk edge to it. Just because there's gears and steam engines doesn't make it steampunk already. And that's just exactly what they did to this book. It's really disappointing. Steampunk is a genre I really enjoy, just not in this book.
Interesting overview of the current genre state, but hit-or-miss to me. I think of steampunk as a story which is set in an alternate version of our known past, and exploring concepts within that framework. A number of stories in this collection are set in completely different worlds, but incorporate clockwork, steam, diesel, etc. tropes--I found these less relatable.
Sep 17, 2012
Iain Coggins
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
speculative-fiction
Essentially these are fun stories to read on my phone when I am not reading something more important or engaging. This anthology contains many stories that provide engaging examples of the Steam Punk worlds, but with weak or incomplete plots. It is a grab-bag really: one story is complete and fully satisfying, but the next is a let-down. All of them are well-written prose-wise, and very original, but the storytelling aspect tends to be hit or miss. I am glad I did not pay for a hard copy. All th...more
Good if you like the genre or are looking for flavor. Some stories are great. Most are good and only one did I abandon in the middle in favor of the next story.
An excellent collect of steampunk short stories with actual punk.
I love the short story format for this genre since it allows authors to explore ideas which would be hard to sustain in a whole novel. In some cases the stories are closer to parables, others do leave you wanting more. I actually sat on the last 2 stories because I did not want it to be over.
I did prefer some writers style but I will need to re-read it soon because I neglected to note their names.
I love the short story format for this genre since it allows authors to explore ideas which would be hard to sustain in a whole novel. In some cases the stories are closer to parables, others do leave you wanting more. I actually sat on the last 2 stories because I did not want it to be over.
I did prefer some writers style but I will need to re-read it soon because I neglected to note their names.
Unfortunately the majority of these stories were horrendously dull and disappointing, the complete opposite of what steampunk is supposed to represent.
I've read a few of the short stories so far. Pretty cool stuff. i really liked the Zeppelin City story. Very full of detail and character.
One could easily teach a class with this as the textbook. Between cultural, literary, and technological symbolism, this collection has more buried beneath the surface than your average deserted island in the Caribbean. Some stories are better than others, but all have a handful of essays in them.
You know a book is good when you dream about the stories, and I've been having steampunk dreams all week.
Note: this is my first time reading steampunk anything. I've always been put off by the top hats and goggles, but my wife suggested and we took a dive.
I've read five of the thirty shorts in this book so far, and while I appreciate the milieus and world building, the plots themselves seen to be thin membranes doing little more than supporting the steam punk atmospheres. More of a review when I've gotten to more of the shorts.
1 like · like · see review
Nov 14, 2012
Alice Paterra
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction
Collected steampunk stories, some better than others. Many have appeared in other collections.
Incredibly interesting anthology of steampunk short stories...I now have several new favorite authors whose work I want to track down!
I read a couple of the stories, and concluded that Steampunk isn't my sort of thing. The stories would have been decent plots without the odd worlds.
A rather uneven collection of futuristic Steampunk stories.
Lots of nice short stories; imaginative and charming.
If you want to dip into Steampunk for the first time, I highly recommend starting with this book. The first story about a woman with steam-powered artificial limbs will hook you for life!
Jul 27, 2012
Xarah
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
short-stories,
steampunk
A fun and entertaining collection of short steampunk tales.
May 18, 2013
Kat Orphanides
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
lgbt,
speculative-fiction
While not every story in this collection is outstanding, there are some brilliant gems and a number of pieces that are gripping despite feeling more like an introduction to their narrative universe than stand-alone works. Also worth noting for a speculative fiction collection is the unusually large number of protagonists who are people of colour, gay or members of other groups which are often treated as invisible by the mainstream of SF.
This is a really good book, I love pretty much all the stories in here. I did find some were a bit hit and miss for me though, but that is pretty much what every book with a selection of authors stories does, you prefer other stories which is a good thing.
On the whole I love this book and will be re-reading it in the future.
On the whole I love this book and will be re-reading it in the future.
Finished!! It was a slog.. Plenty of fantastical descriptions of a future world viewed through the lens of the past. Except for 3 entries, this compendium is seriously lacking in storytelling. A frustrating read, that gives some insight into the fascinating world of Steam Punk, but really little else.. I recommend one story by Margo Lanagan.
Mammoth it certainly is -tons of short stories, so should be something for everyone. Very uneven, though. I'd say I really liked 1 out of 3. Others have great ideas but mediocre writing. I feel lie this genre is still evolving and the writing skills aren't universally there yet.
I don't rate anthologies with stars since some stories are always worth more and others are worth considerably less.
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Sean A. Wallace (born January 1, 1976) is an award-winning American science fiction and fantasy anthologist, editor, and publisher best known for his work on Prime Books and for co-editing two magazines, Clarkesworld Magazine, and Fantasy Magazine. He has been nominated a number of times by both the Hugo Awards and the World Fantasy Awards, won two Hugo Awards and one World Fantasy Award, and has...more
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Sep 01, 2012 08:45am