The Commonplace Book

by Jacob Clifton

The first piece of short fiction by popular Television Without Pity writer Jacob Clifton is like nothing we’ve ever read, a piece of postmodern steampunk encompassing past, present, and future all at once. Jacob writes, “There's a level on which the story is an indictment of using steampunk as a fashion or trend. It came about because I wanted to see what would happen if you substituted Jane Austen for Jules Verne in the steampunk equation—and part of that is the notion that you can't just remix, you have to transform.”

“The Commonplace Book” concerns certain social and technological developments in New York’s sixth Borough of Lytton, a timeless locale facing great change at the hands of new motion picture technology and the advent of machine intelligence. And, most of all, from inventors and iconoclasts Lady Adelaide Babbage and Mr Maximilian Willoughby, struggling in parallel with a hopeless inability to conform in fashion or manner to the standards of the day, and the construction of identity in the face of the knowledge that the creation of AI is—like any other art—also the creation of self.


At the publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Short Stories, Steampunk, Science Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Fiction

32 pages, ebook

First published October 1, 2012

About the author

Jacob Clifton lives in Austin, Texas. Previously: Austin Chronicle, Tribune Media, Television Without Pity, Tor.com and Gawker.

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

How can I explain a story that blends the old with the new so well it feels as if actually happened? But in truth it really hasn't. It is all about translation and how it is perceived in this Tor short. It was interesting to see the socially awkward Adelaide try to understand others' motives. All the while trying to decipher and teach her machines to communicate, and freely think too. If I could sum this up for interested readers, I'd say it's in the style of "Steampunk Austen". It has set-up that encompasses the workings of more advanced mechanicals, but along with the banter play found in a Jane Austen-influenced novel. All rolled up into a story where the central woman is unsure about love, and looks at the uncertain world too analytically. I wonder now if Ada may have created a new future with her collaborated work?

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea, really, but it was kind of fun.

[Meave · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good! Interesting. The shifts in scenes were kind of abrupt, but I'd read it again, it's so short and I feel like I didn't get everything out of it reading on the train this morning.

[Kimikimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I liked this one but I'm not sure. I liked the science, and I liked the characters but I'm still a little confused on the plot.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give it 3.5. I liked it, but there were certain aspects about the ending that could have been improved. Also, the image is creepy and does not represent the sweet loveliness of the story at all.

[Mike Briggs · Rating 1 out of 5]

This bit of nonsence may be the worst thing I've ever read in my life.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silly but cute. Even if you like Jane Austin, this may seem opaque. If you don't, it's sure to be a waste of time.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little romance of manners. Translate Jane Austen to America and give her an injection of steampunk.