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Strange Tales From The Scriptorian Vaults
Here at Kristell Ink we are pleased to announce our first publication: Strange Tales From The Scriptorian Vaults, an anthology of carefully chosen Steampunk inspired stories.
All profits from this book will be given to the charity First Story (www.firststory.org.uk) – a small UK based charity that promotes literacy and creativity in schools situated in deprived areas.
Here's what they had to say about the book:
"First Story is passionate about celebrating the art of storytelling. We are delighted to be associated with the nine talented writers who have shared their stories in the first publication from Kristell Ink, Strange Tales from the Scriptorian Vaults. We would like to thank them for their generosity in selecting us as their charity, which will enable a new generation of young writers to tell their stories. We wish them every success on the publication of their book.
About the collection:
When the newly-promoted Sergeant Crystal Lewis and her military team loops to a parallel world, they discover a London very different to those their agency have investigated elsewhere. Steam powered ships fill the sky, metal creatures scurry through the streets, and the Great Library is now nothing more than a burnt out shell; the history, knowledge and literature of the world has been destroyed. Crystal's investigations discover the records of the Scriptorians: elite explorers, scientists and chroniclers, chosen for their wordsmith abilities, their tenacious belief in uncovering the truth, their passion for the bizarre and baffling. There is some evidence that these mysterious adventurers, fighters and writers also discovered the technology to loop and visit other parallel worlds. Here are some of their tales...
Zoe Harris offers us a vision of feminism taken to extremes, while Ken Dawson has the epitome of the pushy parent at the heart of his story; Jake Finlay’s and Ross Kitson’s stories are concerned with moral dilemmas in research and medicine and both consider the nature of immortality; Steven J. Guscott gives a novel twist to the Frankenstein story; David Muir’s central character is an apparently immortal warrior; on lighter note, Paul Freeman gives us a hero easily swayed by a pretty face and adventure, and Robert Peett shows a world of strange invasions, infections and mutations, and at the end, Sammy H.K Smith shows how it all began with the daring Lady Pippa Raven - the first true Scriptorian.
All profits from this book will be given to the charity First Story (www.firststory.org.uk) – a small UK based charity that promotes literacy and creativity in schools situated in deprived areas.
Here's what they had to say about the book:
"First Story is passionate about celebrating the art of storytelling. We are delighted to be associated with the nine talented writers who have shared their stories in the first publication from Kristell Ink, Strange Tales from the Scriptorian Vaults. We would like to thank them for their generosity in selecting us as their charity, which will enable a new generation of young writers to tell their stories. We wish them every success on the publication of their book.
About the collection:
When the newly-promoted Sergeant Crystal Lewis and her military team loops to a parallel world, they discover a London very different to those their agency have investigated elsewhere. Steam powered ships fill the sky, metal creatures scurry through the streets, and the Great Library is now nothing more than a burnt out shell; the history, knowledge and literature of the world has been destroyed. Crystal's investigations discover the records of the Scriptorians: elite explorers, scientists and chroniclers, chosen for their wordsmith abilities, their tenacious belief in uncovering the truth, their passion for the bizarre and baffling. There is some evidence that these mysterious adventurers, fighters and writers also discovered the technology to loop and visit other parallel worlds. Here are some of their tales...
Zoe Harris offers us a vision of feminism taken to extremes, while Ken Dawson has the epitome of the pushy parent at the heart of his story; Jake Finlay’s and Ross Kitson’s stories are concerned with moral dilemmas in research and medicine and both consider the nature of immortality; Steven J. Guscott gives a novel twist to the Frankenstein story; David Muir’s central character is an apparently immortal warrior; on lighter note, Paul Freeman gives us a hero easily swayed by a pretty face and adventure, and Robert Peett shows a world of strange invasions, infections and mutations, and at the end, Sammy H.K Smith shows how it all began with the daring Lady Pippa Raven - the first true Scriptorian.
- GenresSteampunkAnthologies
250 pages, Paperback
First published October 29, 2012
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598 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 31, 2012
I've had the pleasure of co-editing and reading all these stories during the beta stage, and they are simply excellent.
Steampunk is a difficult genre to get right. Too often I read stories that are cliche laden and spoof-like: Steampunk isn't just about steampowered machinery, tight corsets and cogs. The technology needs to be a balance of believable and fantasy, and the story itself needs to grab the reader. H.G Wells and Lovecraft are often called the original "steampunk" writers (before the phrase was coined) and the magical and awe-inspiring feel that's so evident in their work is what's needed when writing a good steampunk story!
These stories have captured the right balance. We have the awe-inspiring unexplainable magical feel in Paul Freeman's 'The Map'- while the dark and unsettling Lovecraft feel is evident in both Zoë Harris and Ross Kitson's stories.
It was a privilege to work with these authors. They are professional, talented and enthusiastic. I look forward to working with them again.
Last note: this is a charity anthology. 100% of the profits will be given to First Story (www.firststory.org.uk) - a charity that promotes literacy and creativity in schools. A very worthwhile cause in my opinion.
Steampunk is a difficult genre to get right. Too often I read stories that are cliche laden and spoof-like: Steampunk isn't just about steampowered machinery, tight corsets and cogs. The technology needs to be a balance of believable and fantasy, and the story itself needs to grab the reader. H.G Wells and Lovecraft are often called the original "steampunk" writers (before the phrase was coined) and the magical and awe-inspiring feel that's so evident in their work is what's needed when writing a good steampunk story!
These stories have captured the right balance. We have the awe-inspiring unexplainable magical feel in Paul Freeman's 'The Map'- while the dark and unsettling Lovecraft feel is evident in both Zoë Harris and Ross Kitson's stories.
It was a privilege to work with these authors. They are professional, talented and enthusiastic. I look forward to working with them again.
Last note: this is a charity anthology. 100% of the profits will be given to First Story (www.firststory.org.uk) - a charity that promotes literacy and creativity in schools. A very worthwhile cause in my opinion.
March 25, 2013
“Strange Tales from the Scriptorian Vaults” is the debut release from new fantasy/sf imprint Kristell Ink. It’s a collection of steampunk shorts by mostly unknown authors, with the profits going to First Story – http://www.firststory.org.uk/
Rather than just being a collection of unrelated shorts, the book links its stories together by the theme of parallel Earths, and the discovery in an abandoned library of reports back from dozens of parallel worlds by the adventurous Scriptorians of the title. The stories they brought back from their explorations form the core of the book, and this works really well as a linking device.
Inevitably, in any collection of short stories, some stand out above the rest. Highlights in this collection include “The Boat of Ra” by Ross M Kitson, where a man made desperate by the plague that has afflicted his son resorts to murder and raises an ancient evil, and the creepy “The Fae of Craven Street” by Jake Finlay which makes up for it’s “cor blimey guv!” affectations by being a twisty, unsettling tale of mutation and hideous experimentation. My favourite story in the collection was “The Diary of the Frankensteins” by Steven J Guscott, a feminist reworking of Frankenstein.
There are enough cogs and brass and buzzing Tesla coils in here to keep any steampunk fan happy, and the science-fiction elements don’t seem out of place in the neo-Victorian worlds the Scriptorians travel to. Some writers introduced the idea of “Anti-Scriptorians”, looping from world to world in a ruthless pursuit of money and power. I don’t know if the nods to Quantum Leap were deliberate, but they were definitely there, and that’s not a bad thing….
It might be nice to see the idea of the Scriptorians expanded into novel-length work; the concept could work as a shared universe. For now, this is a great way to launch an imprint that promises to deliver high-quality SF and F over the next few years.
Rather than just being a collection of unrelated shorts, the book links its stories together by the theme of parallel Earths, and the discovery in an abandoned library of reports back from dozens of parallel worlds by the adventurous Scriptorians of the title. The stories they brought back from their explorations form the core of the book, and this works really well as a linking device.
Inevitably, in any collection of short stories, some stand out above the rest. Highlights in this collection include “The Boat of Ra” by Ross M Kitson, where a man made desperate by the plague that has afflicted his son resorts to murder and raises an ancient evil, and the creepy “The Fae of Craven Street” by Jake Finlay which makes up for it’s “cor blimey guv!” affectations by being a twisty, unsettling tale of mutation and hideous experimentation. My favourite story in the collection was “The Diary of the Frankensteins” by Steven J Guscott, a feminist reworking of Frankenstein.
There are enough cogs and brass and buzzing Tesla coils in here to keep any steampunk fan happy, and the science-fiction elements don’t seem out of place in the neo-Victorian worlds the Scriptorians travel to. Some writers introduced the idea of “Anti-Scriptorians”, looping from world to world in a ruthless pursuit of money and power. I don’t know if the nods to Quantum Leap were deliberate, but they were definitely there, and that’s not a bad thing….
It might be nice to see the idea of the Scriptorians expanded into novel-length work; the concept could work as a shared universe. For now, this is a great way to launch an imprint that promises to deliver high-quality SF and F over the next few years.
January 26, 2013
I have to admit I only had a vague idea of what "steampunk" was before reading "Strange Tales From the Scriptorian Vaults", but I think that I can now consider myself a fan of the genre. The engaging stories in this anthology take the reader into a world (or perhaps that should be "worlds") that are both futuristic and nostalgic at the same time. There are echoes of Conan Doyle and even Dickens in these stories -- not to mention Jules Verne, H.G. Wells and Mary Shelley. The ten authors who have contributed to this collection should all be congratulated for their skills and imagination.
February 7, 2015
This collection of short, steampunk-themed stories is wonderful. Although all different in style and concept, the stories flow together and are all very well-written. I found myself dipping back in and out of the stories after I had read them, and still can't decide on a favourite. The different visions of the alternate worlds that the stories provide, and the characters within them, are delightful, and the book is well worth getting for anyone into mystery, steampunk, sci-fi or who just enjoys reading!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews