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DeadSteam: A Chilling Collection of Dreadpunk Tales of the Dark and Supernatural
Reader beware: to open this tome is to invite dread into your heart. Every page you turn will bring you closer to something wicked. And when the dead begin to rise from the steaming pits of hell, only then will you discover that it is already too late. Your life is forfeit.
Featuring an introduction by Leanna Renee Hieber, author of the Eterna Files and Strangely Beautiful saga, DeadSteam plays host to the scintillating writing of David Lee Summers (Owl Dance, The Brazen Shark), Jen Ponce (The Bazaar, Demon’s Cradle), Wendy Nikel (The Continuum), Karen J Carlisle (The Adventures of Viola Stewart), Jonah Buck (Carrion Safari), and more…
With seventeen chilling tales of dreadpunk, gaslamp, and dark steampunk, DeadSteam will leave you tearing at the pages, desperate for more. For within these pages, the dead rise from their graves to haunt the London Underground, witches whisper their incantations to the wind, a sisterhood of bitten necks hunts fog-drenched alleyways lit only by gaslight, and only one thing is certain: that dread will follow you until you turn that final page.
And that sinking feeling in the pit of your chest? That fear that something is following you, watching you, hunting you? It is not for nothing. Look over your shoulder, dear reader. Watch behind you. Listen to the whispers in the darkness.
But know this...it is all inevitable.
Featuring an introduction by Leanna Renee Hieber, author of the Eterna Files and Strangely Beautiful saga, DeadSteam plays host to the scintillating writing of David Lee Summers (Owl Dance, The Brazen Shark), Jen Ponce (The Bazaar, Demon’s Cradle), Wendy Nikel (The Continuum), Karen J Carlisle (The Adventures of Viola Stewart), Jonah Buck (Carrion Safari), and more…
With seventeen chilling tales of dreadpunk, gaslamp, and dark steampunk, DeadSteam will leave you tearing at the pages, desperate for more. For within these pages, the dead rise from their graves to haunt the London Underground, witches whisper their incantations to the wind, a sisterhood of bitten necks hunts fog-drenched alleyways lit only by gaslight, and only one thing is certain: that dread will follow you until you turn that final page.
And that sinking feeling in the pit of your chest? That fear that something is following you, watching you, hunting you? It is not for nothing. Look over your shoulder, dear reader. Watch behind you. Listen to the whispers in the darkness.
But know this...it is all inevitable.
- GenresSteampunk
338 pages, ebook
Published October 1, 2018
About the author
Bryce Raffle
26 books11 followersBryce Raffle is a Canadian fiction writer living in beautiful British Columbia. He studied English at the University of Manitoba, where he received a bachelor's degree in English with a minor in History. He also received the Dallas Taylor Memorial Prize for academic excellence in Creative Writing. He later studied Sound Design for Visual Media at Vancouver Film School, and worked on a number of films and video game projects.
Most recently, he worked on Ironclad Games' Sins of a Dark Age, working as both sound designer and lead writer.
He is currently working on his debut novel, which combines the best of steampunk, horror, and adventure. Dead London is his first novel and the first in The Penny Dreadful series.
Most recently, he worked on Ironclad Games' Sins of a Dark Age, working as both sound designer and lead writer.
He is currently working on his debut novel, which combines the best of steampunk, horror, and adventure. Dead London is his first novel and the first in The Penny Dreadful series.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 7, 2018
I expected more.
A collection of dark/horror stories in steampunk fashion. This collection is brought together for the first time in one volume.
Okay I apologize for sounding like a dinosaur but I really don't know who this book is aimed at. Who exactly is the target audience? If it's adults then I have to say it failed miserably. However if it's pre teens and young adults, it's pretty good. I'm assuming that's where this book was supposed to be heading.
Some of the stories are cute. None of them are really scary at all. Some were rather poorly written. Others were written well but lacked substance.
It's always so hard to review a book with so many different authors because each author has their own writing style and their own pros and cons.
All in all I'd have to say that I would recommend this book to pre teens and young adults but definitely not for adults and most definitely not for horror readers.
Or you can watch my review on YouTube here:
https://youtu.be/Ku7OAzEr9yQ
A collection of dark/horror stories in steampunk fashion. This collection is brought together for the first time in one volume.
Okay I apologize for sounding like a dinosaur but I really don't know who this book is aimed at. Who exactly is the target audience? If it's adults then I have to say it failed miserably. However if it's pre teens and young adults, it's pretty good. I'm assuming that's where this book was supposed to be heading.
Some of the stories are cute. None of them are really scary at all. Some were rather poorly written. Others were written well but lacked substance.
It's always so hard to review a book with so many different authors because each author has their own writing style and their own pros and cons.
All in all I'd have to say that I would recommend this book to pre teens and young adults but definitely not for adults and most definitely not for horror readers.
Or you can watch my review on YouTube here:
https://youtu.be/Ku7OAzEr9yQ
September 24, 2018
What a reading delight!! This dreadpunk (steampunk horror) anthology is a perfect way to get in the Halloween mood. These story’s are reminiscent of classic penny dreadfuls and gothic horror.
I especially loved the tales where vampires were the focus. Like Anthony in Red by Jen Ponce and The Case of the Murderous Migraine by Karen J. Carlisle. I haven’t read gothic vampire tales in a while and forgot how much I enjoy those tales.
Additionally, I absolutely was spooked by Harvesters by E. Seneca. It reminded me strongly of The Monstrumologist series by Rick Yancey. (Which I absolutely devoured those books).
Many of these stories I would love to have more fleshed out with a full novel or another short story. This unique blend of horror and steampunk is exactly what I needing to upstart my spooky Halloween season. Even if you don’t know about steampunk, I recommend this if you are a lover of classic horror stories and gothic literature.
I especially loved the tales where vampires were the focus. Like Anthony in Red by Jen Ponce and The Case of the Murderous Migraine by Karen J. Carlisle. I haven’t read gothic vampire tales in a while and forgot how much I enjoy those tales.
Additionally, I absolutely was spooked by Harvesters by E. Seneca. It reminded me strongly of The Monstrumologist series by Rick Yancey. (Which I absolutely devoured those books).
Many of these stories I would love to have more fleshed out with a full novel or another short story. This unique blend of horror and steampunk is exactly what I needing to upstart my spooky Halloween season. Even if you don’t know about steampunk, I recommend this if you are a lover of classic horror stories and gothic literature.
November 30, 2018
I’ve never read dreadpunk, and I was immediately intrigued when the opportunity to read DeadSteamcame up. I’m glad I did! It put me right back into the Halloween mood.
I’m having trouble picking a favorite short story, they were all great in their own right. I think some of these stories even deserve their own film novels.
I definitely recommend checking these short stories out. They are chilling and an interesting blend of horror and steampunk.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.*
I’m having trouble picking a favorite short story, they were all great in their own right. I think some of these stories even deserve their own film novels.
I definitely recommend checking these short stories out. They are chilling and an interesting blend of horror and steampunk.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.*
November 30, 2018
I was on the book cover reveal and trailer for Dead Steam, the trailer was unbelievable so I jumped at the chance to review it.
Best Read
When you want to get lost in a bygone era of steam trains, betrayal and horror.
My Thoughts on the Book
I must confess that I know very little about steampunk as a genre but I absolutely loved this book. The quirky takes are set in a Victorian time of séances, resuscitation of the dead, scientific discoveries, mayhem and murder.
Each story is original and quirky and nothing is exactly as it seems in a dark and foggy city landscape. The collection has quite a number of vampire, I have a fondness for the fanged fiends so I thoroughly enjoyed these.
My first foray into Dreadpunk and Steampunk was dark, confusing, consuming and it left with me an appetite for more.
Best Read
When you want to get lost in a bygone era of steam trains, betrayal and horror.
My Thoughts on the Book
I must confess that I know very little about steampunk as a genre but I absolutely loved this book. The quirky takes are set in a Victorian time of séances, resuscitation of the dead, scientific discoveries, mayhem and murder.
Each story is original and quirky and nothing is exactly as it seems in a dark and foggy city landscape. The collection has quite a number of vampire, I have a fondness for the fanged fiends so I thoroughly enjoyed these.
My first foray into Dreadpunk and Steampunk was dark, confusing, consuming and it left with me an appetite for more.
November 8, 2018
This is a delightful collection of seventeen dreadpunk horror stories, think Penny Dreadfuls. I have never heard of dreadpunk but I have to say I have fallen in love with these stories. They include several stories full of vampires, zombies, witches and so much more. There is a story or to that will delight anyone that enjoys the horrors of the world.
I know I missed Halloween and this book would have been perfect. But I still got the chance to dance in its pages amount the death, blood, and gore that make all things horror. I loved the short stories, they gave a perfect taste of the author’s work. There are more than a couple author’s that I will be looking into their other books. But then again the down side to short stories is that I would just love to immerse myself in these worlds and find myself over with the trip quickly.
This is a wonderful collection of dreadpunk stories that I recommend checking out. I will be keeping my eyes out for more in t his genera.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
I know I missed Halloween and this book would have been perfect. But I still got the chance to dance in its pages amount the death, blood, and gore that make all things horror. I loved the short stories, they gave a perfect taste of the author’s work. There are more than a couple author’s that I will be looking into their other books. But then again the down side to short stories is that I would just love to immerse myself in these worlds and find myself over with the trip quickly.
This is a wonderful collection of dreadpunk stories that I recommend checking out. I will be keeping my eyes out for more in t his genera.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
November 8, 2018
DeadSteam: A Chilling Collection of Dreadpunk Tales of the Dark and Supernatural is a great book for a newbie to dreadpunk like me. Filled with stories that excite and tantalize the mind, I was on the edge of my seat for many of these short stories. A great book to light some candles to, turn on the fire place and read in the chilly coldness this winter season.
May 21, 2019
Dead Steam is a dreadpunk short story collection. What is dreadpunk? Dreadpunk is Gothic-inspired horror and dark fantasy. It is not the same as steampunk, which is usually a reimagining of history with fantastical machines that run on steam. Dreadpunk is a reimagining of history with a horrifying collection of terrible monsters and gory deaths. It is not too far off from actual history to be honest, but instead of the monsters being crazily powerful men with tools of war, the monsters are vampires and zombies.
This book had some stories that truly made me cringe from the gore, some that made me say “ooh that was a good one” and a few that made me think “what did I just read?” To be honest, for a person that doesn’t typically enjoy horror, these were not so scary that I stopped reading at any point. A few were gross, yes. A few were suspenseful, yes. But I feel that a true horror fan would not be scared by these stories. If I read a scary story, I will usually have dreams about that story. I read some of these at like 11 PM in bed with all the lights off, and I still wasn’t scared! If you are looking to be scared, this may not be the collection for you.
The one short story that really stuck out to me was “The Hunger” by Ross Smeltzer. This short story tells their tale of an Inspector who goes through a horrible attack and wakes up to find that he is no longer his normal self. This story is probably one of the goriest and it was probably one of the only ones that shocked or scared me in the collection. I would recommend checking out this collection just to see this short story, and to see a few of the really good others.
I would say that this is a good short story collection. Most are well-written and tell a complete story. I wouldn’t necessarily say that this is the best horror short story collection, as a true fan of horror might not feel this as being scary enough. Therefore, I would only recommend this book to anyone looking for a gorier and less scary horror short story collection.
I received a copy of this book and this is my voluntary review.
Overall Rating: 2 out of 5 books
This book had some stories that truly made me cringe from the gore, some that made me say “ooh that was a good one” and a few that made me think “what did I just read?” To be honest, for a person that doesn’t typically enjoy horror, these were not so scary that I stopped reading at any point. A few were gross, yes. A few were suspenseful, yes. But I feel that a true horror fan would not be scared by these stories. If I read a scary story, I will usually have dreams about that story. I read some of these at like 11 PM in bed with all the lights off, and I still wasn’t scared! If you are looking to be scared, this may not be the collection for you.
The one short story that really stuck out to me was “The Hunger” by Ross Smeltzer. This short story tells their tale of an Inspector who goes through a horrible attack and wakes up to find that he is no longer his normal self. This story is probably one of the goriest and it was probably one of the only ones that shocked or scared me in the collection. I would recommend checking out this collection just to see this short story, and to see a few of the really good others.
I would say that this is a good short story collection. Most are well-written and tell a complete story. I wouldn’t necessarily say that this is the best horror short story collection, as a true fan of horror might not feel this as being scary enough. Therefore, I would only recommend this book to anyone looking for a gorier and less scary horror short story collection.
I received a copy of this book and this is my voluntary review.
Overall Rating: 2 out of 5 books
September 21, 2019
For fans of gothic horror, this anthology does not disappoint. London Fog, the undead, crumbling manors, and lots of rot, this anthology has everything you have come to love and expect from the gothic horror genre. A nice variety of stories that are well-written and well-imagined. A definite must for the upcoming "spooky season." A perfect read for a chilly, cloudy day. I recommend it!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews