Our last day of our Steampunk Appreciation Weeks is dedicated to Steampunk Romance. Earlier today we posted an article by Heather Massey, from The Galaxy Express. Now we open the floor to Meljean Brook, romance writer extraordinaire, whose Guardian series is one of Ana’s top favorites. The author is about to start a brand new Steampunk Romance series, The Iron Seas, which combines nanotech and pirates with a gritty, gaslit Victorian atmosphere. Ana reviewed the novella which opens the series, Here There Be Monsters a few days ago and LOVED it.

She is here today to talk about Steampunk Romance and her approach to writing it and why she thinks we will love it:

*****

Steampunk Romance: Because ‘Eureka!’ should be followed by ‘F#@k, Yeah!’

One of my favorite Hell, yeah! moments in any SF movie takes place in Aliens, when Ripley straps herself into the loader to face the alien queen. You probably know that scene, and her classic line … and you’re probably wondering why I’m talking about an SF movie when I should be talking about steampunk.

Since I’ve announced that I’m writing a steampunk romance series, one question that I’ve received more than any other is: What is steampunk romance? And there are rules and definitions surrounding it that can be debated by readers and writers until a mad scientist invents a gargantuan automaton that crushes us all beneath its steel feet – but as far as I’m concerned, steampunk romance is about writing a story exactly like that scene in Aliens. It’s about getting to that fist pumping, Hell YEAH! moment when everything comes together and the characters you’re rooting for kick some ass.

Not always literally kicking ass, of course. Maybe it’s outthinking the bad guy or building a gargantuan automaton that’s bigger and smarter than the other guy’s. Maybe it’s two lovers overcoming society’s barriers or trauma in their past. Whatever rules surround steampunk and define it, a great steampunk romance has the same heart as every other great romance: fantastic characters and an engaging story.

It’s not the gadgets.

Don’t get me wrong, the gadgets are a hell of a lot of fun. But they’re like Ripley’s loader: the machine itself is nifty, but the payoff comes because Ripley is in that machine – a machine that represents the damage the aliens did to her career, how they turned her into an emotional wreck, until she had to take a job using a freight loader. I love other characters in that movie – Hicks, Bishop, Valdez – but if anyone else had gotten into that loader, I wouldn’t have loved the movie or that moment as much as I do.

And the more I read the question What is steampunk romance?, the more I’m realizing that a lot of readers are asking another question behind it:

Am I going to love it?

Well, I hope so. But for those who are unfamiliar with steampunk and/or haven’t read many books in the genre, I understand why this question keeps coming up: there’s a lot of talk about the tech, the science, the worldbuilding. Questions of how the elements of the story might make it steampunk, or how the elements mean that it’s not steampunk – and is there enough of that element? It’s very easy to come away with the impression that the tech and the alternate history are all there is to steampunk.

And although you might run across an element of the story that makes you think, “Hey, that’s pretty neat!” … well, quite honestly, ‘neat’ doesn’t keep you up until 3am. ‘Neat’ might earn a passing mention while you’re at dinner with your friends, but it doesn’t make you shove that book into their hands.

Just like everyone else, I don’t want to read a story that’s just ‘neat.’ I don’t want to write a story that’s ‘neat.’ I don’t just want to think Eureka! I want shout F#@k YEAH! I want the story to grab my guts and twist – and get a good hold of my heart, too. Just like any good romance does.

But am I going to love it?

Okay, okay. It’s not fair to brush aside the tech like that, as if it doesn’t really matter. It does, a lot – and I’m one of those writers who can’t just tack on a brass plate and call it steampunk; I have to make the worldbuilding integral to the characters and story. But that doesn’t mean the worldbuilding overshadows the characters or the story – quite the opposite, actually – because behind those gadgets and giant robots are the characters who created them.

As fun as the gadgets are, steampunk doesn’t let us forget that the brains behind them were amazing. Tech can be used to dehumanize and to turn people into cogs, but it can also be a celebration of guts and ingenuity and innovation. Steampunk worlds are populated with bold characters who forge ahead, exploring physical and mental landscapes despite danger and fear, and they’re worth cheering for. The gadgets might inspire wonder, but deeper than that is the realization that someone created this, and that’s far, far more marvelous than the giant robot. It’s like someone smashes together Romanticism and the Enlightenment into one rough and riveted body, and not every piece will fit, but holy mama!—look what they managed to build.

Not that it’s all about happiness and rainbows and gold stars. There are some bad guys, too, who are just as astonishingly ingenious and innovative … and that’s why our heroes and heroines have to be, too. We want them to give us that Hell, yeah! moment, but they won’t do that if the gadgets are more interesting than they are.

And if the gadgets and the worldbuilding make the characters more interesting? It’s a win/win.

So am I going to love it?

Like every subgenre, it depends. I like paranormal romances and historicals, but I don’t like every one. I don’t normally like contemporary comedies, but I could name exceptions.

…but that is the boring, careful answer, isn’t it? So let’s just say,

Hell, yeah! You’ll love it.

*****

Hell, yeah! I am sure we will!

Want a taste of Steampunk Romance? Meljean Brook has a brand new copy of Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliassotti ( one of Thea’s favorite Steampunk books, reviewed here) to giveaway.

In order to enter, leave a comment on this post – you can even ask the author any question about her series worldbuilding, she will be around to answer them. Contest is open to ALL and will run till Saturday April 24th 11:59pm (PST). Good luck!

Our last day of our Steampunk Appreciation Weeks is dedicated to Steampunk Romance. First up is an article by Heather Massey, the force behind The Galaxy Express, a dedicated niche blog for all things Science Fiction Romance; her blog champions the genre providing great insights about it as well as giving in-depth reviews of SFR books and profiles/interviews of SFR authors.

And she is here today to talk about Steampunk Romance. Please give it up for Heather!

******

Steampunk Romance: Love, Gadgets, & Themes

What is steampunk romance? Easy. It’s a tale that combines steampunk and romance. (What, you thought it was a trick question?!) It’s simultaneously that simple—and yet that complex, too.

To qualify, as an ambassador for science fiction romance, I’m here to discuss science fiction based steampunk romance. Sometimes the lines are a bit blurry, but I leave the dissection of paranormal/fantasy based steampunk to others. So let’s dive into it, shall we?

We know all about romance. As for steampunk, a comprehensive look at its nature can be found here in Bloggers Talk Steampunk. In a nutshell, Romance + Victorian-era science fiction=Awesomesauce.

Currently, steampunk romance is more about its potential. As a reader, it’s simultaneously frustrating, because I want to read as many steampunk romances as possible Right Now, and exciting, because it’s fascinating to witness the birth of a new subgenre. Steampunk romance has so much ooh-la-la to offer readers who seek character-driven steampunk stories as well as those who crave a new twist on romance. To wit:

*Fresh, inventive settings

The Victorian era is an underexploited time period as far as romances go, and that goes double for alternate history Victorian settings. London, England? Check.The American Old West? Double-check. Mars? Triple-check!

*A shiny new set of characters

Think airship pirates, inventors, and rugged desperadoes. Think secret agents, submarine captains, and even automatons! But if you think heroines can’t play any of these characters, think again. Steampunk settings allow more latitude for heroines, especially if the worldbuilding sufficiently accounts for whichever progressive roles they inhabit. To me, this represents a creative new way authors can air out, reinvent or altogether annihilate those dusty old romance tropes.

*Unique aesthetic

The steampunk aesthetic is an intoxicating blend of old and new, shiny and sooty, brassy and grungy. Authors can introduce readers to all manner of inventions, gadgets, and accessories, many of which are stylishly integrated with simple household items such as a cane, umbrella, or pair of glasses. In other words, one pair of brass goggles to rule them all.

But hold your gears for a moment. Steampunk romance isn’t just about aesthetics. At least, I hope it’s not.There remains the question of how much theme, and how much romance to include for a story to qualify as steampunk romance (as opposed to steampunk with romantic elements). Variety is good, but rather than make the steampunk concepts a mere backdrop, I’d encourage authors to explore the various themes that make the steampunk setting so rich. There should be a reason a hero and heroine belong—and fall in love—in a steampunk age. If they can be transplanted to any other setting without a loss of plot or romance, then the author is writing the wrong story.

However, just because there are themes doesn’t mean a steampunk romance can’t be fun or lighthearted in nature. Steampunk romance can explore dystopian themes, or it can tap into the more light-hearted, action/adventure Edisonade roots of steampunk. The themes and science fictional elements may not be as prevalent as those found in traditional steampunk, but they can certainly run as deep.

Despite steampunk romance’s modest beginnings, it’s already picking up, er, steam across the pond as well. And this month, my magazine column for Germany’s romance magazine LoveLetter is part of an in-depth steampunk romance feature. Not only that, but from what I’m hearing, editors are keen to acquire it.

Where steampunk romance is heading may be as elusive as aether, but in the meantime, here is a list of books you can read now, as well as those on the horizon:

CLOCKWORK HEART—Dru Pagliassotti

Circlet Press’ Like A Wisp of Steam anthology
Cherry Tart—Angelia Sparrow & Naomi Brooks (Ellora’s Cavemen, Vol. 3)
TANGLED IN TIME—Pauline Baird Jones
STEAMED—Katie MacAlister

FULL STEAM AHEAD; MECHANICAL ROSE—Nathalie Gray

LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN—Alan Moore
THE IRON DUKE—Meljean Brook (October, 2010)
WILD CARDS & IRON HORSES—Sheryl Nantus (August, 2010)
Forthcoming, as-yet-untitled steampunk romance anthology from Samhain Publishing

If you’re interested in learning more about steampunk romance as well as following news in this subgenre, come aboard The Galaxy Express where I’ll be featuring periodic updates under the title Steampunk Romance Watch.

Now, let’s break it down further. In the future, what kind of steampunk romance stories would you like to read? What types of steampunk heroes, heroines and gadgets would excite you?

Are you interested in a particular locale? What about tone, atmosphere, heat level, and themes? Would you prefer science fiction based steampunk romances, or are you interested in tales that include fantasy elements?

******

Thanks, Heather!

So what do you think? Leave a comment and let us know!

And don’t forget to come back later today to check on our second guest post by Meljean Brook talking about her new series: The Iron Seas and for a chance to win a copy of CLOCKWORK HEART by Dru Pagliassotti!

Title: The Alchemy of Stone

Author: Ekaterina Sedia

Genre: Fantasy, Steampunk

Publisher: Prime Books
Publication Date: August 2008
Paperback: 301 pages

Stand alone or series: Stand alone novel

Mattie, an intelligent automaton skilled in the use of alchemy, finds herself caught in the middle of a conflict between gargoyles, the Mechanics, and the Alchemists. With the old order quickly giving way to the new, Mattie discovers powerful and dangerous secrets – secrets that can completely alter the balance of power in the city of Ayona. This doesn’t sit well with Loharri, the Mechanic who created Mattie and still has the key to her heart – literally.

How did I get this book: Bought

Why did I read this book: I’ve actually had this book on my TBR for about a year and change. Ever since I saw the cover and read the blurb, I scooped up this novel…but kept putting off reading it, saving it for Steampunk Week.

Review:

Imagine a city where the magical and mechanical coexist; where automatons can be emancipated from their creators; where gargoyles roam and watch the bustling streets beneath them. Such is the city of Ayona, home to Mattie, an intelligent automaton, an alchemist, and an utterly alone being in a city of increasing chaos. For Ayona is in a period of dramatic change. The Mechanics, with their inventions of cogwork and steam and logic, fight for dominance with the Alchemists, of mortar and pestle, herbs and mysticism. And in the midst of this struggle is Mattie – the gargoyles, ever silent watchers of the city, have chosen to turn to the girl with the ticking heart to help them find a cure for their inevitable deaths in stone. And Mattie, different from everyone else as a machine with memories and emotions and pride, agrees to help them. As the divide between the Mechanics and Alchemists becomes even more volatile, Mattie discovers the truth of her city, and of herself.

Ekaterina Sedia’s third novel is easily my favorite of her work so far. A steampunk-fable, blending poetry with machinery, The Alchemy of Stone is a beautiful, heartfelt work. I loved that this book is narrated by Mattie – an automaton that feels emotions and can think for herself. The most intriguing thread, for me, was the question of humanity – or rather, of souls. What makes a soul? What determines humanity? It’s a question that many a scifi tale has explored (the reimagined Battlestar Galactica immediately springs to mind), but in The Alchemy of Stone, it’s examined from a different angle – from that of the unassuming automaton, herself. The issues of slavery, emancipation, servitude, and loyalty are all scrutinized, through Mattie’s complicated relationship with her creator Loharri – the man that literally holds the key to her heart, the key to Mattie’s own survival.

In many ways, this novel reminded me of Kazuo Ishiguro’s elegiac Never Let Me Go – and believe me, this is not praise I assign lightly. It’s flawlessly written, emotionally poignant, and eloquent in its execution. I’m a sucker for technical details in my speculative fiction, but even though there was less of a focus on the scientific in this book, I found myself immensely satisfied all the same. The Alchemy of Stone is a book driven by a lone woman machine’s emotions and discoveries, and as such is more of a character-centric novel. As a protagonist, Mattie is sensitive and original. How would one feel if they knew they were created – if they were a slave to their creator? Mattie’s passion, her sense of justice and logic add a new dimension to this question, and Ms. Sedia explores it at length.

The blend of the magical and the scientific, the struggle between technology and spirit are what make The Alchemy of Stone so tantalizing. I loved this book, for Ekaterina Sedia’s lush prose (which manages to be lyrical without being stuffy or cheesy), for the intriguing (if somewhat simplistic) world, and most especially, for the characters Ms. Sedia has rendered like the Mechanics in her novel. This is a fable to be read and cherished by steampunk fans, fantasy fans, and fans of literary fiction alike. Absolutely recommended.

BUT IS IT STEAMPUNK?! Actually…I’m going to say yes. It’s a different KIND of steampunk – a version that includes magic and fantasy elements, moreso than science fiction – but at its ticking, clockwork heart it is a steampunk novel. And a beautiful one, at that.

Notable Quotes/Parts: From the first chapter:

WE SCALE THE ROUGH BRICKS OF THE BUILDING’S FACADE. Their crumbling edges soften under our claw-like fingers; they jut out of the flat, adenoid face of the wall to provide easy footholds. We could’ve used fire escapes, we could’ve climbed up, up, past the indifferent faces of the walls, their windows cataracted with shutters; we could’ve bounded up in the joyful cacophony of corrugated metal and barely audible whispers of the falling rust shaken loose by our ascent. We could’ve flown.

But instead we hug the wall, press our cheeks against the warm bricks; the filigree of age and weather covering their surface imprints on our skin, steely-gray like the thunderous skies above us. We rest, clinging to the wall, our fingertips nestled in snug depressions in the brick, like they were made especially for that, clinging. We are almost all the way to the steep roof red with shingles shaped like fish scales.

We look into the lone window lit with a warm glow, the only one with open shutters and smells of sage, lamb, and chlorine wafting outside. We look at the long bench decorated with alembics and retorts and colored powders and bunches of dried herbs and bowls of watery sheep’s eyes from the butcher’s shop down the alleyway. We look at the girl.

Her porcelain face has cracked–a recent fall, an accident?–and we worry as we count the cracks cobwebbing her cheek and her forehead, radiating from the point of impact like sunrays. Yes, we remember the sun. Her blue eyes, facets of expensive glass colored with copper salts, look into the darkness, and we do not know if she can see us at all.

But she smiles and waves at us, and the bronzed wheel-bearings of her joints squeak their mechanical greeting. She pushes the lock of dark, dark hair (she doesn’t know, but it used to belong to a dead boy) behind her delicate ear, a perfect and pink seashell. Her deft hands, designed for grinding and mixing and measuring, smooth the front of her fashionably wide skirt, and she motions to us. “Come in,” she says.

We creep inside through the window, grudgingly, gingerly, we creep (we could’ve flown). We grow aware of our not-belonging, of the grayness of our skin, of our stench–we smell like pigeon-shit, and we wonder if she notices; we fill her entire room with our rough awkward sour bodies. “We seek your help,” we say.

Her cracked porcelain face remains as expressionless as ours. “I am honored,” she says. Her blue eyes bulge a little from their sockets, taking us in. Her frame clicks as she leans forward, curious about us. Her dress is low-cut, and we see that there is a small transparent window in her chest, where a clockwork heart is ticking along steadily, and we cannot help but feel resentful of the sound and–by extension–of her, the sound of time falling away grain by grain, the time that dulls our senses and hardens our skins, the time that is in too short supply. “I will do everything I can,” she says, and our resentment falls away too, giving way to gratitude–falls like dead skin. We bow and leap out of the window, one by one by one, and we fly, hopeful for the first time in centuries.

You can read the full excerpt online HERE.

Additional Thoughts: If you haven’t been introduced to the haunting, evocative writing of Ekaterina Sedia, you must get on board. The Secret History of Moscow is another gem that I highly recommend:

Every city contains secret places, and Moscow is no different, its citizens seeking safety under the city during tumultuous times — a cavernous dark world of magic, weeping trees and albino jackdaws, where exiled pagan deities and fairytale creatures still whisper strange tales to everyone who would listen. Through their interlocking stories, a very different history emerges, full of betrayals and unseen hostilities, between the real world and the world below . . . and now, in the early 1990’s, the conflict is escalating.

Galina is a young woman, caught like many of her contemporaries in the new economic uncertainty and apparent lawlessness of the country. In the midst of all this chaos, her sister Maria turns into a jackdaw and flies away . . . prompting Galina to help Yakov, a policeman investigating a rash of recent disappearances. Their search will take them to the underground realm of hidden histories and archetypes, to find themselves caught between reality and myth, past and present, truth and betrayal . . . The Secret History of Moscow.

Rating: 8 – Excellent

Reading Next: Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr

Title: Here There be Monsters (in the Burning Up anthology )

Author: Meljean Brook

Genre: Romance/ Steampunk

Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: August 2010
Paperback: about 120 pages

Stand alone or series: First entry in the author’s upcoming Steampunk Romance series.

Meljean Brook launches a bold new steampunk series as a desperate woman strikes a provocative — and terrifying — bargain to gain overseas passage.

Two years ago, blacksmith Ivy, desperate to flee London, purchased her overseas passage by agreeing to spend the voyage in the bed of the pirate captain, Mad Machen. Saved at the last minute by his rival, Ivy scraped out a new life in Fool’s Cove…until Mad Machen finds her, forces her to accept a job that will create a monster, and reminds her that she still owes him the price of a journey

How did I get the book: Meljean Brook was kind enough to let me read it.

Why did I read the book: I will read ANYTHING Meljean Brook writes but I read this now for the Steampunk week.

Review:

First an introduction: Here There Be Monsters is one of four stories that will be part of the anthology Burning Up which is to be published in August. This is not a Steampunk anthology per, it is a Romance anthology (as the title and cover clearly suggest) but Meljean Brook’s story in it is a Steampunk story. It is in fact, her introduction to her upcoming Steampunk Romance series The Iron Seas.

I usually don’t review stories or books this far in advance but I broke my rule for two reasons. One, I wanted to review a Steampunk Romance in our Steampunk Week. I think the sub-sub-genre is likely to grow in the next few years and I am really looking forward to it. Two, I wanted my review of a Steampunk Romance to be of a good, no, of an excellent story and here we are.

In my opinion Meljean Brook is a fabulous yet for some mysterious reason, underappreciated, writer – I hardly ever see her books reviewed. The woman can write both full length novels and novellas so, so well (and I have read every single one of them) and this one is no different. Actually, scratch that : Here There Be Monsters is her best novella to date.

And it is with the utmost JOY that I say that this is both great Steampunk and great Romance. DING DING DING, WE HAVE A WINNER.

The story is self-contained but part of the larger alternate-Victorian setting in which you have The Horde, responsible for contaminating everybody in London with nanoagents and using them to control people. Seven years before our story begins the pirate captain Rhys Trahaearn destroyed the tower that the Horde used to control these nanoagents and thus becoming the famous Iron Duke.

But it seems that The Horde is making a comeback. When the story opens the blacksmith Ivy, one of the many children groomed in a Horde’s crèche is on the run. She believes they are coming back for her and she doesn’t want to relinquish the freedom she has earned. She will do anything to get away from London. Mad Machen is a pirate, an ally of captain Rhys Trahaearn and his ship is about to sail. Ivy knows his fierce, bloody reputation but she also knows a bit about the man from the times he visited the smithy she worked at. His ship is not a passenger ship though and before he can say no, she offers her body and to stay in his bed for the entire journey. He is more than keen on the deal but before they sail away, Lady Corsair a flying captain offers Ivy a room in her own ship and Ivy flees away. Two years later, Mad Machen finds her – and she will have not only to fulfil her bargain but also help him build a monster – a mechanical Kraken (the title of the story is very fitting).

I acknowledge the fact that the summary above sounds trifle but that is my fault and mine alone because I prefer not spoil but the story is not trifle at all. On one hand you have wonderful, rich, RELEVANT Steampunk elements: in the alternate reality, at some point in history, technology advanced so much nanotechnology and mechanical flesh (Ivy’s arms, for example) are a reality in the 19th century. That advancement has played a huge role in the power shifting of this world with the people who control technology being able to control the ones who don’t. What Ivy went through when she was a chimney sweeper under the Horde Control is not kid’s games.

But as much as the Steampunk elements are awesome and interesting and cool, and indeed such an intrinsic part of the world they live in, they are never too overwhelming to the point of obfuscating the romantic arc. And what a romance: from the moment I first read Eben’s (Mad Machen’s name) point of view I was a goner for the man. He has been in love with Ivy for like, forever and his frustration with his inability to talk to her without scaring her is palpable. I would go as far as to say that Eben is a beta hero masquerading as an Alpha and he reminds me a lot of Linnea Sinclair’s heroes. The point of his character is this: he NEEDS his reputation to carry out his mission (which I can’t disclose it for fear of spoiling the story) but he NEEDS Ivy to love and care for him. The problem is if anyone sees how much of a softheaded, lovesick fool he is, everything he worked for will be lost. Hence the main conflict of the story – to find a way they can be together in a way he can be both a mad pirate and a pirate madly in love.

And the great thing is that Ivy is the one to find out how: and the last scene of the novella is one of the best romantic scenes I have ever read and it cements how Meljean is capable of creating such great, strong wiled heroines. And as much as I loved Even, I fully admired Ivy whose lot in life was not the best. She is never a victim for it, and the eventual fulfilment of her dreams – simple as they might be (clean air, a view of the stars and work) are hers to pursue and win and hers alone.

There are a few things left unanswered which I know for a fact will be addressed throughout the series. For example, it was hinted in the novella that the Horde has been around for centuries and that Leonardo da Vinci was instrumental to keep them away from Europe a few centuries ago.

In any case, the world building is incredible and I can’t wait to see more of this alternate Steampunk-ish world as much as I can’t wait to read the awesome romantic stories Meljean Brook is sure to write. The next book is the Duke’s and I hope the one after that is Lady Corsair’s, who is one of hell of a cool secondary character.

Good Grief, I am SUCH a fan girl.

Notable Quotes/Parts: Chapter one’s excerpt:

By the time Ivy found Ratcatcher Row, yellow fog smothered the docklands. She inched along the unfamiliar street, holding her right hand out to her side and using the buildings facing the narrow wooden walk as a guide. Though only an arm’s length away, the thick mist dissolved Ivy’s gloved fingers into ghostly outlines. On her left, the clicking, segmented shadow of a spider-rickshaw scurried by on the cobblestones, and the hydraulic hiss of the driver’s thrusting feet seemed to whisper a single refrain.

Hurry, hurry, hurry.

Oh, she wanted to. Her heart pounded as if she’d sprinted through these streets instead of picking her way through the fog, stopping at each building to search for an identifying sign.

But at least she was moving. As long as she could move, she couldn’t be taken.

Seven years ago, after two centuries under brutal Horde rule, the pirate captain Rhys Trahaearn had destroyed the tower that the Horde used to control the nanoagents infecting every person in London. For seven years, Ivy had been free to move as she wished, to feel as she wished—until earlier that night. Only hours ago, she’d been frozen in her bed with her eyes closed, unable to move, listening to strangers search from room to room through her boarding house. From blacksmiths to beggars, no one in that cheap tenement owned anything of value. But when someone had come through her door, stripped away her blankets and prodded at her thighs and breasts as if evaluating her thin body, when the strangers had left and she’d seen the empty beds in rooms that had been earlier filled, Ivy had realized each sleeping person had been valuable—as workers, as slaves…which were the only uses the Horde ever had for them.

And if the Horde was returning to London with their controlling towers and paralyzing devices, nothing would stop Ivy from leaving.

A steamcoach waited in front of the next building, rattling and puttering, its gas lanterns penetrating the fog in faint glowing spheres. By the feeble light, Ivy found the establishment’s sign, and almost moved on before her mind registered the painting on the wood: a compass.

The Star Rose Inn. She’d been looking for a flower. And she’d come so close to missing it, but she was here. Finally here.

For more of the Excerpt, go here.

Additional thoughts: For more information about The Iron Seas series go here.

Also on Saturday, we will have a whole day dedicated to Steampunk Romance. Meljean Brook will be here talking about the upcoming series plus a guest post by Galaxy Express’ Heather talking about the genre.

Verdict: This is Meljean Brook’s best novella to date with a great insight into what seems to an incredible new Steampunk series and a great, awesome romance to boot.

Rating: 8- Excellent

Reading next: The Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia

Title: Anti-Ice

Author: Stephen Baxter

Genre: Science Fiction, Steampunk

Publisher: Eos
Publication Date: September 1994
Paperback: 304 pages

Stand alone or series: Stand alone novel

A new element has been found by millionaire industrialist Josiah Traveller – a mysterious substance that promises new wonders and threatens new horrors beyond humankind’s wildest dreams.

Discovered in a hidden vein near the South Pole, anti-ice is harmless until warmed, when it releases vast energies that can power land-striding ships larger than ocean liners…make travelt o the Moon a practical possibility…and arm demonic weapons that will make war – or life itself – obsolete!

For the maverick millionaire, this new substance means unlimited energy. For the young diplomat Ned Vicars, it means a chance for world peace. And for the beautiful double agent Fracoise, it means a besieged nation’s last hope of survival.

How did I get this book: Bought (it’s out of print, so Amazon Marketplace is the way to go!)

Why did I read this book: I discovered Stephen Baxter last year, and fell in love with his writing. This guy knows his science. His Ark was my single favorite read from 2009. And so, when I learned that he had written an honest to goodness steampunk novel (thanks to a comment from Kristen of Fantasy Cafe), I think I actually did a fist pump of triumph.

Review:

At the end of the eighteenth century, a comet has been captured by Earth’s gravity, and now remains in orbit of the planet – known as the “Little Moon.” Though it has not slammed into the Earth, it has rained meteorites, which have been lodged in the Antarctic. Enter Josiah Traveller: visionary, explorer, and genius. He has discovered a strange new element called “anti-ice,” buried beneath rock and ice in the Antarctic – the meteorites from Earth’s new Little Moon. This strange antimatter is capable of releasing extraordinary amounts of energy when heated even slightly – and the applications of this volatile, powerful new substance are seemingly limitless. Massive juggernaut vehicles can traverse the European continent – even the world – without need for refueling, and the moon itself is within man’s grasp! But, anti-ice also has more sinister, troubling applications in warfare, and some nasty political ramifications as well. Anti-Ice opens with a letter from a young man as he writes his father about his experiences in the Crimean War, culminating in the first (and last) use of an anti-ice bomb in combat. Now, some years later, Britain still holds the monopoly on anti-ice, but other nations are restless and frightened. Tensions are heating up between the Prussians and the French, with the British sitting on the most powerful weapon the world has ever seen.

Young Ned Vicars, reluctantly working as a diplomat in the British office at the behest of his father, is assigned to escort Otto Von Bismarck and his men as they attend the New Great Exhibition. It is here that Vicars meets the purported love of his life, the beautiful Frenchwoman Mademoiselle Francoise Michelet, and soon after, the reclusive genius Josiah Traveller. In his pursuit of Francoise days later, Vicars and his new-met journalist friend, one Mr. Holden, travel to the launch of the Prince Albert – an immensely large and revolutionary land-liner, able to travel the continent by virtue of anti-ice. By virtue of a series of unpredictable events, Vicars and Holden end up meeting with Traveller once again, and are invited to his private ship, the Phaeton, resting on the upper decks of the Albert – and it is here that the three men are trapped as someone sabotages the land-liner, and propels the Phaeton and her passengers into outer space, with no way to steer the ship, or method to return…

As you can see, Anti-Ice is a mishmash of genres, themes and characters. It blends the mannerisms of the Edwardian era with the stylistic appeal of authors like H.G. Wells and Jules Verne, tossed together with a fascinating alternate history and topped off with an irresistible dose of technical science fiction. It is steampunk, in that it is set in the appropriate time period and thus has the steampunk aesthetic, not to mention this newly discovered anti-ice plays a central role in technology, politics and story overall. As for the scientific aspect itself, Stephen Baxter is (per his usual) a visionary. Anti-Ice is an exploration stemming from the proposition – What would happen if an unparalleled, limited power-source was introduced to nineteenth century Europe? What if Jules Verne’s contraptions could actually be put into practice at the time of their conception? Anti-Ice answers these questions, examining the actual limitations facing 19th century technology in space travel, but more importantly, it also puts this technology into the context of this incredibly volatile time period. (And for someone that is both an astro-geek and a 20th century political history nerd, this is bonafide Thea-crack)

Comparatively speaking, Anti-Ice is “light” reading by Baxter standards. Which is actually an awesome side to his writing that I haven’t experienced before, and enjoyed immensely. There’s a ton of humor in this book – yes, laugh out loud humor! – which was a welcome surprise. I loved Ned Vicars’ first person narration and his thought processes. His infatuation with Francoise, his self-deprecating remarks (ironically underlain with his own vanity), it all was wonderful, winsome stuff. For example, his thoughts of Francoise (shortly after learning what a Dewar flask is – that is, a flask that has an insulating layer separated by a vacuum to protect against heat transfer):

And I – I only had eyes for Francoise. I watched the gentle curve of her back, the silent movements of her hands over her furled parasol, and I wondered fondly – if a little unscientifically – if, within the Dewar flask of her polite exterior, there might burn a flame of desire which I might kindle!

Or Ned’s observations of himself:

I saw myself through Francoise’s eyes: as a rather vain and shallow young man; one of thousands circlign the civilized capitals – although, I allowed, rather more charming and better looking than the average –

Or Ned’s tendency to blurt out hilarious (but effectually true) proclamations:

Fear sank deep into my thoughts. “You infer that we are in the hands of a saboteur?”

Holden said grimly, “I fear that a member of the same band of Prussians is at this moment at the controls of this craft.”

The full horror of our predicament at last broke over me. “We are trapped in this box, hurtling ever further from the Earth, and at the mercy of a crazed Prussian…Then we must gain access to the bridge at once!”

And more observations:

The outer suit opened at the front and I clambered awkwardly into it. The suit was fitted at the neck with a collar of copper just wide enough to admit my head. This collar was fitted to the inner rubber suit, forming an airtight seal; air was smoothed out of the interface between the outer and inner suits and the outer was sealed up by flaps and straps.

I raised my silvered, mittened hand. “I feel odd. Greased up and encased in this garment, with its mittens and booties, I am like some grotesque infant!”

It’s almost…Vorkosigan-esque. I had no idea Baxter could do stiff British comedy. Awesome.

While there are these light-hearted moments, however, there’s still an impressive amount of thought, research, and effort put into this book. The realities facing a crew of hopelessly unprepared astronauts, the Victorian modifications for space travel, it’s all fascinatingly well done.

But the most impressive thing in my opinion was the political metaphor of Anti-Ice. Despite being published in 1994, Mr. Baxter has written an eerily timely tale; the similarities between anti-ice and nuclear/WMD proliferation (and the West’s role in intervening/preempting) are unmistakable. The historical aspect is similarly impressive, detailing tensions between France, Prussia, and Britain and the strained discordance as the “Concert of Europe” (my favorite metaphor, though Baxter uses the ol’ “Balance of Power”) begins to fail. It’s all AWESOME. I loved it.

My only regret with Anti-Ice is how I kind of wish there was more – perhaps my next Baxter book will be The Time Ships…

BUT IS IT STEAMPUNK?! Yes, it most certainly is. Not only is the technology the central pillar of the book, but the political ramifications (the “punk” part of “steampunk”) is here in abundance too. A different, fantastic application of the subgenre.

Notable Quotes/Parts: There are so many to choose from (as you might have seen above)! But how about this sort of easter egg aside for the reader:

There were chronometers, nanometers, Eigel Centigrade thermometers. There was a bank of compasses set in a three-dimensional array, so that their faces lay at all angles to each other. Traveller sighed over this arrangement. “I had hoped to use the direction of magnetic flux to navigate through space,” he said, “but I am disappointed to find that the effect fades away more than a few tens of miles from the surface of the Earth.”

“Damned inconvenient!” Holden called drily.

“Instead you rely on a sextant,” I said, indicating a large, intricate brass device consisting of a tube mounted on a toothed wheel. “Surely,” I went on, “the Carthaginians themselves would have recognized such a device…but could never have imagined it in such a setting.”

“Carthaginians in space,” Traveller mused. “Now there is an idea for a romance…But, of course, one could never make such a tale plausible enough to convince the public. It would be even more controversial than Disraeli’s fashionable fable…”

Heh.

Additional Thoughts: If The Time Ships is Baxter’s homage/continuation of H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine, then Anti-Ice is his homage to Jules Verne’s Around the Moon, From the Earth to the Moon, and The First Men in the Moon.

Written almost a century before the daring flights of the astronauts, Jules Verne’s prophetic novel of man’s race to the stars is a classic adventure tale enlivened by broad satire and scientific acumen.

When the members of the elite Baltimore Gun Club find themselves lacking any urgent assignments at the close of the Civil War, their president, Impey Barbicane, proposes that they build a gun big enough to launch a rocket to the moon. But when Barbicane’s adversary places a huge wager that the project will fail and a daring volunteer elevates the mission to a “manned” flight, one man’s dream turns into an international space race.

Verdict: A lighter, but still awesomely detailed and ridiculously good read. Anti-Ice has, once again, reaffirmed my love for the writing of Mr. Stephen Baxter.

Rating: 8 – Excellent

Reading Next: The Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia

Title: Girl Genius (Omnibus Vol. 1)

Author: Phil and Kaja Foglio

Genre: Comics, Steampunk, Comedy, Adventure, Romance, Speculative Fiction

Publisher: Studio Foglio
Publication Date: November 2006 (omnibus edition)
Softcover: 312 pages

Stand alone or series: Collects volumes 1-3 of the ongoing Girl Genius webcomic (updated every Monday, Wednesday and Friday online)

Agatha Clay is a student at Transylvania Polygnostic University and a complete klutz. But when the University is overthrown and a mechanical monster stalks the streets, it begins to look as though Agatha may carry a spark of Mad Science after all! This convenient backpack-sized, black and white edition contains the first three volumes of the Girl Genius collection and is a perfect gift for anyone new to the series.

How did we get this book: Bought (although you can read the series for free in its entirety online)

Why did we read this book: We have heard NOTHING but praise for Girl Genius. By multiple accounts, this is the definitive steampunk comic. And given that neither of us had read or even heard of the webcomic before, we were eager to jump in.

REVIEW:

First Impressions:

Thea: Holy crap, Girl Genius is freaking fun. This is a manic, hilarious, adventure-filled gem of a comic, and I cannot believe I have only just heard of it now. Basically, from the opening frame, I was hooked. From the zany writing (lots of extreme emotions) to the crisp artwork, I loved this book. And you can bet your Agatha-style Victorian undergarments that I’ll be back for more.

Ana: Oh dear lord, I can’t express how much I loved Girl Genius.Oh wait, I CAN: I loved this collection like you wouldn’t believe. Firstly, it is as Steampunk as it can be in every sense of the word (or genre). Secondly, it is SO much fun to read. Not only because it is actually a pretty funny book but also because of all the adventure and manic plot and the awesome characters. I have to say, I did not see this one coming. Loved it.

On the Plot:

Thea: This omnibus edition collects the first three “issues” of the Girl Genius series. In the first issue, titled “Agatha Heterodyne & The Beetleburg Clank” introduces us to a pretty, frazzled young student named Agatha – who, despite her imagination and ability to visualize complex mechanical designs, cannot build anything that works. Her life is turned upside down when she’s first accosted by two soldiers, who steal her beloved beetle-locket (the only remaining keepsake she has from her deceased parents). Then the despotic tyrant ruler, Baron Wulfenbach, his son Gilgamesh, and their armed guard of clanks (automatons) and Jagermonsters (hilarious, fierce “monsters” that speak with over-the-top accents) drop by Beetleburg and visit the university laboratory where Agatha is working as an assistant…and, inadvertently, they end up blowing up Dr. Beetle (Agatha’s mentor). Enraged, depressed, and kicked out of the university, Agatha returns home to relay the events of the day to her surrogate parents…who seem disproportionately concerned about Agatha’s loss of her locket. Soon, more chaos ensues as a rogue clank is unleashed on the town by an unknown maker – and Baron Wulfenbach believes it must be the work of a new Spark; that is, one gifted with the ability to create intricate machinery. The search is on for the new Spark – and it leads to Agatha’s home.

The second and third issues, “Agatha Heterodyne & The Airship City” and “Agatha Heterodyne & The Monster Engine,” follow Agatha as she is whisked aboard the Baron’s secret airship city, and the ordeals she goes through as she discovers that she, indeed, is a Spark. And not just any spark – she’s got a whole legacy to her name, and now everyone wants to kill her, or follow her.

What can I say about the writing of this fantastic comic? That it’s uproariously funny? It’s surprisingly intricate? That Agatha’s journey of self-discover is hilarious, touching, and empowering at the same time? Girl Genius is all of these things, and more besides. The universe the Foglios have created here is deceptively complex – there’s a tyrant who really doesn’t want to be a tyrant, an empire at peace but at the high cost of fear and enforced servitude, a whole magical hierarchy of Sparks, monsters that have peculiar tastes and mannerisms, science experiments gone amok, cities in the sky, legendary tales of the Heterodyne boys…the list goes on. Suffice to say that there is a lot going on in this comic – in a good way. Although it’s a little strange at the beginning (seriously, this book moves at a manic pace), I was quickly, hopelessly immersed in Agatha’s universe.

I should also say that the art in this book is fantastic. I’m not much of an artist by any stretch of the imagination, but I loved the contrast between the first issue and the second and third (different shading techniques), as well as the crisp, clean strokes the Foglios employ. These first three issues were originally published in black and white (though they are fully colored online now), and the omnibus stays true to that, which is cool. I also quite like how curvy Agatha is and I luuuuuuuuuuuurve her oversize glasses.

Ana: What Thea said. Every word of it. I think the most important thing to say is how the story at first, comes across as deceptively light and simple read when in fact it is not. With every single page, details of the world-building were being added, details of the character’s history were being revealed and what started as the story of a girl caught in something she is not prepared for ended up being a LOT more than that: full of complex comes and goings, relationships, mysteries and plot twists. I am completely, utterly enamoured with this book.

The amount of detail is staggering: because the story deals not only with Agatha but with the entire world as well. There are repercussions about everything and the more the particulars were being revealed to the reader, the more glued to the pages I was. These details also appear in the art where every single thing in each panel is beautifully drawn – I too love the art here.

On the Characters:

Thea: Ahhh, Agatha. Agatha, Agatha, Agatha. She really grows on you. Upon first meeting, she gets beat up by a soldier (seriously! smacked around!), and she’s prone to bouts of frustration and headaches, which are pretty hilarious. As the comic progresses, we learn that she’s always felt like a moron, however, on account that nothing she builds works. And then, she’s forced to confront the truth that she is, indeed, a spark. It’s a cool progression, and I loved this zany, sleepwalk-in-her-underwear-prone character. What’s coolest about Agatha is how she stands up for others AND for herself – when she’s made offers of marriage or seen as the ‘damsel’ in distress, she’s able to hold her own.

The other main characters are similarly – surprisingly – well developed, too. I love how there’s this ambiguity throughout. We readers are told who the “good” and “bad” guys are – but there are extenuating circumstances. A “hero” character, for example, turns out to be a ridiculous Zapp Brannigan type of dude, meanwhile the tyrant Baron is shown as having no patience for politics and gives off the air that he’s tyrant just to keep the peace…because no one else will.

And then, of course, there’s young Gilgamesh and what appears to be the budding romance between him and Agatha. Hilarious. Awesome. Did I mention, hilarious? Yeah. It’s like that.

Ana: At the risk of sounding like a fan-girl (but what the heck, that’s exactly what I became after reading it): the characters are completely awesome. They have depth, they have flair, including the villains. All of them, the Baron and Von Pinn (I am not going there as to not spoil but Von Pin is seriously, seriously made of win) for example actually have shades of grey which makes them way believable and relatable.

The awesomeness of Von Pinn

Agatha, our protagonist is as Thea says: she grows on you as she grows on page. Her arc is an interesting one – even if not especially original.

Finally: Gilgamesh and the romantic developments. I am so totally on board of THAT ship.

Final Thoughts, Observations and Rating:

Thea: If you couldn’t tell, I loved Girl Genius – and I cannot wait to finish reading the series online, and follow along with the droves of other dedicated fans each week for more Agatha Heterodyne! Absolutely recommended – this is a comic appropriate for all ages, and for all readers.

Ana:The series is made of win and I have only one regret: that I didn’t know about it sooner. Do yourself a favour and go read it now, NOW.

BUT IS IT STEAMPUNK?!

Thea: Yup. The technology is central to the plot, and the world is undoubtedly steampunky in style and substance. I say, yay.

Ana: Oh yes, most definitely. However, the author doesn’t seem to think so, preferring to call it Gaslamp Fantasy. I am completely amused by the fact that as soon as I find something that I DO consider Steampunk, I am told it is not. Oh, well: I still consider it Steampunk. I will go as far as to say it is one of the most Steampunk reads I’ve ever seen.

Notable Quotes/Parts: Take this exchange, “The Falling Machine” (here are the first two pages, you can read the full chapter in its entirety online):

Additional Thoughts: We’ve recently received another steampunk webcomic recommendation that warrants mention. If you like Girl Genius, you might want to try out 2D Goggles, the ongoing Lovelace and Babbage saga. Take, for instance, the origin:

Rating:

Thea: 8 – Excellent

Ana: 8 – Excellent

Reading Next: The Alchemy of Stone by Ekateria Sedia

Title:Steampunk

Author: edited by Jeff and Ann Vandermeer with contributions by Michael Chabon / Neal Stephenson / James P. Blaylock / Joe R. Lansdale / Mary Gentle / Ted Chiang / Michael Moorcock / Jay Lake / Molly Brown / Stepan Chapman / Ian R. MacLeod / Rachel E. Pollock / Paul Di Filippo / Rick Klaw / Jess Nevins / Bill Baker

Genre: Steampunk

Stand alone or series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Tachyon Publications
Publication Date: June 2008
Paperback: 432 pages

Steampunk is Victorian elegance and modern technology: steam-driven robots, souped-up stagecoaches, and space-faring dirigibles fueled by gaslight romance, mad scientists, and oh-so-trim waistcoats. It’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Wizard of Oz, and The Golden Compass. Replete with whimsical mechanical wonders and bold adventurers, this riveting anthology lovingly collects classic steampunk stories, pop-culture fueled discussions of steampunk, and essential recommended reading lists for the discerning steampunk fan.

From the editors of The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide to Eccentric and Discredited Diseases and The New Weird, this is steampunk. Hang on tight.

Why did I read the book: This one is considered THE definitive Steampunk anthology

How did I get the book: Bought

Review:

Steampunk is a collection of articles and stories pertaining to Steampunk. The three articles contained in the anthology seem to have been written specially for the collection whereas the stories have all been published before and are collected here as examples of “Best Of” that the genre has to offer.

I guess the question that needs to be asked is this: does the anthology succeed in its purpose to collect the best of the genre? I am….undecided.

I am not too sure that the unsuspecting reader, the one who never read Steampunk, would come away after reading this collection, wanting to read more. I rather think that the best public for the anthology are those who already enjoy Steampunk and want to know more by exploring the short story format or by reading one of the books that are considered an “Essential” reading. In that sense, I consider myself one of those and I am glad I did read it but I can’t really say I liked the majority of what I read.

The three articles for example are rather good. Introduction: The Nineteenth Century Roots of Steampunk by Jess Nevins is my favorite, an interesting essay about the roots of Steampunk going back to dime novels of the 19th century and the difference between a first “wave” of Steampunk fiction and a second “wave”. The other two are The Steam-Driven Time Machine: A Pop Culture Survey by Rick Claw which offers an insight about genre and its different format (books, movies, fashion, etc) and how the media has picked up on it and The Essential Sequential Steampunk: A Modest Survey of the Genre within the Comic Book Medium by Bill Baker takes a look at the genre within comics and graphic novel format. I do have to say though, as much as the articles are all good, they are not particularly insightful in a ”not to be missed” way. Any information provided and collected can easily be found by doing a simple Google search about the genre.

As for the stories themselves. This is where things get really complicated. Some of them are really, really good but amongst hose there are a couple I am not sure I would even consider Steampunk. Cyperpunk (such Neal Stephenson’s Excerpt from the Third and Last Volume of Tribes of the Pacific Coast) Gaslight Romance, yes. Steampunk? Perhaps not. In any case, admitting that all stories are a form of Steampunk – what do these stories say about the genre?

That there isn’t a clear definition, or a clear parameter to define it. Which is something I already knew but became set in stone after reading the anthology.

My favourite stories in the anthology are the lighter, more fun one ones like Victoria by Paul Di Filippo. Part of his Steampunk Trilogy of novella, this one was a delight to read. It tells the story of a how a scientist is able to genetically modify a newt into a woman with a tremendous sexual appetite. He calls her Victoria and she looks a bit like Queen Victoria. When the real Queen goes missing, the prime minister engages his help to substitute one woman for the other while they search for the queen. It is a great Victorian set story full of political intrigue and scandalous behaviour. The Selene Gardening Society is a whimsical comedy of manners in which a group of Victorian ladies decide to send the excess of garbage to the moon – which will, according to them eventually make the atmosphere habitable for humans. Another favourite but more in a darker streak was Seventy-Two Letters by Ted Chiang applying Kaballa and Gollems to a Steampunk setting. There is also a small except (3 pages or so long) of the very good Warlod of the Air by Michael Moorcock,a book considered to be proto-Steampunk. The excerpt is so small and so obviously part of a larger story that I don’t understand its inclusion in the anthology at all.

The other stories were a complete miss for me. Either because the concepts were not fully explored like Jay Lake’s The God-Clown is Near with the idea of “moral” Clowns and one being built to pass judgment lacks context – it seems to be part of one the author’s “world” but in here it just floats in space. Similarly, The Giving Mouth Ian R. MacLeod, a medieval Steampunk is beautifully written
but also lacking gravitas and a clear explanation for what the heck is going on. A Sun in the Attic by Mary Gentle on the other hand has some of the worst dialogue I ever read even if might have an interesting premise (positive and negative outcome of scientific discoveries in a polygamous society). And so on and so forth, cardboard characters, lack of a cohesive or interesting story afflict the remaining tales.

My least favourite (to put it very mildly) of them all is definitely The Steam Man of the Prairie and the Dark Rider Get Down: A Dime Novel by Joe R. Lansdale. The premise is actually pretty good. The Time Traveller of from H.G. Wells’s The Time Machine travelled so much that he disrupted the time-space continuum and somehow ended up a vampire. Sounds good right? Except the entire story is an excuse for gratuitous violence and an overwhelming obsession with … “ass”. To wit, in every single page there is a scene that contains either rape, impaling, haemorrhoids or ass fu**ing (including a scene where the titular character ass f**ks an ape) all in very graphic details. I am not a prude, I have no problem with the word itself nor am I averse to violence per se if it has a context or a point. But the entire story is completely pointless and by the end of it, I wanted to remove my eyes out of my skull and bleach them.

Ultimately the anthology made me reflect about what my greatest problem with the genre is. I have come to find that Steampunk is a mish-mash of good and bad (like any other genre, really) but above all the most important issue I have is that Steampunk is absolutely great in theory and with its premises but the majority of its execution misses the mark completely. Because it is a genre that lacks a clear definition, I find myself constantly finding stories and books that are defined as Steampunk but which are not. Or in the case of this particular anthology, find that the articles about Steampunk are far more interesting and better than the stories themselves.

This dichotomy between theory x execution and how the former seems to be more of a reality than the latter really is what keeps me going – I want to find more and more examples of good Steampunk execution and shall not rest until I do. Until then, I do not think this one is the “Definitive” Steampunk anthology although it is definitely a good representation of the genre as it currently stands. Take that as you will.

BUT IS IT STEAMPUNK: YES. Some stories do fit what I call Steampunk better but overall yes, definitely a Steampunk collection.

Notable Quotes/ Parts: If I had to pick one story to quote would have to be Victoria. I loved the inside joke the author played with one of most famous (or infamous) art critics of his time, John Ruskin (the man who “discovered” the Pre-Raphaelites) and how he supposedly had a problem with women’s pubic hair (seiro7slyt) and never consummated his marriage to Effie Gray (who later married one of my favourites painters, Millais). The source of his “problem” may well have been Victoria, the newt. Awesome. (yes, I am geek, I KNOW THAT).

Additional Thoughts: For another taste of Steampunk short stories, there is also another anthology currently published:

Extraordinary Engines: The Definitive Steampunk Anthology collects original stories by Stephen Baxter, Eric Brown, Paul Di Filippo, Hal Duncan, Jeffrey Ford, Jay Lake, Ian R. MacLeod, Michael Moorcock, Robert Reed, Lucius Shepard, Brian Stableford, Jeff VanderMeer and more.

It also seems that Ann and Jeff Vandermeer have another one in the works as we speak.

Verdict: A collection of stories that try to represent the genre, with some hits and a lot of misses. I would only recommended it to the more seasoned Steampunk reader.

Rating: 5 , meh, take it or leave it.

Reading Next: Here There Be Monsters by Meljean Brook

Title: The Affinity Bridge

Author: George Mann

Genre: Speculative Fiction, Steampunk

Publisher: Tor
Publication Date: July 2009
Hardcover: 334 pages

Welcome to the bizarre and dangerous world of Victorian London, a city teetering on the edge of revolution. Its people are ushering in a new era of technology, dazzled each day by unfamiliar inventions. Airships soar in the skies over the city, while ground trains rumble through the streets and clockwork automatons are programmed to carry out menial tasks in the offices of lawyers, policemen, and journalists.

But beneath this shiny veneer of progress lurks a sinister side.

Queen Victoria is kept alive by a primitive life-support system, while her agents, Sir Maurice Newbury and his delectable assistant Miss Veronica Hobbes, do battle with enemies of the crown, physical and supernatural. This time Newbury and Hobbes are called to investigate the wreckage of a crashed airship and its missing automaton pilot, while attempting to solve a string of strangulations attributed to a mysterious glowing policeman, and dealing with a zombie plague that is ravaging the slums of the capital.

Get ready to follow dazzling young writer George Mann to a London unlike any you’ve ever seen and into an adventure you will never forget.

Stand alone or series: Book 1 of the Newbury & Hobbes Investigation series

How did I get this book: Review Copy

Why did I read this book: When I first caught wind of this book from Tor.com (for their fantastic steampunk month a few months back), I knew I had to have it. Victorian setting, check. Intrepid male-female duo, solving mysterious supernatural phenomena, check. Steampunk, check. Plus, I’ve been hearing nothing but praise for editor-turned-fiction author George Mann (his Ghosts of Manhattan is high on my wishlist).

Review:

The year is 1901, in fair London, where we lay our scene. By virtue of a steam-powered life support system, Queen Victoria remains alive and on the throne. Mechanized taxi cabs and dirigibles are the norm, as are occult influences and dealings. Revenants – that is, brain-rotted, flesh-hungry corpses – roam the fog-shrouded streets of the city and a vengeful glowing policeman spectre prowls London by night, killing unsuspecting victims with his ghostly touch.

To whom does the Crown turn in such desperate times, where such diabolical acts can be committed?

The answer is simple: to the esteemed (and dashing) academic Sir Maurice Newbury and his lovely (and capable) assistant, Miss Veronica Hobbes. Sir Maurice, a gentleman and a scholar, works by day amongst the dusty stacks at the British Museum, with Veronica Hobbes as his dutiful, intelligent secretary. Their true calling, however, lies in investigations around London. Hot on the trail of the spectral Glowing Policeman murders, Newbury and Hobbes are summoned away to another site by the Queen herself – a dirigible has crashed, and everyone on board has been killed, incinerated…except for the pilot, who has strangely gone missing. The plot thickens when the duo learns that the pilot was in fact an automaton, one of the new mechanical men that have come to replace human pilots aboard Chapman and Villiers Air Transportation Services’ increasingly popular dirigibles. With dominant industrialists Chapman (heir and business man) and Villiers (mechanical genius, though quite possibly mad), ghostly apparitions, not-so-harmless automatons, and flesh-hungry revenants thrown into the mix, Newbury and Hobbes have their hands very full of an increasingly perilous mystery.

The Affinity Bridge marks the first adventure of this enterprising duo that is Maurice Newbury and Veronica Hobbes, and what an introduction it is! The Affinity Bridge is a genuinely fun book. Featuring fast-paced plotting that manages to nicely tie together three seemingly disparate mysteries together with one fell swoop, Mr. Mann writes with deft sure-handedness, making for a light, highly enjoyable read. So far as steampunk goes, Mr. Mann has the aesthetic down pat – The Affinity Bridge is set in Victorian London (well, Victorian, thanks to the fact that the Queen is still alive by artificial means), complete with mechanized taxi cabs, berserk automatons, and equipped with the quintessential icon of Victoriana SF – the Dirigible. There’s also a sort-of supernatural, occult element to the story, which adds a nice spin to an otherwise very traditional world. In addition to the aforementioned revenants (those afflicted with the zombie plague), the book opens with a seance, and over the course of the novel it becomes clear that Sir Maurice himself entertains – even dabbles in – the dark arts. Though this isn’t the main focus of the novel, it is most certainly an intriguing plot seed for future books in the series. (On another note, I have to say that I am quite enjoying this popular crossover with steampunk and zombies. I especially loved how the revenants fit in to the overall mystery by the end of the book…but I won’t spoil that for you.)

So far as the rest of the setting goes, Mr. Mann’s turn of the century London feels pretty spot on with only a few exceptions. Most notably, the gender roles felt a trifle off, especially in the case of the charming Miss Veronica Hobbes. Veronica is a young, high ranking gentleman’s secretary – but she’s also the daughter of a genteel, well-to-do family. She’s fairly young and attractive, and from what I can tell from the book, Veronica is not in “spinster” territory. And yet, she’s living on her own (with neither parents nor chaperone), off the meager means she makes as a secretary? It doesn’t quite add up – but that’s a very minor niggling criticism, overall. Otherwise, the social mores seem right on point – down to the Gentlemen’s Clubs and manners of dress – and the details are all are very fun.

Then, there are the characters. I loved the dynamic duo that is Maurice Newbury and Veronica Hobbes – Sir Maurice is the laid-back intellectual (who isn’t afraid to throw himself into the fray and get his hands dirty) with his own personal demons, while Veronica is a strong (figuratively and literally) sidekick. There’s also a delightful attraction between the two characters, which always makes for good fun. While Maurice’s cheerfulness is delightful, the true standout character of the novel, for me, was Veronica. I loved the interludes between her and her institutionalized sister (another tantalizing plot seed for future novels), and I loved how Maurice and everyone else tended to admire her but still underestimate her. She’s very much a woman of her time period (read, she’s not annoyingly glib or incongruously modern or badass), but she shows her mettle – and I totally dig that. There are echoes of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson here (if Watson were an attractive young lady), smatterings of the formidable Amelia Peabody and Emerson Radcliffe from Elizabeth Peters’ truly excellent Amelia Peabody books. And, oh yeah, it feels similarly entertaining in the manner of Gail Carriger’s Soulless (which was released last year) – but I infinitely prefer Mr. Mann’s novel to Ms. Carriger’s intimation of supernatural “steampunk” (while The Affinity Bridge definitely counts as steampunk, Ms. Carriger’s novel falls much more into the gaslamp category).

The only criticisms I have for The Affinity Bridge lay with its inherent lightness – it’s not exactly a deep book that challenges the constraints of society. But then again, it’s not meant to be. The characters are a tad undercooked, the mystery was a tad predictable – but that said, I’m looking at this as an optimist. There’s plenty of room for growth – and with George Mann’s skill as a storyteller in this well-realized steampunk setting, I have no doubts the series will keep getting better.

BUT IS IT STEAMPUNK?! Yep, yep, yep. It most certainly is, in the most traditional sense of the subgenre. It’s set in Victorian London with steampowered machinery galore – and this technology plays a central role to the plot. Hence, it is Steampunk (not Gaslamp), and a pretty gosh darn fun one at that.

Notable Quotes/Parts: You can read a full preview of the book online HERE.

Additional Thoughts: For those readers bummed out about the hardcover prices for books, you’ll be ecstatic to hear that The Affinity Bridge will be available from Tor Books in trade paperback format (4/27/2010)!

Furthermore, fans of Newbury and Hobbes need not wait long for the next mystery! Book two, titled The Osiris Ritual, will be out in August of this year.

Death stalks London and the newspapers proclaim that a mummy’s curse has been unleashed. Sir Maurice Newbury, gentleman investigator for the crown, is drawn into a web of occult intrigue as he attempts to solve the murders. And he soon finds himself on the trail of a rogue agent – a man who died to be reborn as a living weapon.

Meanwhile, Newbury’s able assistant, Miss Veronica Hobbes, has her own mystery to unravel. Young women are going missing from a magician’s theatre show. But what appears to be a straightforward investigation puts Miss Hobbes in mortal danger.

Can Newbury save his assistant, solve the riddle of the mummy’s curse, capture the deadly man-machine and stop the terrifying Osiris Ritual from reaching its infernal culmination?

For more about George Mann, make sure to check out his website HERE – you can also read some Newbury and Hobbes short stories for free online HERE.

Verdict: A solidly enjoyable romp through a steam-powered Victorian London, The Affinity Bridge blends action-filled mystery with a winsome, intrepid pair of protagonists. Definitely recommended (especially to those looking to ease into steampunk without feeling hopelessly overwhelmed!).

Rating: 7 – Very Good

Reading Next: Girl Genius by Phil and Kaja Foglio

Title: Heart of Veridon

Author: Tim Akers

Genre: Speculative Fiction, Steampunk

Publisher: Solaris
Publication Date: August 2009
Paperback: 480 pages

Jacob Burn: pilot, criminal and disgraced son of one of the founding families of the ancient city of Veridon.

When an old friend delivers to him a strange artifact, Jacob’s world crashes down around him as he runs not only from the law but also from those who were once friends. But even as the array of machines and strange creatures stalk him through the streets of Veridon, something even more sinister and dangerous makes its move against him, an entity that will make Jacob question everything he thought he knew about himself and the city.

Stand alone or series: Can be read as a stand alone novel, although is part of the “Burn cylce” and has a number of accompanying short stories

How did I get this book: Bought

Why did I read this book: While doing research for our first Steampunk Week, I saw this title pop up on numerous essentials lists. Curiosity piqued (especially by great reviews from the folks at Fantasy Book Critic and Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review), I decided to give it a go.

Review:

Meet Jacob Burn. Criminal. Former pilot. Disinherited scion to one of the prominent founding families of the city of Veridon. Ever since the disastrous crash on his inaugural flight, fresh out of the Academy as a pilot, Jacob Burn has fallen from his family’s grace and has turned to the streets, making his way as a runner for a criminal underworld boss. Riding back to Veridon after completing his latest job, Jacob’s zepliner runs afoul of serious trouble in the form of a mysterious man that kills the crew and captain. Before the zep crashes, Jacob runs into a face from his past – a man named Marcus, who, with his last breath, entrusts an intricate cog to Jacob’s possession. Soon enough, Jacob finds himself in a world of trouble, as powerful people from all angles are hot on the pursuit of Jacob and the strange piece of machinery. Someone on the Council is gunning for Jacob’s immediate death, the Badge (equivalent of the local police force) is on the hunt, somehow the Church of the Algorithm is involved, and an honest-to-gods avenging Angel is out for Jacob’s blood. With his boss, Valentine, severing ties and refusing him aid, Jacob finds himself embroiled in a deadly predicament with nowhere to turn – except to Emily, his beautiful (but not exactly trustworthy) handler.

As the mysteries and threats begin to mount to dizzying heights, all Jacob knows is that the heart of the matter lies with the mysterious cog – and he needs to find answers, very quickly. And what he discovers will change not only everything Jacob has ever known about Veridon, but about his own murky family history and fall from grace.

Wow. There’s little not to love in Heart of Veridon. This debut effort from Tim Akers is an impressive feat of storytelling, blending the noirish elements of contemporary (dare I say Urban) fantasy with the greased, clockwork-aesthetic of the modern steampunk movement. While the plotting is impeccable in its swiftness and mounting tension, the most impressive thing about this novel is Mr. Akers’ worldbuilding. Blending the vulnerability of flesh and blood with the grime of unforgiving metal gears, mechanized beetles, and cogwork hearts, Tim Akers’ Veridon is a fascinating (at times repulsive, but always wondrous) world. Not only are the characters a deliciously creepy, memorable mix of flesh and metal (reminiscent of the works of Philip K. Dick), but so too are the resonant images that Mr. Akers creates with his writing and descriptions – for example, the operatic performance of an engram-singer as her body is reshaped by her intricate machinery for The Summer Girl; the splayed-open clockwork remains of an imprisoned mythical woman in the bowels of the Church of the Algorithm; the spidery appendages of an Anansi doctor and ally named Wilson. And, as memorable as these images are, Mr. Akers also writes a city rife with complex backdoor politics, religions competing for supremacy and power, and a history of lies that ensnares an unsuspecting populace in Veridon’s unrelenting mechanical fist. It’s a city of secrets and deceptions, evocative in many ways of the titled Dark City of Alex Proyas. Yes, the world that Mr. Akers has created is no small thing – Veridon is distinctive, complex and teeming with menace.

My only concerns with Heart of Veridon lay with the characters – specifically, with protagonist Joseph Burn and the immediate lack of character development. Jacob’s voice, as the first person narrator of the book, is rather simple and direct, crude and clipped on occasion – which I loved, as it feels very genuine for this tough, supposedly uncaring outcast. But early on and for most of the book, readers don’t really know anything about Jacob other than the outline of his fall from grace, and his general persona as a pissed off criminal with a penchant for getting shot by friends and for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. That said, about 2/3 into the book, readers FINALLY get an insight to Jacob Burn, flashing back to his past. It all comes together rather nicely by the end of the book, and I loved the relationship between him and Emily, and with Jacob and his father, and with the “bug” Wilson as well. While I do wish we were given more in the way of character development earlier in the book (I especially wish we knew more about Emily and her own motivations), the awesome worldbuilding and pacing of the novel more than make up for those shortcomings.

The ending of Heart of Veridon comes abruptly, as other reviewers have pointed out before me, but that does not mean it is poorly written or badly executed. Not in the slightest. Rather, the ending, heartbreaking though it may be, just left me salivating for more.

BUT IS IT STEAMPUNK?!: Hells to the yeah, it is. Not only does Heart of Veridon fit with the Steampunk aesthetic, it also has a unique political and religious society that is actively being challenged, as an integral part of the story. This is essential steampunk reading, folks.

Notable Quotes/Parts: The performance of The Summer Girl:

The Artificers approached the girl with a jar. I leaned forward. The jar was glass, and the dark contents seemed to squirm. The girl closed her eyes and opened her mouth. I could see the furtive coiling of her machine. She had beautiful lips, full and shiny like glass, and they were quivering. I wondered if she was afraid.

The Master Artificer was a tall man with arms that moved fluidly, like they were nothing but joints. He dipped his hands into the jar and brought out something shiny. The queen foetus. He placed it on the girl’s tongue and then stepped back, along with the rest of the Guildsmen. The girl’s hands fluttered to her throat and she opened her eyes, wide and white. A second later she made a coughing, gasping sound. The boy’s mother tutted and turned her face. The rest of the audience shifted uncomfortably.

It happened suddenly. The Artificers set down the jar and tipped it over. The swarm spilled out like glittering, jeweled honey, their tiny legs clicking against the wood as they washed across the stage. They climed the girl and began to nest with her, become her, entering the secret machines that made up the engram. They were seeking their queen and her pattern, the song stitched into her shell and her memory, awaiting birth and creation. The girl shivered, and she became.

She straightened up, looking across the audience. I hadn’t seen The Summer Girl performed in some time, since my Academy days, in fact. But there she was, unmistakable. She stood in front of the audience liek she ruled it, like these people didn’t exist when she wasn’t on stage, and when she was on stage they existed only to appreciate her. The girl had that stance, her back and chin and shoulders laying claim to the Manor Tomb. The swarm fed on her, rebuilt her before our quiet eyes. Her skin leaked white, her cheekbones flattened and rose, the perfect lips became more, writhing as they changed. She stood taller, her hair shimmered and changed color, cascaded down her shoulders. She was older now, fuller, her hips and breasts those of a woman. The audience was silent, stunned.

The Summer Girl stood before us, more perfect than she had actually been on that long distant day. She raised an arm to us, nodded to the Lady Tomb in her seat of honor, and then she sang. Perfectly, beautifully, her voice was a warm hammer in my head. This tiny hall could not contain her, the very bones of the mountain around us thrummed with her song. I remember nothing of words or themes, as it always is with The Summer Girl. Just warm glory and peace remaking my heart, flowing through my bones, filling the cramped metal of my heart like slow lightning in my blood.

Additional Thoughts: Heart of Veridon is the first book in the Burn Cycle, but you can also check out some of Mr. Akers’ short stories, set in the same world.

On a different note, how about that cover? The team at Solaris puts together some truly amazing cover art (just check out their catalogue), and artist John Foster does a beautiful job with this piece.

And one last thing – a sequel has been announced* for Heart of Veridon, tentatively titled The Dead of Veridon – and here’s the blurb:

When an army of corpses animated by cogwork rises from the dark waters of the rive Reine and threatens to upset the balance of power in Veridon, Jacob Burn must discover who is behind this undead atrocity before the city comes crashing down around him. But will he succeed when he finds out that the very Council who has hired him to solve this mystery is working against him behind the scenes, and the only ally he can count on is his bitterest rival?

Cover art forthcoming. I cannot freakin’ wait!

—————
* I’ve been somewhat remiss, and only just discovered that Solaris has a blog – and an awesome one at that. I highly recommend you check it out.

Verdict: If it isn’t clear, I loved this book. I *loved* this book. Tim Akers is an original, enthralling voice in the steampunk subgenre, and in the Speculative Fiction umbrella at large. I cannot wait to discover more from this promising new author, and recommend Heart of Veridon to readers from all genres and of all backgrounds. Easily, one of my favorite reads of 2010.

Rating: 9 – Pretty Damn Awesome

Reading Next: The Affinity Bridge by George Mann

Howdy folks, and Happy Sunday! We begin this edition of our (mini) Smugglers’ Stash with a couple of announcements…

Giveaway Winners:

Phew, we had a few this week. The winner of the full set of Kelley Armstrong’s Darkest Powers Trilogy (The Summoning, The Awakening & The Reckoning) is:

The winner of The Returners by Gemma Malley is:

The winners of Summer of You by Kate Noble are:

You all know the drill. Email us (contact AT thebooksmugglers DOT com) with your snail mail address, and we will get your winnings out to you as soon as possible. Thanks again to everyone that entered, and congratulations to all of the winners!

And don’t forget, our giveaway of TEN copies of Amazon Queen is still open – make sure to enter before next Saturday!

Cover Matters Survey:

After our most recent Cover Matters’ Issue on Fantasy Covers, we decided to create a survey: we want to know what YOU think about genre fiction covers in general. It’s completely anonymous (unless you WANT to leave your name and contact info, which is totally cool too) – but we really want to know how you fellow internet readers feel.

We already got a pretty good response (over 500 entries and counting!) and if you’re interested and have some time to kill, we’d love to hear from you too!

The Cover Matters Survey is here.

Hugo Nominees:

We’re a little late, but last week at Aussiecon 4, the nominees for the 2010 Hugo Awards were announced.

On the ballot for Best Novel are:

• Boneshaker, Cherie Priest (Tor)
• The City & The City, China Miéville (Del Rey; Macmillan UK)
• Julian Comstock: A Story of 22nd-Century America, Robert Charles Wilson (Tor)
• Palimpsest, Catherynne M. Valente (Bantam Spectra)
• Wake, Robert J. Sawyer (Ace; Penguin; Gollancz; Analog)
• The Windup Girl, Paolo Bacigalupi (Night Shade)

For Best Graphic Story:

• Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? Written by Neil Gaiman; Pencilled by Andy Kubert; Inked by Scott Williams (DC Comics)
• Captain Britain And MI13. Volume 3: Vampire State Written by Paul Cornell; Pencilled by Leonard Kirk with Mike Collins, Adrian Alphona and Ardian Syaf (Marvel Comics)
• Fables Vol 12: The Dark Ages Written by Bill Willingham; Pencilled by Mark Buckingham; Art by Peter Gross & Andrew Pepoy, Michael Allred, David Hahn; Colour by Lee Loughridge & Laura Allred; Letters by Todd Klein (Vertigo Comics)
• Girl Genius, Volume 9: Agatha Heterodyne and the Heirs of the Storm Written by Kaja and Phil Foglio; Art by Phil Foglio; Colours by Cheyenne Wright (Airship Entertainment)
• Schlock Mercenary: The Longshoreman of the Apocalypse Written and Illustrated by Howard Tayler

And finally, The John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer:

• Saladin Ahmed
• Gail Carriger
• Felix Gilman
• Seanan McGuire
• Lezli Robyn

Congratulations to all the nominees!

Assorted Book-Related Tidbits:

Disney and Robert Zemeckis – yeah, Back to the Future Robert Zemeckis – have teamed up to adapt Kat Falls’ new YA novel, Dark Life, for film! As you may recall, we’ve had a giveaway of this fantastic book – and will have a review, an author post, and another chance to win the novel again in the very near future! You can read all about the movie deal HERE.

Also, given our recent review and giveaway of Kelley Armstrong’s Darkest Powers trilogy, we wanted to share some news about her YA writing plans. Kelley announced that although The Reckoning marks the end of the trilogy, she is indeed returning to the same YA world for a new book, titled The Gathering. According to Kelley:

The next book is The Gathering. Same world. New characters. New Edison Group experiment. The Gathering starts trilogy #2, Darkness Rising. While my plot line shows Chloe and the others being introduced late in that trilogy, that is NOT a guarantee until the whole thing is written.

We are thrilled at the prospect, and cannot wait for the official release of The Gathering!

Meg Cabot, a Twitter Party, and an iPad

What do these things have in common? US! Later today we’ll be posting about the details.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaand that’s all folks! Ok…not really.

We will be back later today with our calendar for Steampunk Week: Redux and kick off the week once again! Stay tuned…