Synopses & Reviews
Gentle Readers, after the outraged letters following our first volume, I would be remiss not to warn you. The handsome tome of classic and original fiction, nonfiction, and illustrations is perhaps even more shocking than its predecessor. And yet, I see that your curiosity is piqued, so....
Enter the Scintillating Clockpunk Gear-o-Torium: Herein dwell the breathless adventures that you secretly seek. Gaze upon the rebellious Mecha-Ostrich, the seductive Steam Dancer, the intrepid Mssrs. Balfour and Meriwether, and the hithertofore undefeated Cast-Iron Kid.
Experience the Delights of the Chrononaut Odditorium: An esteemed panel of self-appointed experts, under pain of ridicule, will reveal Top Secret Historical Enticements. Be dazzled by the first English translation of the quintessential Steampunk story Flying Fish Prometheus” by Vilhelm Bergsøe.
Oooh and Ahhh at the Subculture Contraptor Lounge: Authoress of the Parasol Protectorate Gail Carriger gaily holds forth on the fashionable subjects of fashion, fiction, and more. The Steampunk Workshop founder Jake von Slatts Steampunk Manifesto” shares his musings amusing and profound on the future of Steam.
Look Upon Our Brass-Plated Wonders: From the rough streets of modern-day Manchester, world-famous adventurer John Coulthart provides the near-tactile visual experience of this elaborative tome. He is joined by the likes of the artistes Secret Agent Ramona Szczerba (a.k.a. Winona Cookie) and Lovereaftian maestro Eric Orchard.
Meet the Masterminds: Editors Extraordinaire Ann and Jeff VanderMeer, the well-known literary vagabonds and mesmerists, do fully guarantee your satisfaction. However, the publisher does regret that the VanderMeers have become mysteriously unavailable to respond to any grievances.
Its Steampunkand its reloaded.
Review
The dynamic VanderMeers follow 2008s
Steampunk with this engaging anthology of 23 stories (three original to this volume, including Jeffrey Fords Dr. Lash Remembers), two essays (including one by Gail Carriger), and a roundtable interview, all of which define, deepen, and demonstrate the clockwork beauty of automaton-laden science fiction. Standouts include Tanith Lees madness-inspired The Persecution Machine; Caitlín R. Kiernans hauntingly beautiful tale of The Steam Dancer (1896); Marc Laidlaws photographic encyclopedia of Great Breakthroughs in Darkness; Sydney Paduas comic Lovelace and Babbage: Origins, with Salamander; the frightening Pinocchio of Cherie Priests Tanglefoot; William Gibsons proto-steampunk tale The Gernsback Continuum; and Flying Fish Prometheus (A Fantasy of the Future) by Vilhelm Bergsøe, a Danish contemporary of Jules Verne and H. G. Wells. Fabulous interior design by John Coulthart completes this worthy sequel to its well-regarded predecessor.”
Publishers Weekly, starred review
Steampunk is a genre for thinkers, and this book proves the point. The stories inside are beautiful, often lyrical, frequently disturbing, always exciting, and occasionally even funny, but theyre also dense, literary, and trusting of the reader to be smart enough to get it.”
New York Journal of Books
Steampunk fans will want to add this to their personal collections; libraries owning the first volume should round out their holdings.”
Library Journal
The VanderMeers have, once again, captured the essence of the genre.... This book is a must-have collection for fans of steampunk and those who love a dark, rousing tale of what could have been.”
Tangent
"This new collection of previously published stories spotlights some of the best short work in the subgenre."
—San Francisco Chronicle
Review
"It is as if a mad scientist had done all his shopping at Victoriana instead of Sharper Image . . . effectively captures what the steampunk genre is all about." Los Angeles Times
Review
"This new collection of previously published stories spotlights some of the best short work in the subgenre." San Francisco Chronicle
Review
"If you want to go deeper into realms where high tech and the old world meet, be sure to pick up the Steampunk anthology." San Francisco Examiner
Synopsis
Blending the romantic elegance of the Victorian era with modern scientific advances, the popular Steampunk genre spotlighted in this collection is innovative and stimulates the imagination. This artfully assembled anthology of original fiction, nonfiction, and art can serve as an introduction to the Steampunk culture or provide dedicated fans with more fuel. Stories of outlandishly imaginative technologies, clockwork contraptions, eccentric heroines, and mad scientists are complemented by canon-defining nonfiction and an array of original illustrations. This collection showcases the most sensational Steampunk talents of the last decade, including Daniel Abraham, John Coulthart, William Gibson, and Margo Lanagan, and demonstrates exactly why the future of the past is so excitingly new.
Synopsis
This artfully assembled anthology of original fiction, nonfiction, and art can serve as an introduction to the steampunk culture or provide dedicated fans with more fuel. Includes works by Daniel Abraham, John Coulthart, William Gibson, and Margo Lanagan.
About the Author
"The dynamic VanderMeers follow 2008's Steampunk with this engaging anthology of 23 stories . . . which define, deepen, and demonstrate the clockwork beauty of automaton-laden science fiction." Publishers Weekly
"Steampunk fans will want to add this to their personal collections; libraries owning the first volume should round out their holdings." Library Journal"If you want to go deeper into realms where high tech and the old world meet, be sure to pick up the Steampunk anthology." San Francisco Examiner"It is as if a mad scientist had done all his shopping at Victoriana instead of Sharper Image . . . effectively captures what the steampunk genre is all about." Los Angeles Times"This new collection of previously published stories spotlights some of the best short work in the subgenre." San Francisco Chronicle"Though it may be the brass's flash that first attracts readers, it's the grime and verdigris that makes the stories, and this anthology, so compelling."
Time Out Chicago"Chock full of brass, steam, diabolical engines, villains, Victorian aesthetics, romance, and humour . . . An essential primer!" Steampunk Workshop
"A wonderful addition to any collectionrich and varied enough to continually offer new ideas, new takes on oldies but goodies, and intense excitement and adventure in myriad styles. The book feels fresh, new, and at the same time, like it should have been actually produced at the time it's set in." New York Journal of Books