Synopsis:
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.
Review:
The VanderMeers (The New Weird) have assembled another outstanding theme anthology, this one featuring stories set in alternate Victorian eras. Michael Moorcock, the godfather of steampunk, is represented by an excerpt from his classic novel The Warlord of the Air. In Lord Kelvin’s Machine,’ a fine tale from prolific steampunk author James P. Blaylock, mad scientists plot to throw the Earth into the path of a passing comet, declaring that science will save us this time, gentlemen, if it doesn’t kill us first.’ Michael Chabon’s vivid and moving The Martian Agent, a Planetary Romance’ recounts the lives of two young brothers in the aftermath of George Custer’s mutiny against Queen Victoria, while historical fantasist Mary Gentle describes a classic struggle between safety and progress in A Sun in the Attic.’ This is a superb introduction to one of the most popular and inventive subgenres in science fiction.”
Publishers Weekly, starred review
Chock full of brass, steam, diabolical engines, villains, Victorian aesthetics, romance, and humour...[a]n essential primer!”
Jake Von Slatt, The Steampunk Workshop
All stories contained in the anthology Steampunk collected by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer are of high quality.... Recommended for those who enjoy steampunk and those who want a diverse exposure to the possibilities within steampunk.”
SF Revu
The VanderMeers’s anthologies seem to be establishing a new landmark for the aughts.... Blimey, guv’nor! Mission accomplished!”
The Fix
It is as if a mad scientist had done all his shopping at Victoriana instead of Sharper Image.... [It] effectively captures what the steampunk genre is all about.”
Los Angeles Times
...of all speculative fiction’s subgenres, steampunk is proving to be among the most popular and influential.... Anne and Jeff VanderMeer have gathered many of the gnarliest examples of the genre in their Steampunk anthology.”
Manchester Guardian
...dark pseudo-Victorian fun...a great deal to offer the casual reader and the critic alike....”
SF Site
...from the inception of Steampunk right up through today...a great book...I can’t put it down.”
BoingBoing.net
This new collection of previously published stories spotlights some of the best short work in the subgenre.”
San Francisco Chronicle
...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
The diversity of the sci-fi subgenre is amply demonstrated in this anthology.... Both fans of steampunk and readers for whom it’s a foreign concept should find this collection rewarding.”
Kirkus
The VanderMeers, ardent steampunkers themselves, historically sample that fantasy genre, in which the Victorian era is reimagined to include Martian technology, steam-powered robots, airships, alchemy, and various anachronistic technologies.”
Booklist
In addition to offering a quick-shot education in the history and development of the genre, it also contains some truly excellent short fiction. Recommended.”
FantasyLiterature.com
The VanderMeers’ first Steampunk anthology (2008) can already be considered a classic.”
Tor.com
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