From Publishers Weekly
Starred 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. (June)
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Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
"Highly recommended for all libraries that collect speculative fiction." —Library Journal
"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
"Both fans of steampunk and readers for whom it's a foreign concept should find this collection rewarding." —Kirkus Reviews
"Jeff VanderMeer is one of the most remarkable practitioners of the literary fantastic in America today." —Locus
"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
"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 edited by Ann and Jeff Vandermeer." —San Francisco Examiner
Book Description
Replete with whimsical mechanical wonders and charmingly anachronistic settings, this pioneering anthology gathers a brilliant blend of fantastical stories. Steampunk originates in the romantic elegance of the Victorian era and blends in modern scientific advances—synthesizing imaginative technologies such as steam-driven robots, analog supercomputers, and ultramodern dirigibles. The elegant allure of this popular new genre is represented in this rich collection by distinctively talented authors, including Neal Stephenson, Michael Chabon, James Blaylock, Michael Moorcock, and Joe R. Lansdale.
