Steam Powered: Lesbian Steampunk Stories

Steam Powered: Lesbian Steampunk Stories, A Penny Dreadful Review

            I just read the most delightful anthology. Steam Powered introduces us to Steampunk lesbians from five continents. They are from cities, deserts, and jungles, the future, the past, and places that never were. They are cyborgs and pirates, spies and runaway brides, madwomen and scientists. The editor, JoSelle Vanderhooft, has masterfully assembled this brilliant conglomeration. It reminds me a bit of a bright rainbow quilt – every piece wildly different, and the whole a masterpiece.

            I must mention a few tales of adventure and romance in particular. “Brilliant,” by Georgina Bruce, features lush descriptions of a beautiful Cairo and strangers on a train. “Steel Rider,” by Rachel Manija Brown, introduces the reader to damaged people in large suits of mysterious armor. “Love In The Time Of Airships,” by Meredith Holmes, is a crown jewel of a novella at the center of this anthology. It is sweet, sexy, intriguing, and exciting. “Effluent Engine,” by N. K. Jemisin, happens to be my personal favorite. There’s Haiti, New Orleans, spies, and the uncovering of a scientific mind. Also, a daring escape on an airship. I can never resist a daring escape on an airship.

            Not all these tales have happy endings. Perhaps that is because not all real-life lesbians have happy endings. Perhaps that is because some romances are doomed. At any rate, this is not a book of happily-ever-afters. It is a book of adventures that will stick with you.

I give Steam Powered four gears out of five. I highly recommend that you seek out this fantastic collection and read it immediately.

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

Butterfly Gate

Butterfly Gate: A Penny Dreadful Review

A brother and sister stray from their nanny whilst hunting butterflies. They stumble upon a mysterious gate guarded by a stone idol. Quite by accident, they discover that blood opens the ancient door. They glimpse the wonders beyond, but it shuts in their faces before they can truly experience the gate’s eerie magic. They need more blood, and Nanny has lots…
Butterfly Gate is told by Benjamin Read and Chris Wildgoose with no words. There is only art. It is beautiful. It is also incredibly disturbing. This is the sort of thing a toddler could “read” to you, but I would not put this into the hands of a child. They might get ideas.
The style might remind you of the style of the True Grit comic adaptation or other projects. That would be because both the writer and the illustrator worked on that comic and, according to the aethernet, have been quite busy living the dream and being amazing. This project – I’ve only seen the first issue – is one of several ongoing sequential art projects at Improper Books, a fantastic indie publisher in the UK. As a Steampunk, I recommend investigating their work. It has the twisted, fairy-tale quality that makes Butterfly Gate so enchanting.
Four and a half gears out of five all around. This is brilliant, gorgeous, and terrifying. I highly recommend picking up Butterfly Gate from www.improperbooks.com

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather