Steampunk Challenge Review # 2
Five cutely bound stories, like chocolate in a gift box, seem the perfect package for erotica. Each volume was published by www.steamypunk.net
I purchased these a while back, but only read the first one. Since I’m using this Steampunk Challenge to work my way through the TBR pile, I thought this was a great time to give these confections a try. They are quick and dirty for the most part. Grading Steampunk elements in such short pieces is a tad difficult. Is it really cool wallpaper, a mere mention, or part of the story?
Without further ado, the Steamypunk Collection recap:
#1 A Man of the Waste by Margaret Killjoy
#2 A Pirate of Both Day & Night by Margaret Killjoy
#3 Emerson & Adalia by Dimitri Markotin
#4 Chaos Theory by Dimitri Markotin
#5 Emerson & Adalia Rob A House by Dimitri Markotin
#1 A Man of the Waste — This story while it does not have a recognizable Victorian setting, but it has tons of atmosphere and steam and gears. A young man fresh from the Waste is propositioned by an intriguing woman who then vanishes with no explanation only to reappear later with still less explanation. I loved the world building here and wouldn’t mind seeing more of it. The sex was definitely steamy and the story ends with a note of snide humor which I liked. (Best Story in the Lot)
#2 A Pirate of Both Day & Night — This is a f/f story aboard a full automated steam-driven pirate ship. No mast required. The premise is a one woman crew, raids merchant vessels and liberates it merchandise and a female sailor.
#3 Emerson & Adalia — Steampunk references: airships; mysterious beauty comes shows up uninvited to a ball where the son of a lord is smitten. Sex and crime ensue.
#4 Chaos Theory — is m/m/f story about a penniless scholar and two lecturers who take him under their wing? This story was only okay. It has some Steampunk wallpaper — a scientific theory, the mention of a horseless carriage, and flight in a dirigible. But, they are sort of incidental. Kind of boring with a funny line about poetry.
#5 Emerson & Adalia Rob A House — m/f/f; Steampunk elements:??? Emerson and Adalia add a friend Edith to their first joint venture into screwing & looting.
Overall I’d say the collection was a C- . I know there is a limited number of things you can do in stories this small and that by their nature sex was a big part, but I wanted a little more Steampunk.
Other Notes:
♦ A while back I mentioned a collection that I enjoyed called Like Clockwork, like in any collection some of the stories are perfect and some go just a little beyond the pale. But, if you are interested in the steamier side of Steampunk that might be a place to start.
♦ Lavie Tidhar also shares her thoughts on sex, science, and Steampunk at the Mad Hatter.
Victorian Fact ( or a line of random text):
“The dandy is fundamentally theatrical being, abjectly dependent on the recognition of the audience he professes to disdain.” p22 Dandies and Desert Saints: Styles of Victorian Manhood by James Eli Adams
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The Steampunk Challenge is run by Rikki @ The Bookkeeper.
Filed under: books, Steampunk Challenge | Tagged: Dandies and Desert Saints: Styles of Victorian Manhood, Dimitri Markotin, James Eli Adams, Margaret Killjoy, review, Steampunk Challenge, Steamypunk | 2 Comments »