Book Thoughts

Steampunk, a collection of short stories edited by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer, offers an entertaining and sometimes thought provoking look at the genre. The collection starts off with a preface followed by a short essay describing the 19th century origins of the genre by Jess Nevins. I had no idea that steampunk can trace its roots all the way back to the 19th century. Like most people, I assumed that the genre came to be in the 1980’s and 90’s. By reading his essay, I could clearly see the influence earlier works had on modern day steampunk. The end of his essay makes a sad point. He contends that most second generation steampunk is not true steampunk — there is little to nothing “punk” about it. I agree and disagree with that statement. There are a lot of stories that are more like mainstream science fiction with a steampunk visual style. But, as shown by some of the stories in this collection, there are still authors who stay true to the “punk” roots of the genre. There are rebels critiquing their society, the social disparities, the perils of ruthless capitalism. Not every story in this collection is about an inventor creating a steam-rocket to go to Mars. To be fair, there are some like that, but that is what makes this collection so great. There are lighthearted stories as well as darker ones.

I’ll try to discuss some of the standout stories (in my opinion) from this collection. Obviously, not every story is a brilliant piece of fiction, but all of them were still quite enjoyable.

Ted Chiang’s short story, Seventy-Two Letters, was one of the high points in this collection. His combination of steampunk-esque automaton and Kabbalistic mysticism combined to create a stunning piece of work. Some authors will take their own technology that they’ve created for their story for granted. To some, the technology is a tool to propel the protagonists and plot. For Chiang, the technology becomes the plot. Chiang makes sure that his characters examine the ethical ramifications of science of “names” and trying to fashion a “name” for the human race. The technical terms that he invents get a little confusing partway through the story, but they do add to its authenticity. I would recommend this story not only to fans of steampunk but to fans of thought provoking science fiction.

Jay Lake’s story, The God-Clown Is Near, was a creepy and excellent take on the Golem trope. I really want to read more of his Dark Town stories. They are chilling, imaginative, and clever all at the same time. Clown’s already scare me enough but to hear characters talk about a God-Clown (an über-golem) filled with weapons and question the existence of a moral clown, literally made shivers run down my spine. This story is right up there with Chiang’s as my favorites in this collection.

A fun example of the lighthearted form of steampunk comes from the first story in the collection, Lord Kelvin’s Machine, by James P. Blaylock. Apparently, this story was rewritten into novel form. I haven’t read the novel, but as a short story it works pretty well. In this story a comet is going to pass dangerously close to Earth. One hunchbacked Doctor Narbondo has created a machine to cause volcanoes on one side of the globe to erupt. He hopes that by doing that, the force of these numerous detonations will push the Earth into the path of the comet. Already we are dealing with some 19th century pseudo-science and it’s awesome. In response, the Royal Academy, commissions Lord Kelvin to build a machine to nullify the Earth’s magnetic field. If the Earth is not magnetized, the metallic core of the comet will not be attracted to the Earth.  The style of the story reminded me of something out of a Jules Verne novel.  The moral ramifications of the science used in this story aren’t examined, but who cares?  It’s still good fun.

There are other fascinating stories in this collection, some like Lake’s, some like Blaylock’s.  Some even fall in between.  Some are more of a miss than others, but these are few and far between.  My biggest (still very small) complaint with this collection is that I wished there were more stories included.  That’s just because I love steampunk that much.  Also, this collection comes with extra essays at the back that examine steampunk within pop culture, including an essay that explores steampunk through comics.  I had no idea this amount of material even existed.  I can’t wait until Extraordinary Engines is released this fall, but for now this collection will hold me over just fine.

Score: 4.25 / 5

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