Call number
Genres
Publication
Solaris (2008), Mass Market Paperback, 448 pages
Pages
441
Description
Extraordinary Engines: The Definitive Steampunk Anthology assembles original stories by some of the genre's foremost writers. Edited by Nick Gevers, this collection includes brand new stories by Stephen Baxter, Eric Brown, Paul Di Filippo, Hal Duncan, Jeffrey Ford, Jay Lake, Ian R. MacLeod, Michael Moorcock, Robert Reed, Lucius Shepard, Brian Stableford, Jeff VanderMeer and more.
Awards
Locus Award (Nominee — Anthology — 2009)
Locus Recommended Reading (Anthologies — 2008)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2008
Physical description
441 p.; 6.6 inches
ISBN
1844166007 / 9781844166008
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User reviews
LibraryThing member stellarexplorer
This collection is the first work of steampunk I have sampled, save for its period progenitors in the forms of Mary Shelley, Verne, Poe, and Wells, which I have enjoyed immensely. Therefore, I am unable to put it into any perspective with respect to other works in this sub-genre. That I cannot rave
I came to the book excited to understand what this brand of literature was about, and I ended up not especially drawn to it. For me it feels limiting, authors fitting themselves into particular tropes and settings. I prefer the more open and unlimited canvasses of SF and fantasy. Or the period literature, which to me feels more natural in its telling.
Of the stories in this collection, I most enjoyed the satirical and well-played "Lady Witherspoon’s Solution" by James Morrow; "Hannah" by Keith Brooke which might be a new form: gothic steampunk (or perhaps that’s just the punk in the steampunk); and "The Dream of Reason" by Jeffrey Ford, playing on the familiar Victorian theme of the brilliant and singular gentleman-scientist.
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about Extraordinary Engines may say more about the feelings I am newly discovering for steampunk in general than about this book. I respect the work of editor Nick Gevers, having enjoyed his columns in Locus magazine.I came to the book excited to understand what this brand of literature was about, and I ended up not especially drawn to it. For me it feels limiting, authors fitting themselves into particular tropes and settings. I prefer the more open and unlimited canvasses of SF and fantasy. Or the period literature, which to me feels more natural in its telling.
Of the stories in this collection, I most enjoyed the satirical and well-played "Lady Witherspoon’s Solution" by James Morrow; "Hannah" by Keith Brooke which might be a new form: gothic steampunk (or perhaps that’s just the punk in the steampunk); and "The Dream of Reason" by Jeffrey Ford, playing on the familiar Victorian theme of the brilliant and singular gentleman-scientist.
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LibraryThing member justifiedsinner
Although subtitled as the definitive steampunk anthology Nick Gevers, in his introduction, does not choose to give a definition of what steampunk is. This is perhaps fortunate since only 5 of the twelve stories would fall into what I would define as steampunk and these 5 are not necessarily the
I suppose if I am to criticise the lack of a definition I should provide one.
I read steampunk before it was steampunk when Michael Moorcock was writing it and before KW Jeter coined the term. To me (and all such definitions must be subjective) steampunk is set in the world of the first Industrial revolution (weather this be on Earth, some other planet or some other alternate reality) it evokes the time when the idea of progress was less ambivalent, when science was looked on as a saviour and when mechanics rather than electronics was to the fore.
Of the five that I would consider steampunk the strongest is American Cheetah, a western version of steampunk that is a relief from the mostly British or faux British settings of most steampunk stories. Steampunch is rather pedestrian and predictable, Speed the Cable seems an excerpt from a secret agent serial and Machine Maid an interesting femist (and Australian) take on the genre. Petrolpunk starts off steampunk and then veers off into a pastiche of subgenres and various stylistic devices that render it generall unsatisfying.
Of those I would not consider steampunk Static by Marly Youmans is by far the strongest story and indeed the best in the book. Set in an alternate reality where static electricity is more prevalent (increased value of e perhaps?) and in a society that is reminiscent in many ways of Miyazaki's films and, like them, complete with a strong and delightful heroine. Lady Witherspoons solution is an Edwardian satire that reminded me of Aldous Huxley's 'After Many a Summer'. Hannah and Elementals are both rather pedestrian. The Dream of Reason interesting but slight and Fixing Hanover, while strong, again seems to be a excerpt from a longer work. The Lollygang save the world on Accident set in an intriguing steampunkish world created by another intelligence. While the influence of the world's creators prevail over the steampunk elements the story is strong and leaves one interested in learning more about that world.
All in all I feel that if one is to advertise oneself as the definitive anthology one should have included more of what is generally regarded as steampunk. This would of course include Moorcock, Jeter, Sterling etc. And given that is collection casts its net so wide it is disappointing that the catch contains so many small fry.
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strongest. Instead of a definition he details influences (Wells, Verne et al.) and history (Moorcock, Difference Engine etc.). I suppose if I am to criticise the lack of a definition I should provide one.
I read steampunk before it was steampunk when Michael Moorcock was writing it and before KW Jeter coined the term. To me (and all such definitions must be subjective) steampunk is set in the world of the first Industrial revolution (weather this be on Earth, some other planet or some other alternate reality) it evokes the time when the idea of progress was less ambivalent, when science was looked on as a saviour and when mechanics rather than electronics was to the fore.
Of the five that I would consider steampunk the strongest is American Cheetah, a western version of steampunk that is a relief from the mostly British or faux British settings of most steampunk stories. Steampunch is rather pedestrian and predictable, Speed the Cable seems an excerpt from a secret agent serial and Machine Maid an interesting femist (and Australian) take on the genre. Petrolpunk starts off steampunk and then veers off into a pastiche of subgenres and various stylistic devices that render it generall unsatisfying.
Of those I would not consider steampunk Static by Marly Youmans is by far the strongest story and indeed the best in the book. Set in an alternate reality where static electricity is more prevalent (increased value of e perhaps?) and in a society that is reminiscent in many ways of Miyazaki's films and, like them, complete with a strong and delightful heroine. Lady Witherspoons solution is an Edwardian satire that reminded me of Aldous Huxley's 'After Many a Summer'. Hannah and Elementals are both rather pedestrian. The Dream of Reason interesting but slight and Fixing Hanover, while strong, again seems to be a excerpt from a longer work. The Lollygang save the world on Accident set in an intriguing steampunkish world created by another intelligence. While the influence of the world's creators prevail over the steampunk elements the story is strong and leaves one interested in learning more about that world.
All in all I feel that if one is to advertise oneself as the definitive anthology one should have included more of what is generally regarded as steampunk. This would of course include Moorcock, Jeter, Sterling etc. And given that is collection casts its net so wide it is disappointing that the catch contains so many small fry.
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LibraryThing member Rivendell
I found this to be an interesting collection although possibly overweighted with stories about automatons (5 of the 12). "Steampunch" by James Lovegrove was a well wrought story full of atmosphere. "Static" by Marly Youmans is a 'victorian' romance set in a world with bizarre, but well imagined
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physical properties. "Speed, speed the cable" by Kage Baker I found unsatisfactory, maybe because it comes from the world of his novels (which I have not read) so didn't quite work as a stand-alone-story. "Elementals" by Ian R MacLeod this is a tightly written story with an intriguing ending. "Machine Maid" by Margo Lanagan worked well with 'authentic' 'period' detail and exploring issues of isolation and sex education. "Lady Witherspoon's Solution" by James Marrow really felt like a Victorian story, however although it was a good read, it wasn't one of my favourites. "Hannah" by Keith Brooke is a satisfying dark tale with unexpected twists. "Petrolpunk" by Adam Roberts was, for me, the least successful story in the collection, although it had some interesting ideas it ended as a damp squib. On the other hand "American Cheetah" by Robert Reed is an excellent short story, well crafted with humour and energy. "Fixing Hanover" by Jeff VanderMeer is my favourite story of the collection, a desperately sad story of love and science and ethics. "The Lollygang Save the World on Accident" by Jay Lake is a fine story with a brilliantly envisioned world although the ending is rather abrupt. The final story in the collection "The dream or reason" by Jeffery Ford is, to me, more fantasy than steampunk, however it is a well written story of obsession above all else with some fine imagery. Show Less
LibraryThing member nsblumenfeld
This is a difficult book to review. It’s not a bad anthology, but it is sequenced in a way that it took me a couple months to work through the first half of the book before zipping through the latter stories in a couple days. It does itself a grave disservice by claiming as its subtitle The
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Definitive Steampunk Anthology, because, while it features some fine stories, it is hardly definitive. As with many anthologies, it contains a few standout stories, a few duds, and a few fine but unexciting pieces. It’s clear from reading the reviews, however, that unlike many anthologies, there’s very little consensus on which stories fall into which category. To me, the book got off to an uneven start. Lovegrove’s contribution nearly lost me in the first couple pages before reeling me in with a decent but unexceptional tale. Marly Youman’s Static will be the love it or hate it story for most readers: a challenging and different and potentially rewarding story that took me a couple tries to get into. Kage Baker’s story was fun and amusing but hardly one of her better efforts. Margo Lanagan’s story was fairly cutting but again, not one of her best. Ian MacLeod’s Elementals was pretty good but not particularly memorable. The anthology really picked up steam in its second half. James Morrow’s contribution was funny and disturbing; Keith Brooke’s entry is a trifle, easy to read and easy to forget; Adam Roberts’ spent two-thirds of its length being the best story in the anthology before degenerating into an unsatisfying mess; but the final four stories, by Robert Reed, Jeff VanderMeer, Jay Lake and Jeffrey Ford, are all very good, bringing the anthology to a close on a high note. All in all, a slightly above-average themed anthology. Recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member bespen
I was disappointed with this book. Calling the book "definitive" is a stretch, but I was willing to let that pass. What truly disappointed me is the poor quality of the stories. Poorly written, clichéd, and heavy-handed are all terms that come to mind. To me the term steampunk brings to mind the
That being so, let me look briefly upon the two stories within this volume that I did enjoy.
Steampunch - James Lovegrove
There is just something about Mars that makes it a good place for a penal colony. Lots of authors have done this, it just seems right. Of all the stories in this volume, this one had the best look and feel.
The Lollygang Save the World on Accident - Jay Lake
Madcap, with the sense of a larger world that the story is embedded within. Only remotely steampunk, but I still liked the story.
I do not plan on ever reading anything by the authors in this collection, so it has basically failed to do its job. Life is just too short to read bad books.
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works of Tim Powers and James Blaylock. I have enjoyed the works of both of those authors [I never liked Jeter, too Gnostic for my taste], and I hoped for more of the same. My hopes were dashed. I would never have purchased this book.That being so, let me look briefly upon the two stories within this volume that I did enjoy.
Steampunch - James Lovegrove
There is just something about Mars that makes it a good place for a penal colony. Lots of authors have done this, it just seems right. Of all the stories in this volume, this one had the best look and feel.
The Lollygang Save the World on Accident - Jay Lake
Madcap, with the sense of a larger world that the story is embedded within. Only remotely steampunk, but I still liked the story.
I do not plan on ever reading anything by the authors in this collection, so it has basically failed to do its job. Life is just too short to read bad books.
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LibraryThing member JohnnyPanic13
This was an amazing anthology. If you've got any love, or interest in, the steampunk genre, get this anthology. If you already read steampunk, this one will jump to the front of your favorites. If you haven't read steampunk, but you're kinda curious, this is the perfect introduction. There are
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examples in this anthology of what the genre can do when in the hands of truly talented writers. (ya... I'm talking to you Mr. Vandermeer) Show Less
LibraryThing member JohnnyPanic13
This was an amazing anthology. If you've got any love, or interest in, the steampunk genre, get this anthology. If you already read steampunk, this one will jump to the front of your favorites. If you haven't read steampunk, but you're kinda curious, this is the perfect introduction. There are
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examples in this anthology of what the genre can do when in the hands of truly talented writers. (ya... I'm talking to you Mr. Vandermeer) Show Less