6.17.2013
Steampunk Prime
edited by Mike Ashley, 236 pgs, paperbackOverall Grade: C+
It's always some hit and some miss with anthologies and this is no exception. Ashley started out with the premise to resurrect little-known steampunk-esque stories original published from the 1880's to the 1910's i.e. the historical "era" on which the steampunk genre draws. At the time most of these stories would have been speculative fiction or outright science fiction. I'd also argue that some of the editor's inclusions sit much closer to sci-fi than steampunk. Once the author sets the story in the future, especially the far future, even if the technology they imagine is based on steam, that's sci-fi not steampunk.
Labels: genre: anthology, genre: fiction, genre: scifi, genre: steampunk, media: book
