When Steampunk was real

A fascinating collection of tales.

This beautifully bound and printed book is a collection of Victorian Science Fiction tales.
Edited by Mike Ashley, these tales have wonders that even today's Steampunk authors are hard put to equal.
From the forward:

The assemblage of these unjustly forgotten stories... provides us with a chance to divest ourselves of a century of preconceptions, misconceptions and misprisions, and to return to the dawn of a literature, when the future-- our present-- still shone with a numinous radiance.
--Paul Di Filippo

There are tales of airships, robots, aerocars, submarines, fearsome weapons, marvelous adventures and catastrophic dangers. These are tales of the future from a time "when everything seemed not only possible but inevitable."

Although the book is entitled "Steampunk" these are not Steampunk tales anymore than Jules Verne or H.G. Wells tales are Steampunk. These are indeed "Extraordinary Tales of Victorian Futurism", as the subtitle states, and show that imagination is a gift we all share whether in Victorian times or now.

This book is also a jewel as a physical object, the cover is gorgeous, nearly every page is bordered by gears and colours, and the tales are illustrated with fanciful and period illustrations. The colours are vibrant. The pages are fairly thick paper which complements the illustrations and text, giving this book a heft that is a joy to hold and read.

Truly a marvelous addition to anyones library of fiction.

Alas I was only lent this beauty, thank you Monica, so it must return to its owner but I will certainly keep on the lookout to add it to my collection.

Keep your sightglass full, your firebox trimmed and your water iced.
KJ

Title
Steampunk
Extraordinary Tales of Victorian Futurism

Author
Various
Edited by Mark Ashley

Publisher
Fall River Press

Date
2012

ISBN
978-1-4351-4193-3