Dreams of Steam

Today's post is on Dreams of Steam edited by Kimberly Richardson. It is a short story anthology and is 246 pages long. The cover has a woman reading with a boiler behind her. The intended reader is someone who likes steampunk. There is language, talk of sex, and some violence in this anthology. Age 16 and up just to be safe. The stories go from third person close to first person from author to author. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- This is Steampunk! Travel back to a time when steam powered inventions ruled the land, water, and sky. It's a time of extraordinary contraptions and innovative ideas created by men and women who dared to ask the question, “What if ?”. Peer through the glazed window into a world long gone, but not forgotten. Make a cup of tea, find a comfortable chair, strap on your goggles, and be amazed at the power of steam!

Review- This is a pretty good anthology. Like all anthologies some stories were better than others but in my opinion there are only two weak stories of the seventeen offerings. The stories cover everything from airships flights to building mechanical limbs to replace the ones lost in war. Every flavor you could want in both steampunk and short stories. The poetry was an unexpected and pleasant surprise. My favorite story was For the Love of Steam by Missa Dixon. She writes from the perspective of a beloved dog Charlie. Charlie just wants his mommy to be happy again now that the war is over. She lost a leg in the war but she built herself a new one. So she ends up building new arms and legs for people who lost them in the war and Charlie gets a new Daddy. The thing that I really enjoyed about this story was how real the chracters were to me. You can feel how sad Charlie is for his mommy and how happy everything is at the end of the story. The story is so uplifting. Another favorite is In the Mountain Skies by Stephen Zimmer. It is about a man who goes from place to place stopping evil forces with his cat. Together they keep people safe from the things that go bump in the night. For this story it was the world that got me. Zimmer made it so clear and real to me. I believed in the monster and in the magic spring. If you are looking for a quick read or something steampunk or just something different try this one.

I give this anthology a Four out of Five Stars. I get nothing for this review and I bought this book with my own money.