The Steampunk Trilogy by Paul Di Filippo
I must admit to a weakness for the steampunk genre and genre-bending in general. I’d grown up on a diet of straight fantasy until I could spout the tropes of BFF (Big Fat Fantasy) by rote. I’d read enough Sci-Fi as well to know that it was fairly devoid of the things that I love about reading, namely plot. And rarely does Sci-Fi worry about well-rounded characters. It’s all about the idea and a vision of the future. Without plot or a well-rounded character, I lose interest very quickly.
For those of you that don’t know, steampunk is generally set in Victorian England and features suped-up technology from that era. In one of my favourite books from the genre, The Difference Engine, a giant example of a Babbage computer is used by the government.
The Steampunk Trilogy is, as it says on the tin, a trilogy of stories. I won’t say books or even novellas because the stories are only just over 100 pages each.
The first featured a super-newt masquerading as Queen Victoria, the second was about a sorceror stealing a very special fetiche, and the last features Emily Dickinson, and Walt Whitman in a meta-physical adventure.
I’ll start with my favourite. The Emily Dickinson story was the most different and in my mind the best. It was interspersed with her poetry and Walt Whitman’s poetry as well, applying the verses to the narrative that the author was telling. I wasn’t sure if the conceit would fall flat on it’s face, but it didn’t. This story was quite good.
The middle story was my least favourite. There were many trite characters and exaggerated accents and teamed with a bigoted main characters to make this story a bit of a miserable experience. Maybe I should have been able to suspend my personal prejudiced toward a racist main character, but I find that I can’t. It just made me angry all the time.
The first story was middle of the road and a bit forgettable, really. Even having finished it not long ago, I don’t recall many details.
All-in-all, if I was going to recommend reading this book, I’d say the third story is a must. Maybe start with the last story first and go from there.
Score: 62/100
Book I am Reading Now: In a Dark Wood by Michael Cadnum