You get a pretty massive amount of stories here, but they weren't what I expected. I hoped for more like [b:The Sisters of Saint Nicola of The Almost Perpetual Motion vs the Lurch|61484969|The Sisters of Saint Nicola of The Almost Perpetual Motion vs the Lurch|Garth Nix|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1658336090l/61484969._SY75_.jpg|97070422] . These stories were all much more... Bland. Mundane. Alt historical fans would probably like it. ( )

I find myself torn, as I so frequently am with anthologies, between great enthusiasm and complete boredom concerning this book. Some of the stories I found excellent; some were little more than scenes or prose poems. Most are not what I’ve come to expect from standard steampunk; while there are airships and robotics and alternate histories, there is not the perky heroine and handy, well dressed hero racing through an Indiana Jones type adventure. Many of these stories tackle racism, colonialism, sexism, and class stratification. Many also desert the usual Victorian London or American wild West settings so common in steampunk; we find ourselves in Haiti and Meso-America as well as other places. I applaud the inclusion of these tales that stretch the usual boundaries of steampunk, but some of them could have been a lot more interesting. ( )

Thank you, for curing me of my appetite for Steampunk. ( )

I keep reading steampunk anthologies, and I keep liking them. Of course, it probably helps that this one had a substantial overlap with the material in Steampunk Reloaded. That was a touch disappointing, but otherwise, these were all generally engaging stories. ( )