Official Review: Gears of Brass

[beebee216]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Gears of Brass" by Jordan Elizabeth, Lorna MacDonald Czarnota, Eliza Tilton, Clare Weze, Christine Baker, Natalia Darcy.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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If you don't know what steampunk is, then you must be living under a rock. In which case I'm actually envious of you. The steampunk trend has taken over nearly every avenue of entertainment in recent years. While aesthetically pleasing, I'm not in any rush to strap on a corset or some rusty gears. In Gears of Brass: A Steampunk Anthology, eleven clever authors rework fairy tales with the mechanical allure of steampunk. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading them.

Typically steampunk stories are set in a 19th century Victorian era. However, these authors have created what they call "an alternate India fantasy world". While writing steampunk isn't always easy, these authors blew me away. They managed to create vivid settings, while not overdoing the steampunk aspect. On top of that, they reworked fairy tales in new and exciting ways. They've created stories that I feel will outlast the steampunk trend itself. Which I really hope will be ending soon.

The writing styles of each author were unique and entertaining in their own ways. I was however partial to the five stories by Jordan Elizabeth. Particularly her story The Clockwork Beast, which seemed to be a combination of Beauty and the Beast with Frankenstein. I wouldn't mind if she wrote an entire book just for that story. Another incredibly interesting story was My Golden Anabel by Natalia Darcy. I poured through this story in a manner of minutes. That's the problem with short stories, they end much too soon.

As I mentioned earlier the settings for each of the stories were brilliantly done. I was able to close my eyes and feel transported into their worlds. While each author did an excellent job, some did stand out over others. Which did create a bit of a disconnect in the flow of the entire book. Another issue I had was I felt some stories dragged out while others ended way too quickly. I am still greatly impressed by the balance of steampunk within each story. However I'm still not wearing a corset, I enjoy breathing too much.

I rate this book 4 out of 4. The creative writing styles, the edgy storytelling, and the mechanical monsters made for a great read. Besides you get 15 gripping stories for the price of one, you can't beat that. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in steampunk and twisted story tales. It should be noted this book would appeal more to the younger generation. That being said the stories are really well done, and could entertain the older generation as well.

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Gears of Brass
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[zeldas_lullaby]

Great review!

Correct me if I'm wrong: steampunk refers to old-fashioned Victorian decor and such with well-bred, educated zombies thrown in, right? Like, zombies on a bike built for two, that sort of thing?

[gali]

I love steampunk!

Thank you for the nice review.

[beebee216]

Thanks! Steampunk is usually just revolved around old school technology systems and old Victorian attire. But if you're looking for a steampunk novel that has zombies, check out the series Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard. @zeldas_lullaby

Thanks! I'm sure you'll love this book then! @gali

[zeldas_lullaby]

Oooh, OK. So how'd I come up with zombies on a bike built for two??

Thanks for the definition and the book suggestion!!

[bluemel4]

Great review. I love fairy tale retellings!

[beebee216]

Thanks! They did a really nice job with the stories, I'm sure you'll enjoy them @bluemel4