The Giving Mouthpart of
Steampunk (anthology)
edited by Ann & Jeff Vandermeer
Published: 2008
Genre: Steampunk
Excerpt from the book (page 54):
I remember that on the afternoon when my story truly begins I had been wandering in the marshes between the slagheaps and the Pits where the water's rainbowed oil and exposed minerals made grasses and flowers in colours of dream. Copper green. Cobalt blue. Oxide red. A lonely place, usually pretty, although often things nested and grew there that sent me stumbling away in disgust. So I always looking around in the wash of light, half in joy, half in fear.
Excerpt from the book (page 62):
The waiting steamhorse was chuffing restlessly. It had its fill of the best coal in the stables and although it was too stupid to understand the importance of the journey, it senses the something unusual was afoot. Its headlights glowed. Its piston arms were hot with anticipation.
My thoughts:
In-a-word(s): The Blight
This story story was described as being in a "gaslight" pseudo-Victorian mode.
You can probably tell that the second excerpt above was the inspiration for the pictures I selected this week. Neat, huh? mechanical horsies.
This short story was a dark one set amongst the poor workers surrounding a Castleiron with a queen who is "as round as a snowberry and twice as bitter."
And then, The Blight...
*image of steamhorse created by Vermin Star
