Magic Monday: Steampunk Fairy Tales, an anthology

Once a month I post a book review for a fantasy novel that I’ve read in the recent past. These reviews are posted on “Magic Monday”, the second Monday of every month. (Except when I’m late, as was the case this month…)

Today I’m reviewing Steampunk Fairy Tales, an anthology containing an eclectic bunch of fairy tale retellings, all with the same common theme–steampunk. Given that I love both fairy tale retellings and steampunk, I was excited to read this anthology, and it didn’t disappoint!

I should give a brief disclaimer before I continue with this review… I do know some of the authors published in this book, but they are casual acquaintances and no one solicited this book review. I’m reviewing it because I enjoyed the anthology and wanted to let more people know about it.

The anthology contains seven fairy tale retellings, each one of a different tale, some mixing elements from more than one. They are from a variety of cultures and put all sorts of spins on the classic stories.

I loved The Clockwork People, a retelling of Pinocchio by Angela Castillo. Perfection by Chris Champe sent chills down my spine. I remember studying a variety of retellings of Blackbeard in my Fairytales class in college, but this one takes it to another level.

The Mech Oni and the Three-Inch Tinkerer by Leslie and David T. Allen is my favorite of the bunch–I have a weakness for Japanese fairy tales and they capture the essence of the original tale with a smooth steampunk twist.

Allison Latzko‘s The Copper Eyes was creepy, but awesome, and I loved how she handled the damsel-in-distress. Strawberry Sins by Heather White was even creepier, vying with Perfection for most sinister (Perfection wins that competition, but only just.)

The Yellow Butterfly by Ashley Capes was as lovely as its title, and the haiku that evolves as the story unfolds captures perfectly the heartache of the main character. The last story of the anthology, Aubrey in the World Above by Daniel Lind, I will admit was my least favorite. Although I love retellings of Jack and the Beanstalk, this one didn’t quite capture me. The pacing felt off, almost rushed at times, and the ending was quite sudden. It felt as though some important parts of the story were missing. However, I have read stories in a similar style before, and I think it’s less the story’s fault as my own; I prefer a little more cohesive narrative.

All in all, I greatly enjoyed this anthology and will be saving it on my Kindle to read again in the future.

Intrigued? Steampunk Fairy Tales is available on Amazon!