Book Picks: "Steampunk!: An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories" Edited by Kelly Link & Gavin J. Grant

"Steampunk!" is an anthology of steampunk stories by some of today's hottest teen authors, including Holly Black, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare.  But it was the fact that the co-editor is one of my favourite authors, Kelly Link, made this book a must-read for me.

Some of the stories appealed to me more than others, but the best ones were so inventive, I highly recommend the collection.  My favourites were: "Some Fortunate Future Day" by Cassandra Clare, "The Summer People" by Kelly Link, "Steam Girl" by Dylan Horrocks and "Everything Amiable and Oblong" by Holly Black.


*Spoilers*


A lot of the stories left unanswered questions.  What do you think the answers are?

"Some Future Fortunate Day":

Do you think Rose managed to win Jonah's heart?  How many times do you think she will use the time device?   (I think the answer lies in what happened to her pet rabbit.)

"Steam Girl":

Do you think Shanaia Swift and her father are really Steam Girl and Professor Archibald James Patterson Swift?  If not, how do you explain that the power went out when she used her Reality Gun?  Where do you think Shania's mother is (perhaps the Steam Girl stories contain a clue)?

"The Summer People":

Do you think Fran will ever go home again to care for the summer people?  Do you think Orphelia saw her heart's desire?  What do you think happened to Ryan and Kyle when they entered the Queen's room?

And as she looked about, she did behold, How over that same door was likewise writ, Be bold, be bold, and everywhere Be bold† At last she spied at that room's upper end Another iron door, on which was writ Be not too bold.

- Edmund Spenser
  The Faerie Queen, bk.3, canto11, stanza