Gears of Brass: A Steampunk Anthology

Gears of Brass: A Steampunk Anthology by Jordan Elizabeth, Lorna MacDonald Czarnota, Christine Baker, W.K. Pomeroy, Eliza Tilton, Heather Talty, Grant Eagar, Natalia Darcy, Clare Weze, S.A. Larsen, J. Million, Susan Kaye Quinn.

The world like ours, but filled with gears of brass, where the beating heart is fueled by steam and the simplest creation is a complex clockwork device.

Within this tome, you’ll find steampunk fairy tale re-tellings, as well as original stories that will send your gears turning.

Welcome to the steampunk realm, with eleven authors guiding your path.

GEARS OF BRASS is a steampunk anthology published through Curiosity Quills. It will be available for purchase on November 10, 2014. Within the pages, you’ll come across clockwork inventions and steampunk-ified fairy tale retellings. Eleven authors will guide you through worlds filled with airships, top hats, and corsets.

Oh my what a treat, wonderful writing and truly detailed characters and worlds, a book to dip in and out of and truly enjoy.

I received Gears of Brass; a Steampunk Anthology through Netgalley. My copy only contained the first story: A Clockwork Dollhouse by Jordan Elizabeth, so this review will only focus on that one.

This story is all about Robert and his niece Ainsley. Robert is a man of many secrets and Ainsley is one of them. He has kept her prisoner for a long time and now she’s out to get revenge.

I love everything about steampunk. And this short story has everything you would expect: mechanical creations, steam-powerd devices, magic, royalty, steampunk fashion, and an exciting story. Very solid, great way to start of the book. Kinda wish I could read the other stories as well.

Love steampunk? This is a must read!

I think this would be a great induction for readers who are new to Steampunk as it doesn't overwhelm but also covers all of the things that makes Steampunk so fascinating!

One of the best Steampunk anthologies I've read in a while.

The authors each contributed very unique, cliche-less tales and fairy tale retellings.

I had not heard of a few of the others but will definitely look into their other works after this collection. Well edited and beautiful, eye-catching cover!

Personal favorite story was A Clockwork Dollhouse by Jordan Elizabeth...way to start the book with a bang!

I was only able to read the first story? Very creepy story about a dollhouse. I enjoyed the story and would have liked to see more of the stories... Based on this story thought it will be a hit with all steampunk fans!

Gears of Brass is a collection of all things steampunk. With characters rich and poor, selfish and kind, clever and.. well, not... there is at least one person you will hate and one you will want to be. The steampunk elements are as varied as the characters, with stories highlighting clockwork animals, airships, vehicles, and even replacement body parts. Even if you aren't a huge fan of steampunk, you will probably find stories in here that you enjoy. While all stories in this collection at least mention some sort of steampunk design or machine, some stories are centered more on human behavior and interactions, while others heavily dabble in clockwork creations.

It's difficult to judge a collection based on the individual stories, but overall I thought the stories worked well and all fit the collection in one way or another. "A Clockwork Dollhouse" opens up the collection with murder, mystery, and perhaps magic. "Clockwork Wolf", the third story, is probably one of the creepiest, with an edge of madness at the end. "Autumn Rose", "Time Spun Souls" and "Clockwork Dwarves" mix fairy tale elements with magic and/or mechanicals, and "The Key Girl" brings us adventure, priests, and a goddess. "Lana's End", "A Princess of Zephryis" and "My Golden Anabel" all deal with mechanical manipulation of humans... living and dead. "Last of the Giants" closes out the collection with an adaptation of "Jack the Giant Killer" staring a girl named Jackie as she confronts the last of the giants.

While I enjoyed some stories more so than others, it was a good, solid collection.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.