The term "steampunk" was coined over twenty years ago by K.W. Jeter as an off-handed attempt to give a name to a rather specific form of science-fiction. The style itself though has been around since the days of Jules Verne and has gained enormous popularity in recent years. Though the main idea of steampunk focuses on steam-powered devices and much of it takes place in a Victorian-inspired environment, this isn't always the case. The genre allows for a rich and flourishing amount of creativity and nowhere is this more evident then in the newly-published Steampunk.

Steampunk contains a broad spectrum of what this genre has to offer. The reader is given a trip back through the historical roots of steampunk with an excellent and classic excerpt from Michael Moorcock's The Warlord of the Air. Paul Di Fillipo also weighs in with his timeless piece, Victoria; though not typically steampunk, still it is a fascinating read. Joe Lansdale's offering includes some familiar figures in his dime novel, The Steam Man of the Prairie and the Dark Rider Get Down. Also worth mentioning is Reflected Light by Rachel Pollack, which was originally printed in Steampunk Magazine.

The anthology contains several more stories and four original essays regarding the roots of and its place in popular culture. None of the stories are original to the anthology but all of the stories are worth reading. They cover the entire broad spectrum of steampunk and illustrate the wide range of views that exist around it. They demonstrate beautifully just how expansive and imaginative this world of ours, the world of steampunk, can be.
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Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Tachyon Publications (May 1, 2008)
ISBN-10: 1892391759
ISBN-13: 978-1892391759