Other Aether: Tales of Global Steampunk
Edited by
Greg Schauer & Danielle Ackley-McPhail
(eSpec Books, June 2024, 160 pp., pb)
“Kami of the Mountain” by Cynthia Radthorne
“No Safe Harbour” by Aaron Rosenberg
“Mervat in the Maiden’s Tower” by Jeff Young
“Ghosts in the Infernal Machine” by Ef Deal
“The Sand Boat” by James Chambers
“Justice Runs Like Clockwork” by Christine Norris
“On the Wings of an Angel” by Danielle Ackley-McPhail (reprint, not reviewed)
“No One Alone” by David Lee Summers
“Correspondence Transcribed in Code, Addressed to the Widowed Mrs. Clydebank” by Beth Cato
“The Merry Monarch’s Mecha” by Hildy Silverman
Reviewed by Seraph
Nine original stories and one reprint make up a truly enjoyable anthology that spans the world, and beyond. I’d like to note, that while the singular reprint was not reviewed, I did read it, and I’d like to make sure that it is said that I found it to be the most enjoyable story in the anthology. Which is not to belittle any other story, the anthology as a whole was a joy to review. But as there is no other place to note the value of the reprint, I do so here. As steampunk most often occupies the timeframe around the Industrial Revolution, many of these stories take place in that era, but I will note where it differs.
“Kami of the Mountain” by Cynthia Radthorne
The first journey takes us to medieval Japan of the warring era, specifically to Hamarata Castle nestled on the side of a great mountain with unimaginably deep roots. Miako is the daughter of the castle’s Daimyo and a curious-minded inventor. Caught in the middle of the war between Shogun and Emperor, the neutral Daimyo and castle have the misfortune of being in an extremely important strategic position, and both sides covet it at all cost. But the mountain is not without its own defenders, the Yama Obake who watch over the mountain and all its inhabitants. As the war rages outside the walls and both sides vie for the privilege of taking the castle, Miako finds herself in communion with the Yama Obake, and chosen to lead her people into the coming days of hardship. The sacrifice of the Yama Obake is great and terrible, and sweeps away all those who threaten the mountain in raging torrents of flooding water. But the victory and salvation come at the cost of the Joki, the blessed steam that rises from the springs buried deep beneath the mountain and that powers all of their contrivances. It is a beautifully crafted story, and it sets a wonderful tone for the rest of the anthology.
“No Safe Harbour” by Aaron Rosenberg
Next we are taken to Hong Kong, the fragrant harbour and one of the largest ports in the world. Phillipe Huron has come all the way from Paris by means of airship some three days hence to find a missing parochial priest who has mysteriously vanished. Covert plans and machinations come unraveled as he works with a local Inspector to uncover the missing Catholic priest’s whereabouts. The unfortunate and rather well-meaning older man has gotten himself into a scheme entirely of others’ design, and war looms on the horizon. Intrigue and danger abound deep beneath the airship towers in the depths of the city, but after a few close calls the detective and inspector save not only the life of one priest, but the fate of three nations. The author has a talent for descriptive writing, finding the balance in painting a detailed picture and still allowing the flow of the story to progress smoothly.
“Mervat in the Maiden’s Tower” by Jeff Young
We find ourselves arriving in Constantinople, albeit a vastly different city from the historical one. The capital of the Ottoman Empire is now filled with the steam of locomotives and its skies filled with airships… not all of them friendly. Fears of invasion and plague darken the rumors of the streets, just as the large foreign airship casts its shadow across the harbor. Mervat is the administrator of the Florence Nightingale hospital and newly tasked with investigating whether or not the recently-arrived Chinese warship carries with it the plague, or any other dangers. However, here the story diverges from the path it seemed to be taking, and within a long-abandoned tower Mervat meets an ancient and forgotten goddess. And cats. Lots and lots of cats. The goddess’ pets make quick work of the rats aboard the Chinese warship, and the administrator has some quick decisions to make as she considers the implications of being a cat goddess’ new favorite plaything. The story is enjoyable, as I am always a sucker for mythology, but it does feel a bit as though the first part is merely a vehicle for the second. Rather than feeling connected, it feels a tad bit abrupt of a shift in plot.
“Ghosts in the Infernal Machine” by Ef Deal
Young love and political intrigue crash headlong into each other as we land in Paris, one that seems to occur much earlier (pre-revolution.) Didier is a young engineer struggling to find his way in the emerging world. Beset by belligerent guardsmen outside and political dissenters in the apartment above, his concerns quickly shift from determining his next project for school to preventing an assassination attempt targeting the king. Jacky is one of his classmates, a prodigy of an engineer at a young age and a daring soul. When Didier overhears the Corsican above his apartment talking about his plans, the young engineer realizes that time is short to prevent such an attempt. The two devise a hauntingly clever strategy to disrupt the assassination, and in the midst of pulling it off find that there is more than just friendship between them. The pace of the story is well-timed, and the dynamics between the clever duo all but steal the show.
“The Sand Boat” by James Chambers
Egypt seeks to rise up into the ranks of the modernized as we voyage to Cairo. Amun Zaki is a brilliant Egyptian inventor who desires above all to see Egypt develop and deploy its very own steamships, without having to rely upon European inventions. Morris Garvey is a brilliant European inventor who is considered one of the foremost in the world, and has been invited by the Egyptian government to help modernize Egypt. You might foresee a certain clashing of interests here, and indeed blood will be shed as zealots on several different sides all vie for the favor of their different gods. But between the two inventors, there is only respect and dedication to their work, so much so that it transcends the chaos around them. The story is imaginative, bright, and a wonderful mix of steampunk and mythology.
“Justice Runs Like Clockwork” by Christine Norris
New Orleans has always had a certain amount of mystique surrounding it, a touch of the dark, and a hint of the mystical. The storied city is legendary for more than a couple things, but none moreso than the unique blending of cultures that has developed there across the centuries. This destination takes us a decent way back in time, to the blockade and siege of New Orleans in the late Civil War era. There is little historical doubt that spies and operatives on both sides were hard at work during this era, but these operatives have some… advantages technologically that I’m sure their historical counterparts would have killed for. The concepts of the story itself are not particularly inventive, but the way in which it is presented and framed definitively are. Overall it ends up being imaginative, thrilling, and aptly demonstrates several lessons that were hard-learned, of which we forget at our own peril.
“No One Alone” by David Lee Summers
The concept of a Mexico-made submarine in the latter part of the 1800s didn’t surprise me as much as I thought it might. After all, there have been innovators in that field in the waters around Mexico for quite a while, if perhaps on the wrong side of the law. But as much as that concept does provide the backbone of this story, it is about far deeper (pun somewhat abashedly intended) matters than the invention of such a craft on its own. Love, obsession with work, betrayal and dashed hopes are all concepts that nearly everyone in the world can understand, if not experienced themselves. When presented in that exact order, it is beautifully heartbreaking, and I can find no better words to describe this story.
“Correspondence Transcribed in Code, Addressed to the Widowed Mrs. Clydebank” by Beth Cato
As we continue our travels westward, the story takes us to the San Joaquin valley of California during the railroading days of the Southern Pacific. Except that, in this case, the company is also known for its innovations in the newest technology: Dirigibles. El is a brilliant woman who has disguised herself as a man in order that her numbers and inventions may be given the respect they deserve but would otherwise be denied. But as she learns more about the land around her and the people that have all but been forgotten by the new rulers of the land, her heart turns to revolution. All of this is presented by means of letters to her mother, in code of course, which tell the true tales that others do not see. Namely, that despite the rumors of her demise, she is very much alive and working towards her goals.
“The Merry Monarch’s Mecha” by Hildy Silverman
Finally we finish our journey around the world in Hawaii, in a time where it is still ruled by the royal line…a royal line very much caught between the growing hostility between the Land of the Rising Sun and the Americans. The King of Hawaii is not without his loyal supporters, some quite willing to literally die for him, but he is surrounded by those who do not hold his best interests at heart. After a botched assassination attempt renders one of his most loyal retainers crippled, a newly designed mecha intended for the use of the King finds a deeper purpose in housing this wounded warrior who is still so fiercely loyal to his King. As he learns to manage this metallic beast, he thwarts yet another assassination attempt and reveals the truth of the treasonous acts. The anthology ends on a bright note of hope, and faith rewarded.