Full Steam Ahead! (Raconteur Press Anthologies Book 20) by Lee Allred

Full Steam Ahead! (Raconteur Press Anthologies Book 20) Reviews

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  Pat Patterson

  Full Steam Ahead! (Raconteur Press Anthologies Book 20) . Raconteur Press. Kindle Edition.
  
  Why Steampunk? By Bart Kemper, P.E. Do NOT skip over this introductory bit to get at the stories! It presents extremely relevant material in a most interesting format, and if you don't leave with respect for the steam-production process, you weren't paying attention.
  Bentley and Fullhead's Armored Joy Shoppe, by E.C. Ratliff. Political alliances may change, but the basic relationship between husband and wife endures. At least, that's the case in this charming tale set during the London Exhibition of 1882. The husband, in this case, is enamored of making children smile by producing steam-toys for them. That can't possibly have real-world application, can it?
  Call Me Sunny, by TC Ross. Sunny's right arm is a clockwork contraption that he winds twice daily. That's not the only odd thing facing the Janine, the world's first air schooner. Dragons lurk in the clouds, and if the boiler powering the ship loses containment, they will be blown to smithereens. In that case, all of the lovely devices the Tinkers have created will be quite useless.
  Cloud Buster, by Spearman Burke. Her Majesty's Airships Tempest and Whirlwind have discovered a cloudbuster-class European airship making it's way toward London. If it gets through, it will be able to unleash terrible weather on the city. Perhaps the useless marines might find some action, after all, and earn the respect of the naval officers in command.
  Enter the Errant, by Evan Tarbell. An Errant helps people, stated most simply. How they do that depends on their individual giftings and the need of the petitioner. Rill is returning to duty when she gets drafted to help solve a kidnapping crisis, before she even has time to rest up.
  Innovation, by Erin Furby. Ximena Macardle makes lace. It's a special lace, because of her special skill; she is able to use magic to weave weather into the pattern. It's a skill some others desire greatly to be able to control.
  Steamed Dinosaur with a Side of Zombie, by Christopher Markman. When a T-Rex, accompanied by a herd of mammoths, wreaks havoc on ranches in the American West, the new naval experiment known as the Crab is sent into combat for the first time. It's a proof of concept, and not everyone wants it to succeed.
  510 to Marakaj, by Peter Delcroft. The 510 is taking much needed medication to the capital city, with stops along the way to replenish way station supplies. The value of the supplies draws robbers, and it takes cooperation between human people and elementals powering the train to find safety.
  Beauregard Tremayne and the Sciuridae Dragoons, by Wally Waltner. A scientific breakthrough makes it possible to produce massive power from a small source. In order to keep the discovery out of the hands of the enemy, an agent is given special spy-tools (think: Q equipping James Bond) and sent to do the job of capturing or nullifying the inventor.
  Flight of the Steely Dan: On the causes, construction, and flight of the first facinus to enter warp space, by Jesse Barrett. The band picked their name from a catalog of human sex toys. If you know that, then the full title of the story is all the review you need.
  Gentlemen of Brave Metal, by Lee Allred. Dr Cavor, the hero of H G Wells' The First Men in the Moon, is in Deseret where the precursors for Cavorite may be found. He can either be induced to join with locals to work his special magic, or eliminated if that isn't possible. A trip to the moon is not out of the question, but it carries a special set of problems.