| Title | : | Sharkpunk |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1909679968 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781909679962 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 528 |
| Publication | : | First published May 1, 2015 |
Sharkpunk Reviews
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Sharks have always fascinated me. Ever since I first saw a certain movie as a child, I have been utterly terrified yet drawn to these awesome beasts. Years later I read Meg by Steve Alten, and I was reminded of just how magnificently deadly many of the shark family are. When I heard Jonathan Green, he of Pax Britannia fame, was putting together a collection of short stories with a distinctly sharky theme, I was sold from the get go.
Put simply, Sharkpunk is twenty unique visions of what it means to be either predator or prey. This anthology contains stories that don’t just feature sharks, they also dissect the mind of a perfectly evolved killer. Nestled deep in the pages of this collection you’ll find everything from stories set in feudal Japan to tales featuring men with an impressive olfactory sense. Steampunk, horror, science fiction and thriller blend together to create a collection that revels in the raw, bloody savagery of an apex carnivore.
Now a few words about some of my favourites from this collection
Shirley by Amy & Andy Taylor – In the future, wars are no longer fought by armies. Instead, they are held in secret using technology to pit a country’s chosen animal representative against one another. The United Kingdom’s latest champion is Shirley the shark. It has been decades since the UK has won a war. Can Shirley stand tall against the might of America and their chosen combatant?
Deep Black Space by Toby Frost – Huzzah! A Space Captain Smith short story. What a wonderfully unexpected, yet welcome addition to the collection. The intrepid space captain finds himself and his motley crew squaring off against the self proclaimed robot emperor of all space and his army of void sharks. Like the books that have preceded it, this is a great fun mix of steampunk and nonsense. Beware the traumas of marmite in space!
Deep Red Bells by Josh Reynolds – Card carrying Royal Occultist, Charles St Cyprian, and his apprentice Ebe Gallowglass, find themselves in deepest darkest Dorset dealing with a most unusual and distinctly fishy case of possession. Can St Cyprian and associate save the day?
Sharkcop 2: Feeding Frenzy by Alec Worley – Meet George Chum. Part man, part shark – all cop. Like a classic eighties action movie brought to life on the page, this is hugely silly and loads of fun. I fully expect to see The Asylum making the movie version of this next week. Hell, if they can make Sharknado and Sharknado 2, they can sure as heck make this.
Sharkbait by Richard Salter – A couple of jewel thieves plying their trade in the Mediterranean islands meet their match; a nine year old girl with the strange ability to control sharks.
Blood Relations by Andrew Lane – A convict named Thorpe is given an opportunity that seems too good to be true. The job? Find a missing girl. The catch? Non-negotiable surgery that has the potential to change Thorpe forever.
The Serial Killer Who Thought She Was A Shark by Jenni Hill – In world where serial killers are allowed their freedom so they can be observed in their natural habit, Courtney has learned the valuable skill of blending in. The big question is can she resist her natural urges or not? I’ll be honest, I suspect that it may be the latter.
Rise of the Übershark by Rob Spalding – It was only a matter of time until the seas turned against us. Sitting somewhere between Pacific Rim and the Night of the Dolphins episode of The Simpsons, this story gets extra points for a cheeky little Jaws reference.
Swimming With The Fishes by Steve Saville – Monsters, mobsters and a good old-fashioned twist of the traditional gangster tale (…or should the be tail?).
Ambergris by Kit Cox – Major Jack Union, monster hunter by royal decree, faces off against the might of the Megalodon. You’re probably not going to be massively surprised when I tell you that things are going to get bloody.
Guess what? I’ve only mentioned half of the stories in the splendid collection. Half! That means there are another ten that I’ve said nothing about. Also featuring stories from Jonathan Oliver, Den Patrick, David Lee Stone, Ian Whates, David Tallerman, Kim Lakin-Smith, Ian Whates, CL Werner, Laurel Sills, Gary McMahon, Al Ewing and Sarah Peploe you can rest assured that you are in safe hands. With so many top authors in this anthology you could easily be forgiven for thinking “we’re gonna need a bigger book”.
As an aside, for those with a musical bent, can I suggest the music of John Williams as a suitable auditory companion to this collection. Perhaps something along the lines of Jaws: The Collectors Edition. From a personal standpoint, I found that this captured the tone of the entire anthology quite nicely.
This collection is well worthy of your time. Every story is a winner in my opinion and they are all a great deal of fun. In all honesty I’d have great difficulty picking a favourite.
I await Sharkpunk 2: The Second One with baited breath (yup, the shark related puns just keep on coming). Heaven knows what will come after that* Sharkpunk is published by Snowbooks and is available from 1st May. If you’re an apex predator fan then this is the book for you.
* Can I make a suggestion Beepunk? No, wait, even better – Amphibious Beepunk! or perhaps Aqua Bees? Let’s get plotting. I’m sure we can work something out. Stop, don’t run away…come back….please. -
Like almost everybody belonging to my generation (and the previous one as well, I guess) my horrified fascination with sharks had begun the day (actually the night, since I had seen it in the 21-30 hrs. show, with my parents) I saw “Jaws”. Even now, during the super-rare visits to seaside destinations with family, when anybody talks about going for a swim after the daylight has paved way for blue-black, an image of a triangular shape churning through dark waters hits me like a pile of bricks, and I hastily try to put as much distance between myself and the deep blue as possible. Later I have read a lot about sharks, seen several documentaries about them, have started realising that mankind has been far more cruel to its environment than sharks. But still, that fin and the teeth…. Anyway, this book is a celebration of our collective fear & fascination, as well as a portrayal of sharks that live inside many of us. Like all anthologies, this one had several hits, a lot of readable stuff, and a few duds. My story-wise thoughts are: -
(*) Introduction by Jonathan Green: A concise & crisp piece that summarises the thoughts that had gone into the making of this anthology.
1. “Peter and the Invisible Shark” by Jonathan Oliver: Meh, I’m afraid. (2/5)
2. “Blood in the Water” by Dan Patrick: A grim, taut and killer story, in all sense. (4/5)
3. “The Lickspittle Leviathan” by David Lee Stone: Very good story that infuses horror, dark comedy, and sensuousness in equal measures. (4/5)
4. “Sharkadalic” by Ian Whates: A brilliant & grim piece that would stay with you for a long time after you have read the last words. (5/5)
5. “Shirley” by Amy & Andy Taylor: A dark, depressing, but very well-executed tale. (4/5)
6. “Deep Black Space” by Toby Frost: A..W..E..S..O..M..E! We seriously needed some more comic pieces like this one to haunt the otherwise dark waters. (5/5)
7. “The Shark in the Heart” by David Tallerman: Crap. (0/5)
8. “Deep Red Bells” by Josh Reynolds: The Royal Occultist and his apprentice meet a strange antagonist in this superb adventure. (5/5)
9. “Sharkcop 2: Feeding Frenzy” by Alec Worley: And again, a brilliantly gory & visceral piece of slapstick comedy graces this anthology to lighten its tone in a positive manner. (5/5)
10. “Sharkbait” by Richard Salter: Crap. (0/5)
11. “Goblin” by Kim Lakin-Smith: This story, of a future where things have gone horribly wrong, has a real bite, and would keep you in its maw for a long time. (5/5)
12. “Blood Relations” by Andrew Lane: Sharks do have some fascinating features, but incorporating them into a human being may have some ….side effects. Very good story. (4/5)
13. “Feast of the Shark God” by C.L. Werner: The story began briskly, almost violently, then slackened so much that it became soporific. (3/5)
14. “Le Shark” by Laurel Sills: A psychological story of love & redemption, with a shark thrown in. Good, but nothing more. (3/5)
15. “The Serial Killer Who Thought She Was A Shark” by Jenni Hill: Brilliant. Just brilliant. (5/5)
16. “Rise of the Ubershark” by Robert Spalding: A breathlessly fast story of relentless action involving giant robots and armed sharks (drooling yet?) that leaves you gasping for more. (4/5)
17. “Swimming with the Fishes” by Steven Savile: A noirish piece with a shark added to all other monsters, but the story was readable. (3/5)
18. “Ambergis” by Kit Cox: Very good story that’s more of old-fashioned adventure with a measure of steampunk. (4/5)
19. “Silent Waters, Running Deep” by Gary McMahon: And one of the best authors of our times gives us a grim, bleak, dark and deep story, using words with such frightening precision as befits a sniper using his bullets. (5/5)
20. “You Are The Shark” by Al Ewing & Sarah Peploe: Crap. (0/5)
Overall: 70 out of 100, i.e. 3.5 out of 5. Hence 4 stars, rounding off things in a generous manner, especially since the editor deserves solid thanks for giving us an anthology with this particular theme.
Recommended. -
Durr duh...
Since before the dawn of man, sharks have plagued the nightmares of those that dream. When the big daddy Jaws was first published, the profile of these graceful beasts skyrocketed (for worse, then better) and the predators became a token bad guy of the deep.
So what do you do with a shark tale? It seems to be the same old tale; shark eats people. How do you keep that as fresh as Grimsby fish? As long as you stay out of the water, the shark can’t get you, right?
Sharkpunk takes the classic marine villain and twists it, bringing us a boatload of wholly original tales, none of which are the same (although characters named Bruce do appear several times for Spielbergian reasons). There’s no Shark as Slasher horror, which is what we’ve been fed for the past 40 years. This is modern horror, so science takes centre stage in some of the stories, with genetic modifications playing a part in several of the tales to great effect (Spetsnaz trained lady shark assassins anyone?). In this post modern world of ours, we long to look beyond for a perhaps saner reality, bizarro can help, especially if it involves... MAFIA SHARKS! Can it get weirder? Of course it can, as Shark Cop 2: Feeding Frenzy merges bizarre and buddy movie into one beautiful, blood filled massacre. The final tale, You are the Shark, is fine tail/tale to end on; subdued, tragic and funny, as a young girl seeks solace in an arcade game to escape the reality of her home life.
Space Sharks, Sharks vs Samurai’s, imaginary sharks (or are they?), sharks as personification of a serial killer, the list goes on. If you like sharks, you’ll love this. Original tales each as different as the next. If you love short horror stories, especially a themed anthology, then Sharkpunk might be worth you dipping your toe into. Already I’m hoping for volume 2, but this time, they’re gonna need a bigger book....
5/5 -
This is a strange anthology in that the stories are all pretty consistent, only one or two seem like standout stories, and there aren’t any real clunkers; each story, by and large, is adequate. The problem is, the contenders for standout stories—“Peter and the Invisible Shark,” “Shirley,” and “You Are the Shark”—only stand out in their relation to the rest of the stories within and might not fare so well on their own. Each of these three stories leans more on psychological aspects of shark fear, and their protagonists relation to that fear, than on a particular shark-related gimmick.
The rest of the stories are fun, but they have an overall feel as if the authors were each given a list and had to check off which author got what gimmick. So there’s a steampunk shark story, a mobster shark story, a couple serial-killer-as-shark stories, a samurai shark story, a space shark story, and so on. The inevitable vampire/werewolves/monster shark story seemed as if the author wanted the mobster shark story assignment, got the movie monsters instead, and so wrote a mobster shark story with vampires and werewolves as a consolation prize to himself.
But it’s all fun; you can’t hold out for great literature in the monster shark sub-genre, and these authors all do a good enough job to keep the reader going on to the next story. -
Read the first 4 stories, pretty good for an anthology. There are horror stories, fantasy stories with mutated sharks, and a shark-vampire story, too. Lots of love to authors Ian Whates (Sharkadelic) and Den Patrick (Blood in the Water), which stand out in this anthology. There are some stories that are incomplete, which is what makes me take away 1 star. Though I didn't like that the stories didn't end, I enjoyed the ride.
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An interesting collection of shark related stories, in multiple genres: horror, science fiction, psychological fiction, even some fantasy. The stories vary in quality, but are generally quite good. A few try really hard to be clever or detached and ironic, and I was less impressed with those. The ones that set out to tell a genuine, unironic story are the most successful.
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This book is just what I hoped it would be: fun and humorous stories about ghost sharks, space sharks, mafia sharks, and more, with a touch of horror. The perfect anthology for the shark enthusiast.
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Originally published on the book blog
Creature From the Book Lagoon.
Review: Sharkpunk Anthology
October 1, 2023 ~ The Creature ~ Edit "Review: Sharkpunk Anthology"
SHARKPUNK: an anthology of killer shark stories. Sharks – the ultimate predators, masters of their watery domain, a world that is entirely alien and inhospitable to man. So many aspects of the shark are associated with humankind’s most primal fears. The tell-tale dorsal fin slicing through the water, the dead eyed-stare, the gaping jaws full to unforgiving teeth, the remorseless drive to kill and feed…Inspired by such classic pulp movies as Jaws and Deep Blue Sea – as well as such ludicrous delights as Sharknado and Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus – the stories contained within are rip-roaring page-turners and slow-build chillers that celebrate all things savage, pulp and selachian. Covering the whole range of speculative fiction genres, from horror and Steampunk, through to SF and WTF, these are stories with bite! Come on in. The water’s fine…
Sharkpunk Anthology by various authors. Narrated by Sam Burns, Tracey Norman, Mark Norman, and Helen Stirling. Audio book published by Circle of Spears, March 2018. Total runtime of 13 hours. Total of 20 stories.
*Trigger warning: Pet death (Goblin).
Wow, wow, WOW!! 😀 This is one of the best anthologies I’ve read in a while. Ok, I’m a little biased due to the theme! I’m a huge fan of shark stories. Sharkpunk is filled with 20 epic shark horror stories. I loved every min of it! ❤ So many great stories, only one or two stories that didn’t really connect with me. Several 5 ratings…
I had such a great time listening to this. Such fun pulp fiction shark tales. Love it. An excellent anthology and if you like crazy sea creature, sharks, and monsters, you should definitely check this one out. 😀 -
Some pretty creative shark tales here, but some I almost felt like skipping. I do like the concept and the range of genres they are captured in, and it was cool to see a couple Warhammer Black Library authors involved.
