Chapter One

In the first chapter, readers are introduced to Samuel Hunter and his field partner, medium Andrew O’Sullivan. O’Sullivan’s tenure is short lived in the tale, but his daughter, Caitlin, emerges to continue the family’s pursuit of the paranormal. With Hunter’s begrudging tutelage, Caitlin O’Sullivan helps tackle a bothersome spirit that has been troubling a local elite and his household.

With a clear eye for social mores of the era (1895), incredible illustration and coloring, and a cast of strong characters, The Boston Metaphysical Society promises to be an exciting addition to the Steampunk canon.

Keep up with Ms. Holly-Rosing on Twitter at Boston Metaphysical @MHollyRosing and grab Chapter One and Two now!

Yes, everyone, you heard right. Headlining this year’s Steamstock 2 performance roster is none other than that most honorable chap, that mustachioed master of the microphone: Mr. B the Gentleman Rhymer!

Mr. B joins a fantastic list of performers, with many returns from the inaugural event. Frenchy and the Punk, anyone? How about The Cog is Dead, Saints of Ruin, and Bloodwire? Or maybe you’d like a bit of Good Co. with your This Way to the Egress.

A full schedule is anticipated for as early as Memorial Day weekend, so keep those eyes peeled.

How do I get in?

Well step right up, just through the curtain there. That’s it! The newly opened

Steamstock 2 website

Tickets are on sale now. Yes, now. You got them? Wonderful!

Now, as with last year’s event, representatives of the Ministry of Chronological Propriety will be monitoring the Aethersphere for time travelers. It is imperative that you attend the event only twice. That’s right, twice. Two days. Consecutive.

July 27th and 28th, 2013

Can we get a big round of applause for Steamstock 2 organizers pulling together and finding not only a repeat of last year’s event, but an additional twenty-four hour period that they have brought in especially for this year’s guests. Hip-hip Huzzah!

How does one exhibit?

So happy you asked. Vendors may apply to the juried Steamstock selection process via the website.

Jurying will take place May 15th, 2013.

THAT’S NEXT WEEK!

Let’s also say thanks to the Kickstarter backers who made the Cross Country Caravan possible! And a big shout out to all the fantastic creatives behind the rewards!

Be seeing you at Steamstock 2!

There are only eight contributions with varying lengths in this collection, with only nine authors to their credit. But be assured, each selection exemplifies the revisionist theme by introducing new angles on old ideas. Here are brief rundowns of what you can expect.

Anthologies are tricky in that editors are encouraged to put their best foot forward if they want to grab the reader’s attention for the entire volume. Tropic of Cancer by Neve Talbot is the first installment of the collection, and a strong candidate in letting the reader know just what to expect in the rest of the book. Fashioned around the moral awareness of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, the familiar character Edward Fairfax Rochester is the determined protagonist this time around. With the industrial challenges of a Steampunk era mixed in with a little mystical romance, the hero battles atonement to an estranged father, an ambitious brother and the empowerment of love. Charlotte Brontë would approve.

Styled after Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, Anika Arrington gives her story a Steampunk feel with more of a pirate twist. In Sense and Cyborgs, the young Margaret Dashwood Campbell is not only the first mate on the sea vessel named Maiden, she is also married to the Captain “Dagger” Campbell. This mystery adventure finds the crew in Singapore in search of a physician known as the Elephant Butcher. The captain is gravely injured and a clockwork prosthetic leg may be his only way of survival, but dangerous surprises stand in their way.

Characters from Charles Dickens’ classic David Copperfield appear in Micawber and Copperfield and the Great Diamond Heist of 1879 by David W. Wilkin. This is also a Steampunk pirate tale, but this one takes place in airships rather than on the sea. The Dickens characters make a smooth transition to the genre, but the setting and insightful detail on airship battle techniques is what brings this tale to life.

Little Boiler Girl by Scott William Taylor is a story that tugs at the same heartstrings as its influential predecessor Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen. A dark and depressing steam powered city depends on the dedication of a small girl to remain running. But rather than relying on a few matches for enlightenment, this little girl’s curiosity powers the discovery of a madman’s hidden secrets along with her own mysterious past.

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux is another classic story nicely suited for the Steampunk genre. But for this anthology, inspired author M. K. Wiseman introduces an elusive Opera Ghost playing cat and mouse with theatre officials in A Clockwork Ballet. Meg, the featured star of the theatre productions must face her emotional ties with the strange beast hiding in the shadows along with those of her ailing mother. With exciting Victorian era drama, the mysterious links between the three characters slowly unravel.

Of course Victorian imagery is essential in many Steampunk worlds. But relying on familiar characters from iconic works like A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens can be quite an ambitious goal. Author’s Aaron and Belinda Sikes take the challenge a step further in the story titled His Frozen Heart. Here, Ebenezer Scrooge is a shrewd businessman who doesn’t need ghosts of time to make him understand the true price of love. By adding both romance and horror to this timeless tale, the authors have provided a new dimension to the archetypical miser.

Our Man Fred by A. F. Stewart also addresses A Christmas Carol in a different and unexpected point of view. Ebenezer Scrooge’s nephew Fred is a daring agent of the Clockwork Department of London. Hot on the trail of a sinister madman, Fred and his partner Mary are armed with fantastic Steampunk gadgets as they partake in this nonstop adventure to save the world.

Finally, it’s surprising Mary Shelley’s masterpiece Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus hasn’t been pulled into the Steampunk fold more often. Titled Lavenza, or the Modern Galatea, the last installment in the anthology by Alyson Grauer is a unique take on the legendary monster story. Elizabeth Lavenza is a young woman driven by family loyalty and passion. But as the mystery of her sordid past unfolds, the reader begins to question who the true Frankenstein monster really is.

Each entry in A Steampunk Anthology: Mechanized Masterpieces is styled after a classic canonized story most readers are probably already familiar with. If not, you should take the opportunity to search them out and see what the fuss was about. But the new stories here are not just rehashed or “mechanized” to fit the Steampunk idea. Relying on genuine character development separated from the original stories and fresh imagery, these talented writers have created masterful works of their own. It’s obvious that Xchyler Publishing made the right choices for this anthology.

More Dirigible Days, you say? Indeed, I would love some!

If you’ve not done yourself the favor of watching the original web series, you can do that here. Then skip on over to Day 304 Productions newest Kickstarter effort: Dirigible Days: 998 – Steampunk graphic novel.

Gary Lobstein has yet again teamed up with those intrepid adventurers, crew of the S.S.Beatrix. Captain Santiago Dunbar, Pilot Josie Devereaux, and Engineer Hooper Jefferson.

Just like the web series, the Dirigible Days graphic novel appears to be a smorgasbord of awesome.

Political plots! Cthluhu! Weaponized Automaton Colossus! Desert Ruins! Airships!

are in need of a new drummer. Skin smackers and cymbal whackers are invited to apply for auditions via bassist and band manager Janus Zarate’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/januszarate or by e-mail to him at nemo [at] vernianprocess [dot] com

Press release follows:

Do you like our music? Are you a musician who wishes they could be a part of the Vernian Process experience? We’re auditioning drummers now!

Most importantly, we need a drummer who meets the following qualifications:

• Likes our music (of course!).
• Lives in the Bay Area.
• Enjoys a variety of genres from progressive rock to trip-hop to world music (and beyond!).
• Open-minded. Musically and otherwise.
• Geared toward exploring both the charted and uncharted territories of sound and composition.
• Self-sufficient and reliable (own kit, own ride, etc.)
• Solid grasp of tempo, meter, and dynamics.
• You are not prone to spontaneous combustion or other untimely fates.

Vernian Process is discriminating but does not discriminate.

We welcome musicians of all ages, genders, ethnicities and nationalities, religious and political creeds, experience ranges, backgrounds and so forth. What matters to us is musical and personal chemistry. If you click with us and you’re fun to be around, you might just be who we need.

If you’re interested, please contact our manager Janus via his Facebook page or by e-mail: nemo [at] vernianprocess [dot] com.

“Crypts and Codes” is heavy on individual stories within each song, ranging from the betrayal and jilted romance of “Lost My Love” to the female serial killer singing of dark love to her latest victim in “Oh.” I still think of “Oh” as Psyche Corporation’s anthem incidentally, which would make sense given that it was my first experience with the group.

Regardless of that, the entirety of the album shares the haunting beauty I’ve come to expect from Psyche Corp. There’s something about the way Chimère spins a tale over the adagio piano and backing strings that creates an almost ethereal quality in the music. I also attribute this success to the wonderfully twisted intellect Chimère herself possesses. (Incidentally, Psyche Chimère is a perfectly lovely and ebullient woman, which is what makes the twisted beauty of Psyche Corp’s songs even more impressive.)

I highly suggest picking up a copy of “Crypts and Codes,” which is available for purchase at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/psychecorporation.

Check out Psyche Corp’s website, www.psychecorporation.com for tour information and the rest of their albums. You won’t be disappointed.