[Review] Clockwork, Curses and Coal by Rhonda Parrish (Editor)

Title: Clockwork, Curses and Coal
Series: Punked Up Fairy Tales #2
Author: Rhonda Parrish (Editor)
Genre: steampunk, fantasy, paranormal, gaslamp, short stories, fairy tales
Format: ebook
Publication Date: March 2 2021
Published By: World Weaver Press
Source: NetGalley

Synopsis from Publisher

Fairies threaten the world of artifice and technology, forcing the royal family to solve a riddle to stop their world from irrevocable change; a dishonest merchant uses automatons as vessels for his secrets and lies; a woman discovers the secret of three princesses whose shoes get scuffed while they sleep. These and so many other steampunk and gaslamp fairy tales await within the pages of Clockwork, Curses and Coal.

Retellings of Hansel and Gretel, The Princess and the Pea, Pinocchio, The Twelve Dancing Princesses and more are all showcased alongside some original fairy tale-like stories. Featuring stories by Melissa Bobe, Adam Brekenridge, Beth Cato, MLD Curelas, Joseph Halden, Reese Hogan, Diana Hurlburt, Christina Johnson, Alethea Kontis, Lex T. Lindsay, Wendy Nikel, Brian Trent, Laura VanArendonk Baugh and Sarah Van Goethem.

About Rhonda Parrish

Like a magpie, Rhonda Parrish is constantly distracted by shiny things. She’s the editor of many anthologies and author of plenty of books, stories and poems.

She lives with her husband and three cats in Edmonton, Alberta, and she can often be found there playing Dungeons and Dragons, bingeing crime dramas or cheering on the Oilers.

Her website, updated regularly, is at http://www.rhondaparrish.com and her Patreon, updated even more regularly, is at https://www.patreon.com/RhondaParrish.

My Thoughts:
I don't read a lot of short stories because I prefer to really immerse myself in a story and really get to know my characters, and I find I often can't do that when it's a short piece. I was drawn to this collection because of the Steampunk theme, and the whole idea of gaslamp, which I had never heard of before. According to the introduction, gaslamp fantasy is "set in the same Victorian/Edwardian era as steampunk, but with a focus less on tech and more on the supernatural and magic. Often with an obvious gothic influence." So of course I had to check this out, and I don't regret it for a moment!

The editor warned that some of the stories might be dark, and she assumes this is because of the whole COVID thing going on while she was choosing the stories for the collection. Boy was she right! Some of these stories are D-A-R-K! I am going to break the collection down by story, but let me start off by saying that the collection of 14 stories as a whole was very well done, enjoyable, and entertaining. I loved the twists on many of the fairy tales.

The Iron Revolution by Christina Ruth Johnson

This story picks parts of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and The Princess and the Pea, wrapping them all neatly into a very well written and enjoyable tale. It does a very good job of showing the sexism of the time (1851). "Not many ask the girls if they want to go, but they all do anyway." The racism of the time is also emphasized as the girls in the story are split into two groups, girls of "porcelain skin" and girls with "darker complexions and more vivid fabrics." The story is filled with beautiful descriptions and is very visual. I loved how unique each girl is and how they are described by looks and talent. Unfortunately I found the story quite predictable and the ending quite rushed. I never really felt the connection that seems to be implied by the end. A good story, but could have been better.

Clockwork Tea by Joseph Halden

This story was one of my least liked stories. I understand the time and place they are writing about, but it still comes off a little racist to me. I also found the writing style very awkward and hard to get a good reading flow with, which in turn made it hard to enjoy. It was very dark and disturbing, which isn't a bad thing, seeing this evolution of what basically turns out to be a serial killer of sorts. He even keeps souvenirs like a serial killer would. There were some Pinocchio undertones that the author tried to work in, I am just not sure it really works. An odd little tale to be sure.

A Future of Towers Made by Beth Cato

I enjoyed this reimagining of Rapunzel. In this tale Rapunzel is a brilliant young woman trapped in an unhappy and abusive marriage where her husband steals all of her ideas and markets them as his own. Rapunzel, with the help of her dear friend, comes up with a plan to keep her most recent invention under her own name, and escape her marriage. It is a very well written story of feminism and standing up for yourself, and I loved every moment of it. I will have to look for more of Beth Cato's work.

A Bird Girl in the Dark of Night by Sarah Van Goethem

This story was another one I didn't enjoy very much. It was very dark as well, which I don't mind, and intriguing, but it was just all very odd. I suspected the twist that comes up near the end of the story, so I wasn't surprised. I did however kind of like the feeling of female empowerment that was brought up near the end, and I like the way certain things worked out, but it was all just a little too weird for me, and it did leave me with some questions not answered.

Checkmate by Brian Trent

I enjoyed this story so much I wanted more. I would read a whole novel, maybe even an entire series, set in this world. The world building was just so well done. It was intriguing and dark. I want to know how it got to be the way it is. I want to know so much more! Edward's character was well done and I understood his motivations for what he does, which makes the ending make sense. I expected the very ending, but that didn't take away from the enjoyment for me in this story because it was so well done. Brian, please tell me there is more!

Necromancy by Melissa Bobe

Where to start with this story? There is so much going on, and all of it wonderful. It's a dark and mysterious reimaging of the Pied Piper tale. The plague is attacking all the women of town, but what exactly is the plague? It's not what you would expect. I don't want to spoil it, but it fits the time and works really well for this dark story. There is so much I want to comment on, but with short stories it's hard to say much without basically giving away the whole story. Just read it! The writing is beautiful, the story is well written, and I loved the end. I will be looking for more of Melissa Bobe's work for sure.

Blood and Clockwork by Wendy Nikel

This story is one of my favorites in the collection. I read it so quickly. I didn't even stop to take notes! As was typical in this collection the story is very intriguing, and very dark. It was a little predictable at parts, but it was so well written, and just so damn good, that the predictableness of it is forgivable. 

Sappho and Erinna by Lex T. Lindsay

This story is a very well done reimaging of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. I loved all of the characters in this story, each one was their own character that stood out from each other. I really loved the end.

Divine Spark by Diana Hurlburt

I didn't enjoy this story at all. The writing style was very awkward and I just couldn't get into the story at all. It had a kind of Frankenstein feel to it, which is too bad as the original is one of my favorite novels. Overall I found this story very confusing and not enjoyable at all.

The Balance of Memory by Reese Hogan

This story was a very interesting and very well written reimaging of Hansel and Gretel. There isn't a whole lot I can say without giving things away, but I was intrigued right away. I likened it almost immediately to someone who is dealing with identity issues, only to later discover that the author is non-binary, so they obviously have a very strong understanding of this. I still was left feeling like I was missing something at the end, but maybe that is the way it was meant to be.

The Giant and the Unicorn by Alethea Kontis

The beginning of this story threw me off a bit as it was written like a steampunk version of the bible. Some might find if offensive, just as a warning, but it didn't bother me. It was just odd. The rest of the story is a reimagining of The Lion and the Mouse. It was a cute little tale, but awkward in places, and a little predictable, but still an enjoyable read.

Ningyo by Laura VanArendonk Baugh

This story starts out on what we later learn is an airship, but I originally thought it was a regular ship. I was glad that section was very short as all the sailing terminology was starting to irritate me, all the unfamiliar words pulling me out of the story. The rest of the story made up for the beginning though. Overall it was an intriguing and entertaining story with interesting characters.

Father Worm by Adam Breckenridge

This story was dark and odd, and very difficult to read with its run on sentences and awkward writing style. The only thing I really liked about this story was the one quote: "Even if the trip didn't reinvigorate her old friend, she would not let her duties as captain keep her from the obligation all keepers of animals have to see their beloved companions through to their deaths." As a loyal pet owner this is something I feel strongly about. Overall it was a very strange story, with an equally odd ending. I did not find it enjoyable.

The Coach Girl by M.L.D. Curelas

For some reason I didn't take any notes while I read this story. I do remember enjoying it quite a bit, even though parts of it were very predictable. I think my favorite part of it is that there is no man needed to rescue the main character, and I remember being intrigued to figure out how she was going to get out of the mess she was in. Very well done and enjoyable.

I am not going to do pros and cons as it is very story dependent, but it was a very good collection and I am glad I took the time to read it.