Automatic Woman, by Nathan L. Yocum (REVIEW) -- The Case of the Corpulent Copper and the Steampunk Ballet
After reading a goodly smattering of Steampunk, it seems to me there are two basic approaches to the genre. The first is full-on fantasy (set in the Victorian era), with little technical and scientific elements providing an interesting spark to the proceedings. The second is straight-up sci-fi, with fantastical bits and bobs adding a delightful touch of whimsy. Both styles are enjoyable, and the fact that each caters to a different mood—one, sort of dreamy and otherworldly, and the other, more grounded in reality (albeit an alternate one)—is cool. But, even better is when something unexpected is thrown into the standard mix, beyond just the de rigueur steam-powered this and mechanized that. Things tend to get really interesting when that happens... as in the case of Nathan L. Yocum’s Steampunk/detective mystery/action yarn, Automatic Woman . ❖ ~ ❖ ~ ❖ ~ ❖ ~ ❖...