Reader beware: to open this tome is to invite dread into your heart. Every page you turn will bring you closer to something wicked. And when the dead begin to rise from the steaming pits of hell, only then will you discover that it is already too late. Your life is forfeit.
Featuring an introduction by Leanna Renee Hieber, author of the Eterna Files and Strangely Beautiful saga, DeadSteam plays host to the scintillating writing of David Lee Summers (Owl Dance, The Brazen Shark), Jen Ponce (The Bazaar, Demon’s Cradle), Wendy Nikel (The Continuum), Karen J Carlisle (The Adventures of Viola Stewart), Jonah Buck (Carrion Safari), and more…
With seventeen chilling tales of dreadpunk, gaslamp, and dark steampunk, DeadSteam will leave you tearing at the pages, desperate for more. For within these pages, the dead rise from their graves to haunt the London Underground, witches whisper their incantations to the wind, a sisterhood of bitten necks hunts fog-drenched alleyways lit only by gaslight, and only one thing is certain: that dread will follow you until you turn that final page.
And that sinking feeling in the pit of your chest? That fear that something is following you, watching you, hunting you? It is not for nothing. Look over your shoulder, dear reader. Watch behind you. Listen to the whispers in the darkness.
But know this...it is all inevitable.
What a reading delight!! This dreadpunk (steampunk horror) anthology is a perfect way to get in the Halloween mood. These story’s are reminiscent of classic penny dreadfuls and gothic horror.
I especially loved the tales where vampires were the focus. Like Anthony in Red by Jen Ponce and The Case of the Murderous Migraine by Karen J. Carlisle. I haven’t read gothic vampire tales in a while and forgot how much I enjoy those tales.
Additionally, I absolutely was spooked by Harvesters by E. Seneca. It reminded me strongly of The Monstrumologist series by Rick Yancey. (Which I absolutely devoured those books).
Many of these stories I would love to have more fleshed out with a full novel or another short story. This unique blend of horror and steampunk is exactly what I needing to upstart my spooky Halloween season. Even if you don’t know about steampunk, I recommend this if you are a lover of classic horror stories and gothic literature.