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Indlæser... The Steampunk Trilogyaf Paul Di Filippo
Gaslamp Fantasy (87) Indlæser...
Bliv medlem af LibraryThing for at finde ud af, om du vil kunne lide denne bog. Der er ingen diskussionstråde på Snak om denne bog. Era in casa da così tanto tempo che non ricordavo che fosse costituito da tre racconti. Doveva essere il capostipite di un nuovo genere – non solo a giudicare dagli strilli di copertina – ed invece è rimasto un episodio isolato, ma assai piacevole, di commistione fra fantascienza e ottocento. Vista la dislocazione temporale, era immancabile una storia ambientata nella Londra vittoriana: messa subito all’inizio, la ricerca di una giovane Vittoria risulta il momento più divertente, ma patisce un finale non propriamente fantasioso. Poi ci si sposta nel New England, con una bella storia di confronti fra mondi – scientifici, di pensiero, di fantasia – che termina con un tocco alla Lovecraft e che presenta i personaggi più simpatici del libro. Infine, si resta in zona per il racconto più ambizioso, incentrato com’è nientemeno che sulle figure di Whitman e Dickinson e sulla loro poesia: forse un po’ tirato per le lunghe, ma comunque un bell’esercizio tra sogno, desiderio e realtà. In tutto il libro, le ricostruzioni d‘epoca sono precise al limite del maniacale e consentono al lettore di entrare nell’atmosfera dell’epoca senza appesantire la narrazione, che resta sempre interessante e scorrevole. These stories were quite thought-provoking. I really enjoyed the story about Victoria...a fascinating take on some pseudo-historical figures. The alternate history feel of the story allowed for some shortcuts in characterization that worked well. I also enjoyed the second story in the book. The main character is appallingly racists and offensive, but the action around him shows him for the fool he is and it all works out well in the end...sort of. I found the final story less unique but still worth a read. I give this book a B. Originally published in 1995, Paul Di Fillippo’s The Steampunk Trilogy, three novellas, is among the standard-bearers bringing the mechanical tech science fiction genre forward to its 21st century blossoming. Di Filippo’s stories include historical characters with fantastical elements—say, a less-than-human Queen Victoria, and a love affair between the great American poets of the last century. These are wonderful stories, if not true classics of the genre, and its great to have them available in ebook form. Reviewed on Lit/Rant: www.litrant.tumblr.com ingen anmeldelser | tilføj en anmeldelse
Tilhører ForlagsserienUrania [Mondadori] (187) Indeholder
An outrageous trio of novellas that twist the Victorian era out of shape, by a master of alternate history: "Spooky, haunting, hilarious" (William Gibson). Welcome to the world of steampunk, a nineteenth century outrageously reconfigured through weird science. With his magnificent trilogy, acclaimed author Paul Di Filippo demonstrates how this unique subgenre of science fiction is done to perfection--reinventing a mannered age of corsets and industrial revolution with odd technologies born of a truly twisted imagination. In "Victoria," the inexplicable disappearance of the British monarch-to-be prompts a scientist to place a human-lizard hybrid clone on the throne during the search for the missing royal. But the doppelgänger queen comes with a most troubling flaw: an insatiable sexual appetite. The somewhat Lovecraftian "Hottentots" chronicles the very unusual adventure of Swiss naturalist and confirmed bigot Louis Agassiz as his determined search for a rather grisly fetish plunges him into a world of black magic and monsters. Finally, in "Walt and Emily," the hitherto secret and quite steamy love affair between Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman is revealed in all its sensuous glory--as are their subsequent interdimensional travels aboard a singular ship that transcends the boundaries of time and reality. Ingenious, hilarious, ribald, and utterly remarkable, Di Filippo's The Steampunk Trilogy is a one-of-a-kind literary journey to destinations at once strangely familiar and profoundly strange. No library descriptions found. |
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You’ve got to admire di Filippo’s glorious imagination: I mean, where did he get ideas like these from? It’s all so outlandish that it’s something of a tribute to his writing skills that he manages to get away with it. You even manage to suspend your disbelief on occasion, and it’s all great fun in any case.
While I enjoyed 'Victoria' and 'Hottentots', I think it’s with 'Walt and Emily' that di Filippo really hits his stride. Perhaps it’s because the strangeness and the relentless pace of the first two stories let up for long enough to let the characters really shine through: the nervous, lonely Dickinson is both charming and poignant, the hearty Whitman perfect both as her foil and her soulmate. In fact, this strange fictional love affair is so enticing in its own right that I found myself wishing that the weird backdrop against which it is set — a pseudo–scientific exploration of the spirit world — would take up less space, thus allowing the love story to take precedence. But then I am a drippy romantic at heart …
Tremendous entertainment.
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