The adventure continues and the cogs keep on turning as you set sail aboard magnificent airships, venture into exotic times and places, revisit some of your favorite characters, and fall in love with new heroes and rogues.
In dusty towns, remote areas, thriving cities, and secret worlds, a strange technological revolution reigns. Inventors, dreamers, and revolutionist rule in worlds of steam driven machines, cog powered humanoids, clockwork miracles, and paranormal magic. Dressed in corsets, top hats, and cog lined finery, the heroes and heroines exist somewhere between futuristic technology and ancient knowledge.
Twenty-one talented authors, artists and poets have come together to bring you volume 2 of this Steampunk Anthology series. The product of this collaboration is an incredible journey through a blend of sci-fi, fantasy, action, adventure, history, paranormal, and romance that embraces the roots of Steampunk while pushing the genre to new, bolder limits.
Contributor List with Titles:
The Eye by Jeff Motsinger (Art)
Passing of Time by Eada Janes (Poem)
The Bleeding of the Thief by KC Finn (Story)
One Last Dance by Nicole Daffurn (Story)
A Tale by Cory Turner (Story)
Aztecs by Cindy J. Smith (Poem)
Uncle Tom's Heart by Emma Michaels and Michael Cross (Story)
Catherine Stovall is the author of many fiction works in the horror, steampunk, paranormal, fantasy, dark fantasy, and YA genres.
Catherine is a fearless creature who surrounds herself with the joys of life both in and out of her fictional worlds. She lives in Southeast Missouri with her husband, three children, and pets. When not writing, she spends her time riding motorcycles, wearing elaborate hats, and genuinely enjoying the oddities in life.
A lover of social media, she encourages her fans to reach out to her through facebook, her website, and twitter, so they can share in the experience of publishing and creating.
Artwork: The Eye by Jeff Motsinger. Stranded Wings by Catherine Stovall
The Passing of Time by Eada Janes Amazing poem from Eada, I truly enjoyed it. The things that we create of cogs and copper, can be the same that destroy us with enough time. Beautiful.
The Bleeding of the Thief by K.C Finn Following his greedy heart, a young man goes to Egypt to rob graves, only to find himself in the clutches of a man who sees him nothing more than a simple slave. When he’s being freed by the older woman; Maybelline, he vows to make amends for his past mistakes. Time will tell if he can�. Magnificent story by K.C Finn. I fell into the story fairly quickly and loved the little surprise there was in store for us in the end. Loved it.
One Last Dance by Nicole L. Daffurn A young dancer with big dreams. Will she fly or fall while she tries her wings? Nicole awed me by this story. Yes, she jumped a bit but it only added to the story. I loved the brief glimpse we got into Catarina’s life. Gruesome and beautiful story, with a great twist in the end!
A Tale by Cory Turner Oh wow�. Cory has really created a gruesome and interesting tale here. I absolutely loved the end, I did NOT see that coming!! I really don’t want to say too much, it might be giving away the story. I will say this though�. Revenge comes in all shapes and sizes � but what is the cost?
Aztecs by Cindy J. Smith I loved this poem. Cindy really put the stream into the old Aztecian belief. Bloody, gory and pure. Sprinkled with cogs ;-)
Uncle Tom’s Heart by Emma Michaels and Michael Cross This story truly touched my heart. It was an amazing tale that showed me good and bad, hope and love, greed and hatred � and where each emotion can take you as a human being. There are a lot of different characters in this story, and I loved following each of them and their struggles. From Tom and his unwavering faith, his big heart, to the beautiful love between Ezra and George and their wonderful son; Henry. Definitely one of my favorite stories! Candy Apple Red by Deborah Dalton A hidden treasure, renegades looking for it, and the protectors standing in the way� All tricks are allowed in this game, but who will play the game best? A very different story, but I liked it.
Clear Skies by Andrea L. Statum See this was an interested read. If you have read Cogs in Time (the first anthology) you might remember Captive Sleep by Andrea. Well, Clear Skies is actually the continuation of that story. Again we follow Domaroc, but at home on his way to a new mission, a new assignment. He feels best with grease on his hands, but jobs have been scarse since he got back home. I loved coming back home and see what happened to Dom and his little family. Crossing my fingers for more in the future!!
Darkened Love by Monica Reents Beautiful poem by Monica. A perfect fit to this anthology.
The Ticker by Beth W. Patterson How far will we go to erase flaws in us self? Would we lock us away to hide our imperfections? Would music and art be banished? What if machines took hold and was made perfect? Would be able to keep up, or would we bury ourselves in medication to forget? The Ticker is a harsh story about a world created solely for perfection. I loved it and disliked it. The thought of living in a world that celebrates perfection more than today, that would erase art and music� no. Beth really made the story come alive and for me, beautifully written.
Ice Breaker by Aubrey Diamant What would you do if summer suddenly turned to winter? Would you tell anyone of you found out that a dead woman came back to life again? Or would you run? Alfred is a photographer, but not just any kind. No. He takes pictures of the dead to give those left behind some peace of mind. During a photo session everything goes wrong, and Alfred soon finds himself thrown into a new world of aliens, dead people walking around, war and mad scientists. Aubrey is a brilliant author, and it was a pleasure to read his story in this anthology. In a way, I would’ve loved to see what would have happened if Alfred chose differently in the end, but that’s another story. I truly enjoyed Ice Breaker.
Second Chances by Samantha Ketteman Her life isn’t what she expected it to be. Rosalyn isn’t happy, and have great regrets about her past. But what if you could turn back time and change what you did all those years ago, make a different choice? Would you grab it with both hands? Or would you leave it alone for fear of changing too much of the present? Rosalyn has to make that choice and to be honest, I don’t blame her for her choice. Read this wonderful and amazing story by the so very talented author Samantha Ketteman and find out the secrets behind the town Rosalyn lives in.
Treasure of Time by Jeannette Joyal Beautiful, beautiful poem by Jeannette. I absolutely love it! So much mystery and hints put into the few lines, and the images that plays in my mind are amazing. Can’t wait to read more from Jeannette!!
The Angel by Sherwin Matthews Jorge lost his father to the war and his mother to grief. Before he was very old, he ran away from home, unable to stand his mother’s sorrow. Drifting Jorge finally ends up in the big city where he tries different things to survive; stealing, begging� Until he meets Mr. Mortensen. He gives Jorge odd jobs at odd times, but pays well. He makes sure they both get what they want and need. The question is�. Will they be prepared to pay the price for it? Fascinating story and very well written. Just not my type of story.
The Servants of Orion by Faith Marlow If you have read Cogs in Time 1, I’m sure you will remember the amazing story; After the Flare by Faith. The Servants of Orion is actually the continuation of that story. Pen is trying to get the technology forth, to open up for new explorations, he’s found evidence of where more advanced technology can be found. Trouble is� nobody wishes to listen to him. The Dean won’t even allow him to show what they’ve already found. In desperation, Pen turn toward the only one who will listen; Hitch. He was there when they found the space shuttle, and he knows he can convince him to help him out. Following a series of clues, Hitch and Pen (accompanied by Susie, a crafty air pilot), they begin a new quest, but what will they find? I loved After the Flare, and Servants of Orion was just as good. I loved coming back to the old characters, to see them again, and follow them on their new journey. The place Faith took them to this time was a place I’ve always found magical, and I want to see one day. Amazing story, and can’t wait to read more about Pen, Hitch & Susie.
The Stormling’s Invention by Lexi Ostrow Once upon a time�. There was a Great Storm. Everyone who survived it was changed. They grew powers, but depending on different things, they got different powers. Nobody truly know why some people get some powers. There are speculations yes, but nothing clear. Although not everyone got elemental powers. Anyways� Meet Jase and Mia. Two stormlings working together on a project, but also old childhood friends. Both are carrying a torch for each other, but haven’t done anything about it. Why? Because while Jase is noble, Mia is nothing but a servant, and Jase’s father would never approve of such a union. This project that they’re working on could change that though, Jase is well aware of that. If they could succeed in time traveling, then Mia would get some land and a title, but more importantly� Jase could court her, make her his. How far will Jase go to get his true love? And will the time machine actually work? Lexi spins an amazing tale with this story, and I loved every second of it. The ending does seems a bit unfinished to me, but the journey to the destination is well worth it. Lexi did an amazing job!!
The Cogs Turn by Eada Janes Loved this poem by Eada. Beautiful and dangerous at the same time.
Times of Arrival by Wayne Carey I love this. This is the third continuation of a story from the previous anthology, and I think it’s plain awesome that so many have wanted to partake in the sequel, and have written such amazing stories as well. Times of Arrival is the continuation of Point of Departure. In that book we met Harrison Pierce, who accepted a last job for the Queen. It turned out to be something else that what he had been told, but he got out of it. In Times of Arrival, Pierce is back with Elizabeth Fletcher and the Independence. But they’re here with a warning. They traveled for some time, jumping through the different ports, trying to find out who built the ancient temples all around the world. If the ongoing war between different countries isn’t stopped, the world and humanity will end as we know it. Can they stop the war before it’s too late? Wayne Carey has done it again. Hands down, I love this universe. The tesla coils, Elizabeth, the Independence, Pierce, the plot� I even like how he ends this story, it begs for more. Fingers crossed that he will write more!!
Poison by Catherine Stovall Madame O was a well known Voodessa, a medium and toy for the darker realm. On her death bed she has one final story to tell; how she came into the services of the devil himself, and how poison filled her life slowly. This is her story, and you better listen carefully to avoid making her mistake. In Cogs in Time 1, Catherine told the story of Wren City, a town controlled by a clock tower and machine inserted into the people’s hearts. We learned about the revolution. Now we’re back, but some time after the revolution. This is a darker side of the Wren City though, one we weren’t shown as much the last time, but what an amazing story. I loved digging into Poison, the things that Madame O did, it fascinated me. I really, really disliked Mrs. Copperbelt the more I got to know about her. Yes, I understand her husband cheated one her, but the thing she did BEFORE and AFTER�. *shudders* As usual, Catherine has created a fantastic story that drew me in and refused to let go. Piece of advice? Sometimes you really should listen to your sixth sense and your ancestors.
Ghost in the Machine by SJ Davis The last story in this anthology is Ghost in the Machine. There are several POV in this story, all connected to each other. I loved how it all twisted together, but have to admit, I was a bit disappointed by the ending. Now, don’t get me wrong. The ending leaves it wide open for continuation, which I’m all for, I just didn’t expect it. At all. I was a bit put out by it actually, since I wanted to know what happens!
All in All: Cogs in Time 2 is an amazing blend with old known characters and new interesting authors. It was great to come back to old world and rediscover things, to dive head first into new ones and unravel every secret, turn every cog and watch the steam go. If you like steam punk or read the first Cogs in Time and loved it, Cogs in Time 2 is definitely for you. I know I enjoyed it immensely.
This was an excellent anthology of Steampunk related stories. I really can't say whether any were better or worse than the others. The last story, an excerpt from "Ghost in the Machine" left me wanting more so it will definitely be on my 'to buy' list when it comes out. If you're looking for an anthology that will get you interested in Steampunk, this is most definitely it.
This was my first foray into " steam punk"'literature and I really enjoyed it. I most enjoyed " The Ticker" by Beth Patterson but there are many other excellent short stories in this book.