New Release: All Made of Hinges – A Mormon Steampunk Anthology

Posted by Rampant Coyote on November 27, 2018

I’ve got another short story out, today! All Made of Hinges – An Anthology of Mormon Steampunk has launched, the first of three volumes. The ebook is out now, with a paperback edition to follow shortly. I haven’t focused on short stories very much this last year, but I still love them and was very pleased to be included in this anthology.

Okay, so what is “Mormon Steampunk?” We’ll start with the “Steampunk” side. If you’ve been following me for a while, you know. My first published stories were steampunk. In the broadest sense, it’s Victorian-era speculative fiction, or spec fic taking place in a setting much like that of the mid-late 1800s. BUT… in general Steampunk has a bit more of a feel / flair to it that separates it from something like Weird West or Victorian-Era supernatural horror. It is generally a fictionalized era–alternate history–where the wild failed inventions of the time actually worked, and the wild imagination of authors like Jules Verne, Edgar Allen Poe, and H. G. Wells are reality. In many cases, the world is a bit more idealized. And if it’s over-the-top and gonzo in its wild liberties taken with history, all the better.

Okay, so what is “Mormon Steampunk?” This series was spearheaded by Dave Butler, best known lately as the author of the excellent Witchy Eye series. He also wrote City of the Saints, a wild ride around the “Kingdom of Deseret” (Utah) which included over-the-top fictionalized versions of several historical characters and some wild technology like flesh-eating clockwork scarab beetles. Since the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the “Mormon” church) was founded in the 1800s and had set up their own provisional in the Utah Territory to escape persecution and conflict. The church sent missionaries all over the world, and of course there were the controversies surrounding polygamy, doctrine, and leader Joseph Smith’s run for President, and … lots more. The history is interesting, but the folklore and rumors of the era even more so. (And if you read Jules Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days… yes, there are Mormons & Missionaries in that, too).

So the idea here was to have Steampunk involving Mormons – the church and its members. The trick was, as very explicitly noted in the submission guidelines, that this is a work of fiction and that the stories were not intended to be either “anti-Mormon” or to strongly suggest that the theology is true. These were to be fictional works about fictional Mormons (even if they had real-life counterparts) and is intended for a wide audience. They had no interest in the religion of the authors. If you’d be offended about a story of cultists trying to reanimate the corpse of Brigham Young, however, this might not be the book for you.

Otherwise, hey… game on! Get ready for some wild tales. My story, “The Pipes of Columbia,” takes place during the Columbia Exposition in Chicago–the 1893 World’s Fair.  This was the Epcot of the late 19th century, and where the world’s first Ferris Wheel was built (which could carry 60 people per car and over 2000 people at a time…). It was also where the Mormon Tabernacle Choir made their big touring debut. Interestingly enough, this story is coming out just a few weeks after the choir changed its name after 125 years. The story involves a stolen shipment of bizarre organ-pipes and a dangerous mesmerist.

Anyway – if this piques your interest, check it out! The ebook is only $2.99.  Other authors include D J Butler (the man himself!), John M. Olsen, Elizabeth Mueller, Scott E. Tarbet, Stephen L. Peck, and six others.  Get ready for some wild steampunk rides!

Filed Under: Books, Short Fiction, steampunk - Comments: Comments are off for this article



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