A glance at the front cover of this book lets you know what you’re in for: a weird, wonderful and occasionally disturbing race through a fantastically alternative Victorian Age. The young Queen Victoria absconds from Buckingham Palace shortly before her Coronation, and is replaced by a human–newt hybrid; New England is threatened by a mythical sea creature, and can only be saved by a prejudiced Swiss scientist; and Emily Dickinson falls for Walt Whitman, and accompanies him on a strange voyage through the Afterlife.

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.
( )

http://speculiction.blogspot.com/2015/11/review-of-steampunk-trilogy-by-paul-di.... ( )

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 ( )