Title: All Made of Hinges: A Mormon Steampunk Anthology, vol. 1
Editor: James Wymore
Publisher: Immortal Works
Genre: Steampunk short stories
Year Published: 2018
Reviewed by Conor Hilton (Oct. 11, 2020)
First, I love that this (and the subsequent volumes) exists! Delightful.
Not every story is great, but all of them have something interesting to say about Mormonism (if nothing else at least in what the story chooses to focus on and how it uses Mormonism in the imaginative steampunk world). And none of the stories are bad. And quite a few of them are wonderful, with 2-3 just stand-out incredible engaging, page-turning stories. Lots to love here if you’re interested in what Mormonism is and what it could be, transhumanism in a Mormon context, and the general relationship between spirituality and technology. And if you like pulpy, steampunk adventures with funky twists (in this case, a Mormon twist).
Particularly loved “Mere Pulp, No Less” (D. J. Butler), “A Strike to the Heart of the Cannon Lord” (Steven L. Peck), “The Pipes of Columbia” (Jay Barnson), “Reversals of Fortune” (Amanda Hamblin), and “Strange Pilgrims” (John D. Payne). Though I also found “Machinations of Angels” (Christopher McAfee) to be FASCINATING and engrossing and really really interesting theologically and cosmologically, even though the writing was somewhat clunky and obvious.
Though my all-time favorite of the bunch is probably the final story: “Tracting Out Cthulhu”, by Lee Allred. LOVE LOVE LOVE this story. Would read a whole anthology of stories in this particular world. And would absolutely watch a film based on it, very cinematic in its telling.
Anyway. Lots to appreciate here. Excited to read the other volumes!
Glad to read of your enthusiasm for the Mormon steampunk micro-genre, Conor! It’s a great genre to read and loads of fun to write. I’m looking forward to your reviews of subsequent volumes, particularly Immortal Work’s fourth volume in the series which, unlike the first three, hasn’t yet garnered much feedback.
One of the reasons I believe Mormon steampunk has such vitality and untapped possibilities is that steampunk is typically bracketed by the Victorian Era (1830s-1900ish) just at the height of the British Empire and the apogee of its power and influence, a time frame (1830s-1996) — a timeframe that also almost precisely brackets the height and apogee of early Mormonism/pioneer Deseret-Utah’s unique unassimilated culture.
You managed to pick several of my own favorites in the volume, especially D.J. Butler’s “Mere Pulp, No Less.” “Pulp” is of a piece with his “The Guns of Perdition” (in William Morris’ STATES OF DESERET anthology). He’s probably the best practitioner of the genre. (I love how he manages to playfully tweak the reader’s nose with his story title’s declaration that Mormon steampunk is pulp fiction, no less.) You might want to check out Butler’s CITY OF THE SAINTS steampunk novel.
P.S. On a personal note, thanks for the kind words for “Tracting Out Cthulhu.” You’ll find the origin story of sorts for that fictive world’s Correlation Department counter-chthonic spy organization in my “Can Such Things Be?” story published in Volume 4 (A MIGHTY FORTRESS), and I’m currently working yet more Mormon Chthonic Steampunk projects, what I’m calling my Clockwork Deseret series.