The Sea is Ours: Tales of Steampunk Southeast Asia

As much as I love Steampunk, the genre has a tendency to ignore the issues of colonialism and race in the Victorian Age. The Sea is Ours is a direct response to this. The collection from mostly Southeast Asian authors offers a view from the other side with just as many gears, magic and science gone awry. The collection starts with the beautiful and chilling “Chasing Volcanoes” where a young Tagalog girl dreams of being an airship navigator, includes the terrifying story “The Last Aswang” featuring the shapeshifting monster of Filipino folklore, and “Petrified” a story featuring the results of a mad scientist’s experimentation with Basilisk blood. Great writing, Non-western setting, and the fabulous mythologies associated with them.