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All the cute and the precious have been found. All the kitties and puppies have homes. The candy colored, the eco-friendly, the hipsters of the handmade are all duly covered elsewhere. Here I will find the slightly odd, the darkly beautiful, the elegant and steamy pieces of goodness. I am very particular in my tastes and though I promise you that I will share nothing but the most intriguing of my discoveries, you may not always like them. I must also confess that I have no real artistic nor fashion background to base my finds upon. These are simply discoveries dug up from the depths of etsy or perhaps elsewhere, brushed off and presented for your approval.

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Sunday Treasury






Saturday, July 30, 2011

The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities

Imagine my surprise when I, or rather the Wunderkammer was presented with the opportunity to receive a book for review. It will become clear that I have never reviewed a book in just a few sentences, but I could not pass up the chance to try especially as the book is itself a Wunderkammer.

Edited by Ann & Jeff Vandermeer, The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities is a fantastical collection of stories, art and brief snippets organized around Dr. Lambshead's cabinet. Being unfamiliar with the first book regarding Lambshead I stumbled a bit to find footing in the opening narrative, but once I did I was rewarded with an entertaining if occasionally uneven experience.

Rather than give you a play by play of the books contents, authors and artists, which are better explained by reviewers by trade I shall endeavor to give you just my unfettered opinions.

First the minor complaints. I was disappointed by the lack of color in any of the illustrations or photos particularly because quite a few of the related stories made use of their color in the narrative. In those cases I think a sprinkle of color would have gone a long way to immersing the reader in the material, instead we're left with what occasionally feels like a bad photocopy of what is surely an amazing piece of art in person. This is not the prevailing case as much of the art is fantastic even in black and white.

The other slight disappointment was in the final section, A Brief Catalog Of Other Items, where small descriptions of items devolved at times to absurd puns. To be fair they were entertaining, well written  puns, but they did not fit the overall tone of the piece and thus were a distraction from the other more tangible descriptions. There ends my complaint with the book, so let's go with some questions.

Is the book strictly Steampunk? Though that is how it was presented to me, the short answer is no. It will absolutely appeal to that audience however.  The longer answer depends on your definition of steampunk itself, which is a really involved discussion that serves no real purpose at this juncture. It certainly contains steampunk creations, authors and artists, but like my little Wunderkammer here, it expands to hold much more that is slightly odd, disturbing and darkly beautiful.

Is it an easy read? Bloody hell, no. The language and structure of many of the stories requires rapt attention. Occasionally whole sections require flipping to a footnote section to fully understand what is recounted. The various stories are presented as complete narratives, technical descriptions, historical accounts and collections of correspondence. This is a book that requires you to be an active reader.

But is it good? Yes, yes it is. If you enjoy weird tales, Lovecraft, dark fantasy or alternate histories, this is a fabulous read. Trying to pick some things to highlight is difficult as I enjoyed most of them and that's just too long a list, but he stories by Cherie Priest, China MiƩville, Garth Nix and Jeffrey Ford are still vividly with me as wonderful stand alone tales. There is certainly nothing that should be skipped.

 The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities is available in hardcover now.

So, thank you to whoever got my humble blog on the list to be able to read and share this book with you. Please do let me know how my first review was...kindly. Hopefully this won't be the last Wunderkammer book review.






Friday, July 29, 2011

Silver Rings

That Sing
Yes, I'm window shopping for myself again. I just adore rings with character.
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Thursday, July 28, 2011

Machines

In Another Age
Oh, the imagination.
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Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Chain

Me Up
Stunning chain creations with unexpected accents. Apparently cloth is overrated.

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Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Secret

Identity
If you didn't know, I love making masks. I'm guessing these artists do as well.


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Monday, July 25, 2011

Kick Start It



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Sunday, July 24, 2011

Sunday Treasury


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Saturday, July 23, 2011

Flickr Day

test-6697.jpg

Ne Reve Plus

VICTORIAN PIC NIC

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Friday, July 22, 2011

Shoot First

Ask Questions Later
3. Retro Raygun Art Print 11x14 - Opafaf
4. Espectro Pistola Marca Uno - tinplatestudios
I swear, I only love guns when they are full of sci-fi glory and you know, can't kill me.

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Thursday, July 21, 2011

Symmetry

Is For Suckers
Who needs more black dresses for summer? Yep, the answer is me.

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Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Tentacle

So Many Arms
I could literally spend an entire month on tentacle finds. Seriously, all but one of these were found on the first page of searching.

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Tuesday, July 19, 2011

We're A Couple

Of Swells
Image the stories you create about these imaginary relatives immortalized as couples on your wall. No one will believe you, but still.
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Monday, July 18, 2011

Kick Start It



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Sunday, July 17, 2011

Sunday Treasury


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Saturday, July 16, 2011

Flickr Day

steampunk-house

Steampunk Haunted House 2009

Steampunk (III)

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Friday, July 15, 2011

Murder

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Thursday, July 14, 2011

Wood

That I Could
4. Piston wall shelf - mattjohnsondesigns
As much as I love a useless bauble, it's always nice when an object has a purpose beyond an aesthetic.

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Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Calliopie

Strikingly Gorgeous
All pieces by Calliopie
I loved every piece in this shop, so gorgeous!

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Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Hey, Lady

Pretty Lady
Technology and elegance combined.
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Monday, July 11, 2011

Kick Start It



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Sunday, July 10, 2011

Sunday Treasury


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Saturday, July 9, 2011

Flickr Day

Gears of Time (split-toned)

Anime Expo 2011
Steampunk!



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Friday, July 8, 2011

Skull Spider

Two Great Tastes
That taste great together...no? Well, they look disturbingly beautiful together right?

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Thursday, July 7, 2011

Left My Soul There

Down By The Sea
Where beautiful, soulless, mechanical beasts lie under the waves.

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Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Curiosity

Is Key
I have always had a love of old keys...always. I suppose its the mysteries they might hold, their stories that remain untold.

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Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Leather

And Steampunk
Just some great gadgets of leather and rivets.

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