Carnal Machines: Steampunk Erotica
2 journalers for this copy...
I found this steamy-looking softcover at Barnes and Noble - an anthology of erotic stories with a steampunk setting. (Though the "steam powered sex toys" mentioned on the back cover sound a bit painful, not to say dangerous! {grin})
Later: Definitely (pardon the expression) steamy; some of the stories are very explicit indeed! As with many collections of erotica, some of the tales have barely enough plot to get the characters in bed (or wherever else they're going at it); your basic repairman/bored housewife setup, for example, with robotic housemaids in the mix. But quite a few did a good job of setting up characters and story so as to enhance the actual naughty bits. And while most of the stories involve male/female pairings (or at least one male and one female in the mix), there are girl-on-girl and boy-on-boy stories too. [And robot-on-person, but I probably didn't need to say that.]
Among my favorites:
"Sleight of Hand" has a young thief attempting to break into a high-security location, only to be caught in the act - by her former lover; the details of the setting, and the sketches of the characters, make for a rather jolly encounter.
"Mutiny on the 'Danika Blue'" has a shipboard setting - a wooden ship, in outer space, thanks to assorted machinery - and makes good use of the captain-and-the-wench scenario, with a nice twist.
"Deviant Devices" was lots of fun; a young prostitute hopes to get a much higher-class gig when she interviews for a new position (I'm trying not to giggle here). She finds that the interview involves some very exotic machinery, into which she is placed by a young secretary who admits, under her deft questioning, that he's enjoyed the gadget himself. While the actual sexy bits were entertaining in themselves, I really loved the way the two characters bonded (no, really, stop giggling!).
"Carnal Machines" amused me primarily by the stinger at the end of the story; made me laugh out loud.
"Her Own Devices" has a lovely oriental woman attempting to seduce an Englishman in order to spy out his secrets - and she does, though not in the way she expected.
"Infernal Machine" features a Russian nobleman and a Jewish artificer, very much in love even though the nobleman's family would not approve. While worrying about the future of his relationship, the artificer begins to poke at the "infernal machine", a bizarre chair/machine/gadget that he'd found and was trying to restore. When he does get the thing to start working, he finds himself in a very awkward situation indeed... This one was a mix of funny, a bit scary, sexy, and sweet.
"The Treatment" is sinister/funny/sexy, with a much more practical view of all this sexual activity than most of the others {wry grin}.
And the final story, "The Succubus", delves a bit farther into S&M than previous stories did, with a very special machine in a very special room...
Later: Definitely (pardon the expression) steamy; some of the stories are very explicit indeed! As with many collections of erotica, some of the tales have barely enough plot to get the characters in bed (or wherever else they're going at it); your basic repairman/bored housewife setup, for example, with robotic housemaids in the mix. But quite a few did a good job of setting up characters and story so as to enhance the actual naughty bits. And while most of the stories involve male/female pairings (or at least one male and one female in the mix), there are girl-on-girl and boy-on-boy stories too. [And robot-on-person, but I probably didn't need to say that.]
Among my favorites:
"Sleight of Hand" has a young thief attempting to break into a high-security location, only to be caught in the act - by her former lover; the details of the setting, and the sketches of the characters, make for a rather jolly encounter.
"Mutiny on the 'Danika Blue'" has a shipboard setting - a wooden ship, in outer space, thanks to assorted machinery - and makes good use of the captain-and-the-wench scenario, with a nice twist.
"Deviant Devices" was lots of fun; a young prostitute hopes to get a much higher-class gig when she interviews for a new position (I'm trying not to giggle here). She finds that the interview involves some very exotic machinery, into which she is placed by a young secretary who admits, under her deft questioning, that he's enjoyed the gadget himself. While the actual sexy bits were entertaining in themselves, I really loved the way the two characters bonded (no, really, stop giggling!).
"Carnal Machines" amused me primarily by the stinger at the end of the story; made me laugh out loud.
"Her Own Devices" has a lovely oriental woman attempting to seduce an Englishman in order to spy out his secrets - and she does, though not in the way she expected.
"Infernal Machine" features a Russian nobleman and a Jewish artificer, very much in love even though the nobleman's family would not approve. While worrying about the future of his relationship, the artificer begins to poke at the "infernal machine", a bizarre chair/machine/gadget that he'd found and was trying to restore. When he does get the thing to start working, he finds himself in a very awkward situation indeed... This one was a mix of funny, a bit scary, sexy, and sweet.
"The Treatment" is sinister/funny/sexy, with a much more practical view of all this sexual activity than most of the others {wry grin}.
And the final story, "The Succubus", delves a bit farther into S&M than previous stories did, with a very special machine in a very special room...
I'm adding this book to emmejo's Steampunk bookbox, which will soon be on its way to its next stop with angelface46 in Colorado. Enjoy!
*** Update: in the forum thread, angelface46 listed this book among those claimed. Hope you enjoy it!
*** Update: in the forum thread, angelface46 listed this book among those claimed. Hope you enjoy it!
got from the steampunk box
