Stories of the Smoke
Stories of the Smoke
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Stories of the Smoke brings you London as you've never seen it before - science fiction and fantasy in the great tradition of Charles Dickens.
Stories of the Smoke brings you London as you've never seen it before - science fiction and fantasy in the great tradition of Charles Dickens.
Charles Dickens lived and breathed London in a way few authors ever have, before or since. In his fiction, his non-fiction, and even his own life, Dickens cast an extraordinary shadow over the city he so loved - so much so, indeed, that his name has become synonymous with a certain image of London. A London of terrible social inequality and matchless belief in the human potential; a London filled with the comic and the repulsive, the industrious and the feckless, the faithful and the faithless, the selfish and the selfless.
Charles Dickens lived and breathed London in a way few authors ever have, before or since. In his fiction, his non-fiction, and even his own life, Dickens cast an extraordinary shadow over the city he so loved - so much so, indeed, that his name has become synonymous with a certain image of London. A London of terrible social inequality and matchless belief in the human potential; a London filled with the comic and the repulsive, the industrious and the feckless, the faithful and the faithless, the selfish and the selfless.
This London is at once an historical artifact and a living, breathing creature: the steaming, heaving, weeping, stinking, everlasting Smoke.
This London is at once an historical artifact and a living, breathing creature: the steaming, heaving, weeping, stinking, everlasting Smoke.
Contents
Contents
- Introduction: "The Nightmare City" by Christopher Fowler
- "Inspector Bucket Investigates" by Sarah Lotz
- "Uncle Smoke" by Archie Black
- "A Dance of Life and Dust" by Aliette de Bodard
- "Victory Year" by Alexis Kennedy
- "The Collection" by Esther Saxey
- "An Unburdening of the Soul" by David Thomas Moore
- "Necropolis" by Jonathan Green
- "The Knowledge" by Rebecca Levene
- "Londoner" by Jenni van der Merwe
- "The Unkindness of Ravens" by Glen Mehn
- "The Pickwick Syndrome" by Kaaron Warren
- "The Hound of Henry Hortinger" by Michelle Goldsmith
- "Aye, There's the Twist" by James Wallis
- "The City of the Absent" by Charles Dickens
- "A Brief History of the Great Pubs of London" by Lavie Tidhar
- "Bullseye" by Sarah Anne Langton
- "Cuckoo" by David Thomas Moore
- "Martin Citywit" by Adam Roberts
Illustrations by Gary Northfield
Illustrations by Gary Northfield
Edited by Anne C. Perry and Jared Shurin
Edited by Anne C. Perry and Jared Shurin
Details
Details
Published April 2012.
Published April 2012.
Hardcover (100 numbered copies): 978-0-9570392-6-1
Hardcover (100 numbered copies): 978-0-9570392-6-1
Kindle: 978-0-9570392-7-8
Kindle: 978-0-9570392-7-8
Awards
Awards
Seven stories from Stories of the Smoke were selected and translated for Лондон: время московское ('London: Moscow time'), a special edition published by AST Publishing (2014, ISBN: 9785170853663).
Seven stories from Stories of the Smoke were selected and translated for Лондон: время московское ('London: Moscow time'), a special edition published by AST Publishing (2014, ISBN: 9785170853663).
Honorable Mentions from The Year's Best Science Fiction (ed. Gardner Dozois): Aliette de Bodard's "A Dance of Life and Dust", Sarah Lotz's "Inspector Bucket Investigates", Lavie Tidhar's "A Brief History of the Great Pubs of London" and Adam Roberts' "Martin Citywit".
Honorable Mentions from The Year's Best Science Fiction (ed. Gardner Dozois): Aliette de Bodard's "A Dance of Life and Dust", Sarah Lotz's "Inspector Bucket Investigates", Lavie Tidhar's "A Brief History of the Great Pubs of London" and Adam Roberts' "Martin Citywit".
Honorable Mentions from The Best Horror of the Year (ed. Ellen Datow): Sarah Ann Langton's "Bullseye", David Thomas Moore's "Cuckoo" and Kaaron Warren's "The Pickwick Syndrome".
Honorable Mentions from The Best Horror of the Year (ed. Ellen Datow): Sarah Ann Langton's "Bullseye", David Thomas Moore's "Cuckoo" and Kaaron Warren's "The Pickwick Syndrome".
Recommended by Liz Grzyb and Talie Helene in The Year's Best Australian Fantasy and Horror (2012): Michelle Goldsmith's "The Hound of Henry Hortinger" and Kaaron Warren's "The Pickwick Syndrome".
Recommended by Liz Grzyb and Talie Helene in The Year's Best Australian Fantasy and Horror (2012): Michelle Goldsmith's "The Hound of Henry Hortinger" and Kaaron Warren's "The Pickwick Syndrome".
Reviews
Reviews
"The tales are consistently entertaining, with several stand-outs." - The Guardian
One of The Ranting Dragon's "5 Most Anticipated Releases" for April 2012.
"A literary feast - a fantastic sampler of cutting-edge storytelling, yes, but also a solid work that is both a unified vision of London and a swirling, kaleidoscopic voyage through and across a multiverse of Londons" - DreamPunk.me
"A strong anthology that offers something not just to SFF readers but to Dickens aficionados and London lovers as well." - A Fantastical Librarian
"This collection will take you a grand tour through the highs and lows of Victorian society right up to the present day and, in some cases, beyond. A wonderfully crafted anthology that is likely to leave any reader hungry for more." - The Eloquent Page
"Stories flow into each other, with no notably jarring examples of mood change. It also bears reading in sequence in order to appreciate the subtlety with which the overall theme, that of Dickensian fiction for the modern era, marries with a specifically Dickensian tone, namely one of warning about current social/cultural trends tempered by optimism for the future, not to mention an inherent fascination with the city of London and its potential to both elevate and corrupt those who choose or are trapped by its environs... A major success." - Stuff & Nonsense
"Plenty of gems in this book... Recommended for anyone who is looking for something that is a little different to their usual science fiction and fantasy." - Paperless Reading
"A cohesive, well-written, and tightly put together compilation. The theme of London/Dickens flows over well from story to story, with that ghostly presence that seemed to always lurk, either in the fore or the backdrop of Charles Dickens work." - Disinformed
Extras
Extras
Audio for several stories from Stories of the Smoke can be found at Dark Fiction Magazine, including: "Cuckoo", "A Brief History of the Great Pubs of London", "Uncle Smoke" and "Inspector Bucket Investigates".
Lavie Tidhar's "A Brief History of the Great Pubs of London", reprinted at Pornokitsch.
Michelle Goldsmith's "The Hound of Henry Hortinger", reprinted at Pornokitsch.
Anne C. Perry's "Dickens' London" at London Calling
Christopher Fowler on "The Rivals of Charles Dickens"
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