Smoke and Steam — Multiple Authors

Smoke and Steam is an anthology of four Steampunk novellas, including "Hekatite," by Karen Garvin; "Wings over Staria," by JC Rock; "Heart of the Matter," by Michelle Schad; and "Freedom for a Foster," by Cathryn Leigh. Wings Over Staria - Mary Stewart, sole survivor of a shipwreck, finds herself stranded on a string of islands that have kept themselves separate from the rest of the world. She struggles to fit into a new society while trying to find a way home with the use of brilliant mechanical wings seen nowhere else on the planet. Hekatite - The Victorian world runs on steam. On Seacombe Island, botanists have discovered the Hekate orchid, a beautiful flower that has a surprise: burning the sap from its seed pods produces more energy than coal. Edward Gray, appointed to supervise the Hekatite fuel refining process, is tasked with producing enough of it to power the airship HMS Nares in England's bid to win a race to the South Pole. But the ugly truth about Hekatite is that it is also a powerful toxin. Will Edward's quest be successful? And will he survive the race? Heart of the Matter - Imagine a world run off steam, and smoke; a world where the supernatural powers have over-ruled the nuclear ones; where science and mysticism meet in an eternal battle for supremacy. Twelve years ago, that battle came to a head, starting World War III with the total destruction of Paris, France. Now, nations are falling, armies crushed beneath the weight of giant automatons or irrevocably mutilated by the supernatural powers that are wielded as weapons of an ‘enlightened' age. Among the horrors of war, Geiger Fallon and his twin brother, Tristan, find themselves caught up in a wild conspiracy of experimentation and sinister plots that undermine the entire cause of the war at hand. The end result will either bring them closer together or permanently tear them apart. Freedom for a Foster - Unable to use magic, Herbert was sent to a country that treats fosters like slaves and death is the penalty for disobedience. But when confronted with training from his past he must decide if saving another's life is worth risking his own..