The story I read from the Steampunk Anthology was titled “The God-Clown is Near.” It was very similarly themed and tied to Marry Shelly’s Frankenstein. The whole novel is occurs around a Victor Frankenstein like character named Doctor Cosimo Ferrante who was the “finest flesh sculptor in Triune Town.” In the novel, there are these things called clowns which the towns people call “jack’s.” The purpose of the clowns is to aid the town’s people and provide them with goods and company. They are supposedly beautiful creatures. Doctor Ferrante, much like Victor, is infatuated with his creations. Also much like Victor he creates a clown that in a fit of rage kills the people he created it for. He makes this “monster.”
This short story is very steampunk because like Frankenstein, they have technology unavailable to even society today. The ability to create God like creatures out of flesh that would do ones bidding is a very steampunky technology to have. Also it is steampunk because the creatures are made out of flesh. Where as a technological genre would have things made out of metal doing out bidding such as the movie IRobot, this novel has them made out of flesh. Essentially the clowns are 18th century robots made out of flesh instead of metal. Metal would be expensive and not easily obtainable where as there is a great abundance of flesh to make these servants out of. The story is also steampunk because of a lack of responsibility or innocence. Although the Doctors created kills two men no one is held accountable for the action. This also shares a theme with Frankenstein.
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