Maurice Broaddus

The book consists of two pieces: the sci-fi novella 'I Can Transform You' and the steampunk short story 'Pimp My Airship'.

'I Can Transform You' is a blend of detective noir and buddy cop set in a near future post-apocalyptic US Midwest. Mac Peterson is a broken down former detective now working as a private investigator. He is brought in to investigate the deaths of a deep-undercover cop and a local gangbanger. He's teamed up with Ade Walters, a 6'7" detective with cybernetic implants.

'Pimp show more My Airship' looks at steampunk from a very different perspective: African Americans in an early industrialised US. The American Civil War hasn't happened; instead, slaves were released with the rise of the automata. Fans of Public Enemy may even find civil rights attorney & activist Thomas “TNT” Todd's quote at the start of 'Fight the Power' making an appearance in the story.

The two works, while very different in time and style, explore similar themes: corporate influence (in 'I Can Transform You', the US is composed of multinationals and the American Dream has been trademarked), race, and environment. While not always the most subtle, Broaddus successfully avoids having the themes overtake each story, instead weaving them into the dialogue and events into intriguing page-turners. He leaves a lot to discuss - his nods to the present and past, his exploration of these themes, what happens to his characters. Really enjoyable and interesting. I'm looking forward to more from Broaddus. show less

My number one complaint for this book is that it is too damn short. It drops you into the action, does an excellent job catching you up without boring you to tears, then ends as soon as a major plot point is over. Hello, I need a full 75,000 word novel of this. I feel that if I am going to whine about a book that is too long (there is nothing wrong with cutting your novella off at a novella length and not falsely attempting to fluff into something bigger - please remember that authors), I show more should be allowed to whine about a book being too short, so there you have it.

Second whine: there are no bison (or buffalo), and no buffalo soldiers. It didn't particularly need them, but I sort of went in expecting something along those lines...

Now, to the good. The world building is spectacular. Absolutely spectacular. I hope the author writes master classes on world-building because I want to take them one day. There is a great mix of steampunk and solarpunk set in an alternative universe in which the forward march of the United States never made it all the way west, or even to independence yet, as of the time of the book. The west is still held by the indigenous people and the territories and political shiftings of the continent are extremely interesting. Manifest Destiny was properly curbed and mostly crushed, although Albion (the British Empire, I am assuming) is still rattling its saber and prowling the shadows. The book is a sort of western, anti-colonial, spy action-thriller all in one. The politics and world-building work well together to complete a truly gorgeous, believable story.

The characters are well-rendered. The author wrote a child who felt and acted like a child. (Making nine-year-olds act either like toddlers or precocious 19 year-olds is a real pet peeve of mine.)

Mostly, just read this. No, really. Read this. It's just too damn short. show less

This is a truly amazing collection of short stories that span time, setting, and speculative subgenres: horror, dark fantasy, science fiction, afrofuturism, and steampunk. What sets this book apart from other short story collections I have read are three things Maurice Broaddus does extremely well: 1. His characters are believable and interesting. 2. His writing is brilliantly vivid. I'm talking close to Ray Bradbury imagery. 3. His messages are deep and inspiring. These stories have things show more to say, and they say them with pride and reverence for those that have fallen trying to say similar things. Most of the characters are of African descent, so some of the things being said revolve around race and culture, but that is only part of this book's magic. I am whiter than rice on a paper plate, and these stories moved me and made me think in profound ways. What the voices of the martyrs spoke to me is all about the awesome responsibility of humanity and the intense power of storytelling. show less

Things I loved about this book:
Bella's strong sense of self-worth and willingness to stand her ground
The story feels authentically written and focuses on a homeless child and graffiti artist
The caring adults are amazing about respecting Bella enough to let her make her own mistakes and decisions and learn from them
Bella's extraordinary bank of knowledge -- not just of the history and the people in her neighborhood, but also the undercurrents that determine actions -- I think a lot of kids show more have this, but it is rarely portrayed
It's an empowering story about changing the world and fighting entrenched power

Advanced reader's copy provided by Edelweiss. show less