Soot And Steel: Dark Tales of London

This review is for the ebook of Soot and Steel as provided by LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

About half of this collection of short stories centered in London is composed of new material and half is a century or more old. While the locale may be the same, and all involve mystery, the occult, or the fantastic, the style of writing is obviously different. Whether you will find that interesting or jarring will depend on your personal tastes. I am not a great fan of the Victorian style of writing, so I tended to enjoy the new material more. Many of the older stories are what I'd simply refer to as “odd,” atmospheric and gloomy but not with a memorable plot.

My favorites were “Hunger” by Bryony Pearce, a novel twist on the vampire myth show more in which the central character captures the last breaths of the dying and consumes them to prolong his life; “From the Casebook of Master Wiggins, Esq.” by Paul Di Filippo, a very good Sherlock Holmes pastiche; and “Southall Tantra,” by Paul StJohn Mackintosh, in which headlessness is next to godliness. show less

This short story anthology is a mixture of old and new tales about London. The stories have historical settings and all but one of them contain fantastical elements. The editor chose stories that “expose the city’s grim and sooty underbelly.” Of the sixteen tales, seven of the stories are “classic” pieces and nine are by modern authors. Some of the entries I enjoyed more than others. “The Ghost of Cock Lane” is told from a spirit’s point of view. The story that fits all of the editor’s criteria, “Queen Rat”, is about the people who picked through rubbish by the Thames and the underground during Victorian times. “Christopherson” by George Gissing tells the story of a bibliophile whose obsession puts his wife’s show more health at risk. The tale “Behind the Shade” shows how destructive gossips can be. “Blood and Bone” is set during the blitz with people using sheer will power to keep St. Pauls’ Cathedral standing. The quality of the stories varies, but the anthology is worth reading for those who enjoy historical or fantastical tales set in London. show less

I received my copy of 'Soot and Steel' through the Early Reviewers program.
It has taken me some time to work through this collection, as I did not find some of the stories earlier in the book terribly appealing. I had an impression that some writers were too busy trying to make their characters sound like London street-people that the quality of the story became secondary.
As with all compilations of short stories, a reader will have favourites. For me, these came near the end of the collection. The London Blitz story, 'Blood and Bone' I thought was a stand out, and the very modern 'Southall Tantra' was engrossing, although I always had a bad feeling about that relationship.
Making a collection of stories about one place is an interesting show more idea, but doesn't quite come off here the way I had hoped it might. show less

A very eclectic selection of London short stories written by modern and long deceased authors. There are ghost stories, fantasies, historical pieces and some vignettes that verge on horror. I think it could have been improved by having a wider range of historical settings overall. However most of them are engaging and full of interesting facts about London.

Interesting collection of short stories, some historical reprints and some written for this volume, designed to show London's "grim and sooty underbelly". All are successful, but not all are are particularly appealing. I particularly enjoyed "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" and "In the Tube".

I'm afraid that I was not able to finish this one. Once I find myself skimming through stories looking for one to catch my attention, I begin to worry. When I am not able to find one, I quit. These "dark" tales aren't terribly dark, and I suppose that was the root of my disappointment...