The Magnum Opus: Deina Furth's Steampunk Brilliance

"A dark steampunk tale best enjoyed with a glass of scotch...

And scrambled eggs."

- Deina Furth

This line blew away all of my own attempts to come up with a good opener for the latest ebook review!

cover design by London Burden
and Alexis Swartz

The Magnum Opus is a dark steampunk novelette written by Deina Furth. I've been craving steampunk for a while, so the second I saw this cover staring up at me... downloading of the title was a given.

So what's it about?

To Rastigan, only one thing matters. He seeks to create a perfect living doll, one capable of emotions, reasoning, and loyalty. He never succeeded before, but now he has created Evangeline, his magnus opus. 

I was first introduced to steampunk via Final Fantasy on my super nintendo. As I travelled across lands in Cid's airship, however, I had absolutely no clue that airships were a part of the steampunk genre - I didn't even know what steampunk was - I just knew that they fascinated me.

That, of course, wasn't true steampunk, but it was my first taste.

It propelled me head first into looking for more, and I devoured the whirring and clanking of the steam powered machinery while dreaming about the robots and victorian fashions that came with it. I was hooked.

Even today, I'll find myself looking for steampunk themed eyeglass frames. I don't wear glasses, but someday I might. It's good to keep your bases covered, I figure. Besides... everything steampunk is just awesome.

And Furth didn't disappoint.

Her tale of Rastigan's life achievement kept me spellbound. The world was dark and Rastigan was even darker. An inventor left alone with his work for too long, he wasn't quite right.

And his crowning achievement? His lifelike doll?

She was a woman that anyone could love. Well, as long as you can get past the whirring and clanking, that is. Evangeline had wants and needs, and her desires were something we can all relate to. Rastigan was the inventor, but she was the star.

The length of this ebook is very short, but it leaves you thinking long past its completion. It also makes you wary of lifelike dolls. I look forward to more from Deina Furth.

The Magnum Opus is available on Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords, as well as Scribd.