Title: Soulless
Author: Gail Carriger
Genre: Fiction – Paranormal, Steampunk
Publication Date: 2009
Purchase Price: $7.99 (paperback)
Miss Alexia Tarabotti has had a difficult evening. Not only is she unable to find decent food at a boring event, she must deal with the scandal of being attacked by a vampire — before they’ve been properly introduced! The vampire has no sense of manners, and clearly does not recognize Alexia as a “preternatural”: a being with no soul. Before she’s quite aware of what’s happened, she’s dispatched the rude vampire with her parasol, causing a loud fuss in the process.
To put the cherry on top of the disastrous evening, Alexia must now deal with Lord Conall Maccon, werewolf investigator. Little does she know that things are about to get much worse.
Vampires and werewolves alike are disappearing, and Alexia ends up somehow smack dab in the middle of it. Can she quell her dislike of Lord Maccon long enough to solve the mystery, and can she avoid putting herself in danger in the process? Or will the bad guys win the day?
Sheer awesomeness
At the intersection of Steampunk, Regency, and Paranormal lies Gail Carriger and The Parasol Protectorate series.
Miss Tarabotti’s temperament and the stodgy rules of Victorian England do not mix, and she causes her family and friends headaches at every turn. And nothing aggravates Alexia more than Lord Maccon and his insufferable werewolfishness.
Soulless is my first brush with the Steampunk genre, and so far it’s awesome. I love the mystery, the action, and the manners. Carriger has a fantastic, irreverent sense of humor, and her characters are well developed and believable.
There are several more books in the series: Changeless, Blameless, Heartless, and Timeless (release date sometime in 2012). I love Alexia’s spunk, and her relationship with Maccon, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the whole series.
Kick-ass Quotes:
“Miss Tarabotti, once composed, was generally of a peckish proclivity.” (p.172)
Anyone else read Soulless yet? Is the rest of the series as good?
I enjoyed this one too! So many witty lines. Look forward to your reviews of the rest, as I’ve not read them.
I love witty humor (as is evidenced by my post from today, actually), and I’m always glad to see that authors are sticking with it. The nerdiness is just what I need.