Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate)

This book was fun! Other reviewers have done a much better job than I could of explaining the story, but I will say it was so nice to read and be entertained without feeling like you're being lectured by the author. It's a unique blend of steampunk, Victorian romance and the werewolf/vampire theme; I didn't expect it to work, but thankfully it did. Sure there were a few spots where the pace felt a little off, but overall the book flowed very well. The main characters were engaging and the supporting characters were well-developed. When I finished it (at 2am), I immediately thought 'I want to read the next one'. Unfortunately, the sequel's not due out until April, but I've already pre-ordered it and can't wait to dive in.

This is a book for adults: Violence and physical attraction are intense, especially in the end of the book. It isn't wildly explicit--makes judicious use of metaphor and euphemisms, but it tells a vivid story.

It's also very witty. It's a modern paranormal fantasy tale, but the sassy heroine is a proper British lady from the 19th century. I'm not a fashionista or into stories about restrained romance during formal balls, but this was so charmingly done. I smiled a lot, laughed a few times.

And the action was fun, with good surprises.

Read this book based on the first paragraph and am glad I did. I don't usually read this genre and was surprised how much I liked it. I did think the steam punk references were unnecessary but they did not distract from the plot. Want to read more in this series. Highly recommend.

First time reading something of the steampunk nature. The story was great and the characters dynamic. The romance between Alexia and the Earl was fun to read. All in all I really enjoyed it. I strongly recommend the audio book for this series. Ms. Grey does an excellent job.

I found Soulless engaging and a perfect read to escape reality for a while. Miss Alexia Tarabotti is an engaging character, and I loved how Ms. Carriger injected her with self-depreciating humor about her strong features and Italian temperament. The book was predictable, but I didn't see it as a problem. I found myself laughing quite a bit throughout this read. Lord Maccon worked well in bringing out Alexia's insecurities when she was around her family. Lord Akeldama seemed to much like a stereotype at times, but he became a favorite character towards the end of the book. I hope the rest of the series is as good as this one.

Carriger has created an amazing universe by melding Victorian London with our favorite paranormal creatures, and then adding the unique Miss Tarabotti to the mix. The thought put into every detail of the narrative is evident, and the wit of the dialogue keeps the pages turning.

Be warned, though, this is not a book to read in public if you are of a modest disposition. The romance is very steamy, much more so than I expected from the book description! Thankfully I was reading at home or I might have been scandalized.

I really liked this one. It's got humor, romance, adventure, mystery, and fantasy. I see the contrived characters that everyone is complaining about: the stupid sisters, the one-dementional best friend. But I felt that was ok in this story, some how it all works. The more the other characters seem completely ridiculous, the more we get a feel of how different Alexia is from everyone else. She really, really doesn't fit in at all. It's all part of the story.

It's a comedy, and I don't mind when some pretty ridiculous things happen in comedies.

I finished "Soulless" a couple of hours ago and I'm still grinning. I picked it up on the recommendation of a friend, and I feel like I owe her one because I had so much fun reading this book. Soulless is the story of Alexia Tarabotti, a spinster in a steampunky, alternative Victorian England. Miss Tarabotti is a forthright and self-contained creature who expects never to marry because she has been told, almost since she was old enough to comprehend the notion of marriage that she was not marriage material. She is too tall, she is too voluptuous, she has a prominent nose, dark hair and olive skin thanks to her Italian father, and also thanks to him, she has no soul. She is a "preternatural" (a term which made me howl because of Anne Rice's egregious over-use of the word in her novels) as opposed to natural (human beings) and supernatural (vampires, werewolves, ghosts and the like.) I know it doesn't sound like hilarity-provoking reading material, but trust me, it's funny.

As a result of the constant insistence that she is unattractive to men, she pretty much lives her life as she chooses, reinforcing the image of a bluestocking spinster in the minds of the average Victorian. She has few friends, and one seeming enemy: Lord Maccon, an alpha werewolf. That would seem, to most people, to be a drawback, but Miss Tarabotti is undaunted by his persistent bad temper, and is inclined to give as good as she gets.

Within this alternate universe, the supernatural, the natural and the very few pretenatural live in a kind of delicate balance, accepting but not entirely comfortable with each other. So when a newly-made, unaffiliated vampire attacks Miss Tarabotti at a ball, forcing her to fight him off (and accidentally, to kill him) there is a tremendous kerfuffle in the supernatural community. The investigation begins to uncover other, equally strange occurrences, and it looks as if Miss Tarabotti is in grave danger.

Part fantasy, part romance, part mystery, part alternate history, part steampunk, Soulless rings all the appropriate changes in each of those parts. The fantasy has its own internal logic which holds the story together quite deftly. The romance is as satisfying as it is expected, and provides much of the humor, while the mystery is fairly simple and direct. You'll probably see some of the details coming, but it won't spoil your enjoyment. Both the alternate history and the steampunk elements are present in reasonable amounts, never done for their own sake nor over-done. It's a well-balanced story that never takes itself too awfully seriously. If I have any quibble it's that the first chapter is a little over-written, but that's a common problem. Authors frequently work very hard to hook the reader, and that work often shows in slightly forced dialogue. It's nothing that should put off a true fan of any of those genres/sub-genres, and it settles down nicely into a good, solid narrative.

Frankly, I can hardly wait for the second book. It's already on my wishlist. Alexia, Lord Akeldama, Lord Maccon and the others are all so winning that they already feel like old friends.

Soulless is a genre-blending, page-turning thrill ride. I read it at noon, after work, and at night before bed. This is one of the most engaging novels I've read in a long time, skillfully balancing adventure, romance, laughs, and frights. Even as Alexia is confined by her society's and her family's views, she lives on her own terms and fights battles with vigor and style. That Gail Carriger delivers Alexia's adventures with consummately dry, witty prose and light-handed but thorough world-building makes this a must-read for anyone looking to leave behind the dreary gray of the mundane and enter a world more exciting.

When a vampire attacked Miss Alexia Tarabotti, the snarky spinster of Italian descent, she certainly didn't mean to kill him. But he did ruin a perfectly good treacle tart before pouncing upon her. Enter barely civilized werewolf and BUR (Bureau of Unnatural Registry) agent, Lord Maccon to investigate the matter by order of the Queen herself. The two have never quite been on fully peaceable terms, ever squabbling wittily back and forth.

Following her attack Alexia becomes the target of strange happenings and with new, unsanctioned vampires popping up it's only a matter of time before she finds herself in trouble again. Toss in some werewolf trouble, an American scientist showing an interest in Miss Tarabotti and a best friend with horrifying taste in head coverings and you have quite an adventure for a Victorian lady who's been on the shelf since she was fifteen.

Soulless is delightfully quirky and snarky, two things I reeeeeally enjoy in a book. Alexia is an independant, intelligent woman who happens to be very much a bull in the social china shop. Her head-butting relationship with Lord Maccon is amusing most of the time though at a point I began to wonder if there was ever really going to be anything to come of the obvious "I hate you so much because we're perfect for each other" sort of chemistry I was seeing. The secondary characters are all nicely established and for their part equally as interesting as our heroine. I will say that for some reason many of their names are just plain odd and I found them annoying as I mentally stumbled over a few of them. Just a small peeve on my part, sorry!

The story itself has some steampunky tech elements but didn't really sit with me as a steampunk story though that was what had sold me on it. I found it to be more of an alternate history-ical urban fantasy and that was okay by me. Overall though the whole missing vampires and new vampires plot came out really flat to me, almost as if it were an afterthought when the author had great characters and wasn't sure how to play with them. What it does do though is set up for a series that I think will be pretty unique and certainly entertaining.

If you're into historical romance and urban fantasy I think this book melds the two genres into a pretty neat package. It's on the lighter side, lots of humor and hilarity not at all the dark broody stuff much of the urban fantasy genre is known for. I loved the girl-power elements too. Enjoy!

Such a joyful read! This book started really slowly. I read the first 25% over two weeks since I just wasn't getting into it, but then the pace picked up and interesting things started happening so for the last 75% I couldn't put it down. Really enjoyed it!

Dirigibles, steam-driven mechanical contraptions, automatons, vampires and the like abound in Carriger's "steampunk-lite" romance smorgasborg, chronicling the tale of a "soulless" preternatural, Alexia Tarabotti, and an alpha wolf, Conall Maccon, Earl of Woolsey in Victorian London as they try to unravel a sinister mystery.

Throw in the help of the Bureau of Unnatural Registry (BUR), the queen's Shadow Council, a truculent beta wolf, and one lavender-clad popinjay (entourage in tow)and shenanigans roar out of control, threatening the Crown, and the fragile human/supernatural social structure.

Carriger's realm smacks of fresh originality, her characters drawn with precision: the harridan mother Mrs. Loontwill, Lord Akeldama (well-dressed fop), Professor Lyall, Floote (the butler), and hunky Conall are all memorable and quirky. It was veritable feast to dig into Carriger's novel!

Soulless distinctly reminds one of Kim Newman's original Victorian vampire series, (Anno Dracula, The Bloody Red Baron & Judgement of Tears) and his stalwart character Kate Reed meshed with Emile Gaboriau's creation of French detective, Monsieur Lecoq. But Carriger has a softer, fresher take in her Victorian vision. Her spinsterish brolly-wielding protagonist will have you falling on the floor laughing page after page and curling your toes as she and Conall reluctantly fight off their magnetic attraction to one another(and of course fail miserably!)

March 2010 cannot come soon enough when "Changeless" the second book in the series is out!

On October 1st at 7:56 am something happened. You see, several weeks before that I bumped into a fascinating person on Twitter by the name of Gail Carriger. I don't know who followed who first, but I'm fairly sure it was due to a Follow Friday suggestion from a friend.

Gail Carriger is a fascinating person to follow on Twitter, and her website is a boon to anyone interested in Steampunk. Also, she happens to be an author. Her style of humor on Twitter made me think her books would be excellent to read, but unfortunately her books weren't actually out yet.

So I really had no choice... I had to preorder her first book: Soulless. I admit I was nervous. I am not the type to preorder books. Also I haven't read much in the way of Steampunk besides The Difference Engine. Although I have a rather fluid gender identity the idea of reading what might be construed as a romance novel worried me.

And then on October 1st at 7:56 am it finally happened... Soulless magically appeared on my iPhone. Nevermind that I was supposed to be at work at 8:00.

My expectations were off however. Soulless was better than I expected. I had not read a book that good since Spook Country, or perhaps Keeping It Real.

There were many genres in Soulless. Steampunk, vampires, werewolves, science, romance, comedy... Listing them all off almost sounds silly. But that's exactly what this book is.

The Steampunk is woven casually in, like Firefly. The romance was believable and did not offend my X chromosome, yet made my Y chromosome beg for more. British humor bringing it all together naturally with preternatural Alexia Tarabotti standing in the middle of it.

I look forward to preordering her next book: Changeless. (don't read the synopsis of Changeless until you read Soulless, as it might have spoilers!)

I highly suggest adding this to your list of books to read. It is a fast read that keeps you interested. It blends several genres smoothly, letting you sample several while still staying in the comfort zone of whichever is your favorite genre. It won't challenge your beliefs in humanity or deal with very many social issues, but it will make you smile which is more important anyways.

This book is fantastic! The characters all have a lot of depth, you really get to know and sympathize with them, and some of them are so fascinating on their own. The lead character is a wonderful heroine but she doesn't have to carry the book on her own! A wonderful supporting cast of characters. The plot is intriguing and really hooks you from the beginning. The narrative and dialogue is good and often laugh-out-loud hilarious. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

Predictable (it's borderline paranormal romance, as much as it kills me to say it) but fun. It's an easy read with some good banter and fun touches. I'm not convinced I'll read the rest of them but I needed to kill a few hours and the main character was a nice distraction for that amount of time.

i read a lot of the supernatural heroine fantasy set and am thrilled that miss tarabotti gets along perfectly well without worrying about her strong personality being overwhelmed by an also strong love interest. i was beginning to think that publishers were requiring that tired internal conflict in every book. instead, this heroine isnt worried one bit but is quite confident in herself.

the descriptions of clothing are a bit over the top but necessary , i suppose, for keeping readers grounded in the era and the sensibilities of the book's minor characters.

the start was slow and a bit tiresome, but got the characters and setting introduced quickly enough. after 50 pages i didnt think i would try more from this author. after finishing the book, i preordered the sequel.

steampunk, plus vampires, werewolves etc, plus English style wit, equals awesome. :) I love this series so much I just bought another copy of Soulless for a friend. And I may have to go buy myself another one, as my cousin borrowed it & I'm not sure she is ever going to return it. Sharp, funny, great story, wonderful characters. Be prepared for the gift Alexia gives her vamp friend before her wedding. <3

Soulless is heavily weighted down by trendy genre elements. In my experience, this usually leads to books that are poorly constructed, badly integrated, and the literary equivalent of a chess club stereotype wearing star-shaped sunglasses - trying much too hard to be cool.

Soulless should be like combining salmon and chocolate while I, in this metaphor, am an ichthyophobe with no sweet tooth. However, it appears that skilled chefs can pair salmon and chocolate. And sometimes a novel that's full of everything wrong can go terribly, tragically right.

Carriger's Victorian voice is sharp and funny. Witty observations provide a plethora of humorous clashes between action sequences and rigid etiquette. The descriptions of Victorian fashion are very nice for those readers with a weakness for bustles and lace, and I suspect I'm not the only one since the book is marketed with a Victorian dress-up doll flash game.

The main character, Alexia, is a fun and well-portrayed heroine, full of vigor and flaws. She, her friend Ivy, and their friendship are memorably captured in a few sentences: "Ivy Hisselpenny was the unfortunate victim of circumstances that dictated she be only-just-pretty, only-just-wealthy, and possessed of a terrible propensity for wearing extremely silly hats. This last being the facet of Ivy's character that Alexia found most difficult to bear."

Soulless is not a profound novel. It imparts no revelations about the human experience. I don't expect it will change anyone's life or that I'll remember the plot intricacies in ten years. But it was a fun, adventurous romp that diverted me for a few hours. I might even read it a second time. I will certainly pick up book two of the Parasol Protectorate and I look forward to meeting Alexia Tarabotti again in 2010.

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I loved the depth of these characters. Real personalities in amongst the confines of Victorian England. Added to that the supernatural and steam punk steam contraptions and a very intriguing fellowship developed. I have yet to read the next in the series, but I hope to find familiar characters as well as delicious new ones to fill my imagination. I always hate to make the acquaintance of new character friends only to lose them shortly at the end of a novel.

Yes, there are vampires, including some who don't know the rules. Yes, there are werewolves, who have means of restraint and a very nice carriage. And yes, there is a soulless creature, a Victorian old maid with a prim and proper outlook. And they are all amusing! Set in Victorian London, the story--a variation on Cinderella--rips right along with humor everywhere. It's a fun read!

More of a romance than I was expecting, the setting was creative. The omniscient third person POV was a little off-putting, but then I realized it was in keeping with the literature of the time. The characters are spicy and fun.

In which our curmudgeonly reviewer finds himself unexpectedly charmed.

I felt that I was taking quite a chance; that the book might well be squishy, or treacly. Instead I found a slightly tart, bracing, comedy of manners that maintained its tone almost without waver throughout. The series' background and environment are imaginative, with some novel nuggets. Not that easy in a sub-genre becoming a bit crowded.

Prepare yourself for Alexia Tarabotti, London spinster and preternatural. Able to render werewolves and vampires human with a simple touch, Alexia finds herself challenged & horrified by a range of terrors: Ivy's hats, BURs bureaucrats, a silent automaton, and her very own family.

Quite proper (until it isn't!) in the most hilarious way. "Soulless" sucks you in immediately with fantastic, dashing characters, wonderfully witty dialogue, an exciting plot, and steamy romance. All this is wrapped into a charming and somewhat satirical rendition of Victorian London. Together with a brilliant vision of the supernatural and all the Steampunk gadgetry you could want, "Soulless" is delightful and thrilling read. Bravo.

Even with its intriguing sinister plot of mysteriously vanishing vampires and randomly appearing unknown newborns, horrific automaton, kidnappings, break-ins and other criminal activity, not to mention the very steamy romantic subplot; SOULLESS (The Parasol Protectorate #1) is still very much a character driven book. This British steampunk novel has no shortage of fascinating supernatural characters and our heroin, the spunky Alexia Tarabotti is the most unique and peculiar of them all. It's hard not to be won over by her insatiable cheeky personality and outlook on life and her very unusual situation. I know I was completely seduced by the audacious Miss Tarabotti and her sharp tongue right out the get; that combined with Gail Carriger's fantastic world building, leaves me anxious to see where her adventures are to take us next.

5 Reasons to check out SOULLESS (The Parasols Protectorate #1):

1. A good laugh... a very witty and hysterically fun read with refreshingly clever dialogue.
2. Original... unique and interesting ideas regarding that of the soul.
3. A new paranormal species... a Preternatural, of which I have yet to come across before.
4. Romance... who doesn't love a well danced romantic entangle involving a 26 year old spinster?
5. Clockworks and strange machinery... can't beat a steampunk novel with diabolical scientists and a creepy automation!

FINAL DECISION: This was a fun read. The combination of traditional paranormal characters (werewolves, vampires, etc.) in a new a different way kept me interested in the world building and I loved the fun main characters who have an interesting relationship.

THE STORY: Miss Alexi Tarabotti is a preternatural (which means she doesn't have a soul) who accidentally kills a vampire. Her killing brings her into contact with Lord Conall Maccon, Earl of Woolsey, Alpha of the werewolves who comes to investigate. There is something sinister going on and Alexi and Conall end up investigating to save Alexi and figure out what is happening with the Victorian high society (filled with paranormal creatures).

OPINION: This was a fun book (which means it wasn't particularly deep or thought provoking) and I enjoyed the ride. This combination of Victorian and paranormal was intriguing in it world building. I enjoyed Alexi who has a snarky and matter of fact personality. She is a hero in her own right and her relationship with Conall is prickly and funny.

And there is so much humor in this book. As Alexi navigates the society and discovers herself, there are mysteries and romance and just plain fun. I ended this book on a rush and would have given it 5 stars immediately, but it was like a sugar high. Fun but the impact of the book didn't stay with me. I also didn't have a great desire to continue reading the series although that this available for anyone who would like to go further into this world and story.

WORTH MENTIONING: This book resolves the story raised in this book, but future books feature the same couple so there is more to the story.

CONNECTED BOOKS: SOULLESS is the first book in the Parasol Protectorate series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

I found Gail Carriger after doing a search on women and steampunk. I had just finished reading Boneshaker. The two books are very different and I very much enjoyed them both. Soulless was laugh out loud fun and erotic and just a blast. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series.

I read the kindle version. I like to finish a book and read the 'about the author' portion then click on the author's website and visit their blog on my kindle.

I don't usually read the books that are basically re-imaginings of the old horror movie character types but the concept of the main character is intriguing. There is humor and suspense reminiscent of some the theme mysteries. The romantic comedy of errors element is rather mercifully abrupt. I fell short of giving five stars as the characterization was a bit stiff at times. I will be reading more of this series of books.

Alexia Tarabotti is a tea-loving spinster with no soul. Thus begins Carriger's extremely imaginative and unique novel. I won't recap the plot, since there are at least fifty reviews here that do that. I'll say that I'm happy I read it and that the book held my attention. I liked Alexia very much, though the hero of the book was pretty standard. Loved the sisters and the mother. Hilarious.

The only thing I would have liked to see addressed is what it means to be soulless. How does that even happen? Hopefully this issue will be explored at more length in the sequel, which I'm looking forward to reading.

Jane Austin's older,slightly smarter cousin who is a bit Italian,would be a fair description of the heroine of the story. There is a mix of steam punk and monsters that makes Victorian London bearable to those like me who less interested in frills and more in the action. The story moves at quick pace and I wasn't ready to leave my new found friends by the end!

It's a difficult job to make a character "soulless" and still someone we care about and have interest in her happiness, but I believe Gail Carriger was able to accomplish that with aplomb. The use of the paranormal to explain how a tiny country conquered half the known world was an interesting take, and does make it sound so much more reasonable -- and I like the idea of a human condition that could put us equal to the monsters.

I haven't read other books described as "steampunk" yet, but I had worried that changing something I'd seen as a visual art into black and white descriptions would require excessive wordiness and the story would become background to descriptions of the world. Let me assure the rest of you that that did not happen here. I was very impressed.

I wasn't expecting quite the story line presented in Soulless. Never having read any steam punk novels before, I was fascinated with the whole concept of an alternative history. Very intriguing. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

I am loving this book! The audio narration just *makes* it. I am so sad that the company is making people purchase the separate audio book for the rest of these books because it has been so nice listening to the book and following along with the text. As much as I love audiobooks, sometimes I miss a sentence or two because of back ground noise so it's nice to go to the text. Also, Alexis Tarrabotti is just a fantastic character.

Victorian etiquette, werewolves and vampires: a rather odd but delicious mix in this wonderful story in which we are introduced to Alexia, a proper lady without a soul. Gail Carriger does a wonderful job recreating Victorian-era London with a paranormal twist. The characters were delightful, the action and suspense balanced with humor. I highly recommend Soulless.

How could I not love a steampunk novel with werewolves, vampires, dirigible airships, and a steamy romance? The book is also hilarious. Its heroine, Alexia Tarabotti, accidentally kills a vampire, which forces her to interact with Lord Maccon, the government official in charge of such events, a man who just happens to be a werewolf. The book is witty and smart and sexy and I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

The supernatural set-up is nothing new these days, and I'd venture to say neither is steam-punk, but OOoooh, this was a fun series to read. The execution of the world is well done, mostly because of it's protagonist. She's silly, stubborn and not perfect, messing up eveyone's day just by being.
Makes a great summer read.