Book Review: Soulless by Gail Carriger

Soulless

Soulless

Soulless
Gail Carriger
Orbit, October 2009
ISBN 9780316056632
Mass Market Paperback

British Victorian society has never been seen quite like this before.   Along with the usual obsessions with wealth, status and collecting clutter, one must also deal with the coexistence of the supernatural.   Werewolves and vampires, in particular, have been an open part of this society for years and get along with the human world quite well, although with a few necessary accommodations.  After all, werewolves do have that day of the month when the beast comes out and vampires have their own sleeping/waking peculiarities.

To help keep things under control, the supernatural contingent has its own policing, something like Scotland Yard, headed up by Lord Maccon, a loud and overbearing alpha werewolf.  He is being plagued by some weird things going on with vampires and his investigators, headed up by his Beta, Profesor Lyall,  are not making much progress.   Enter Alexia Tarrabotti, a most unusual woman who definitely does not fit well into British Victorian society, either natural or supernatural.   She comes to Lord Maccon’s attention again (there was a previous incident with a hedgehog) when she accidentally kills a vampire.  That Alexia killing a vampire is not completely unexpected  is understandable—she is, after all, a preternatural, a soulless being who cannot be turned or harmed by a supernatural.  No, the surprising thing is that this particular vampire is an unknown rogue.

So, can Alexia and Lord Maccon investigate without putting each other completely out of sorts?  And is romance in the cards for these two?  Will Lord Akeldama, the Beau Brummell of the vampire set, manage to maintain the impeccableness of his attire?  Will Biffy come to the rescue at the last moment?

Months ago, author Carrie Vaughn inadvertently coined a name for a new subgenre of fantasy, urbane fantasy.  This book, first in the Parasol Protectorate series, falls into that perfectly.  I like urban fantasy and mystery and historical fiction very much and this more than satisfied my craving for all three.  It is unquestionably one of my favorite books of 2009.

Very highly recommended for anyone who likes fantasy and mystery, with more than a little steampunk thrown in for good measure.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, November 2009.

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November 19, 2009  Tags: , , , ,   Posted in: Full Reviews, My Reviews

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