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Soulless: Book 1 of The Parasol Protectorate [Paperback]

Gail Carriger
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
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Book Description

2 Sep 2010 Parasol Protectorate (Book 1)

Alexia Tarabotti is labouring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.

Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire - and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.

With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Or will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

SOULLESS is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.

***Also available as a manga adaptation***


Frequently Bought Together

Soulless: Book 1 of The Parasol Protectorate + Changeless: Book 2 of The Parasol Protectorate + Blameless: Book 3 of The Parasol Protectorate
Price For All Three: £17.97

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Product details

  • Paperback: 299 pages
  • Publisher: Orbit (2 Sep 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1841499722
  • ISBN-13: 978-1841499727
  • Product Dimensions: 12.7 x 2.3 x 19.7 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 31,633 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Review

Delicious rapier wit that recalls Austen and P. G. Wodehouse (i09.com)

Soulless has all the delicate charm of a Victorian parasol and all the wicked force of a Victorian parasol secretly weighted with brass shot and expertly wielded. Ravishing (Lev Grossman, author of THE MAGICIANS)

Carriger debuts brilliantly with a blend of Victorian romance, screwball comedy of manners and alternate history . . . This intoxicatingly witty parody will appeal to a wide cross-section of romance, fantasy and steampunk fans (PUBLISHERS WEEKLY)

Soulless is a potent cocktail of genres - fantasy, horror, steampunk, romance and comedy. It's light-hearted, escapist fodder . . . One is amused (SciFiNow)

Funny, action-packed, sometimes raunchy, unashamedly fashion-conscious steampunk adventures (Trudi Canavan (SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author))

Book Description

Buffy meets Jane Austen in this wickedly funny debut novel.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
32 of 33 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Delightful, articulate, original nonsense 21 Nov 2009
By Rachel VINE™ VOICE
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Well this one is a stumper....hard to know how to categorise it. In a world of infinite possibilities, someone, somewhere thought to ask the question, 'what would happen if I crossed victorian morality with historical urban fantasy, added a dash of high camp Carry-on and then threw in some werewolves, vampires and fashion tips?'. Soulless is the quirky and delightful answer to that bizarre question. a triumph of style over substance, this boasts little plot to speak of and yet is carried forward briskly by the deliciously spiky and most sarcastic voice of the narrator.

It was a brave and clever publisher that took a chance on this. It fits no neat box and as such could appeal to anyone with a taste for the dialogue of a Buffy episode filtered by way of Charles Dickens. If you have a dry wit and a way with words, there are quotes to be had for you here! I revelled in Ms Carriger's linguistic playfullness. Ultimatly this was less a novel than an excuse to show off an excitable imagination and a command of obscure vocabulary. that said, the plot, such as it was, exploded forcefully in the final few chapters and if this is seen as delightful prelude to a startlingly original new series then in book 2, perhaps having established her rules, convention and voice, Ms Carriger will truly dazzle us all. Recommended- but for who and why, i will have to remain silent!
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51 of 54 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Different, very enjoyable 11 Nov 2009
By Constant Reader VINE™ VOICE
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This was a very fun read. As the first in what I expect will be a successful series it was an intriguing mystery with some characters that I hope will continue into the next books and a lot of comedy (I'd love to know what exactly happened with the hedgehog).

It took me a couple of pages to get used to the initially very formal style, this is just scene setting and by the end of the first chapter things were rollicking along. Alexia is a very appealing character and her practicality in the face of supernatural beings made me laugh out loud.

Suffering from the twin social disabilities of lack of soul and a deceased Italian father (the latter being the most socially damning) she's a cross between Mary Poppins and Elizabeth Bennett with a dash of Cinderella thrown in. Bored by the limitations of her position she is resourceful at involving herself in situations where she can be of use, since her lack of soul makes her a unique asset in finding out who is creating new and unsanctioned vampires in London.

The book is "a Steampunk murder mystery with werewolves", but the thing I was most strongly reminded of were Georgette Heyer's regency romances. Whatever, it was good fun and I'll be reading more from this author, I like her sense of humour.
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37 of 39 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars So much fun! 15 Jan 2010
By Boof TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Mass Market Paperback
What an absolute treat this book was to read! I absolutely loved it. I was recommended this book a few months ago so I picked up a copy when in NYC in December as it wasn't out in the UK then. Then in January I was lucky enought to interview Gail for this blog and was even more fascinated and intriguied when I read her answers. Who knew a book about vampires, werewolves and ghosts wandering around Victorian London and attending tea-parties would be so much fun? From the minute I cracked open the spine I knew I was in for a great ride. Our heroine is Miss Alexia Tarabotti and she has fast become one of my favourite characters in any book: she's feitsy, speaks her own mind, sarcastic, soulless, large chested and so funny!
In the opening pages, Miss Tarabotti accidentally kills a rogue vampire who tries to attack her, and although she is put out that said vampire doesn't appear to know that she was born without a soul and therefore immune to any supernatural attack, she is more annoyed that the vampire landed in the middle of the food table and on top of the treacle tart, which she had particularly been looking forward to. Within minutes, The Earl of Wolsey, Lord Maccon, arrives in the middle of the mess - he has been sent by Queen Victoria to investigate the mystery of disappearing registered vampires and appearing rogue vampires. Lord Maccon also happens to be a werewolf, the Alpha at that, and Miss Tarabotti appears to exasperate him at every turn. The characters are what really made this book, for me. Alexia aside, I also fell in love with Lord Akeldama, a flambouyant vampire who practically minces through the pages, and Lyall, Lord Maccon's beta werewolf and sidekick are fantastic, as are the vile Mrs Loontwill (Alexia's mother) and her two sisters.
Miss Tarabotti's adventure with trying to track down what has happened to the disappearing vampires and werewolves and getting herself kidnapped by a man with a wax face are nothing compared to the other big distraction that keeps following her around in the shape of an increasingly randy Lord Maccon. There are fangs, fur, ghosties, tea, treacle tart, peacock hats, silver-tipped parasols, adventure, science, satire blended with steampunk and some fantasy - the whole shebang.
I really did enjoy this book and I can't wait for the next in the series, Changeless, to come out in April. I can highly recommend this book and urge you to read it!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars LOVED IT!!
I really enjoyed this book! It's a brilliant comedy romance, with some genuine emotions thrown in. The heroine's feisty and funny, and plays off well against her stereotypical... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Lily
5.0 out of 5 stars Certain to put a smile of delight on your face
While not in the usual demographic for this book (male, middle aged, keen on classic techno science fiction like Heinlein, Asimov, E.E.Smith ) I really enjoyed this series. Read more
Published 1 month ago by fet
4.0 out of 5 stars Love this!
I love the English used it here, not quite the standard vocabulary of the average book written nowadays so I feel it rather charming. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Ruth Green
5.0 out of 5 stars Steampunk romance with monsters!
Gail Carriger has created some wonderful characters, and of course the star of the show is the implacable Alexia Tarabotti (she has Italian blood you know, the scandal). Read more
Published 2 months ago by Alexandra B
5.0 out of 5 stars bloody hilarious very english humour
I did not stop laughing from the moment I picked this book up untill well after I put it down!
Set in a victorian london where vampires and werewolves are accepted in... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Anarchy2007
5.0 out of 5 stars A rip roaring read
A fun book to read. A feisty heroine, plenty of action and little bit of naughtiness set to a Victorian background with vampires and werewolves. What is there not to like? Read more
Published 2 months ago by Andrew J
5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious read
This was yet another book that I can't believe I didn't pick up before now. It had exactly the witty writing style that I absolutely adore. Read more
Published 2 months ago by GloriousBooks
5.0 out of 5 stars Introducing Miss Alexia Tarabotti.
I wasn't quite sure what to make of this initially, as the rather clumsy, slapstick introductory chapter didn't bode well. Read more
Published 3 months ago by J. Mcdonald
4.0 out of 5 stars Different
The idea of a preternatural person canceling out supernatural abilities in a Victorian World was something I wasn't quite sure of, but it intrigued me, and lo & behold it was... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Zol.
5.0 out of 5 stars A cut above the rest of the genre.
I bought this for my girlfriend. As soon as she finished reading it she went and bought the next one. She's read the entire series in a month and they're not short books. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Andy
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