Rosy's book recommendation: Soulless by Gail Carriger

Soulless

Gail Carriger (Tofa Borregaard)

Blurb

Alexia Tarabotti is laboring 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? 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.

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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? 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?

Publisher

Orbit

ISBN

9780316056632

Rosy's scrawlings on Soulless

I picked this book up when it first appeared on the shelves as I was struck by the umbrella and the title. Sometimes a picture will just grab my attention and having a lady all decked out, carrying a brolly with the word soulless floating above her just did it for me. And on reading the blurb I found myself further intrigued by Alexia's soulless state and the involvement of Queen Victoria in the plot. Sometimes it is the little things that get you and in this case it was a combination of little things that had me snatching it up and going to the counter straight away, before the hubby could snatch it from my fingers with a well placed argument about expenditure (one that usually lets him buy more DVDs by the way).

As you might be aware, I made a rather good purchase. This series has since gone on to become one of the hallmarks of steampunk and awards and speeches are everywhere to be found. You might think that with all that I should concentrate on the little guy and not bother with a review but the purpose of this is to recommend to you a good read. And this is.

Alexia is a woman with emotions but she's one without a lot of those normally expected by those surrounding her. The twittering judgemental nitwits of high society just can't seem to understand her and even the men are shocked on occasion by her straightforwardness and lack of guile. Alexia is what she is. She also loves a good, if ugly, umbrella as a weapon, one that becomes increasingly deadly as her tale continues. Because of all this I have absolutely no fear in recommending this book and series to men as here is a female character they could truly understand. Besides, the book is quickly becoming a steampunk classic and as such it is a must read for the genre fans. Fail to read it at your own steampunk peril.

On top of a direct female character there's a werewolf prone to gruffness and prancing about naked just because it is too hard to get dressed (male characterisation is very well done here - if you don't believe so then just watch as the hubby gets used to marriage or pay attention to your own habits of a warm day). Lord Maccon is by no means a pretty boy werewolf either and being taken back to a rough and gruff werewolf, even if he is a lord, is a pleasure. To add to this delight is the fact that the main vampire of the series is Lord Akeldama, a brilliantly clothed and flamboyantly gay vampire who collects pretty young men and vampires about him in a house/mansion brightly painted and decorated. Magic and technology go hand in hand too, instead of one being the downfall of the other. In fact, everywhere you look stereotypes and expectations are being broken and as a reader you're sure to love it.

As to the writing style, it is smooth with touches of rhyme and lyricism woven in to give an old world feel. And it is this atmosphere that is most desired in a steampunk novel set within the Victorian era. Without that touch of conservative floweriness, also revealed through tea, beautiful dresses, suit wearing werewolves, good manners and an eye to etiquette, the Victorian era could well be any other when it comes to steampunk. That said, the touch of class isn't overdone, allowing Alexia and Lord Maccon to move about with few restrictions on their behaviour and so few restrictions on their adventures.

I'd recommend this book to: anyone interested in steampunk, anyone who likes their female characters without all the bullsh*t and any man looking to start reading books with a female lead. I'd also recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy stories of any type. I would go further than this if I could but I know those who love literature or biographies only will just stare at me like I'm a loon. So I'll leave it at that for now.