What does it mean to be born without a soul? Does this automatically mean that a person is predisposed to to live a life of evil and immorality? For Alexia Tarabotti, born soulless, it’s simply a matter of the proper application of logic and science. Armed with her studies, and a custom-made, brass-hafted, silver-tipped parasol, Alexia is prepared for anything that Victorian London has to throw at her.

Even though Alexia’s London is home to vampire hives, werewolf packs, and helpful ghosts, Alexia herself is a bit of a non-sequiter. Half-Italian, dark skinned, and graced with a larger then usual nose, she is considered poor marriage material by her family and most of society. Never one to wallow, Alexia immerses herself in studies of science, technology, and the supernatural beings that are part of her everyday life. What her family and close friends don’t know is that Alexia doesn’t have a soul. This soullessness comes with a very special gift: the ability to neutralize any supernatural being that comes into direct physical contact with her. Though this makes her a bit of a pariah with the supernatural set, it only gets worse after she accidentally kills a rather unmannerly vampire at a ball.

Enter Lord Maccon, a supernatural investigator and Alpha of London’s premier werewolf pack. He and Alexia already have a rather contentious relationship, owing to a past hedgehog incident, and this occasion doesn’t increase his opinion of her. As the investigation continues he discovers the disappearance of many rove (hiveless) vampires and not a few loner (packless) werewolves. All sensibility suggests Alexia is the cause. Alexia finds that she will need to work in rather close, and unladylike proximity to Lord Maccon to ascertain the cause of the disappearances and clear her name with supernatural society. Oh the hi-jinks that are sure to ensue!

Seriously, I have to say that I adored this book. I truly did. Took me about 5 hours to read it and I was laughing from start to finish. Ms. Carriger has quite the way with words which leads to undeniable humor and truly likeable characters. It’s being billed as steampunk but it isn’t the usual, overt “THIS R STEAMPUNKZ STORY!! TOP HATS AND GOGGLES! LOOK AT ALL THE STEAM AND WEIRD INVENTIONS!” type of story that we usually see. It’s more subtle but the flavor is definitely there and only serves to increase the enjoyment.

My only real beef with the story is that some of the dialogue tended to feel a bit… stiff at times. The phrasing didn’t come across as natural in some places. It isn’t enough to ruin the story, it just feels a bit sticky. It’s the kind of thing that will work itself out in subsequent books so I’m more then willing to give it a pass.

Overall I give Soulless a B+. It is most definitely a good starting point for what I hope will be a successful series. ( )

The fun, frothy tale is set in an alternate Victorian London where vampires and werewolves have been integrated into society. The Bureau of Unnatural Registry is the organization keeping tabs on them and one 25-year-old spinster, Alexia Tarabotti keeps finding herself in their company. Alexia herself is one of the rarest of the unnaturals. She's a preternatural, i.e. one who has no soul, and thus she has a negating effect on werewolves and vampires when she comes in physical contact with them. When Alexia accidentally kills a rogue vampire -- one that is not part of a hive -- the plot gets into motion. Alexia herself is a wonderful character: smart, witty, forthright, self-concious about her dark skin tone, dead Italian father, and prominent nose; she is eager to have something to do. Preferably something to do with the BUR and the handsome head of the BUR the Earl of Woolsey, Lord Maccon, the land's hunky alpha werewolf. This story was very much fun, perhaps a little short on action but long on wit and with a healthy dose of erotica. I'm probably not the target demographic for this sort of thing, but I greatly enjoyed it and will no doubt scoop up the follow-up, Changless, when it becomes available next May. ( )

This was a fantastically fun read. It's one of those books you finish and are sorely disappointed... that there isn't more! The next one comes out in May 2010 and I'll be at the bookstore the first day it's out to pick it up. The story's intriguing and the characters are just a blast. I can't recommend this highly enough. ( )

Soulless by Gail Carriger is the first in the new Parasol Protectorate series, which is set in an alternate Victorian England where vampires and werewolves are common, accepted, and registered members of polite society. In fact, several of the vampires and werewolves hold significantly higher social positions than the book's heroine, the half-Italian intellectual spinster Alexia Tarabotti. Alexia, who was born with no soul, has the unique ability to negate the supernatural powers of London's nighttime citizens. When she is attacked by, and accidentally kills, a rogue vampire while sitting unchaperoned at a ball she is brought to the attention of Queen Victoria's Bureau of Unnatural Registry and its leader, werewolf Lord Maccon.

This book is chock full of action, intrigue, humor, and romance, but it is the fascinating Alexia Tarabotti and Gail Carriger's incredible writing style that really make this book special. For an example, the following passage is taken from the scene of Alexia's vampire attack:

"The creature stood stock-still, a look of intense surprise on his face. Then he fell backward onto the much-abused plate of treacle tart, flopping in a limp-overcooked-asparagus kind of way. His alabaster face turned a yellowish gray, as though he were afflicted with the jaundice, and he went still. Alexia's books called this end of the vampire life cycle dissanimation. Alexia, who thought the action astoundingly similar to a souflee going flat, decided at that moment to call it the Grand Collapse." (p. 6)

I spent the entire book with a smile on my face and a giggle in my throat. The book blends romance and mystery and intrigue together with some steampunk and paranormal elements and amazing characters to create one of the most entertaining reads I've had in a while. This series holds quite a bit of promise, and I anxiously await the next installation, Changeless, in March of 2010! ( )

Alexia Tarabotti is regrettably (in the eyes of her family and the London ton) a half-Italian spinster who combines bluestocking tendencies with the unnerving habit of speaking her mind. She is also lacking a soul, a fact known only to those in the supernatural community, including the ill-mannered (but strangely appealing) Lord Maccon, alpha werewolf and head of the government's Bureau of Unnatural Registry (BUR). Being soulless, or preturnatural, grants her the ability to negate other supernatural powers. After an unfortunate incident that ends in the staking (with the help of her wooden hair stick and trusty weighted parasol) of an unregistered vampire, Alexia and Lord Maccon's paths cross and re-cross as the BUR attempts to get to the bottom of a series of disappearances in the supernatural community. Populated by endearing secondary characters, plenty of electricity between the leads, a fully-realized and enchanting alt-Victorian London, and abundant descriptions of couture, comestibles, and steampunk gadgetry, Soulless is a feast for the senses and, so far, my favorite book of 2009. ( )