Soulless by Gail Carriger

Alexia Tarabotti has many things working against her in the eyes of Victorian London society: she’s a spinster, she’s part Italian, and she’s smart.  What the elite of London don’t know is that she doesn’t have a soul, which gives her supernatural powers.  As she assists the head of supernatural investigations, the handsome werewolf Lord Maccon, in solving a mystery, she’ll need every bit of her wit and her power to stay alive.  And she’ll need every ounce of her willpower to resist the charms of Lord Maccon, who finds her increasingly enticing…even if she is Soulless.

Set in a steampunk Victorian London, Alexia Tarabotti and Lord Maccon battle human and supernatural forces to solve the mysterious disappearances of rogue vampires and werewolves. This witty story combines elements of Jane Austen with steampunk, science fiction, romance, and fantasy to create a highly entertaining book.  Due to strong sexual references, this book is recommended for older young adults in a public library setting.

Awards

2010 ALA Alex Award
2009 Indie Booksellers Indie Notable

Learn More

Read more about Gail Carriger and her other books on her website.  You can also follow her blog, friend her on Facebook, or follow her on Twitter.  Find out more about the world of steampunk on Carriger's Steampunk page.

Watch a book trailer for Soulless below:

Soulless is the first book in the Parasol Protectorate Series.  Continue to follow the adventures of Alexia, Lord Maccon, and friends in the next books...

Book 2	Book 3
Book 4	Book 5

Carriger is currently writing a series specifically for young adults that takes place 25 years before the Parasol Protectorate Series.  The first book in the new Finishing School Series, Etiquette & Espionage, is scheduled to release in February, 2013.

"The Finishing School Series is set in the same world as The Parasol Protectorate series, only 25 years earlier, and features a finishing academy located in a giant caterpillar-like dirigible floating over Dartmoor in which young ladies are taught to . . . finish . . . everything . . . and everyone . . . as needed. There will be steampunk etiquette! There will be well-dressed espionage! There will be Victorian fake food. There will be flying mechanical sausage dogs named Bumbersnoot."

--Gail Carriger, posted to her blog on 3/25/2011

Carriger, Gail. Soulless. New York: Orbit, 2009. Print.
9780316056632; Paperback; $8.00; 384 pages

Also available in ebook format.