Soulless is author Gail Carriger’s debut novel and the first in a series entitled The Parasol Protectorate. It’s billed as a Fantasy/Horror on its spine, which I think is misleading. I’ve also heard it described as a steampunk romance. I would reject the horror classification as it definitely does not belong to that genre. It could be considered a Fantasy. The description I would use, though, is a paranormal romance with steampunk elements. However you want to describe it, Soulless is a funny, original tale featuring a wonderful cast of characters. Unfortunately, its scant worldbuilding and weak suspense plot dragged down the grade.
Soulless is set in an alternate reality Victorian London. It features a few steampunk elements such as flying machines and robots. In this world, vampires and werewolves coexist with humans. They have their own sets of rules but their leaders cooperate with the Queen as part of a shadow cabinet. They also have a special section of the civil service devoted to the registry and control of all unusual creatures. The head of the Bureau of Unnatural Registry (BUR) is Lord Maccon, who is also the local werewolf alpha. Lord Maccon and his assistant, Professor Lyall, are charged with keeping track of all vampires, werewolves and other supernatural creatures residing in Britain. One of these unusual creatures is Miss Alexia Tarabotti.
Alexia is a spinster with a secret. At 26, she’s considered firmly on the shelf. Her Italian complexion, prominent nose and direct speech render her unmarriageable. There’s also the slight matter of her soullessness to contend with. Alexia is considered a preternatural as she has inherited her Italian father’s lack of soul. This gives her an unusual ability: merely by touching a vampire or werewolf, she can render them powerless. As the alternate world in which she lives abounds with both species, it is a convenient knack to have. Although her existence is known and monitored by BUR, she keeps her unusual condition from her very proper English mother, step-father and half-sisters.
One evening, at a particularly dull party, Alexia seeks tea and refuge in the library. Much to her consternation, she is set upon by a vampire whom she accidentally kills with her trusty parasol. Lord Maccon – Alexia’s particular nemesis – is sent to investigate. He discovers that the dead vampire was not registered with his office and no local vampire group claim him. This leads Maccon to assume the vampire was illegally created and he begins an investigation.
Soon more vampires start disappearing, and Alexia’s life is under threat. Lord Maccon and Alexia become reluctant allies in the search for the truth, and soon find themselves putting up a very half-hearted fight against their mutual attraction
I adored the humour and chemistry between Alexia and Lord Maccon. Every scene with them together was a joy. I also loved the outrageous Lord Akeldama and I hope he will appear in future books in the series. The characters and the humour are what define this book and made me want to read more by this author.
Unfortunately, there are a couple of elements which did not work for me, and they dragged down the grade. The focus of the story is the relationship between the hero and the heroine. However, I felt their romance could have unfolded against a regular Victorian background. The alternate setting seemed more of a colourful backdrop then an actual world.
Another aspect of the story which did not engage me was the suspense subplot. This is a frequent refrain of mine, I know. I rarely react well to suspense in non-suspense books. For readers who have less of an issue with knowing the outcome of the mystery from the very beginning, perhaps this won’t be a problem. Personally, I like a mystery to keep me guessing rather than serve as a convenient source of external conflict.
Despite my criticisms, I enjoyed spending time with the characters in Soulless and I intend to read the second book in the series when it’s released next summer. Grade: B-
{ 7 comments }
Wasn’t Akeldama a hoot!! He was great. Wonderful characters! Nice review!
If I didn’t read such intriguing review like yours and Mandi’s I would’ve skipped this book. I love the vibe I am getting from Alexia and Lord Maccon, I think I already said it at Mandi’s, this book is going with my November book purchases
I couldn’t stop laughing hysterically as I read this book. Soulless is one of the most refreshing books I have read this year.
@Mandi @katiebabs
I’m hoping for more Akeldama in Changeless!
@Leontine Looking forward to your review!
Great review! I don’t know, though, the Book Smuggler’s review kind of put me off reading Soulless. It does sound awfully similar to the Amelia Peabody books; and to make it even worse, I don’t really like Amelia Peabody. But I might break down and get it at some point. :/
@heidenkind I’ve never read Amelia Peabody!
I read another review of this book somewhere… I can’t remember where, but I had my reservations about it. Does the humor have a slapstick or silly feel to it? I have a hard time with historicals or paranormals that have a silliness to the characters either by what they say or how they act.
The mystery part wouldn’t bother me. Actually, I would probably like it.