Soulless

Soulless (2009) Gail Carriger (Parasol Protectorate)

Set in alternate London in Queen Victoria’s reign.

Supernatural creatures, especially vampires and werewolves, are influential members of British society, although in the united states they are seen as monsters to barely tolerated, of not outright destroyed.

Supernatural creatures, be they vampires, werewolves, or ghosts, owed their existence to an overabundance of soul, an excess that refused to die.

Alexia Tarabotti is a completely different kind of supernatural, a preternatural.

(S)oullessness always neutralized supernatural abilities.

Since Alexia is a spinster (being half-Italian and outspoken) she tries to enjoy her small freedoms.

Mrs. Loontwill had not even bothered with the expenditure of a come-out or a proper season for her eldest daughter. “Really, darling,” Alexia’s mother had said at the time in tones of the deepest condescension, “with that nose and that skin, there is simply no point in us going to the expense. I have got your sisters to think of.”

But everything is thrown into confusing when London’s alpha werewolf, Lord Maccon, seems to become involved with Alexia.

I’d read this when it came out, and then got made at events in a later book and stopped reading it, but decided to give it another chances, since I know about the annoying events going in.

On this re-read, I think I like the Beta, Professor Lyall, best.

Lord Maccon stood up very straight. He would have towered over his second even if Lyall were not sitting down. “I am not a groveler!”

“It is possible to learn many new and interesting skills in one lifetime,” advised Professor Lyall, unimpressed by the posturing.

Followed closely by Lord Akeldama.

Several bottles of champagne were usually required to get Lord Akeldama to talk of it at all. Still, it meant, by Alexia’s calculations, that he was at least over four hundred years old.

Overall, the story was fine. I do love the world-building, even if I prefer many of the secondary characters. I’ve borrowed the second book from the library to read, so we’ll see how I feel about that.

Publisher : Orbit
Rating: 7.5/10

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