Soulless An Alexia Tarabotti Novel by Gail Carriger

Soulless An Alexia Tarabotti Novel by Gail Carriger

The main character of this novel is a proper english lady and a spinster. She carries a silver tipped parasol, likes, tea, and reads a lot about science and the supernatural. Alexia Tarabotti has an original personality which is quite charming to read in this novel. Her proper manners and headstrong character create a nice juxtaposition to the humor in the novel.

The book is quite lighthearted. It jumps around many genres and constantly spins out new takes on old ideas. Where can you read about a comedy of manners in courting a Scottish werewolf lord in London? How about talk to fashionable vampire fop, or be chased by a bloodthirsty golem.

I could call this book a victorian steampunk, supernatural, romance, comedic thriller. A surprising mix and mash which comes up with exuberant new ideas in each chapter. There are also elements of alternate history, Queen Victoria even makes a brief appearance.

Soulless is the first book in a series. I put the second one, Changeless on reserve at my library and am waiting for the third book to come out. Her writing is fun to read. I also like Gail Carriger's website http://www.gailcarriger.com/ It has a nice mix of Victorian fashion, funny pictures, and lists of steampunk novels and films.

Daily Thoughts 5/7/2010

Man reading a newspaper in the Dead Sea. Gnu Free Documentation License, 1.2, Uploaded by Pete to Wikimedia, 14 May, 2005. I just liked the image.

Daily Thoughts 5/7/2010

Most of the staff are off at a conference today. I had a chance to do the rounds, making sure the displays were in order, and flyers and bookmarks were up to date. I am redoing the graphic novel club and poetry club flyers. I also took a look through the gift books and found several new books to add by different suspense authors, mostly paperbacks; Vince Flynn, Daniel Silva, Dan Brown, and Patricia Cornwell were some of the authors. There was also a nice literary trade paperback by Jose Saramago, Death With Interruptions.

Another book came in for me, Gail Carriger, Soulless An Alexia Tarabotti Novel. I'm not sure exactly how to categorize this novel. It has werewolves, vampires, and mechanical contraptions set in Victorian London. It must be its own category, supernatural steampunk. I think that sounds right. There is another term for adventures like this as well, gaslight, which is sometimes used for thrillers set in Victorian times.

Soulless is proving to be a very entertaining read. It makes me think of polite society with "Vampires, dirigibles, and tea." http://www.gailcarriger.com/ I think that is a quote which I found on the authors website somewhere. It has a silly, lighthearted feel to it, making it quite palatable and amusing.