When I first saw the cover for Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate) I was really interested. It gives a really funky fibe, that TOTALLY suits the book.

I must admit that I had no idea what "steampunk" meant before reading this book. Once I visted the authors website I learned a bit more about it. Gail's website says "There are two main kinds of steampunk. The first, which shall be called here, traditional steampunk, envisions a future as the Victorians imagined it. The writings of H.G. Wells and Jules Verne are good examples. The second, industrial steampunk, sees a far future world that harkens back to Victorian culture, for example a bustle dress made of kevlar." The website goes on to say "Gail writes the traditional kind of steampunk, but her approach is two fold. First, she postulates that it is through the presence of immortals that the steam technology of the Victorian age diverged from our own timeline. Vampires are particularly interested in mechanicals and so promote technological advancement beyond that of the actual Victorians. Second, she tries to remain true to the scientific theory of the day, however much modern scientists have debunked it. In Alexia's world, the science is, at least, internally consistent, though occasionally mysterious."
This book is really smart. For those of you that are tired of reading basic fiction and are looking for an interesting and innovative novel, with a little bit of the supernatural and some romance thrown in for good measure, this is a winner.

The language gail uses is absolutely charming! She writes the main character Alexia Tarabotti with excellent detail. The woman is quite unusual looking for victorian standards, her nose isn't perfect, and her skin tone is alarmingly tan due to her italian lineage. Due to these unfortunate circumstances she is a 26 year old spinster, and to exascerbate her situation, she was born without a soul and is a regestered Preturnatural. While a lot is unknown about the Preturnaturals, what she does know for sure is that she cancels out the supernatural in any being.

When at a party a vampire catches her alone and attacks her, the creature gets more than he bargained for when Miss Tarabotti puts an end to him with a carefully placed hairpiece. What follows is a complex investigation into the circumstances surrounding this mysterious vampires appearance, and demise.

Chock full of vampires, flamboyant vampires, wearwolves, victorian ladies, wax faced men, tea rooms, and parasols, this book will have you hooked from page one. The author is passionate about what she writes and it shows. I am eagerly awaiting more from Gail Carriger!

If you love this book, mark your calendars for Changeless (The Parasol Protectorate) coming out on April 1st 2010.

Recently Publishers Weekly listed Soulless as one of its Top Books of 2009! They said "Carriger combines Victorian romance, supernatural creatures, steampunk sensibilities and a healthy dose of the bizarre in her hilarious debut."