Here is a most edifying (and highly scientific) quiz you may use to ascertain whether this novel is one that you will enjoy.

* Is your bookcase overflowing with strong, decisive heroines?
* Do you chuckle over the animated Gorey titles preceding a PBS “Mystery!” presentation?
* Are you fond of the Victorian era?
* Does witty prose make you positively giddy with excitement?
* Have you ever lingered over a bit of lace or wistfully touched a velvet coat?
* Are you delighted when someone brews a pot of te More...

So, I’ve got something else to blame on Glee. In addition to all the terrible eighties music that I’ve been listening to, and image of that terrible Mozart spaceman outfit gone wrong that they put Kurt in for the Gaga episode, I feel certain that the same people who decide on the structure and performance of that show are the same people who decided that it was okay to release Soulless in the form that I read it.

At it’s heart, Glee is simply a weak, changeable framework for presenting touchston More...

*sigh* Boy, am I in the minority here! Every friend of mine has given this at least three stars, and here I am not even being able to finish it. Still, I don't hate this book, so before giving my reasons for not liking it, I will be fair and go over what I did like.

Our heroine, Miss Alexia Tarabotti, hasn't had an easy life. Besides being put on the shelf at the age of fifteen by her mother, she's had to deal with unjust criticism. While the people of today spend countless dollars on cancer-caus More...

Rbrs #4

Remember in grade school, when the teacher would ask for a volunteer to give the first speech or present the first diorama or whatever? Public Speaking - that which is feared more than death. Comparisons were always inevitable. I learned to shoot that hand up like a game of "not-it," so that everyone would be compared to me but my stuff would gently fade in the mob memory. Also, to get it out of the way so then I could relax while everyone else sweated it and got ever more anxious. Soooo, More...

I hate vampires. I have a strong dislike of werewolves, but I fucking hate vampires. Robert Pattinson, yeah, I think he’s dreamy, but I wouldn’t hesitate to put a stake through his fragile, airbrushed chest. I wouldn’t shed a tear as he muttered those incomprehensible little nothings with his dying breath.

Because vampires are stupid. The whole mythology has been driven into the ground. It’s no longer romantic. Shit, it’s not even interesting. It’s easy. Way, way too easy.

And that’s why Carriger More...

Monsters are inevitably campy. That is a rule. You might not think it’s true, but you’re wrong. I’m sorry to be the one to break this to you, but the rule also applies to space. Monster stories and space stories range from those that deny the campiness and try to be really soulful social commentary to those that are hilarious in acknowledging the campiness and still manage to have something brilliant to say. There are levels in between those two extremes, but I’m trying to give you the framework More...

If you've been on GoodReads for any decent amount of time then you probably know Tatiana. If you don't then she is a very popular, entertaining reviewer with almost flawless taste in books and you should go read and like all her reviews abunch.

Usually, we tend to agree on a lot of books. When comparing books, we generally have an 88% similarity rating which has led me, in the past, to comment that we must be soulmates. So you can understand my obvious distress when I read this book and quite lik More...

Well, the first thing I can tell you is that reading this from a critical, review-writing frame of mind is not the way to enjoy it.

I encountered this book when it first came out, lying on the new release table of the Union Square Barnes & Noble (that's San Francisco, not NY, B&N friends). I no longer live in the City and was visiting a friend who, as it turned out, wasn't home yet. Or answering her phone. Night was falling and I had no way of knowing how much time I would have to kill. More...

There was a joke at my college that if they offered a course in basket weaving, it would be hard. First there would be a cross-cultural survey of the history of basket weaving with a primary focus on no fewer than four geographically and historically diverse societies and their approaches to basket weaving. Then there would be the lab of collecting reeds, drying them, and preparing the dyes. Your required research paper would involve the exploration of basket weaving in modern popular culture, d More...

*Originally read 7/4/10 - 7/5/10*

This book was, quite simply, delightful! I finished it with a big smile on my face and giggled almost continually while reading it. My husband finally banished me to the bedroom because I was irritating him while he watched a movie.

The world that Gail Carriger created was so much fun and so interesting. I loved seeing a familiar government amid the new and exciting facets of it. I loved the set up of the supernatural creatures and the singular abilities of the pr More...

★★★★½ Soulless is my first foray into the world of “steampunk.” Well, other than the writings of H.G. Wells and Jules Verne, read to me by my adventurous mother.

Dirigable from Ms. Carriger’s website.

I will be honest and say I just didn’t see the appeal until somewhere around the middle of the third chapter. Maybe I was too focused on figuring out the subtle world building to sit back and enjoy the ride until then. (Unsure what a claviger, drone, or dewan was, I do still wish there had been a glo More...

My apologies to all my friends who love this book, but again, I fail to understand the appeal. Like with a few other popular novels I've tried reading recently, this is simply a glorified fanfiction in print. If you ever ask me what I mean calling books "fanfiction," my answer would be, as with the definition of "porn," I can't articulate it, but I know when I see/read it. It's just too gratuitous and lacks substance, depth, flavor, richness, even though it, at times, entertains.

I loved Soulless! Alexia Tarabotti is a 26 year old spinster who is intelligent and fashionable, who is prone to dark skin and drinks a lot of tea! Always found with her parasol and two hair pins made of silver and wood, she would one day like to fly in a dirigible. She also happens to be a preternatural, “Soulless” which is almost as embarrassing as having an Italian father.

A preternatural is born without a soul. When she touches a supernatural Alexia effectively neutralises them, the vampires More...

Ms. Carriger, congratulations! This was a great ride. I can honestly say that I laughed myself silly reading this book. This is one of those books that will probably embarrass you if you read it in public. You have been warned! This is the first novel that I've read that managed to cleverly and gently satirize the conventions of historical romance, and it was done in a manner that was utterly irresistible. I have not read any Wodehouse, but I imagine I will like him very much, if he is indeed an More...

Po prvé, Alexia Tarabottiová nemá dušu.

Po druhé, nie len že je jej otec Talian, ale ešte je aj mŕtvy.

Po tretie, na vydaj je príliš stará, príliš tvrdohlavá a príliš opálená.

Po štvrté, ignorujúc všetky pravidlá slušného správania, na ňu zaútočil upír. Len si predstavte ten šok - ten darebák sa ani nepredstavil!

Po piate, v Londýne sa záhadne objavujú upíri, ktorí nepatria do žiadneho registrovaného spoločenstva... a niekto si očividne zaumienil, že Alexia s tým má niečo spoločné. Čo nie je na tak More...

I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this book having never read a steampunk novel and not being overly fond of comedy of manners type books unless they’re exceptionally witty. Turns out I was hooked immediately by the author’s wicked sarcasm. Most authors try too hard to get the right mix of funny/witty/sarcastic and end up making their characters sound dumb but here it felt fresh and natural and was so unlike most of the bland and/or annoying stuff lining my shelves.

The book starts out with o More...

It’s hard to pin down the genre here -- mystery, chick lit, horror/fantasy, paranormal romance, and historical fiction (albeit a steampunkish alternate history). Basically there is a little something for everyone and anyone who is up for some light fun. It really helps that this book never takes itself too seriously as it does follow a fairly well trod romantic trajectory– an unconventional female (Alexia Tarabotti) is paired with a Brontean male lead (Lord Conall Macon) who is predictably both More...

Recipe for success:
- Liberal amount of Austen & Wodehouse
- Generous helping of the supernatural
- Sprinkling of steampunk
- Heavy dose of humor
- Dollop of romance

Icing:
- One sorely abused treacle tart
- One hedgehog, slightly squashed

What a success Soulless is. No First Book Syndrome here.

Gail Carriger shows that she is a woman with ideas in this alternate history paranormal tale. Not only does she have ideas, but Carriger knows how to execute them. Soulless is a refreshing and wildly amusing More...

I am new to the whole paranormal romance genre. Being a teenager yet, I can finally read the dirty bits without giggling or tossing the book across the room in an embarrassed panic whenever someone walks into the room. Yay for maturity!

Soulless was a fun read, and oddly very funny. I was cracking up. My favorite line:
"The vampire's eyes were open, and he was staring at her intently. It was as though he was trying to speak to her with simply the power of his glare. Alexia did not speak glare-ish" More...

In the words of Allison, this book kicked ass. I immensely enjoyed it, and have added it to both my "wishlist" and "to buy" shelves. Maybe someone will want to part with their copy, but I won't hold my breath.

First, let us get the bad stuff out of the way:
1) The main character's name: Alexia. This is a kind of disorder that causes word blindness, or the inability to read. TERRIBLE choice for an exceedingly smart and well-read main character.
2) There were some annoyingly errors in the text, th More...

This book is a little pastry of a treat, like a French Fancy or a Mini Battenburg cake:

It's sweet, creamy and not very sensible or nourishing for mind or body, but ever so pleasurable to indulge in every now and again!

I had no qualms about the various inconsistencies, flaws and lack of coherent background to some of the posited ideas: I just saw it as a preposterously silly, amusing and romantic bit of undemanding, candy-spun bedtime fluff and I believe the author had her tongue wedged firmly in More...

At the end of "Soulless" first time author Gail Carriger says that one of her inspirations for the story was the idea of what if you set an urban fantasy during Victorian times. Given the quirks of the society, it's a fascinating concept and that hook alone is enough to make me want to like "Soulless."

Unfortunately, the novel is too much a product of the current publishing climate in which a majority of the books hitting the market must have vampires, werewolves or (as is the case here) both. I' More...

On a typical day, I would say I didn't like paranormal romance. And I had seen the Parasol Protectorate books before (the covers are gorgeous) but as soon as I saw the words "vampire" and "werewolf," I was disinterested.

But then, Tom and Veronica did an Author Guide to Gail Carriger, and had the author over for tea. She was quite a character, referred to the books as "teapunk" which made me laugh, so I decided to give the books a try.

When I first went to the book in GoodReads, I saw that a larg More...

This novel was recommended to be my a friend of mine here on goodreads and boy does she ever have awesome tastes in books. Soulless was truly a book I would recommend to my friends on GR as well, A cleaverly, artisticly funny novel all the way till the end, can't wait to read book #2:Changeless, out now.....

The characters in Gail's world are utterly fascinating and draw you into their wicked and enchanting London. Well worth giving it a shot!

I was up most of the night reading this, I have to admit, although that statement has to be qualified by the fact that I suffer from intermittent crushing insomnia, and would have been up anyway. I don't always read when I'm up haunted by whatever it is that haunts me, although haunting is maybe the wrong word for how I feel when I'm sleepless. Maybe dislocated, like a piece of myself is tethered and floating above me. I'm not a huge believer in my own soul – please don't flame me, you may belie More...

"Soulless" is a fun, entertaining read which has a plot that kept me turning the pages until the very end. It's a fairly fast paced read too.

One evening Alexia Tarabotti is attacked by a vampire who doesn't seem to understand the code of etiquette by trying to feast on her, but also hasn't been told that Alexia, being Soulless, can actually neutralise all supernatural beings. This is rather odd but before she can find out what is going on she accidentally kills the newbie vampire and there begin More...

3.5 stars. This was fun.. A little heavy on the romance, but I didn't mind that too much. There was also a lot of wit and humor to balance it out, so it never became annoying. Plus, let's face it, as much as I try to deny it... I'm a chick, I like a little romance. It sets my heart all a flutter, and that's not such a bad feeling.

Plot wise, it wasn't as action pack as most paranormal stuff I've read before. But that's probably just because I've really only read Urban Fantasy type paranormal stu More...

This book brings together so many things I love: kickass female heroines who don't dress like they belong in a film mockery of an S&M video, food, vampires and other such magical types, love, dirty scenes, and the London Season. Didn't see that last one coming, did you? Well, it's true. Gail Carriger manages to fit all these things into Soulless, a book that is more funny than sincere, more romance than steampunk, and less creepy than you might think when you realize what the main couple has More...

Fans of Steampunk, rejoice. And better count those who adore Steampunk with a great romance that has a delightful, witty and very original heroine. Gail Carriger’s Soulless will be on the lips of many before the end of the year. This is one of the most refreshing books I have read for 2009. Orbit has a very good thing with Gail Carriger. This freshman novel is near perfect in its writing and storytelling. When a book such as Soulless brings forth such laughs and an abundance of happiness while y More...