Soulless
core novel 2009 Parasol Protectorate
Record
| First published | 2009 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.90 (115,019 ratings, collected 2026-09-23) |
| Page count | 384 |
| First-edition ISBN | 0-316-05663-4 |
| Internal chronology | 1 |
Synopsis
Alexia Tarabotti is labouring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul; second, she is a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Things go from bad to worse when she accidentally kills a vampire at a party, with her parasol, and the appalling Lord Maccon, loud, messy, gorgeous and a werewolf, a Scottish Alpha and government official, is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate. With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible, and she must discover whether her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers will prove useful or just plain embarrassing, in a London that has long since absorbed werewolf packs, vampire hives and ghosts into society. Gail Carriger's debut and the first book of the Parasol Protectorate, a comedy of manners set in Victorian London, full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles and tea-drinking.
Where it sits
- Universe: Parasol Protectorate
- Series: Parasol Protectorate core; position 1 of 5 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Gail Carriger
Awards (verified)
- Locus Award (Best First Novel), 2010: finalist
- John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, 2010: nominated
Notes
- From the series record (Parasol Protectorate): A completed five-book steampunk/urban fantasy comedy-of-manners set in an alternate Victorian England where vampires and werewolves are a regulated part of polite society, following Alexia Tarabotti, a soulless woman whose touch neutralises supernatural powers, across marriage, motherhood, and widening supernatural politics.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings, but they resolve to the exact same sequence for this book, so one combined line is shown instead of two identical ones.
- Reading order, within the series Parasol Protectorate: position 1 of 5: next Changeless (2010)
Sources
- Soulless (novel) — Wikipedia
- Changeless (novel) — Wikipedia
- Blameless (novel) — Wikipedia
- Heartless (Carriger novel) — Wikipedia
- Timeless (Carriger novel) — Wikipedia
- Orbit (publisher description and Publishers Weekly review)
- Hachette Book Group (publisher)
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