An exhilarating read

I won't call it charming, although it is, because authoress Gail Carriger is used to that term being applied to her book, Soulless, a romp through an alternate Victorian London where vampires and werewolves are accepted and a certain soulless spinster becomes entangled in the mysterious disappearances (and appearances) of supernaturals.

An interesting premiss in the book is that people have varying amounts of soul. Those who have an abundance may be turned into a vampire or werewolf. The vast majority of humans have an amount somewhat in the middle, and if bitten by a vampire, for example, do not turn but die. There is presently no way to tell exactly how much soul a person has before such a transformation is attempted--except for the rare preternatural, the soulless, also known as a soul-sucker.

That is the lot of our heroine, Alexi Tarabotti, a spinster with an acerbic tongue, quick wit, and utterly without soul. Her touch makes supernaturals revert to mere mortal guise--vampires lose their fangs, werewolves change to human form. She is incapable of being turned. In the old days before a more enlightened age, the soulless made excellent hunters of supernaturals.

The book quickly captivates the reader through a wonderful snapshot of the heroine's strong personality in the face of danger. The main characters and their relationships are developed quickly and well, and as the reader is drawn into the increasingly complex mystery, he or she comes to appreciate the humour of the narratrix, who bemoans the loss of a sweet treat due to a clumsy vampire attack in the very first scene and only gets better from there.

Alexia reminds me a bit of Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody, ever ready with parasol in hand to ward off evil.  Like Amelia, she both possesses a matronly view of etiquette and yet knows when to break the rules.  Also, she is terribly passionate, but with a harder edge.  Her intelligence and tongue often brings her trouble; she speaks her mind with absolute candor.

In all, this is a delightful read.  I picked it up at the library the day after it was put upon the shelf and was hooked almost immediately.  I'm happy to say there is a sequel coming out next year, whereupon we will no doubt become privy to Alexia's further adventures.  I highly recommend the novel for its quick pace, great character development, and wonderful sense of humour.  I will definitely be adding it to my own collection.

PS Given the new FTC rules, I should mention that although I received no renumeration for this review, there was a contest I entered that could include a few items, including a signed copy of the book and a parasol pin. But it didn't influence the outcome; I simply enjoyed the book immensely.