Soulless (novel)
Encyclopedia
Soulless is a steampunk
paranormal romance
novel by Gail Carriger
. First published in October 2009 by Orbit Books
, Soulless is the first book in a projected five-novel "The Parasol Protectorate" series, each featuring Alexia Tarabotti, a woman without a soul, as its lead character. A finalist for several literary awards and a recipient of the 2010 Alex Award, Soulless was declared by Publishers Weekly
to be one of the "Best Books of 2009". A manga
adaptation of the novel began publication by Yen Press in July 2011.
father complicates her social standing in a rigid class system, and she has no soul
. The fact that she is "soulless" leaves her unaffected by the powers of supernatural
beings which only further complicates her life when she accidentally kills a vampire that had attacked her. Queen Victoria
sends an investigator, Lord Maccon, who is himself a werewolf. As disappearances in the vampire population of London's high society
increase, Alexia becomes the prime suspect
. She must solve the mystery, all while maintaining proper decorum and a delicate social balance.
The author's official website also lists a Hungarian language
edition by Könyvmolyképző and an Italian language
edition by Baldini & Castoldi with "unknown" publication dates. In November 2010, the author announced that Proszynski will publish the novel in Poland and Hayakawa will publish it in Japan, neither with announced publication dates.
The original US cover for the novel was designed by Lauren Panepinto, Creative Director for Orbit Books and Yen Press. The model portraying heroine Alexia Tarabotti on the US, UK, Spanish, and French covers is actress Donna Ricci. The original photograph of Ricci for this cover was taken by Derek Caballero. A different model appears on the German edition of the novel.
said of Soulless that "Carriger debuts brilliantly with a blend of Victorian romance, screwball comedy of manners and alternate history." Her "[w]ell-drawn secondary characters round out the story" and that "[t]his intoxicatingly witty parody will appeal to a wide cross-section of romance, fantasy and steampunk fans." Karen Burnham of SF Signal reviewed the novel as "rather more fun than the sum of its parts" which "add up to a very fast, very fun romp of a novel". Rob H. Bedford reviewed Soulless for SFF World noting "Carriger does an impressive job of drawing the reader into the story immediately" but found it "a frustrating read" due to "the repetitive aspects of the novel".
nominee for the best first novel of the year in the fields of science fiction
, fantasy
, or horror fiction
; a Locus Award
finalist for Best First Novel
; and Locus
placed her on their recommended reading list. Soulless was one of just ten novels to receive the 2010 Alex Award from the American Library Association
as a book written for adults that has a "special appeal" to young adults. Publishers Weekly
placed the book on their "Best Books of 2009" list, one of just five mass-market books to make the cut. The novel, Carriger's first, earned her a nomination for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. The cover of the novel was awarded second place in the Mass Market Cover competition at the New York Book Show by the Bookbinders Guild of New York. Audible.com
named the Soulless audiobook narrated by Emily Gray as one of the Best of 2010 in the "Sci-Fi & Fantasy" category.
. In September 2010, Carriger's literary agent announced that worldwide rights to adapt the first three novels in the Alexia Tarabotti series as graphic novel
s have been sold to Yen Press
. Yen Press, like series publisher Orbit Books
, is a division of Hachette Book Group
. The serialized Yen Press manga
adaptation of Soulless debuted in the July 2011 edition of Yen Plus magazine. A collected volume is scheduled for publication in Spring 2012.
Steampunk
Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain or "Wild West"-era United...
paranormal romance
Paranormal romance
Paranormal romance is a sub-genre of the romance novel. A type of speculative fiction, paranormal romance focuses on romance and includes elements beyond the range of scientific explanation, blending together themes from the genres of traditional fantasy, science fiction, or horror...
novel by Gail Carriger
Gail Carriger
Gail Carriger is the pen name of Tofa Borregaard, an archaeologist and author of steampunk fiction. She was born in Bolinas, an unincorporated community in Marin County, California, and attended high school at Marin Academy...
. First published in October 2009 by Orbit Books
Orbit Books
Orbit Books is an international publisher that specialises in science fiction and fantasy books. It was founded in 1974 as part of the Macdonald Futura publishing company...
, Soulless is the first book in a projected five-novel "The Parasol Protectorate" series, each featuring Alexia Tarabotti, a woman without a soul, as its lead character. A finalist for several literary awards and a recipient of the 2010 Alex Award, Soulless was declared by Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
to be one of the "Best Books of 2009". A manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
adaptation of the novel began publication by Yen Press in July 2011.
Plot
Soulless is set in an alternate history version of Victorian England where werewolves and vampires are accepted as functioning members of society. Alexia Tarabotti is a woman with several critical problems: she is still searching for a husband, her late ItalianItalian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
father complicates her social standing in a rigid class system, and she has no soul
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
. The fact that she is "soulless" leaves her unaffected by the powers of supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
beings which only further complicates her life when she accidentally kills a vampire that had attacked her. Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
sends an investigator, Lord Maccon, who is himself a werewolf. As disappearances in the vampire population of London's high society
Upper class
In social science, the "upper class" is the group of people at the top of a social hierarchy. Members of an upper class may have great power over the allocation of resources and governmental policy in their area.- Historical meaning :...
increase, Alexia becomes the prime suspect
Prime suspect
A prime suspect is the person who is considered by the law enforcement agency investigating a crime to be the most likely suspect.There are various reasons a person may be considered a prime suspect...
. She must solve the mystery, all while maintaining proper decorum and a delicate social balance.
Publication history
- 2009, USA, Orbit BooksOrbit BooksOrbit Books is an international publisher that specialises in science fiction and fantasy books. It was founded in 1974 as part of the Macdonald Futura publishing company...
ISBN 0-316-05663-4, Pub date 7 October 2009, Paperback - 2010, UK, Orbit BooksOrbit BooksOrbit Books is an international publisher that specialises in science fiction and fantasy books. It was founded in 1974 as part of the Macdonald Futura publishing company...
ISBN 1-841-49972-2, Pub date 2 September 2010, Paperback - 2010, Spain, Versátil Ediciones ISBN 978-8-492-92924-5, Pub date 2 November 2010, Paperback (in SpanishSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
as Sin Alma) - 2011, France, Orbit France/Calmann Levy ISBN 978-2-360-51026-9, Pub date 12 January 2011, Paperback (in FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
as Sans Âme) - 2011, Japan, Hayakawa Publishing Corporation ISBN 978-4-15-020532-4, Pub date 8 April 2011, BunkobonBunkobonIn Japan, bunkobon are small-format paperback books, designed to be affordable and portable.The great majority of bunkobon are A6 in size...
（in JapaneseJapanese languageis a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
as アレクシア女史、倫敦で吸血鬼と戦う (Miss. Alexia fights against vampire in London) translated by Yasuko Kawano） - 2011, Germany, Blanvalet ISBN 978-3-442-37649-0, Pub date 16 May 2011, Paperback (in GermanGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
as Glühende Dunkelheit ("Glowing Darkness") translated by Anita Nirschl)
The author's official website also lists a Hungarian language
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
edition by Könyvmolyképző and an Italian language
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
edition by Baldini & Castoldi with "unknown" publication dates. In November 2010, the author announced that Proszynski will publish the novel in Poland and Hayakawa will publish it in Japan, neither with announced publication dates.
The original US cover for the novel was designed by Lauren Panepinto, Creative Director for Orbit Books and Yen Press. The model portraying heroine Alexia Tarabotti on the US, UK, Spanish, and French covers is actress Donna Ricci. The original photograph of Ricci for this cover was taken by Derek Caballero. A different model appears on the German edition of the novel.
Explanation of the novel's title
The novel's title refers to the unusual condition of the protagonist, Alexia Tarabotti, whose preternatural lack of a soul gives her the ability to "negate supernatural powers" with a touch.Reception
In their August 2009 starred review, Publishers WeeklyPublishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
said of Soulless that "Carriger debuts brilliantly with a blend of Victorian romance, screwball comedy of manners and alternate history." Her "[w]ell-drawn secondary characters round out the story" and that "[t]his intoxicatingly witty parody will appeal to a wide cross-section of romance, fantasy and steampunk fans." Karen Burnham of SF Signal reviewed the novel as "rather more fun than the sum of its parts" which "add up to a very fast, very fun romp of a novel". Rob H. Bedford reviewed Soulless for SFF World noting "Carriger does an impressive job of drawing the reader into the story immediately" but found it "a frustrating read" due to "the repetitive aspects of the novel".
Awards and nominations
The book was a Compton Crook AwardCompton Crook Award
The Compton Crook Award is presented to the best first novel of the year in the field of Science Fiction, Fantasy, or Horror by the members of the Baltimore Science Fiction Society, Inc, at their annual Baltimore-area science fiction convention, Balticon, held on Memorial Day weekend in the...
nominee for the best first novel of the year in the fields of science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
, or horror fiction
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
; a Locus Award
Locus Award
The Locus Award is a literary award established in 1971 and presented to winners of Locus magazine's annual readers' poll. Currently, the Locus Awards are presented at an annual banquet...
finalist for Best First Novel
Locus Award for Best First Novel
Winners of the Locus Award for Best First Novel, awarded by the Locus magazine. Awards presented in a given year are for works published in the previous calendar year....
; and Locus
Locus (magazine)
Locus, subtitled "The Magazine Of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Field", is published monthly in Oakland, California. It reports on the science fiction and fantasy publishing field, including comprehensive listings of all new books published in the genre. It is considered the news organ and trade...
placed her on their recommended reading list. Soulless was one of just ten novels to receive the 2010 Alex Award from the American Library Association
American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
as a book written for adults that has a "special appeal" to young adults. Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
placed the book on their "Best Books of 2009" list, one of just five mass-market books to make the cut. The novel, Carriger's first, earned her a nomination for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. The cover of the novel was awarded second place in the Mass Market Cover competition at the New York Book Show by the Bookbinders Guild of New York. Audible.com
Audible.com
Audible.com is an Internet provider of spoken audio entertainment, information, and educational programming.Audible sells digital audiobooks, radio and TV programs, and audio versions of magazines and newspapers....
named the Soulless audiobook narrated by Emily Gray as one of the Best of 2010 in the "Sci-Fi & Fantasy" category.
Adaptations
In June 2010, an audiobook version of the unabridged text of Soulless, as narrated by Emily Gray, was released by Audible.comAudible.com
Audible.com is an Internet provider of spoken audio entertainment, information, and educational programming.Audible sells digital audiobooks, radio and TV programs, and audio versions of magazines and newspapers....
. In September 2010, Carriger's literary agent announced that worldwide rights to adapt the first three novels in the Alexia Tarabotti series as graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
s have been sold to Yen Press
Yen Press
Yen Press is the manga and graphic novel imprint of Hachette Book Group. In addition to their regular book releases, Yen Press produces a monthly anthology called Yen Plus. The company's varied list demonstrates an interest in publishing a wide variety of Japanese manga, Korean manhwa, and other...
. Yen Press, like series publisher Orbit Books
Orbit Books
Orbit Books is an international publisher that specialises in science fiction and fantasy books. It was founded in 1974 as part of the Macdonald Futura publishing company...
, is a division of Hachette Book Group
Hachette Book Group USA
Hachette Book Group is a publishing company owned by Hachette Livre, the largest publishing company in France, and the second largest publisher in the world. Hachette Livre is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lagardère Group. HBG was formed when Hachette Livre purchased the Time Warner Book Group from...
. The serialized Yen Press manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
adaptation of Soulless debuted in the July 2011 edition of Yen Plus magazine. A collected volume is scheduled for publication in Spring 2012.