Soulless
Ratings212
Average rating3.8
I must say, I very much enjoyed this book. The story grabbed me immediately and it was non-stop from then on. I wanted to know more about the setting, the characters, and everything in the narrative world.
I loved the main character and am very pleased that there are more books in the series so that I can explore her personality and story more.
This was a witty, well-written book with characters that I absolutely adored. I'd had my eye on this book for a while, and when Barnes & Noble spotlighted Gail Carriger and offered the e-book of Soulless up for $0.99, I jumped all over it. My only complaint about the book (and Ms. Carriger's writing) is that she seemed to be a bit too wordy, especially at the beginning of the book. The dictionary on my nook has never been used so much. This seems to have tapered off as the book wore on, though. All-in-all, she's written a fantastic book with a likeable, smart, witty, independent heroine.
I loved this novel, so I grabbed the graphic novel (mostly because I was curious as to how they were going to jam all of the Soulless world into graphic novel). Well, they do. Not only that, but Alexia comes off as even more charming! As I always suspected: Ivy's hats are not that bad (so far). I really loved this and look forward to the next one.
What a hoot! Unique blend of steampunk and supernatural, with extremely dry humor and a lively (if unsentimental) romance. Kind of reminded me of Amelia Peabody series, if Amelia had the unique ability to neutralize supernatural beings and if Emerson was a werewolf. I've heard the other books in the series aren't as strong so I'm reluctant to check them out, but this one is almost perfect by itself. Can't wait to read it again.
The e-book is currently 99 cents on Amazon and B&N, so it's a bargain. But even at full price Soulless would have been worth every penny.
Soulless is slow to start. Language is a bit different but once I got use to the rhythm of speech it is a quick read. Soulless is fun, light hearted read. One thing I had a major problem with it the concept of being without a soul isn't explained very well. I like when the pace of the plot quickens. The action and story really seem to pick up. The main characters, Alexia and Conall, are well developed and entertaining. An enjoyable read.
I've said this before, that when it comes to adapting novels into a different format the results are pretty much hit or miss and graphic novel adaptations are no exception. So when I picked up Soulless, volume 1 by Gail Carriger I had no idea what I was going to get besides Rem's beautiful artwork. I am pleased to say this manga has much more going for it than visual aesthetics and that Soulless is one of the best adaptations I have ever read and proves that it is possible to take a 373 page novel of pure words, compress it into 224 pages of manga and still get a coherent and enjoyable story.
Alexia Tarabotti is a Soulless which means she has no soul (obviously) and that she has the ability to neutralize the power of supernaturals. For example, if a vampire touches her, his fangs would quickly shrink back down to normal size. Which of course happens in the first few pages of the story when Alexia is attacked by a vampire, not that she needs her preternatural powers to help her out, the woman can be quite deadly with a parasol and hair pin.
It turns out the vampire is a rove (not associated with a vampire hive but lives independently) and is not the first rove to be made, set loose on the streets without being taught how to survive as a vampire, or kept from exposing the supernatural community. And not only are roves appearing without a definite source to who has created them but loner werewolves have been disappearing as well and whatever the cause it seems Alexia is involved, whether the B.U.R (supernatural authorities) want her to be or not.
In order to write this review properly I gave Soulless a re-read the other day and enjoyed it all over again because although I already knew the story and its twists I had forgotten how not only capable Alexia is in taking care of herself but how intelligent, witty and sassy she is. Despite how her family treats her as second class she is a strong-willed and independent thinker and is definitely a modern woman living in Victorian times. The supporting characters are also a treat to watch and read about, they all stand out with their own distinctive personalities and I really want to learn more about them. Lord Maccon, despite being an intimidating Alpha, had me laughing quite a lot especially when he and Alexia where in scenes together trading barbs, and his Beta Professor Lyall's discomfort and facial expressions when he was trying to delicately explain the mating rituals of werewolves was impossible not to love. And I can't forget the flamboyant Lord Akeldama, one of Alexia's closest friends, who always takes over the scene as soon as he enters the room. I definitely want to learn how he and Alexia came to know each other and hope to learn more about him in volume 2.
Overall, this first volume was a wonderful read. The beautiful artwork not only made the book lovely to look at but the action scenes were both dynamic and very easy to follow. Rem also takes creative ways to ensure that not everything is bared during nude shots and thus you won't blush too hard while reading certain scenes but will be laughing instead at the characters' expressions when caught in compromising situations. The story itself is also translated well to this format; I did not feel like I was missing anything vital as I read the book but my interest in reading the novel did increase as I am now interested in learning more background information about certain characters and the world of Soulless.
Hay algo que me confunde profundamente en este libro. Y es que no acabo de ubicarlo bien en su correspondiente categoría. Se trata de una agradable mezcla de novela paranormal con steampunk y un pocazo (indigesto) de romance, dirigida al público adulto pero con claras muestras de novela YA (como dicen los angloparlantes, para jóvenes adultos)que no disgusta pero no convence. Creo que el problema es la edad(la mía); tengo ya unos cuantos años y hay tanto que leer que este tipo de novela no figura en mis preferencias. He de confesar que la compré fiándome de las críticas de algunos blogs y parece que después de todo no era para tanto.
No soy amante de los romances paranormales, pero me confundieron haciéndome creer que se trataba de una fantasía steampunk con heroína. Y no es así. Es una romance paranormal ambientado en la época victoriana disfrazado de steampunk. Los elementos propios del steampunk se muestran en esta tan solo de pasada, quizás como excusa para atraer a un público más numeroso, pero sin profundizar ni sacarle todo el jugo que podrían haberle sacado y que sí es propio de otras obras del género.
En el capítulo romance es donde más patina la novela. El uso de este “factor” en determinadas situaciones le restan credibilidad a la trama y alejan al lector de la tensión de la misma.
Sin embargo, la trama aunque sencilla es agradable e incluso depara alguna sorpresita de buen gusto. Los personajes, en algunos casos, están muy bien creados y es curioso que algunos secundarios sean más atractivos que los principales. Las razones científicas de los elementos paranormales son bastante más creíbles que en novelas similares y quizás sea en estos pasajes donde más he disfrutado de la misma.
Creo que me quedaré en este capítulo. En España ya van por la segunda y en USA por la cuarta parte, pero yo ya he tenido bastante.
En definitiva, a leer en alguno de estos casos:
- Tienes entre 15 y 18 años
- No tienes nada más que leer (difícil)
- Te la han regalado
- Tapa blanda de saldo o e-book económico (como los de mi amigo Rodolfo Martínez, por lo de económico, no por la calidad de la obra)
Sólo en estos casos la relación calidad/precio habrá merecido la pena y pasarás un ratito agradable leyéndola.
Saludos.
Fran
Not my typical read, but it had some steampunk elements in it, which is a current favorite. It was pretty paranormal heavy for my tastes, but it was extremely well written, and a fun read.
The interaction between the leads was good, and while a bit more of a romance novel then my typical tastes, it was often funny, and worked well.
I really enjoyed this book. I listened to it as an audiobook and I highly recommend the narrator. She did a great job pulling me into the story. A very different look at paranormal entities.
Slightly steampunky/victorian story.
A fast paced novel filled with vampires, werewolves, tea and parasols, this book will appeal to a wide range of readers. The main character, Alexia Tarabotti, is feisty and fun reminding one of Buffy the Vampire Slayer at some times and Elizabeth Bennett at others. A clever reworking of the Victorian era.
Schwule Vampire, Werwölfe, verrückte Hüte und jede Menge Tee. Bei Soulless bekommt man alles andere als den üblichen Fantasy Kram. Da hätten wir zum einen die Hauptfigur Alexia Tarabotti, die am Anfang von einem Vampir angegriffen wird - ohne einander vorgestellt zu werden. Nicht mal ihre Treacle Tart konnte sie in Ruhe essen, für die sie sich auf einem Ball extra in die Bibliothek zurückgezogen hat. Und dann wäre da noch Lord Maccon, Werwolfalpha und Leiter der Paranormalen Angelegenheiten, der zugleich zur Stelle ist, als ebenjener Vampir durch Alexia “ums Leben kommt”. Und genau bei diesem Vorfall fängt das Abenteuer an, denn da Alexia nicht auf den Mund gefallen ist, kann man sich auf so einiges gefasst machen.
Es gibt Werwölfe und Vampire, warum unterscheidet sich dieses Buch nun von all den anderen?
Zum Einen ist es mit sehr viel Humor und Ironie geschrieben, ja, es macht sich geradezu lustig über Vampire - wo sonst gibt es neu verwandelte Vampire, die wegen ihrer Eckzähne lispeln? Zum Anderen liest sich Gail Carriger's Schreibstil einfach wunderbar, es gibt so gut wie keine langatmigen Stellen und die Charaktere sind interessant und anders.
Bemängeln könnte man höchstens, dass die Steampunk Elemente etwas zu kurz kommen. Hier und da wird etwas erwähnt, aber wirklich im Vordergrund steht dies nicht.
Insgesamt kann ich dieses Buch jedoch nur empfehlen, ich habe mich keine Minute gelangweilt und es hat einfach Spaß gemacht, es zu lesen.
Daher gibt es auch die volle Punktzahl von mir.
“Goodness gracious me,” exclaimed Alexia, “what are you wearing? It looks like the unfortunate progeny of an illicit union between a pair of binoculars and some opera glasses. What on earth are they called, binocticals, spectoculars?”
Ich habe vorhin gesehen, dass die deutsche Ausgabe “Glühende Dunkelheit” heißen wird. Ich glaube das ist so ziemlich der dämlichste Name auf den sie kommen konnten...
The fun, frothy tale is set in an alternate Victorian London where vampires and werewolves have been integrated into society. The Bureau of Unnatural Registry is the organization keeping tabs on them and one 25-year-old spinster, Alexia Tarabotti keeps finding herself in their company. Alexia herself is one of the rarest of the unnaturals. She's a preternatural, i.e. one who has no soul, and thus she has a negating effect on werewolves and vampires when she comes in physical contact with them. When Alexia accidentally kills a rogue vampire – one that is not part of a hive – the plot gets into motion. Alexia herself is a wonderful character: smart, witty, forthright, self-concious about her dark skin tone, dead Italian father, and prominent nose; she is eager to have something to do. Preferably something to do with the BUR and the handsome head of the BUR the Earl of Woolsey, Lord Maccon, the land's hunky alpha werewolf. This story was very much fun, perhaps a little short on action but long on wit and with a healthy dose of erotica. I'm probably not the target demographic for this sort of thing, but I greatly enjoyed it and will no doubt scoop up the follow-up, Changless, when it becomes available next May.
