Running the Rift is the most recent winner of the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction, as awarded by Barbara Kingsolver. It's also an...
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In Timeless (Orbit), the final novel of Gail Carriger's bestselling Parasol Protectorate series, Lady Maccon, and her werewolf husband are mysteriously summoned to Egypt. But Egypt may hold more mysteries than even the indomitable Lady Maccon can handle. What does the vampire queen of the Alexandria Hive really want from her? Why is the God-Breaker Plague suddenly spreading? And how has Ivy Tunstell suddenly become the most popular actress in all the British Empire? Find out!
"Carriger debuts brilliantly with a blend of Victorian romance, screwball comedy of manners and alternate history. Prickly, stubborn 25-year-old bluestocking Alexia Tarabotti is patently unmarriageable, and not just because she's large-nosed and swarthy. She's also soulless, an oddity and a secret even in a 19th-century London that mostly accepts and integrates werewolf packs, vampire hives and ghosts. The only man who notices her is brash Lord Conall Maccon, a Scottish Alpha werewolf and government official, and (of course) they dislike each other intensely. After Alexia kills a vampire with her parasol at a party — how vulgar! — she and Conall must work together to solve a supernatural mystery that grows quite steampunkishly gruesome. Well-drawn secondary characters round out the story, most notably Lord Akeldama, Alexia's outrageous, italic-wielding gay best vampire friend. This intoxicatingly witty parody will appeal to a wide cross-section of romance, fantasy and steampunk fans." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
Synopsis:
Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.
Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire — and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.
With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?
SOULLESS is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.
Synopsis:
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" meets Jane Austen in this wickedly funny debut novel, which kicks off Carriger's new series set in an alternate 19th-century London that not only knows about vampires and werewolves, but accepts them into the upper tiers of society. Original.
MissSnarkerson, September 13, 2011 (view all comments by MissSnarkerson)
I admit it - I picked this book up only because I happened to be walking past and the cover caught my eye. I had never read steampunk before, despite being drawn to the style for quite a while (even if it is the eurotrash of nerd-dom) and was a bit leery at first. However, I'm a sucker for a well-developed alternate reality and the concept of vampires, wherewolves and ghosts being put to practical use in the British government was so intriguing! Add to that parasols, tea, witty dialog and Gail Carriger's superbly crafted characters and this book (and the rest of the series) quickly vaulted onto the "favorite" section of my bookshelf!
hthayer, September 4, 2011 (view all comments by hthayer)
At first I was dubious when my friends were recommending this series, after all, vampires and werewolves tend to make for juvenile reading and generally pretty bad writing. But once they mentioned that dirigibles were involved, I decided to give these books a try. These are simply So Much Fun! Well written steampunk with Victorian manners, a smattering of sex and romance (tasteful, of course) together with vampires and werewolves makes for a highly entertaining read. The world that the author has created is believable and fun and she is a gifted author who knows how to turn a good phrase.
"Publishers Weekly Review"
by Publishers Weekly,
"Carriger debuts brilliantly with a blend of Victorian romance, screwball comedy of manners and alternate history. Prickly, stubborn 25-year-old bluestocking Alexia Tarabotti is patently unmarriageable, and not just because she's large-nosed and swarthy. She's also soulless, an oddity and a secret even in a 19th-century London that mostly accepts and integrates werewolf packs, vampire hives and ghosts. The only man who notices her is brash Lord Conall Maccon, a Scottish Alpha werewolf and government official, and (of course) they dislike each other intensely. After Alexia kills a vampire with her parasol at a party — how vulgar! — she and Conall must work together to solve a supernatural mystery that grows quite steampunkishly gruesome. Well-drawn secondary characters round out the story, most notably Lord Akeldama, Alexia's outrageous, italic-wielding gay best vampire friend. This intoxicatingly witty parody will appeal to a wide cross-section of romance, fantasy and steampunk fans." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
"Synopsis"
by Ingram,
Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.
Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire — and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.
With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?
SOULLESS is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.
"Synopsis"
by Ingram,
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" meets Jane Austen in this wickedly funny debut novel, which kicks off Carriger's new series set in an alternate 19th-century London that not only knows about vampires and werewolves, but accepts them into the upper tiers of society. Original.
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