Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Soulless by Gail Carringer

February's selection is the first in a new series, "Soulless" by Gail Carringer. Here's a short description from GoodReads.

Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate, #1)

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?

The Obscure References SF/F Discussion Group will meet on Wednesday, Febuuary 24 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss this book. Meetings are held at the Linebuagh Public Library in Murfreesboro.

"Caves of Steel," "Naked Sun" Links

Here are some links for January's selections. (Warning! Some entries may contain SPOILERS for future installments in the series)

Wikipedia:
Issac Asimov
Asimov Bibliography
The Robot Series
Caves of Steel
The Naked Sun
Three Laws of Robotics

2004 Retro Hugo Nominations
2004 Retro Hugo Winners

Reviews:
SF Review: Caves of Steel
SF Site: Caves of Steel
Fantastic Reviews Blog: Caves of Steel
SF Review: Naked Sun

Goodreads: Caves of Steel
Goodreads: Naked Sun