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Parasol Protectorate series

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Parasol Protectorate series

Parasol Protectorate series, also known as the Alexia Tarabotti Novels, is written by Gail Carriger. This series is companion to the Custard Protocol series whites a New Adult sequel series.

Genre and Subgenres[]

Urban Fantasy, Steampunk, with Cozy-Mystery & PNR elements

Brief Series Description or Overview[]

The series is composed of five books chronicling the exploits of Alexia Tarabotti, a lady of considerable assets including large Scottish werewolf, battle-parasol, gossip, and treacle tart tenancies. Oh yes, and she has no soul. ~ From: Parasol Protectorate

Lead's Species[]

  • Souless woman, Metanatural

Primary Supe[]

  • Werewolves & vampires

What Sets it Apart[]

  • Steampunk, humor, Urban Fantasy set in London 1873

Narrative Type and Narrators[]

  • Third person narrative — primary perspective: Miss Alexia Tarabotti, protagonist

Books in Series[]

Parasol Protectorate series / Alexia Tarabotti series:

  1. Soulless (2009) 
  2. Changeless (2010)
  3. Blameless (2010)
  4. Heartless (2011)
  5. Timeless (2012)

Companion Series, Spinoffs, Sequels or Prequels[]

Finishing School series (prequel series to the Custard Protocol series): 

  1. Etiquette and Espionage (2013)
  2. Curtsies and Conspiracies (2013)

Author Gail Carriger: In Which A New Series is Set Afloat

Custard Protocol series (sequel series): 

  1. Prudence (The Parasol Protectorate Abroad, #1) (2015)
  2. Imprudence (The Parasol Protectorate Abroad, #2) (2016)

New Series Announced! The Parasol Protectorate Abroad~ Prudence and Imprudence

Graphic Novels: 

  1. Soulless: The Manga Vol. 1 (2012)
  2. Soulless: The Manga Vol. 2 (2012)
  3. Soulless: The Manga Vol. 3 (2013)

Shorts, Anthologies and Guides[]

none yet

Other Series by Author onsite[]

Custard Protocol series

World Building[]

Setting[]

Alternate London, 1873

Places:

  • Canterbury

Hyde Park Hypocras Club

Supernatural Elements[]

✥ Soulless human (null ability), vampires, werewolves, zombie porcupines, ghost, automatons, homicidal mechanical ladybugs, Steampunk elements, drones, weird science, Gargoyle?

Glossary: []

  • Souless: ability to negate supernatural powers (like a null)
  • Preternatural: Humans born without souls
  • Hive: Colony of vampires with a Queen and complete with drones
  • Drone: Humans with artistic leanings who serve as companions and servants for the vampires in hopes of attaining immortality
  • Rove: Hiveless vampire
  • Claviger: "Key-keepers"—Humans with artistic leanings who serve as companions and servants for the werewolves in hopes of attaining immortality. Often referred to as key-keepers, their primary purpose is to restrain werewolves in danger of losing control.
  • Loner: Werewolf without a pack.
  • Potentate: Vampire advisor to Queen Victoria. Sits on the Shadow Council
  • Dewan: Werewolf advisor to Queen Victoria. Sits on the Shadow Council
  • Muhjuh: Preternatural advisor to Queen Victoria. Sits on the Shadow Council; this position is currently vacant

Groups & Organizations:[]

  • Bureau of Unnatural Registry (BUR): Handles law enforcement regarding the supernatural
  • Shadow Council: Consisting of a dewan (werewolf), potentate (vampire), and preternatural (muhjah), it administers supernatural interaction with the Crown
  • Hypocras Club: Gentleman's clubs for intellectuals, philosophers, scientists, and the like.

World[]

In the publisher's back-cover blurbs, the series is described as "a comedy of manners set in Victorian London, full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking." Here's how Carriger herself describes the series on the FAQ page of her web site: "Imagine Jane Austen dabbling in science and steam technology. Then imagine P.G. Wodehouse suddenly dropped vampires in the Drones Club. The PARASOL PROTECTORATE books are the resulting progeny."

The series begins in an alternate London in the late 1800s where Alexia Tarabotti is a twenty-six-year-old, free-thinking spinster. Her most unusual characteristic is that she has no soul, thus the title of book one. As a result of her soullessness, Alexia's touch causes supernatural creatures to become human for as long as she keeps touching them, so some supernaturals see her as a threat.

In Alexia’s world, England has both a human and a supernatural populace, with werewolves and vampires taking their places alongside humans in high society. The vampires live in "hives" ruled by their queens, and the werewolves live in pack houses ruled by their alphas. Even Queen Victoria is involved in the supernatural world. Although she is human, she has supernaturals among her top advisers. Steam-driven and spring-loaded tools, weapons, and transportation (especially dirigibles) enhance the lives of the characters. An example of the gadgetry is Alexia’s parasol with its abundance of hidden spring-loaded weaponry. This combination of Victorian London and steam technology is known as steampunk—a science fiction subgenre that is defined by its four Gs: goggles, gadgets, gears, and guns. ~ Fang-tastic Fiction: The Parasol Protectorate

✥ Vampires and werewolves are the main supernatural beasties in this story. They are very politically and socially-organized, to the degree that they have advisors to the queen herself. The social dynamics of the vampire society are divided up into hives, each with a Queen vampire (she's the only one who can make new vamps), and having human servants called drones. Lord Akeldama, Alexia's flamboyant friend who happens to be a very powerful vampire, was a hoot. His fashion sense was outrageous. On the werewolf side, Professor Lyall is the competent, extremely intelligent beta to the Alpha werewolf, Lord Maccon, Earl of Woolsey. vamps and weres were very integrated into society, and a huge part of the governmental workings of the author's concept of Great Britain of the 19th Century. It really gives a different perspective on the British Empire. ~ Goodreads | Danielle

Protagonist[]

✥ Alexia is one of those heroines that will stand out in the reader's mind. She's intelligent, gutsy, fierce, yet ladylike and admirable. Although she has moments where she's down on herself (she seemed unable to accept that Lord Maccon was interested in her, but it totally made sense to me), she manages to be remarkably comfortable in her own skin. I believe that this is a big part of her appeal to Lord Maccon. Alexia is an alpha woman that I really like. She doesn't come on too strong, and she knows her limits. Throwing her weight around is not a tactic that she resorts to. But if you try something, she will make sure you know it's not happening. She is strong, intelligent, and passionate; yet, she possessed the morals and understandings of what was appropriate in her society. ~ Goodreads | Danielle

Sidekick[]

  • Name: / What: / Sidekick-to: / About: / Book First Seen:

Characters Chart[]

Characters What About
Alexia Tarabotti soulless (preternatural) Spinster, mannered, fashionable; When things go wrong with the supes, she gets blamed for her nulling ability;
Lord Conall Maccon werewolf, Alpha leader, Earl of Woolsey, Alpha leader of the Woolsey pack, leader of BUR. A bit of a temper
Professor Randolph Lyall werewolf
Miss Ivy Hisselpenny friend to Miss Tarabotti Confidante & friend to Alexia; penchant for hideous headwear;
Lord Akeldama Vampire friend to Miss Tarabotti, fabulous, one of the oldest vampires in London, rove--not a member of a hive
Mr. Siemons gentleman Head of the Hypocras Club, a gentlemen's club with scientific interests
Squire Loontwill step-father step-father;
Ormond Tunstell Claviger Claviger to Lord Maccon
Countess Nadasdy Queen vampire Westminster Hive
Lord Ambrose vampire Westminster Hive
Dr. Neebs Scientist at the Hypocras Club
Dr. Caedes Vampire in Countess Nadasdy's Hive. Dr of Engineering. Writes papers.
Lady Loontwill Alexia's mother Miss Tarabotti's mother
Evylin Loontwill: Alexia's Half-sister Half-sister to Miss Tarabotti who is only concerned with society and fashion
Mr. Haverbink BUR Member of BUR assigned to protect Miss Tarabotti
Floote Butler to the Loontwills who formerly worked for Alexia's father
Biffy drone One of Lord Akeldama's drones and his favorite
Mabel Dair: Drone, Actress one of Countess Nadasdy's drones
George Greemes BUR agent Canterbury BUR office agent
Miss Wibbley dinner companion of Lord Maccon's whom he uses to make Alexia jealous
Miss Dair human drone drone for the London vampire queen and an actress
Cecil scientist at the Hypocras club
Angelique French maid service of Countess Nadasdy
Mr. Tunstell Claviger Lord Maccon
Duke of Hematol vampire service to Countess Nadasdy;
Auntie Augustina private nickname nickname between Alexia and Lord Akeldama;
Queen Victoria Queen Queen of England;
Mrs. Loontwill Alexia's mother in despair of Alexia's appearance and spinsterhood
Duke of Snodgrove party host person who hosted the party in which Alexia accidentally kills a vampire
Rumpet Butler Butler to the pack

To expand the table, in Edit–Visual mode, right-press on a Row of the table or Column (Control-press on a Mac)—choose add Row or Column.

Author[]

Gail Carriger

Bio: Ms. Carriger writes steampunk urbane fantasy comedies of manners to cope with being raised in obscurity by an expatriate Brit and an incurable curmudgeon. She escaped small town life and inadvertently acquired several degrees in Higher Learning. She then traveled the historic cities of Europe, subsisting entirely on biscuits secreted in her handbag. She now resides in the Colonies, surrounded by a harem of shoes, where she insists on tea imported directly from London and cats that pee into toilets. Her Parasol Protectorate books are all New York Times Bestsellers. It is not her policy to conduct business over Goodreads. Please visit Gail's website and drop her a calling card if you have a request. ~ Goodreads

Cover Artist[]

Artist: Derek Caballero: ISFdb: Cover: Soulless

Artist: Lauren Panepinto — Heartless #4 — Source:  ISFdb: Cover: Heartless

Artist: Gordon Crabb — Parasol Protectorate, Volume 2, omnibus — Source:  ISFdb: Cover: The Parasol Protectorate, Volume 2

Publishing Information[]

  • Publisher: Orbit
  • Author Page:
  1. Soulless (2009) 
  2. Changeless (2010)
  3. Blameless (2010)
  4. Heartless (2011)
  5. Timeless (2012)
  • Bk-1: MM-Paperback, 357 pages, Pub. Oct 1st 2009, ISBN-0316056634

Book Cover Blurbs[]

✤ BOOK ONE BLURB—Soulless (2009) : 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? ~ Goodreads | Soulless

✤ BOOK TWO BLURB—Changeless (2010): Alexia Tarabotti, now Lady Maccon, awakens in the wee hours of the mid-afternoon to find her husband, who should be decently asleep like any normal werewolf, yelling at the top of his lungs. Then he disappears - leaving her to deal with a regiment of supernatural soldiers encamped on her doorstep, a plethora of exorcised ghosts, and an angry Queen Victoria. But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest fashions, and an arsenal of biting civility. Even when her investigations take her into the backwater of ugly waistcoats, Scotland, she is prepared: upending werewolf pack dynamics as only the soulless can. She might even find time to track down her wayward husband - if she feels like it. ~Changeless (Parasol Protectorate #2) ~ Shelfari

✤ BOOK THREE BLURB—Blameless (2010): Quitting her husband's house and moving back in with her horrible family, Lady Maccon becomes the scandal of the London season. Queen Victoria dismisses her from the Shadow Council, and the only person who can explain anything, Lord Akeldama, unexpectedly leaves town. To top it all off, Alexia is attacked by homicidal mechanical ladybugs, indicating, as only ladybugs can, the fact that all of London's vampires are now very much interested in seeing Alexia quite thoroughly dead. While Lord Maccon elects to get progressively more inebriated and Professor Lyall desperately tries to hold the Woolsey werewolf pack together, Alexia flees England for Italy in search of the mysterious Templars. Only they know enough about the preternatural to explain her increasingly inconvenient condition, but they may be worse than the vampires -- and they're armed with pesto. — Blameless (Parasol Protectorate #3) ~ Shelfari

✤ BOOK FOUR BLURB—Heartless (2011): Lady Alexia Maccon, soulless, is at it again, only this time the trouble is not her fault. When a mad ghost threatens the queen, Alexia is on the case, following a trail that leads her deep into her husband's past. Top that off with a sister who has joined the suffragette movement (shocking!), Madame Lefoux's latest mechanical invention, and a plague of zombie porcupines and Alexia barely has time to remember she happens to be eight months pregnant. Will Alexia manage to determine who is trying to kill Queen Victoria before it is too late? Is it the vampires again or is there a traitor lurking about in wolf's clothing? And what, exactly, has taken up residence in Lord Akeldama's second best closet? — Heartless (Parasol Protectorate #4) ~ Shelfari

✤ BOOK FIVE BLURB—Timeless (2012): Alexia Tarabotti, Lady Maccon, has settled into domestic bliss. Of course, being Alexia, such bliss involves integrating werewolves into London High society, living in a vampire's second best closet, and coping with a precocious toddler who is prone to turning supernatural willy-nilly. Even Ivy Tunstell's acting troupe's latest play, disastrous to say the least, can not put a dampener on Alexia's enjoyment of her new London lifestyle. Until, that is, she receives a summons from Alexandria that cannot be ignored. With husband, child, and Tunstells in tow, Alexia boards a steamer to cross the Mediterranean. 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 expanding? And how has Ivy Tunstell suddenly become the most popular actress in all the British Empire. ~ Timeless (Parasol Protectorate #5) ~ Shelfari

First Sentences[]

  1. Soulless (2009) — Miss Alexia Tarabotti was not enjoying her evening.
  2. Changeless (2010) — "They are what?" Lord Conall Maccon, Earl of Woolsey, was yelling. Loudly.
  3. Blameless (2010) — "How much longer, Mama, must we tolerate this gross humiliation?"
  4. Heartless (2011) — "Five months! Five months you—dare I say it—gentlemen have been sitting on this little scheme of yours and only now you decide to inform me of it!” Lady Alexia Maccon did not enjoy being surprised by declarations of intent.
  5. Timeless (2012) — "I said no such thing," grumbled Lord Maccon, allowing himself, begrudgingly, to be trussed in a new evening jacket.

Quotes[]

Trivia[]

Awards[]

ALA Alex Award (2010)

Read Alikes (similar elements)[]

Steampunk, Automatons, robots:

London:

VMPIRES:

See Category links at bottom of page

Notes[]

See Also[]

See Category links at bottom of page

External References[]

Books:

Summaries: 

World, Characters, etc:

Artists: 

Author:

Book Devoted Sites and Fan Sites:

STEAM PUNK: 

Steam Punk Book lists: 

Gallery of Book Covers[]

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