Book Review- Soulless manga vols 2 and 3 by Gail Carriger and Rem

Title: Soulless (manga) vols 2 and 3

 Author: Gail Carriger, illustrated by Rem

Series:  The Parasol Protectorate manga 2 and 3

Other info: Gail Carriger has written many other things. My review of Changeless, ie volume 2, is here. My review of Blameless, ie volume 3, is here.

Volume 2

Published:  12 November 2012 by Yen Press
Length: 224 pages
Source: gift from friend
Review: Alexia is now Lady Woolsey, and would probably find settling in to this new life a bit easier if a regiment of werewolves  weren’t camped out on her front lawn. After her husband leaves and she deals with the soldiers, she's left with an angry Queen Victoria and a problem with the supernatural that leaves them unable to be...supernatural. Her travels take her to Scotland, she meets the rest of his pack, and will learn more about the world of the unnatural as she goes.

Changeless was never my favourite Parasol Protectorate novel. That's not saying it's bad, it's just not my favourite. This adaptation has made me enjoy it more, probably because it plays up the comedy a little bit more.

The art is once again excellent, the style nicely suiting the steampunk Victorian world. The fighty action scenes are done very well, and I loved the illustrator's view of Lefoux.

Plot is just as good as the novel, and is quite true to it too.

I actually can't think of anything to say in addition to what I said for Changeless-review here.

Overall: Strength 3.5, more a 4, tea to a good addition to Alexia's world.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads |

Volume 3
Published:  19 November 2013 by Yen Press
Length: 208 pages
Source: gift from Kerrie @ Read and Repeat via the UKYABB Secret Santa
Review: Pregnant and now exiled ,Alexia Woolsey is now seeking an explanation for her child, in the hopes that she can prove her husband wrong of the accusations of cheating. Heading for France and Italy, and meeting strange scientists and crazy Templar Knights,  this last adaptation of the Parasol Protecorate novels ties up the series really well.

The whole Where's Akeldama? Plot takes a lot of a backseat in this adaptation, which is understandable considering there’s a lot to squeeze in. however, I think it was overlooked  (only one mention, I think, in the midst of a conversation that quickly moves on) until its climax at the Thames, and I think if I didn't know the novel, i'd wonder what on earth was happening and why this was important.

The art. Yes. Fight scenes very good. Colour inserts- excellent. There's two sections of them, instead of the normal one, which is quite nice. These art cards are sepia toned duos of characters. And one of them plays up Alexia/Lefoux, which I quite liked (I ship those two quite hard). Actually, the whole book played it up a little more than the novels.

As this is the end of the series, I feel I should sum up my thoughts about the whole manga adaptation. I like the fact that each volume is each novel, because it keeps the pace up. However, I think at times, it might have gone a little too fast and a couple of things might not have their importance noted enough for first time readers. The art works wonderfully with this series, the world, and the aesthetics  related to it. I like the fact that Rem used cleverness to get around the awkwardness of the many nude scenes the werewolves get. The attention to detail, and the faithfullness to story makes this one of my favourite adaptations of a book to date.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a fantastic ending to a generally amazing series.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review-Changeless by Gail Carriger

Title: Changeless

 Author: Gail Carriger

Series:   The Parasol Protectorate #2

Published:  1 April 2010 by Orbit

Length: 388 pages

Warnings: 14+

Source: Library

Summary :

Alexia Tarabotti, the Lady Woolsey, 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 to Scotland, the backwater of ugly waistcoats, 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.

Review: Alexia Maccon is in yet another situation that the majority of Victorian ladies aren't. Her husband, wakes up shouting and then he runs off. The supernatural regiment has returned and is camping in her courtyard. Queen Victoria is angry. Werewolves and vampires aren't werewolves and vampires any more. With all of this, Alexia must go to Scotland, along with sister Felicity, hat insane friend Ivy, French maid Angelique, werewolf helper Tunstell, and mad scientist Madame Lefoux. Sounds like fun.

I really enjoyed Soulless so it made sense that I'd read this. It gets off quite quickly with its token wordy humour and parody of the British Empire.

New characters include not very likable Pack Gamma Major Channing and very likable Madame Lefoux. I think I'm slightly in love with her for the fact she's a cross dressing Victorian woman, with a love for messing with technology. Oh, and she customises a parasol and makes it into a weapon against the supernatural, enabling it to disrupt machines, produce stakes for werewolves and vampires, dispence acid and other things. She's one of the best characters in the series, I think. We also get Maccon's old Scottish pack-and a descendant in the form of a woman who's been leading the pack despite not being a werewolf.

There's a lot to be getting on with in terms of plot. The major thread is the fact that supernatural talents aren't working for some strange reason, which might set us up for later on in the series (what I've picked up from Timeless anyway).

We go further into Conall Maccon's past,  meeting his old pack and learning the reason why he left. We get a fair bit of backstory to the maid at the end, after spending the first book and most of this as a minor character.

The writing is very full, with a lot of description for every little thing. Sometimes it slows the action down, but it gives a full view of this world, and if you read carefully (and don't skim it), there's quite a few gems of sarcastic witty lines, both in the dialogue and narration.

The ending is really sudden and not a good end to the novel. While it's a good lead on for Blameless, and it's a fairly major event and revelation that would definitely keep us waiting and wanting more. But it didn't get fully explored.

The alternative technology and explanation for things are developed further in this volume, with a lot of technology being houses in either Akeldama's or Lefoux's places. I love these steampunk devices.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a novel of Scots, scientists, and characters that, by now, you'll be in love with.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website |