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The Unapologetic Joy of Gail Carriger

There are very few authors that I dip into pretty much every year, and even fewer who publish enough to allow me to do so. Terry Pratchett was one, and Alexander McCall Smith's genteel No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books are like a yearly visit to old friends. 

Gail Carriger's extensive Parasol Protectorate universe is the other. 

For those of you who recognise the books, I can sense the surprise. Vampire/Werewolf Steampunk novels are the very essence of that Devil Wears Prada 'groundbreaking' meme. I probably wouldn't have picked up the first (Soulless) had I not been seeking salvation in a second-hand bookshop while on a very tedious day trip. 

The cover has a woman in Victorian garb, ripped straight from a DeviantArt Steampunk page, and a title in hot pink. Luckily I was being dragged round charity shops, at the seaside, in March and therefore up for literally anything that sounded more fun than that rainy experience. 

So here is my guide to the series, and why I think you should be reading it...  

How many books are there in the series and where should I start?

The Parasol Protectorate is the 'main' part of the series (also known as the Soulless series). The five books - Soulless, Changeless, Blameless, Heartless, and Timeless - cover the marriage of untraditional and soul-free Alexia Tarabotti to Lord Maccon, Alpha of the London Werewolf pack. It's a steamy steampunk comic romance that establishes the universes 'rules' about werewolves and vampires, which are surprisingly complex and strict. 

There is the Finishing School series, which is a ladies school of espionage on board an airship, plus a spin-off series featuring the Finishing School characters as adults (Delightfully Deadly). There are also another five sequel books to the main Parasol Protectorate series - The Custard Protocol - covering the adventures of Alexia's daughter.


If that wasn't enough, there are more traditional romance novels (two queer and one straight) that feature various characters from the main series finding true love. There is also a Manga version.

It makes sense to start with Soulless or the Finishing School's Etiquette & Espionage.

How diverse is the series?

The first five books aren't particularly diverse. The characters are mainly white and the romance is mainly straight (though there are several significant queer characters). For me, the first queer romance of the books (between sensible pack Beta Professor Lyall and camp wannabe-vampire-accidentally-turned-into-an-Alpha-werewolf Biffy) was the moment the series found its feet. Later books are more diverse race-wise and there are several queer romance stories (two getting their own novels, including one about Lyall and Biffy).

Isn't it all a bit silly? Society werewolves? Steamship lady assassins? Custard?

Well yes, but sometimes silly is good, especially when it's knowingly silly. Forget Netflix's tortured attempts to do flashy, self-aware Austen - they should adapt this and have Alexia winking at the camera while her BFF chooses another terrible hat and a Britney soundtrack plays. How can you not enjoy characters that sound like a quiz show host has asked a drunken American to name Wodehouse characters? Lord Dingleproops! Ivy Hisselpenny! Felicity Loontwill!

This is an author that adores the universe she has built and enjoys playing around in it. Not all books will be for everyone, but every book is comic, adventurous, and perfectly able to laugh at itself. The books know that the characters have silly names, over-the-top lives, and that everyone is obsessed with hats. The heroines are always straight-talking, pudding-loving, no-nonsense types who don't-play-by-society's-rules... who cares if anyone thinks they are a Mary Sue? We're here for a good time, not a serious time.

Underneath the comedy, there are some extremely interesting takes on vampires and werewolves, each being shown to have as many disadvantages as advantages. Vampires are very much tied to a place, with their queens not being able to leave 'the hive' at all. Werewolves are tied to their Alpha, living together as a pack, with complex hierarchies and the inevitability of an Alpha growing mad and needing to be overthrown. Only a small percentage of people can be turned into a supernatural being, meaning that anyone who does so is playing a deadly game of chance. Even when main character Alexia has a child (a seeming impossibility) there is only strife and difficult choices involved, with no easily solved fairy-tale ending.

So if you're looking for a comforting, familiar read, put your airship goggles on and delve in...
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