Гейл Кэрригер — новинки

В свои двадцать с небольшим Алексия считается старой девой, а все потому, что дело происходит в чуть модифицированной Викторианской Англии с ее моралью и правилами. Но Алексия - ужас-ужас! - любит читать, интересуется техническими новинками и изысканиями ученых, способна разговаривать не только о фасоне шляпок (это она делает безупречно) и всегда готова постоять за себя. И еще она одним прикосновением может превратить любое сверхъестественное создание в обычного смертного человека. У нее просто нет души (чтобы понять, о чем идет речь, нужно заглянуть в первую главу первого тома), зато есть ум и эмоции, которые она в силу воспитания совершенно неспособна расшифровать.

1. "Бездушная". Однажды в разгар званого вечера Алексия чуть не стала жертвой голодного вампира, грубо нарушившего все нормы этикета. Девушке пришлось пустить в ход свое любимое оружие - зонтик с серебряным наконечником, и происшествие закончилось трагически. По долгу службы за расследование кончины невоспитанного кровососа берется вожак стаи лондонских оборотней лорд Маккон. Он могуч, свиреп и великолепен. И симпатизирует Алексии, хотя та об этом не подозревает...

2. "Неизменная". Однажды Алексия просыпается в полдень от гневных криков мужа, который, как подобает нормальному оборотню, должен в это время мирно спать... А затем он исчезает, оставив жену разбираться с целым полком сверхъестественных солдат. И это только первое звено в цепи тревожных событий, которые потребуют незамедлительного вмешательства единственной запредельной на службе ее величества королевы Виктории. Алексия Маккон, вооруженная своими уникальными способностями, здравым смыслом и зонтиком новейшей конструкции, принимает вызов. И лишь одна - но немаленькая - проблема омрачит ее триумф.

3. "Безвинная". Ужасно, когда тебе никто не верит - ни горячо любимый муж-оборотень (в чем "бездушная" Алексия Таработти ни за что ему не признается), ни его верная стая, ни светское общество, ни собственная семья. Но даже те, кто не сомневается в невиновности Алексии - лондонские вампиры, - всеми силами стараются извести изгнанную мужем молодую женщину. И чтобы сохранить жизнь и здоровье "маленького неудобства" и не повредиться в рассудке, Алексии приходится бежать на родину своего удивительного запредельного отца - в Италию. Но и там ее поджидают - вовсе не с распростертыми объятиями - зловещие тамплиеры!

Леди Алексия Маккон совсем скоро станет матерью. Вампиры, наконец, оставили попытки убить ее, но хрупкий мир достигнут ценой колоссальных жертв. Казалось бы, теперь, смирясь с потерями, можно обрести долгожданный покой. Но не тут-то было! Во-первых, леди Маккон вынуждена постоянно утихомиривать неуравновешенного щенка-оборотня, во-вторых, в ее доме поселилась сестра-суфражистка, в-третьих, ее начинают одолевать призраки — они твердят о готовящемся покушении на королеву. И когда, начав расследование, Алексия обнаруживает, что след ведёт в прошлое ее мужа, появляется «в-четвертых»: чудовищное изобретение мадам Лефу. Стоит ли удивляться, что леди Маккон рожает дитя практически между делом?..

Высшее лондонское общество обвиняет Алексию в неверности лишь потому, что она — о ужас! — вынашивает ребенка от собственного супруга, графа Маккона, великолепного альфа-самца стаи волков-оборотней. Но ведь оборотни — существа мертвые и не могут иметь детей! Впрочем, есть и те, кто не сомневается в ее верности мужу — например, вампиры. Правда, они не собираются помогать Алексии, а, напротив, пытаются ее как можно скорее убить. И бедняжке приходится спасаться бегством, чтобы искать защиты и объяснений у тех, кто тоже мечтает о ее смерти — тамплиеров…

A Parasol Protectorate Prequel Short

From the comedic mind of New York Times bestseller Gail Carriger comes the much requested prequel short story to Soulless.

Alexia Tarabotti attends what appears to be a very dull London party, until the new werewolf Alpha turns up, is unconscionably rude to her, and sits on a hedgehog.

Don’t miss this charming novelette featuring the very first encounter between the Parasolverse’s most popular power couple, preternatural Alexia and supernatural Lord Conall Maccon.

Look out for cheeky appearances from other much beloved characters, not to mention the strategic application of a certain wicker chicken.

A Note On Chronology

Set in the spring of 1872 this story occurs just prior to events chronicled in The Parasol Protectorate series (featuring Alexia and Conall) and after those in Defy or Defend. Alexia also appears briefly in Romancing the Inventor, and Conall and England’s most scandalous wolf pack is referenced in The Finishing School series. Want more hot gruff werewolf gentlemen and practical tough ladies? Try How to Marry a Werewolf.

This is a quick read at 9000 words (about 15 printed pages) available in print only as part of Fan Service (collected Supernatural Society omnibus). It is best read if you are already familiar with Gail Carriger’s gaslight universe and comedy of manners style, as it was written specifically with her fans in mind.

Мисс Алексия Таработти не похожа на идеальную красавицу Викторианской эпохи: она умна, смугла и горбоноса - в отца-итальянца, и потому в свои двадцать пять пока не вышла замуж. А еще у мисс Таработти нет души, что делает ее уникальной... Однажды в разгар званого вечера Алексия чуть не стала жертвой голодного вампира, грубо нарушившего все нормы этикета. Девушке пришлось пустить в ход свое любимое оружие - зонтик с серебряным наконечником, и происшествие закончилось трагически. По долгу службы за расследование кончины невоспитанного кровососа берется вожак стаи лондонских оборотней лорд Маккон. Он могуч, свиреп и великолепен. И…

Однажды Алексия, молодая супруга графа Маккона, просыпается в полдень от гневных криков мужа, который, как подобает нормальному оборотню, должен в это время мирно спать... А затем он исчезает, оставив жену разбираться с целым полком сверхъестественных солдат. И это только первое звено в цепи тревожных событий, которые потребуют незамедлительного вмешательства единственной запредельной на службе ее величества королевы Виктории. Алексия Маккон, вооруженная своими уникальными способностями, здравым смыслом и зонтиком новейшей конструкции, принимает вызов. И лишь одна - но немаленькая - проблема омрачит ее триумф.

WEREWOLVES

The monsters left Faith ruined in the eyes of society, so now they’re her only option. Rejected by her family, Faith crosses the Atlantic, looking for a marriage of convenience and revenge.

But things are done differently in London. Werewolves are civilized. At least they pretend to be.

AMERICANS

Backward heathens with no culture, Major Channing has never had time for any of them. But there’s something special about Faith. Channing finds himself fighting to prove himself and defend his species. But this werewolf has good reason not to trust human women.

Even if they learn to love, can either of them forgive?

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Parasol Protectorate series comes a stand alone romance set in the same universe. Look out for appearances from favorite characters and the serious consequences of unwarranted geology.

Werewolf in trouble...

Biffy, newly minted Alpha of the London Pack, is not having a good Christmas. His Beta abandoned him, his werewolves object to his curtain choices, and someone keeps leaving babies on his doorstep.

Professor Randolph Lyall returns home to London after twenty years abroad, afraid of what he might find. With his pack in chaos and his Alpha in crisis, it will take all his Beta efficiency to set everything to rights. Perhaps, in the process, he may even determine how to mend his own heart.

New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger presents a charming love story set in her popular steampunk Parasolverse. Featuring the long-awaited reunion between everyone’s favorite quietly capable Beta and the werewolf Alpha dandy who let him slip away.

This sweet romance is full of unexpected babysitting, holiday decorations, and no small amount of pining. Look for surprise appearances from popular side characters and the occasional strategic application of italics.

The Supernatural Society novellas stand alone and may be read in any order. But if you’re a stickler, this story chronologically follows Imprudence, and ties specifically to events in Timeless.

Delicate Sensibilities?

Contains men who love other men and have waited decades to do so.

Imogene Hale is a lowly parlourmaid with a soul-crushing secret. Seeking solace, she takes work at a local hive, only to fall desperately in love with the amazing lady inventor the vampires are keeping in the potting shed. Genevieve Lefoux is heartsick, lonely, and French. With culture, class, and the lady herself set against the match, can Imogene and her duster overcome all odds and win Genevieve's heart, or will the vampires suck both of them dry?

This is a stand-alone LBGTQ sweet romance set in Gail Carriger's Parasolverse, full of class prejudice, elusive equations, and paranormal creatures taking tea.

Delicate Sensibilities? This story contains women pleasing women and ladies who know what they want and pursue it, sometimes in exquisite detail.

Supernatural Society novellas can be read in any order.

Can one gentle Highland soldier woo Victorian London’s most scandalous lady assassin, or will they both be destroyed in the attempt?

New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger presents a stand-alone romance novella set in her popular steampunk universe full of manners, spies, and dainty sandwiches.

Lady Preshea Villentia, the Mourning Star, has four dead husbands and a nasty reputation. Fortunately, she looks fabulous in black. What society doesn’t know is that all her husbands were marked for death by Preshea’s employer. And Preshea has one final assignment.

It was supposed to be easy, a house party with minimal bloodshed. Preshea hadn’t anticipated Captain Gavin Ruthven – massive, Scottish, quietly irresistible, and… working for the enemy. In a battle of wits, Preshea may risk her own heart – a terrifying prospect, as she never knew she had one.

From New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger comes the delightful sequel to Prudence.

Rue and the crew of the Spotted Custard return from India with revelations that shake the foundations of England's scientific community. Queen Victoria is not amused, the vampires are tetchy, and something is wrong with the local werewolf pack. To top it all off, Rue's best friend Primrose keeps getting engaged to the most unacceptable military types.

Rue has family problems as well. Her vampire father is angry, her werewolf father is crazy, and her obstreperous mother is both. Worst of all, Rue's beginning to suspect what they really are... is frightened.

The fourth and final book in a steampunk YA adventure series, from Orbit's New York Times bestselling author of the Parasol Protectorate series.
When a dastardly Pickleman plot comes to fruition, only Sophronia can save her friends, her school, and all of London...but at what cost? Our proper young heroine puts her training and skills to the test in this highly anticipated conclusion of the rousing, intriguing, and always polished New York Times bestselling Finishing School series!

Introducing the Custard Protocol series, in which Alexia Maccon's daughter Prudence travels to India on behalf of Queen, country...and the perfect pot of tea.


When Prudence Alessandra Maccon Akeldama ("Rue" to her friends) is bequeathed an unexpected dirigible, she does what any sensible female under similar circumstances would do -- she christens it the Spotted Custard and floats off to India.

Soon, she stumbles upon a plot involving local dissidents, a kidnapped brigadier's wife, and some awfully familiar Scottish werewolves. Faced with a dire crisis (and an embarrassing lack of bloomers), Rue must rely on her good breeding -- and her metanatural abilities -- to get to the bottom of it all...

A short tale of mummies, werewolves, and well preserved felines set in the world of the Parasol Protectorate.

Alessandro Tarabotti and his valet, Floote, are on a mission in Egypt when they encounter visiting tourists and things go all pie shaped. What is his real mission and will his Aunt Archangelica approve of his treatment of her cat?

In this short story, New York Times Bestselling Author Gail Carriger uses her comedic voice to delve into the history of one of her most beloved characters. If you have ever wondered about Alexia's father, this will give you a glimpse into his adventures and character.

This story was first published in The Book of the Dead, a Jurassic London anthology.

Class is back in session....

Sophronia continues her second year at finishing school in style--with a steel-bladed fan secreted in the folds of her ball gown, of course. Such a fashionable choice of weapon comes in handy when Sophronia, her best friend Dimity, sweet sootie Soap, and the charming Lord Felix Mersey hijack a suspiciously empty train to return their chum Sidheag to her werewolf pack in Scotland. But when Sophronia discovers they are being trailed by a dirigible of Picklemen and flywaymen, she unearths a plot that threatens to throw all of London into chaos. With her friends in mortal danger, Sophronia must sacrifice what she holds most dear--her freedom.

Gather your poison, your steel-tipped quill, and the rest of your school supplies and join Mademoiselle Geraldine's proper young killing machines in the third rousing installment in the New York Times bestselling Finishing School series by steampunk author Gail Carriger.

Does one need four fully grown foxgloves for decorating a dinner table for six guests? Or is it six foxgloves to kill four fully grown guests?
Sophronia's first year at Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality has certainly been rousing! For one thing, finishing school is training her to be a spy (won't Mumsy be surprised?). Furthermore, Sophronia got mixed up in an intrigue over a stolen device and had a cheese pie thrown at her in a most horrid display of poor manners.
Now, as she sneaks around the dirigible school, eavesdropping on the teachers' quarters and making clandestine climbs to the ship's boiler room, she learns that there may be more to a field trip to London than is apparent at first. A conspiracy is afoot--one with dire implications for both supernaturals and humans. Sophronia must rely on her training to discover who is behind the dangerous plot-and survive the London Season with a full dance card.
In this bestselling sequel to New York Times bestselling Etiquette & Espionage, class is back in session with more petticoats and poison, tea trays and treason. Gail's distinctive voice, signature humor, and lush steampunk setting are sure to be the height of fashion this season.

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners, and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.
But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's young ladies learn to finish... everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion and espionage - in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.

It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School.

Sophronia Temminnick at 14 is a great trial more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners -- and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Her poor mother, desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady, enrolls the lively tomboy in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage -- in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.

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? Or 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?

Miss Alexia Tarabotti doit composer avec quelques contraintes sociales. Primo, elle n’a pas d’âme. Deuxio, elle est toujours célibataire. Tertio, elle vient de se faire grossièrement attaquer par un vampire qui ne lui avait même pas été présenté ! Que faire ? Rien de bien, apparemment, car Alexia tue accidentellement le vampire. Lord Maccon – beau et compliqué, écossais et loup-garou – est envoyé par la reine Victoria pour démêler l’affaire. Des vampires indésirables s’en mêlent, d’autres disparaissent, et tout le monde pense qu’Alexia est responsable. Mais que se trame-t-il réellement dans la bonne société londonienne?