Hey, I just read that this weekend! I liked it quite a bit; I thought it was fun, although sometimes the characters dropped abruptly out of the Victorian mannered thing. I'm thinking of a sentence where the hero said "Gee, (something snarky)" and it threw me.

But it was mostly lots of fun.

I figure not getting to enjoy Neil Gaiman's writing is punishment enough for his detractors.

I just shake my head at Neil Gaiman detractors and feel vaguely sorry fir them.

Soulless was, as The Kids say, totes ridic, and I loved it beyond all reason. It was just so frothy and silly! With vampires and werewolves and tea trays and bustled dresses! What can I say, sometimes I'm really easy to please.

I need to read Souless. Vampires and tea trays? The friend who told me that I HAD to read it apparently knows me quite well.

And the parasol!

I covet the parasol SO MUCH.

Every time you guys mention the parasol I go right to a Mary Poppins place. Which isn't a bad thing!

Is anyone else reading the Melissa Marr faerie books? I know (I think) I've asked before, but I'm really loving them. They're a lot more unflinching and less frothy than I expected, and I'm thrilled. The second one, especially, hit some dark places.

Honestly, I don't dislike Gaiman, but I haven't felt the urge to read anything he's done since Coraline. It might just be that I OD'd; there are a couple of writers who I was quite into for a while, but it started to feel like an obligation rather than genuine enjoyment. (I had the same experience with Jonathan Carroll. Maybe it's contemporary fantasy in general that I got tired of.)

You wanted steampunk, you got steampunk (you wanted an end to mashups? You don't got it): Android Karenina.

Guess no one noticed when I posted that last week.