I was quite surprised to read the review and the rating to the book, because I quite enjoyed this series. It definitely made me want to pick up the Amelia Peabody books and see just how similar they were.

After reading the first book in the Amelia series, I can completely understand why you guys were so turned away from Soulless. The similarities are quite startling, and to me now that I have read some of the original, soulless feels like a fanfiction of the Amelia series, instead of it being its own series. However I do quite like fanfiction, so I’ll continue to read the Soulless books ;), but it will forever now slightly bother me the similarities in the two series. I will also continue to read and enjoy Amelia

Thanks for the review and turning me onto a nice new series for me to read

I can most certainly see where Amelia and Alexia intersect and I have to say, I much preferred Amelia to Alexia even though I was introduced to Alexia first!

Thanks again!

@Gail To me, a wide-angle view implies using steampunk as an umbrella term for pure steampunk, steampunk hybrids, and stories with steampunk elements, which is a different matter than actually defining the nature of steampunk.

We *could* define steampunk as anything with steampunk elements no matter how few or numerous, but I think that would lead to misrepresentations of stories, especially if a reader is looking for wall-to-wall steampunk but gets only one or two elements. Publishers can only fit a word or two on a book’s spine, so it’s up to authors and readers to communicate with each other about what that marketing label actually means.

For what it’s worth, after reading NEW BLOOD, I personally define it as alt-historical fantasy romance with steampunk elements. I really dig your mechanical critters, but didn’t feel they were front and center enough to make the book pure steampunk (other readers’ mileages may vary).

However, NEW BLOOD could work very well to introduce readers new to steampunk. They’d get a taste, to test the waters as it were, instead of a wall-to-wall infusion. Pure steampunk has a fierce learning curve, so it’s great to see hybrids available that make the learning curve fun.

To me , in order to a book to be considered full blow Steampunk, the society the story portrays, the story itself needs to be UNABLE to function without those elements.

That’s an excellent short answer. Yeah, I’m with you on that.

Thought it was hysterical and actually got peevish with children who kept demanding mundane things from me (dinner, lunch, laundry…) and would not let me alone to read.

Haven’t read any Amelia Peabody, but liked this so much, may just head out to library.

Can’t wait for the Changeless!

Hope that helps!

Gail – interesting question. It seems that there is a lot of discussion about the very definition of Steampunk. I like Scott Westerfeld’s one – I recently read Leviathan and there is an afterword in which he says that Steampunk is about “Possible futures and alternate pasts” in which steam power is used.

To me , in order to a book to be considered full blow Steampunk, the society the story portrays, the story itself needs to be UNABLE to function without those elements. In Soulless, there are a couple of dirigibles, and some automatons but Alexia’s day to day life is not at all affected by those elements.

I am not of course, an expert.