51.
Author(s): Gail Carriger
Title: Heartless
Publication: Paperback
Pages: 374 pages
Genre: Steampunk
Acquisition: preordered
Date Completed: June 28, 2011
Rating: ****

The latest Alexia Tarabotti novel - Heartless - has arrived, in which the indefatigable preternatural finds herself balancing supernatural politics and very natural familial growth. In her brusque and logical way Alexia attempts to avoid the continuing assassination plots, moves house, and solve a number of mysteries, both personal and political. Strapped by her "infant inconvenience," Lady Maccon is not quite as maneuverable as in previous novels, but she is no less industrious, and her adventure is no less entertaining.

I do, however, have a few personal complaints about the most recent edition. First, the cover is perfectly awful; while I have enjoyed the previous juxtaposition of a glamorous steampunk model photoshopped on a slightly awkward black and white photograph, the current model, in her very drab attire and with a disturbingly large forehead, simply does not live up to the image previously established.

Secondly, at nine months pregnant with my third child, I found Carriger's descriptions of impending maternity rather skewed. Granted, no two pregnancies are really alike, and I apparently experience uncommonly comfortable pregnancies, but I found myself a little surprised that someone as determined and active as Alexia would find herself so ... overburdened.

However, these are personal quibbles that will not likely influence a general reading, and I think that fans of the series will enjoy experiencing further developments.