Gail Carriger Books in Order

This page lists Gail Carriger books in publication order, Parasolverse order, series order, pen-name placement, and recommended reading paths.

Gail Carriger Books in Order

Quick Index

  • Scope: Gail Carriger steampunk, urban fantasy, science fiction, manga adaptations, short fiction, and nonfiction
  • Default Order: Author-recommended Parasolverse order for shared-universe reading
  • Best Starting Point: Soulless for publication order, or Etiquette & Espionage for timeline order
  • Order Matters: Yes for Parasol Protectorate, Finishing School, Custard Protocol, San Andreas Shifters, and Tinkered Starsong
  • Also Writes As: G. L. Carriger, used for San Andreas Shifters and related queer romance science fiction entries
  • Not to be confused with: Gail Carson Levine, Gail Bowen, or Caleb Carr

Reading Paths

1. Publication Order

Tracks the catalog from the original Parasol Protectorate release forward.

  1. Soulless
  2. Changeless
  3. Blameless
  4. Heartless
  5. Timeless
  6. Add Soulless manga volumes
  7. Continue with Finishing School
  8. Add Custard Protocol, Delightfully Deadly, Supernatural Society, and San Andreas Shifters
  9. Finish with Tinkered Stars and later companion editions

2. Author-Recommended Parasolverse Order

Best for shared-world continuity across the steampunk books.

  1. The Curious Case of the Werewolf That Wasn’t
  2. Finishing School
  3. Delightfully Deadly
  4. Meat Cute
  5. Parasol Protectorate
  6. Romancing the Inventor
  7. Prudence
  8. Imprudence
  9. Romancing the Werewolf
  10. Competence
  11. Reticence
  12. Claw & Courtship

Gail Carriger’s official reading-order page places the steampunk path in this sequence and separates San Andreas Shifters and Tinkered Stars into later universe paths.

3. Parasol Protectorate Core Path

A direct route for readers who want the original adult steampunk series first.

  1. Meat Cute
  2. Soulless
  3. Changeless
  4. Blameless
  5. Heartless
  6. Timeless

4. Beginner Path

A compact route across the major catalog areas.

  1. Soulless
  2. Etiquette & Espionage
  3. Prudence
  4. Romancing the Inventor
  5. The Sumage Solution
  6. Divinity 36
  7. The Heroine’s Journey

Publication Order Master List

The master list below follows Gail Carriger’s official All Carriger Books page for catalog scope, Fantastic Fiction for series years, and the G. L. Carriger listing for San Andreas Shifters and The 5th Gender.

2009 to 2011

  • Soulless (2009) – Novel – Parasol Protectorate book 1
  • Changeless (2010) – Novel – Parasol Protectorate book 2
  • Blameless (2010) – Novel – Parasol Protectorate book 3
  • The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance 2 (2010) – Anthology – Contains story by Gail Carriger
  • Marine Biology (2011) – Short fiction – San Andreas Shifters book 0.5, as G. L. Carriger
  • My Sister’s Song (2011) – Short fiction – Standalone
  • Heartless (2011) – Novel – Parasol Protectorate book 4
  • Timeless (2012) – Novel – Parasol Protectorate book 5

2012 to 2013

  • Soulless: The Manga Vol. 1 (2012) – Graphic novel – Parasol Protectorate adaptation, with Rem
  • Soulless: The Manga Vol. 2 (2012) – Graphic novel – Parasol Protectorate adaptation, with Rem
  • Etiquette & Espionage (2013) – Novel – Finishing School book 1
  • Fairy Debt (2013) – Short fiction – Standalone
  • Curtsies & Conspiracies (2013) – Novel – Finishing School book 2
  • Soulless: The Manga Vol. 3 (2013) – Graphic novel – Parasol Protectorate adaptation, with Rem

2014 to 2015

  • The Curious Case of the Werewolf That Wasn’t (2014) – Short fiction – Parasol Protectorate prequel
  • Waistcoats & Weaponry (2014) – Novel – Finishing School book 3
  • Prudence (2015) – Novel – Custard Protocol book 1
  • Crudrat (2015) – Novel – Tinkered Stars
  • A Carriger Quartet (2015) – Collection
  • Manners & Mutiny (2015) – Novel – Finishing School book 4

2016 to 2017

  • Imprudence (2016) – Novel – Custard Protocol book 2
  • Poison or Protect (2016) – Novella – Delightfully Deadly book 1
  • Romancing the Inventor (2016) – Novella – Supernatural Society book 1
  • The Sumage Solution (2017) – Novel – San Andreas Shifters book 1, as G. L. Carriger
  • Romancing the Werewolf (2017) – Novella – Supernatural Society book 2

2018 to 2020

  • Competence (2018) – Novel – Custard Protocol book 3
  • The Omega Objection (2018) – Novel – San Andreas Shifters book 2, as G. L. Carriger
  • How to Marry a Werewolf (2018) – Novella – Claw & Courtship book 1
  • Reticence (2019) – Novel – Custard Protocol book 4
  • The 5th Gender (2019) – Novel – Tinkered Stars Mystery, as G. L. Carriger
  • Meat Cute (2020) – Short fiction – Parasol Protectorate prequel
  • Defy or Defend (2020) – Novella – Delightfully Deadly book 2
  • The Enforcer Enigma (2020) – Novel – San Andreas Shifters book 3, as G. L. Carriger
  • The Heroine’s Journey (2020) – Nonfiction – Writing craft

2021 to 2024

  • Vixen Ecology (2021) – Short fiction – San Andreas Shifters, newsletter exclusive
  • Ambush or Adore (2021) – Novella – Delightfully Deadly book 3
  • Dear Lord Akeldama & Parasolverse Ephemera (2022) – Companion – Parasolverse
  • Divinity 36 (2023) – Novel – Tinkered Starsong book 1
  • Demigod 12 (2023) – Novel – Tinkered Starsong book 2
  • Dome 6 (2023) – Novel – Tinkered Starsong book 3
  • The Dratsie Dilemma (2024) – Novel – San Andreas Shifters book 4, as G. L. Carriger

2026

  • Soulless: The Complete Omnibus (2026) – Graphic novel omnibus – Soulless manga volumes 1 to 3, with Rem

Related Works and Where They Fit

  • Parasol Protectorate: Core adult steampunk series. Read Meat Cute first for prequel order, or Soulless first for publication order.
  • Finishing School: Young adult Parasolverse series set earlier than Parasol Protectorate. Read from Etiquette & Espionage through Manners & Mutiny.
  • Delightfully Deadly: Finishing School spin-off novellas. Read after Finishing School for character background.
  • Supernatural Society: Parasolverse queer romance novellas. Read Romancing the Inventor before Romancing the Werewolf.
  • Custard Protocol: Later-generation Parasolverse series. Read after Parasol Protectorate for best context.
  • Claw & Courtship: Standalone Parasolverse werewolf romance line. How to Marry a Werewolf is the first listed book.
  • San Andreas Shifters: Contemporary queer urban fantasy series written as G. L. Carriger. Read Marine Biology first for prequel order, then The Sumage Solution.
  • Tinkered Stars: Science fiction universe. The official reading-order page says readers can start with Divinity 36, Crudrat, or The 5th Gender because the Tinkered Stars sub-series share setting elements but have few crossover characters.
  • Tinkered Starsong: Three-book science fiction trilogy. Read Divinity 36, Demigod 12, then Dome 6.
  • Soulless manga: Graphic adaptations of Soulless, Changeless, and Blameless. The 2026 omnibus collects all three manga volumes.
  • Nonfiction: The Heroine’s Journey and Going Hybrid belong outside the fiction reading order.

Dependencies & Notes

  • Publication order begins with Soulless.
  • In-world Parasolverse order begins earlier, with The Curious Case of the Werewolf That Wasn’t and Finishing School.
  • The author notes that fan-preferred order can differ from author-recommended chronology. A publication-first route begins with Parasol Protectorate, then moves to Finishing School, Delightfully Deadly, Custard Protocol, Supernatural Society, Claw & Courtship, San Andreas Shifters, and Tinkered Stars.
  • Read Parasol Protectorate in order because each novel builds on the previous one.
  • Read Finishing School in order because it follows one main school sequence.
  • Read Custard Protocol after Parasol Protectorate for best family and world context.
  • Read San Andreas Shifters separately from Parasolverse. It uses the G. L. Carriger byline.
  • Read Tinkered Stars separately from the steampunk and urban fantasy books.
  • Soulless: The Complete Omnibus is a collected manga edition, not a new prose novel.
  • The author’s homepage identifies The Dratsie Dilemma as the latest San Andreas Shifters release and Dear Lord Akeldama & Parasolverse Ephemera as the latest Parasolverse companion release.

FAQs

What Gail Carriger book should I read first?
Soulless is the clearest starting point for publication order. Etiquette & Espionage is a better first book for in-world Parasolverse chronology.

What is the Parasol Protectorate order?
Read Meat Cute, Soulless, Changeless, Blameless, Heartless, then Timeless.

Should I read Finishing School before Soulless?
For chronology-first reading, yes. For publication order, read Soulless first.

Where does Custard Protocol fit?
Custard Protocol is set later in the Parasolverse and works best after Parasol Protectorate.

What books are written as G. L. Carriger?
San Andreas Shifters and The 5th Gender are listed under the G. L. Carriger byline in checked bibliography sources.

Where should I start with Tinkered Stars?
Start with Divinity 36 for Tinkered Starsong, Crudrat for the earlier science fiction novel, or The 5th Gender for the mystery path.

Is Soulless: The Complete Omnibus a new novel?
No. It is a 2026 graphic novel omnibus collecting the three Soulless manga volumes.

Change Log

  • Last checked: June 15, 2026
  • What changed: Rebuilt as a full single-article draft with Parasolverse reading order, publication order, G. L. Carriger placement, San Andreas Shifters, Tinkered Stars, manga adaptations, companion works, and nonfiction
  • Most recent known release included: Soulless: The Complete Omnibus
  • Most recent original fiction included: The Dratsie Dilemma
  • Needs verification before final publication: Whether Vixen Ecology should be listed in the public master list, because it is identified as a newsletter exclusive