Mark Gatiss' cult creation, Lucifer Box, as you've never seen him before--in a new graphic-novel edition of his first adventure On it's first publ...
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Dec 19, 2007
Joseph
rated it: 
"I made my way softly down the steps to the door. It bore no knocker, nor number of any kind. I had raised my hand when it groaned open, seemingly of its own accord. Shudder not, reader, this is not a spook story! Whatever agency lay behind that door was most assuredly human.
Actually I must immediately qualify that remark, as what lay behind the door appeared to be a monkey."
Lucifer Box, "the feted artist, the dashing dandy ... but by night -- phi More...
Actually I must immediately qualify that remark, as what lay behind the door appeared to be a monkey."
Lucifer Box, "the feted artist, the dashing dandy ... but by night -- phi More...
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Jun 14, 2010
"We only get so many days."
"What a mantra", Tony thought. It was vague enough to apply to so many things. Its frame for time appearing, at first, grim for the thought of death. Yet optimism could break through; through brevity, through apathy. If we only get so many days, why not make each one great? Just as easily, if we only get so many days, why bother doing anything at all?
And just like that, Tony had one less.
From that day forward Tony More...
"What a mantra", Tony thought. It was vague enough to apply to so many things. Its frame for time appearing, at first, grim for the thought of death. Yet optimism could break through; through brevity, through apathy. If we only get so many days, why not make each one great? Just as easily, if we only get so many days, why bother doing anything at all?
And just like that, Tony had one less.
From that day forward Tony More...
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Jul 27, 2007
Kate
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Book Review: Mark Gatiss - The Vesuvius Club (Simon & Schuster, London, 2005)
If you live in the UK then the chances are that you're familiar with, or have at least heard of, the work of Mark Gatiss. He is an accomplished writer and actor for the stage and television and a look at his IMDB page will porbably make you say 'oh yeah, I remember that!' In the last couple of years he has written for and appeared in the new incarnation of Doctor Who, as well as last years romcom Starter f More...
If you live in the UK then the chances are that you're familiar with, or have at least heard of, the work of Mark Gatiss. He is an accomplished writer and actor for the stage and television and a look at his IMDB page will porbably make you say 'oh yeah, I remember that!' In the last couple of years he has written for and appeared in the new incarnation of Doctor Who, as well as last years romcom Starter f More...
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Jun 05, 2007
Siria
rated it:
The author himself states that The Vesuvius Club is nothing more than a bit of fluff, and in many ways he's right. The characterisation could never be referred to as three-dimensional, the events are cartoonish, and the pacing is off-kilter. That said, I still enjoyed this immensely. It's as if you were to take Oscar Wilde, Ian Fleming, the better elements of the Austin Power movies, and The League of Gentlemen, combine them all together in an Edwardian London setting, with a plot so absurd you
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Dec 22, 2011
mzd
rated it: 
The first two times I tried to read this, I just wasn't able to get into it. Ninety pages in and I was still utterly grumpy every time Lucifer Box made a supposed funny. The language is playful enough and the character decadant enough to assert this is a bit of a Wildean affair, but I found the book annoying from page one. The main character is amazingly dislikeable. It's very hard to read a book in first person and find it funny when you hate that narrator. I really wanted to like this because
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Jan 13, 2012
Fiona
rated it: 
Why have I not read this before? I've no idea, but consider me duly admonished. Because it's magnificent. I took two days off the rest of the world, stocked up on Jaffa cakes, and didn't put the thing down.
The plot and the execution are gorgeous, a little bit ostentatious and entirely frivolous, so I think I might save the second one for an end of term train ride home - it strikes me as exactly the sort of thing I might need at the end of a term reading law textbooks. The charact More...
The plot and the execution are gorgeous, a little bit ostentatious and entirely frivolous, so I think I might save the second one for an end of term train ride home - it strikes me as exactly the sort of thing I might need at the end of a term reading law textbooks. The charact More...
Jul 17, 2011
Efseine
rated it:
This is indeed a bit of fluff, but a well-written, funny, and entertaining one. Overall I enjoyed it, but I did have a few quibbles.
The solution to the overarching mystery is deeply silly, which came as quite the disappointment. I think Gatiss lost his grip on the plot near the end, devolving into depicting cackling villains who engage in the hoary old trope of explaining all to the captured but not yet dead hero, as well as all-consuming love affairs and dastardly revenge. Yes, thos More...
The solution to the overarching mystery is deeply silly, which came as quite the disappointment. I think Gatiss lost his grip on the plot near the end, devolving into depicting cackling villains who engage in the hoary old trope of explaining all to the captured but not yet dead hero, as well as all-consuming love affairs and dastardly revenge. Yes, thos More...
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Feb 18, 2011
Anthony
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Vesuvius Club presents us with a much younger Box than The Devil in Amber did; Lucifer here is not at the very beginning of his career (he already has quite a reputation, it seems, for both spy-work and bed-work) but he is still young and if possible even more egotistical. Of course here he almost deserves to be egotistical -- he's at the top of his game.
His game this time involves the murder of a fellow spy / diplomat in Naples and the mysterious but seemingly natural deaths of two s More...
His game this time involves the murder of a fellow spy / diplomat in Naples and the mysterious but seemingly natural deaths of two s More...
Dec 14, 2009
kingshearte
rated it:
Lucifer Box is the darling of the Edwardian belle monde: portrait painter, wit, dandy and rake - the guests all hostesses must have. And most do.
But few of his connections or conquests know that Lucifer Box is also His Majesty's most daring secret agent, at home in both London's imperial grandeur and the underworld of crazed vice that seethes beneath.
And so of course when Britain's most prominent scientists begin turning up dead, there is only one man his country can turn More...
But few of his connections or conquests know that Lucifer Box is also His Majesty's most daring secret agent, at home in both London's imperial grandeur and the underworld of crazed vice that seethes beneath.
And so of course when Britain's most prominent scientists begin turning up dead, there is only one man his country can turn More...
Dec 30, 2011
Gerry
rated it:
Mark Gatiss's Lucifer Box is an intriguing character. Artist, spy, bounder, cold-blooded killer, spoiler of women (and men) and total sociopath, he's quite the complex creation. Think a late 19th century James Bond with an artistic bent and a penchant for buggery!
The Vesuvius Club sees Box embroiled in a mystery surrounding the death and disappearance of a number of noted geologists. Investigations soon lead him to Naples and the discovery of the eponymous club which, at first sigh More...
The Vesuvius Club sees Box embroiled in a mystery surrounding the death and disappearance of a number of noted geologists. Investigations soon lead him to Naples and the discovery of the eponymous club which, at first sigh More...
Dec 01, 2008
Erika
rated it:
I sort of won a free edition of this book through a Simon & Schuster UK LiveJournal giveaway. I’m so grateful for my wicked good luck, I’m writing a review! If it encourages anyone to pick up this novel (which you should do), I hope you enjoy it as much as I did (and I’m sure you will).
Lucifer Box is a socialite and a portraitist with dashing good looks, but he’s also one of Britain’s most witty secret agents working for His Majesty’s Government. The Vesuvius Club is a first-perso More...
Lucifer Box is a socialite and a portraitist with dashing good looks, but he’s also one of Britain’s most witty secret agents working for His Majesty’s Government. The Vesuvius Club is a first-perso More...
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Dec 01, 2008
GillyP
rated it:
This is a very funny book. Laugh out loud Funny as a matter of fact, and I did, on average, about thirteen times an hour.
There’s a distinct, 60’s feel to it all; something to do with the cleverly-copied Aubrey Beardsley, Yellow Book look of the thing and the outrageousness of the rather-hard-to-follow plot. If this book were a film it would look like The Wrong Box or Casino Royale (the Peter Sellers movie, not the latest, hard-core version, obviously) and Peter Cook would be playing More...
There’s a distinct, 60’s feel to it all; something to do with the cleverly-copied Aubrey Beardsley, Yellow Book look of the thing and the outrageousness of the rather-hard-to-follow plot. If this book were a film it would look like The Wrong Box or Casino Royale (the Peter Sellers movie, not the latest, hard-core version, obviously) and Peter Cook would be playing More...
Nov 24, 2010
Rebecca
rated it:
This is... an interesting read. You can feel Gatiss's sense of humour coming through every word, which is delightful, but also very tongue in cheek.
A lot of people liken it to an Oscar Wilde take on a spy novel, and they're not wrong. Lucifer Box is a dandy and a gentleman, but the gentleman part is optional it seems. He knows his way around high society but can navigate the underworld with ease - all in a day's work for an agent of His Majesty's Government.
Several stran More...
A lot of people liken it to an Oscar Wilde take on a spy novel, and they're not wrong. Lucifer Box is a dandy and a gentleman, but the gentleman part is optional it seems. He knows his way around high society but can navigate the underworld with ease - all in a day's work for an agent of His Majesty's Government.
Several stran More...
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Jun 06, 2011
Anna
rated it:
Gatiss also writes the British TV series 'The League of Gentlemen' and has written episodes for Doctor Who.
Lucifer Box is His Majesty's most daring secret agent, using painter as his cover job.
Following a dinnertime assassination in London, Lucifer is dispatched to find the missing agent Jocelyn Poop. On the way he's giving art lessons, nearly gets attacked by a poisonous centipede, meets a lot of interesting (and with interesting names) characters, and has to go to Naples for More...
Lucifer Box is His Majesty's most daring secret agent, using painter as his cover job.
Following a dinnertime assassination in London, Lucifer is dispatched to find the missing agent Jocelyn Poop. On the way he's giving art lessons, nearly gets attacked by a poisonous centipede, meets a lot of interesting (and with interesting names) characters, and has to go to Naples for More...
Nov 28, 2009
pinknantucket
rated it:
Well, I really quite enjoyed that. Mind you, I passed this book onto a friend straight after I’d finished, and she didn’t go for it at all – not gritty enough, apparently. So be warned.
This book is written by one of the people behind “The League of Gentlemen”, which was that simultaneously macabre, wicked, camp and occasionally disturbing show that was on the ABC a few years ago. So that should give you a bit of an idea about the style of this novel, although disappointingly there wa More...
This book is written by one of the people behind “The League of Gentlemen”, which was that simultaneously macabre, wicked, camp and occasionally disturbing show that was on the ABC a few years ago. So that should give you a bit of an idea about the style of this novel, although disappointingly there wa More...
May 13, 2009
Jesse
rated it:
After Blood Meridian, a novel that, if I may use this tired device one more time, makes The Proposition look like Lonesome Dove I needed something light, and Gatiss’ first Lucifer Box novel fit the bill perfectly. I don’t want to give anything away but it is a delightful send-up of period pulp spy/adventurer novels, with--that rarest of things--a literally steampunk climax and some flourishes reminiscent of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A brief, fast, and fun way to end the year that somewhat restored
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Nov 03, 2009
Suna
rated it:
This is fun.
I've always liked Mark Gatiss, so it's very nice to see him branch out from League of Gentlemen and into fiction.
Lucifer Box is a Wildean debonair, fop and spy for the British Crown.
Cue whodunnit, flashy characters, luxurious promiscuity and crisp linen suits.
None of this is, though very well written, decently paced and witty, high flying literature per se.
Original? Not really.
Entertaining? Hell, yes!
You can tell Gati More...
I've always liked Mark Gatiss, so it's very nice to see him branch out from League of Gentlemen and into fiction.
Lucifer Box is a Wildean debonair, fop and spy for the British Crown.
Cue whodunnit, flashy characters, luxurious promiscuity and crisp linen suits.
None of this is, though very well written, decently paced and witty, high flying literature per se.
Original? Not really.
Entertaining? Hell, yes!
You can tell Gati More...
Feb 02, 2012
Elin
rated it:
This book kept getting better, even before I started reading it. To begin with, I was thrilled to see that Mark Gatiss had written a book. Then I discovered he had written three books. After that I went to goodreads to see what the book was about, and I was ever so happy.
"Meet Lucifer Box: Equal parts James Bond and Sherlock Holmes, with a twist of Monty Python and a dash of Austin Powers, Lucifer has a charming countenance and rapier wit that make him the guest all hostesses must havMore...
May 11, 2009
Shane
rated it:
Another book that Seth pointed me towards but I'm not sure if he read the graphic novel or the regular novel. I've got the regular novel.
I liked this a lot. It was a less surreal, more comprehensible, more fun Jerry Cornelius The Final Programme with the funk replaced by victorian sensiblity. It was extremely 'readable' and I finished it fairly quickly (partially because I've been down sick).
I really liked the zombies and the writing. I don't read a lot of stuff like th More...
I liked this a lot. It was a less surreal, more comprehensible, more fun Jerry Cornelius The Final Programme with the funk replaced by victorian sensiblity. It was extremely 'readable' and I finished it fairly quickly (partially because I've been down sick).
I really liked the zombies and the writing. I don't read a lot of stuff like th More...
Jul 30, 2011
FebruaryStars
rated it:
Lucifer Box is the kind of character that most people will either instantly love or hate. The book follows his adventures as a turn of the century, dandy gentleman painter/secret agent. It is self proclaimed as "a bit of fluff" and that is exactly what it is. It is a fun read that is full of the type of tongue in cheek crudeness and humour I have come to expect from Mark Gatiss and I can't be the only person childish enough to snigger at character names like Jocelyn Poop! The story and
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Jul 08, 2011
oriana
rated it:
totally random bookswap score. I really love cracking a book that I know absolutely nothing about!
***
So fun! So British! So snarky! I guess this is kind of like James Bondish? It's about one of those dapper young playboys who leads a decadent artist's life by day and like works for the CIA by night. It's all old-timey and very, very British. Kind of like Johannes Cabal the Necromancer, except less noir and more caper. It's fluffy and fun, nothing too substantial. I should hav More...
***
So fun! So British! So snarky! I guess this is kind of like James Bondish? It's about one of those dapper young playboys who leads a decadent artist's life by day and like works for the CIA by night. It's all old-timey and very, very British. Kind of like Johannes Cabal the Necromancer, except less noir and more caper. It's fluffy and fun, nothing too substantial. I should hav More...
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Jan 02, 2012
Haley
rated it:
A fun, frolicking and sexy little read from acclaimed TV writer Mark Gatiss (one of my favorite people in the media today). Lucifer Box's easy charm makes him a delightful protagonist; Gatiss draws us effortlessly into his intrigues, from a secret service office disguised as a bathroom within the bowels of London to a wildly salacious club in Italy.
That said, I'm only giving this 3 stars out of the 4 the quality of writing deserves because of a plot device that hinges on the rather he More...
That said, I'm only giving this 3 stars out of the 4 the quality of writing deserves because of a plot device that hinges on the rather he More...
Mar 01, 2010
Zojar
rated it:
Ahh, Lucifer Box, what a man, what a painter, what a dandy of his day, what a spy, what an assassin!? Yes, Mark Gatiss weaves a fantasticly dark whitted tale of a man like few others, or as Lucifer Box might think 'NO OTHER'! I loved this book, a sort of James Bond but with, almost, fewer morals. I did laugh a little, which I liked. The tale was woven in a way that 'visualising' the scene was easy, well for me it was. There were some good twists and turns in the book, just when you think you
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Jul 05, 2009
Maria
rated it:
This app says the quality of this book is OK. I would say that sums it up. Though the style this book is written in is great fun for any enthusiast of turn of the century Britain amonsgt frequenters of the local gentleman's club the style is far more important,it seems, than the content. About halfway the character of the book changes quite completely with no apparent explanation or justification and there are large holes in continuity. Read for the style which can be witty and delightful but ul
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Aug 25, 2011
Lori
rated it:
What to say? Lucifer Box is full of himself. Really full of himself.
The story is a bit of a romp, featuring zombies controlled by purple morphine, a chase through the streets of London and into a graveyard, a trip to Naples and down into the bowls Mount Vesuvius. There are pretty ladies in sheep's clothing. There are dead bodies that really aren't dead bodies. And did I mention making Vesuvius its fellow volcanoes into a <spoiler>big bomb</spoiler>?
I really wanted to e More...
The story is a bit of a romp, featuring zombies controlled by purple morphine, a chase through the streets of London and into a graveyard, a trip to Naples and down into the bowls Mount Vesuvius. There are pretty ladies in sheep's clothing. There are dead bodies that really aren't dead bodies. And did I mention making Vesuvius its fellow volcanoes into a <spoiler>big bomb</spoiler>?
I really wanted to e More...
Aug 01, 2011
Karen
rated it:
Reading this, it's easy to see why Mark Gatiss and Russell T. Davies hit it off: if Davies' Cpn Jack Harkness had The Doctor's regenerative powers instead of immortality, he could certainly do worse than inhabit the body of Gatiss' Lucifer Box, a turn of the century dandy, as fearless as he is promiscuous.
The story itself is a fairly run-of-the-mill, albeit twisted, whodunnit, brought to life by Gatiss' highly stylised Edwardian prose, indulgent first-person narrative, and lashings of delectable More...
The story itself is a fairly run-of-the-mill, albeit twisted, whodunnit, brought to life by Gatiss' highly stylised Edwardian prose, indulgent first-person narrative, and lashings of delectable More...
Jan 06, 2012
Brittanie
rated it:
I wasn't sure what to expect with this book. I'm only familiar with Gatiss' work on the BBC series Sherlock so I'm not all that familiar with his humour or writing styles. However, this book ended up being very aligned with my interests - Lucifer Box is just the right amount of snarky to entertain you without being annoying, much likes Holmes himself. The only problem I had was that none of the other characters (perhaps apart from Charlie Jackpot) were that memorable. When the mystery begins to
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Sep 09, 2011
Blake
rated it:
Naughty, bawdy, silly, witty, over-the-top.
Just a few ways to describe Mark Gatiss’s rollicking caper - which I enjoyed enormously.
Sure, it can be described as Sherlock Holmes meets James Bond (if they’d been brave enough to cast the estimable, dishy Rupert Everett in the role), but it seems to share more DNA with a lesser known British export, The Assassination Bureau, a film starring Oliver Reed and Diana Rigg. Like The Vesuvius Club it’s an anachronistic mash-up of Ed More...
Just a few ways to describe Mark Gatiss’s rollicking caper - which I enjoyed enormously.
Sure, it can be described as Sherlock Holmes meets James Bond (if they’d been brave enough to cast the estimable, dishy Rupert Everett in the role), but it seems to share more DNA with a lesser known British export, The Assassination Bureau, a film starring Oliver Reed and Diana Rigg. Like The Vesuvius Club it’s an anachronistic mash-up of Ed More...
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Jul 10, 2011
Kris
rated it:
The second book is The Vesuvius Club by Mark Gatiss, who you may know better as David/Val/Mickey/Brian/Hilary/Tony/Sheila/Phil/Mr. Chinnery/Les McQueen from the black as midnight but nonetheless outstanding League of Gentlemen television series.
Like that TV show, The Vesuvius Club is not subtle. Revolving around the perversions and gothic excesses of Edwardian London (and Naples), the protagonist of the tale is the heroic Lucifer Box: an impenitent narcissist, artistic dandy, who combi More...
Like that TV show, The Vesuvius Club is not subtle. Revolving around the perversions and gothic excesses of Edwardian London (and Naples), the protagonist of the tale is the heroic Lucifer Box: an impenitent narcissist, artistic dandy, who combi More...
Jul 19, 2010
Benjamin
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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