Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
POCKET BOOKS (2005), Edition: New Ed, Mass Market Paperback, 352 pages
Description
An Extraordinary and Death-Defying Tour of Edwardian Low Life and High Society, accompanied by our host Lucifer Box Esq - artist, dandy, rake ... and lethal secret agent. Lucifer Box is the darling of the Edwardian belle monde - society's most fashionable portrait painter is a wit, a dandy, a rake, the guest all hostesses (and not a few hosts) must have. But few know that Lucifer Box is also His Majesty's most accomplished and daring secret agent. Beneath London's façade of Imperial grandeur and divine aesthetes seethes an underworld of crazed anarchists, murder, and despicable vice, and Box is at home in both. And so of course when Britain's most prominent scientists begin turning up dead, there is only one man his country can turn to. Lucifer Box ruthlessly deduces and seduces his way from his elegant townhouse at Number 9 Downing Street (all his father left him), to private stews of London and the seediest, most colourful back alleys of Italy, in search of the mighty secret society that may hold the fate of the world in its claw-like hands - the Vesuvius Club.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member lycomayflower
If Ian Fleming and Arthur Conan Doyle somehow had a baby, and then sent it off to be raised by Oscar Wilde and Edgar Allan Poe, it might have grown up to be Lucifer Box, the hero of Mark Gatiss's The Vesuvius Club. Box is an Edwardian-era secret agent, who, when he's not off saving the Realm, is a
I suppose I should say something about the plot--the novel is a mystery story, and the plot does trip along. Lots of fairly ridiculous incidents, competently written action, and it all hangs together well enough in the end. But really it's about the humor, the wit, and the pastiche. And a certain amount of (somewhat surprising) heart. It's clear that Gatiss had a brilliant time writing this, and if you are in any way inclined toward liking The Vesuvius Club that delight will pass over into your reading experience. That being said, this book is probably not for everyone. There's an element of the send-up here, of going over-the-top, of taking something to such heights of badness that it becomes irresistibly good, and if that's not your thing, this may read flat. But. If you like that sort of thing, this is exactly the sort of thing you will like.
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painter and a much- sought-after guest at all the best parties. Box narrates his own story, and the result is irreverent, witty, knowing, and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. Many reviews of the novel toss around the word "pastiche," and that's fair--it's impossible not to think of James Bond, of Sherlock Holmes, even of Bertie Wooster and maybe Edward Gorey while reading--but Gatiss is doing something of his own, too. Box is unapologetically bisexual and from there stems some of what is most interesting about the book; in their review of The Vesuvius Club, The Times Literary Supplement says that Box is "revealed to be bisexual" at the midpoint of the story. I'd say rather that, if you've been paying attention, he is gleefully affirmed to be bisexual at the midpoint of the story. Only a few of the other characters in the book know this about Box (it is early twentieth century England, after all), but between Box-as-narrator and the reader, his bisexuality is treated as a perhaps slightly-shocking-fact at first, but never as something shameful, dirty, or prurient (or at least not any more prurient than anything else--the whole book is delightfully nudge-nudge-wink-wink). It is then taken as given, and Box's sexual interest in valet Charlie is treated as no more remarkable than his sexual interest in drawing-student Bella. And that, itself, I think, is remarkable, even (especially?) today. The novel is not about Box's bisexuality, and in not being about that, somehow it becomes about just that. And I love it for it.I suppose I should say something about the plot--the novel is a mystery story, and the plot does trip along. Lots of fairly ridiculous incidents, competently written action, and it all hangs together well enough in the end. But really it's about the humor, the wit, and the pastiche. And a certain amount of (somewhat surprising) heart. It's clear that Gatiss had a brilliant time writing this, and if you are in any way inclined toward liking The Vesuvius Club that delight will pass over into your reading experience. That being said, this book is probably not for everyone. There's an element of the send-up here, of going over-the-top, of taking something to such heights of badness that it becomes irresistibly good, and if that's not your thing, this may read flat. But. If you like that sort of thing, this is exactly the sort of thing you will like.
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LibraryThing member gonzobrarian
One of the more fascinating things about the cleverly written The Vesuvius Club by Mark Gatiss is that the story’s protagonist, Lucifer Box, is a renaissance man extraordinaire. Forget that the story takes place in Edwardian England, or even that Lucifer is a second-rate portraitist and secret
Said somewhere else covers a time and place when audiences weren’t surrounded with formulaic, contrived villains trying to conquer and/or destroy the world. No, The Vesuvius Club is something different. Box’s work for His Majesty’s Service is more of a satire of what Bond and Bourne were combating when things were simpler, when your average villains had something smaller and more bizarre in their sights, like say, a volcano. Apart from the setting, Gatiss excels in his descriptions of eerily misty London cemeteries and runaway hansoms, hazy and writhing opium dens and slightly off antagonists. From London to Naples, the reader is carried swiftly in bewilderment in an overly witty, bizarre, and humorous adventure.
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agent; note, rather, how his inhibitions and peccadilloes know no gender. That the reader will start the adventure around Box’s womanly indiscretions and lead somewhere…else…is simply the sheer flippancy of such a piece of fluff, as subtitled by Gatiss. Box is perhaps an anachronistic anomaly, parading around and performing his HMS duties in a spirit of glam that would make David Bowie proud. Said somewhere else covers a time and place when audiences weren’t surrounded with formulaic, contrived villains trying to conquer and/or destroy the world. No, The Vesuvius Club is something different. Box’s work for His Majesty’s Service is more of a satire of what Bond and Bourne were combating when things were simpler, when your average villains had something smaller and more bizarre in their sights, like say, a volcano. Apart from the setting, Gatiss excels in his descriptions of eerily misty London cemeteries and runaway hansoms, hazy and writhing opium dens and slightly off antagonists. From London to Naples, the reader is carried swiftly in bewilderment in an overly witty, bizarre, and humorous adventure.
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LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
With some nods to some of the genre formulas in the Gentleman Adventurer, but in this case bringing the homosexual/bisexual subtext into some detail. This is Edwardian adventuring for the 21st Century and I don't know that it hasn't lost a certain amount in the transition. Lucifer Box lives in 9
Full of nods to the genre and full detail of the period underworld it owes a firm debt to Alan Moore. However in parts it feels laboured and as if the writer had a cool idea that he couldn't not include so it was shoehorned in.
Honestly not someone's work I would hunt up but also not a book I regret reading.
The main character is very full of himself and certain that his place in the world is to be admired and loved. This is some of his charm and also a source of some of his errors.
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Downing Street, is apparetnly an artist and dandy but is also a spy. Lucifer straddles that fine line between psychopath and patriot.Full of nods to the genre and full detail of the period underworld it owes a firm debt to Alan Moore. However in parts it feels laboured and as if the writer had a cool idea that he couldn't not include so it was shoehorned in.
Honestly not someone's work I would hunt up but also not a book I regret reading.
The main character is very full of himself and certain that his place in the world is to be admired and loved. This is some of his charm and also a source of some of his errors.
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LibraryThing member JustAGirl
Highly entertaining nonsense, chock full of intrigue, mystery and a plot to destroy the world.
LibraryThing member riverwillow
As you would expect from a member of the League of Gentlemen and one of the writers for the new series of Dr Who, this is an opulent romp. Lucifer Box is an Edwardian painter and spy whose office is based in a gentleman's lavatory underneath the Royal Academy of Art. Lucifer is an interesting,
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self-obsessed character, the opening chapters are peppered with asides about his pretty mouth and fine white hands. He's also very very naughty, with 'a girl with a name and the body of a goddess ... There'd been a balcony, starlight, whispered words and then something very cheeky in the rhododendrons' as well as with anyone else who takes his fancy. He lives at 9 Downing Street (someone has to and its "awfully handy for town"). The prose is superb, darkly funny and surreal and this is an entertaining read. Show Less
LibraryThing member sarah_rubyred
I read this in a back to back book joined with Mark Gatiss's second Lucifer Box novel 'Devil in Amber'.
I enjoyed both books, very funny main character who is a bit of a dandy, sleeping with anyone he can find and having all sorts of jolly fun while he manages to save the world. Great holiday read.
I enjoyed both books, very funny main character who is a bit of a dandy, sleeping with anyone he can find and having all sorts of jolly fun while he manages to save the world. Great holiday read.
LibraryThing member Imrahil2001
Mildly enjoyable for its silly plot and "steampunk" stylings, this novel suffers from a protagonist who's rather more bark than bite, and a preponderance of sex--I suppose it's an answer to the oversexed James Bond. The plot of the novel is relatively straightforward and as "fluffy" as promised by
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the cover blurb. This is pretty much an anti-Bond; I suspect most fans of Fleming won't find this amusing. Show Less
LibraryThing member ragwaine
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
I really liked the zombies and the
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writing. I don't read a lot of stuff like this and that may have been part of the enjoyment but I would definitely like to read more eventually or at least check out the graphic novel. The novel had some great illustrations compliments of Ian Bass so I'm curious if he also did the graphic novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member celerydog
Great puns, gothic, a "romp". Laughed out loud, and will re-visit this series.
LibraryThing member BeeQuiet
A wonderful, fun, Wildeian adventure. Very entertaining indeed.
LibraryThing member Yorkshrman
As a fan of Gatiss from the League of Gentlemen, and a big fan of his writing on Dr. Who, I was keen to try his original fiction. Have to say I was somewhat disappointed with this novel ..... I bought it in a double edition with "The Devil in Amber", and I'm really not sure I'll read the second
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volume. Show Less
LibraryThing member isabelx
'Well, bless my soul!' whispered Lucky.
For within the coffin was revealed a cloth dummy, its innards stuffed with straw, its eyes and mouth merely crude stitching like that on some common scarecrow.
'Ha!' I cried triumphantly. 'Exactly what I expected to find!'
Which was a bloody lie but there you
A humorous spy story set in Edwardian London and Naples. Lucifer Box is a well-known portrait painter and dandy. He is witty and decadent, with a fondness for the seedier fleshpots of Edwardian London, and by page five I was convinced that he was a sociopath. He also has a secret life as a spy and assassin for the British secret service, and his adventures in Naples (once he was over his sea-sickness) tracking down the people responsible for the disappearance of three vulcanologists, were exciting and very entertaining.
For within the coffin was revealed a cloth dummy, its innards stuffed with straw, its eyes and mouth merely crude stitching like that on some common scarecrow.
'Ha!' I cried triumphantly. 'Exactly what I expected to find!'
Which was a bloody lie but there you
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are.A humorous spy story set in Edwardian London and Naples. Lucifer Box is a well-known portrait painter and dandy. He is witty and decadent, with a fondness for the seedier fleshpots of Edwardian London, and by page five I was convinced that he was a sociopath. He also has a secret life as a spy and assassin for the British secret service, and his adventures in Naples (once he was over his sea-sickness) tracking down the people responsible for the disappearance of three vulcanologists, were exciting and very entertaining.
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LibraryThing member blakefraina
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
What I enjoyed most about the whole affair was that, at the heart of it, narrator and ostensible "hero" Lucifer Box, is rather a pompous ass. I suspect author Mark Gatiss is taking sly aim at the English class system, using the preening, egotistical Box as the perfect model of (to use Monty Python terminology) the upper-class twit. Time and again, we see that Box’s mission would fail utterly without the help of his "domestics," the servants and underlings who aide him nearly every step of the way - whether it be with investigating, research, alluding capture or fisticuffs. Unlike with Holmes, there isn’t a lot of deduction going on here, as every revelation seems to come to Box by chance or after the fact entirely. Despite all that, he continues to trumpet his virtues throughout.
This is a terrific, light romp - outlandish, funny, sexy - even a bit suspenseful and surprising. Perfect for a hot, lazy day at the beach.
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
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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 Edwardian starch, wild espionage spoof and hippie era sex comedy. In a word - delightful.What I enjoyed most about the whole affair was that, at the heart of it, narrator and ostensible "hero" Lucifer Box, is rather a pompous ass. I suspect author Mark Gatiss is taking sly aim at the English class system, using the preening, egotistical Box as the perfect model of (to use Monty Python terminology) the upper-class twit. Time and again, we see that Box’s mission would fail utterly without the help of his "domestics," the servants and underlings who aide him nearly every step of the way - whether it be with investigating, research, alluding capture or fisticuffs. Unlike with Holmes, there isn’t a lot of deduction going on here, as every revelation seems to come to Box by chance or after the fact entirely. Despite all that, he continues to trumpet his virtues throughout.
This is a terrific, light romp - outlandish, funny, sexy - even a bit suspenseful and surprising. Perfect for a hot, lazy day at the beach.
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LibraryThing member candlemark
An absolutely amazing book - it's slender, but it's subtle, nuanced, and well worth the read. Fast-paced, engaging, and absolutely hilarious. Some of the villains and motivations seem telegraphed, but there's always a twist to keep you guessing, right up until the very end. Lucifer is one of the
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most unusual, well-drawn characters I've read in ages, and I'd very much like to read more of his adventures! Show Less
LibraryThing member jawalter
"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
Lucifer Box, "the feted artist, the dashing dandy ... but by night -- philanderer, sodomite, and assassin!" is quite simply one of the most charming detectives I've come across. His portrayal is a little uneven, as at times he seems a spy firmly in the mold of a James Bond or Sherlock Holmes, while at other times, he seems a mite more like Inspector Clouseau or Inspector Gadget. I think that mishmash quality, however, is what I most enjoyed about this book, the bastard child of Wodehouse, Fleming, and Wilde, amongst others. It's a quick and fun little read (also available as a graphic novel, apparently).
Although this is a very funny book, the humor is pleasantly understated, as when Mr. Box reveals that he lives at 9 Downing Street ("Somebody has to live there."). The action scenes are as one might expect, with fistfights and chases aplenty, and the grand finale takes place in the evil mastermind's secret lair, located ... well ... why ruin the surprise? And as with any good spy novel, there are a couple sex scenes, handled in a rather unique fashion by the author.
Actually I must
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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 -- philanderer, sodomite, and assassin!" is quite simply one of the most charming detectives I've come across. His portrayal is a little uneven, as at times he seems a spy firmly in the mold of a James Bond or Sherlock Holmes, while at other times, he seems a mite more like Inspector Clouseau or Inspector Gadget. I think that mishmash quality, however, is what I most enjoyed about this book, the bastard child of Wodehouse, Fleming, and Wilde, amongst others. It's a quick and fun little read (also available as a graphic novel, apparently).
Although this is a very funny book, the humor is pleasantly understated, as when Mr. Box reveals that he lives at 9 Downing Street ("Somebody has to live there."). The action scenes are as one might expect, with fistfights and chases aplenty, and the grand finale takes place in the evil mastermind's secret lair, located ... well ... why ruin the surprise? And as with any good spy novel, there are a couple sex scenes, handled in a rather unique fashion by the author.
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LibraryThing member amandrake
An enjoyable novel, fast paced, but occasionally annoying in that Lucifer is a bit *too* shallow - though in well-read British way. A champagne-like giddiness runs throughout, making the ridiculous *sublimely* ridiculous.
LibraryThing member GingerbreadMan
Someone has to live at number 9 Downing Street. In this high paced debut it happens to be Lucifer Box – portrait painter to the rich and famous, playboy, happy pervert and His Majesty’s most secret agent. This, the first installment in a series, involves mysteriously dead vulcanologists, a
This is all utterly charming of course, a real adventure story written with in a contagiously good mood and full of wit, with the occasional sliver of smut thrown in. A can totally see how anyone could love this. For me though, grumpy mutterer that I am, I kind of find this a hard formula to pull off. This book is trying so hard to be BOTH a thrilling matiné adventure, and an ironic smirk at the thrilling matiné adventure story as a genre, it kind of ends up being too little of both. This becomes most evident in the end, where the ”I’ll tell you the truth before killing you off” moments are just piling up. I can totally see myself picking up the sequel at some point. But I don’t feel in any immediate hurry.
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swapped corpse of a veiled woman, a secret sex club, a strange undertaker firm, drugged zombies and a doomsday cult. Also: daring escapes, devilish traps, a poisonous centipede, loads of men’s fashion and the luring charms of both a young woman and a young man.This is all utterly charming of course, a real adventure story written with in a contagiously good mood and full of wit, with the occasional sliver of smut thrown in. A can totally see how anyone could love this. For me though, grumpy mutterer that I am, I kind of find this a hard formula to pull off. This book is trying so hard to be BOTH a thrilling matiné adventure, and an ironic smirk at the thrilling matiné adventure story as a genre, it kind of ends up being too little of both. This becomes most evident in the end, where the ”I’ll tell you the truth before killing you off” moments are just piling up. I can totally see myself picking up the sequel at some point. But I don’t feel in any immediate hurry.
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LibraryThing member IsotropicJoseph
Like a sleeping volcano this book was packed with potential. A witty character, a clever premise, PG porn - Everything was there for something amazing. Unfortunately, the flat writing and poorly timed flow of the plot turned this book into a great big lava bomb.
LibraryThing member Xleptodactylous
Yes, paperback. Fuck you popularity and your pre-concieved notion of what I should like.
LibraryThing member MillieHennessy
2.5? Not sure.
Vesuvius Club describes itself as parts Sherlock, Bond, Python, Powers and even Wodehouse and I suppose that's accurate though I'm not exactly knowledgeable in all fandoms (Sherlock being the one I'm most familiar with). If I had to sum it up, it's about a man, Lucifer Box, who is
Unfortunately, what stands out the most in my memory is the ridiculous character name of Jocelyn Poop. The missing agent is mentioned quite a bit, and while other characters did have funny or odd names like Miss Fullalove, Inspector Flush and Mr. and Mrs. Midsomer Knight, Poop takes the cake. Every time they referred to him, I was taken out of the story because I thought to myself "There is the word poop again." Ugh.
Anyway. The book was alright. Lucifer was a so-so character for me. He's feisty, flirtatious and decadent and his bisexuality added a note of interest, especially given the time period of the book. The plot was ridiculous and while clever, our protagonist had a fair bit of luck - but for me what's where the Wodehouse influence comes along (at least, based on my memory of the one book I've read).
I was mildly entertained, sometimes surprised (that whole part with the orgy...) but in the end, I don't care to continue on with the series and will likely get rid of the book eventually.
Vesuvius Club describes itself as parts Sherlock, Bond, Python, Powers and even Wodehouse and I suppose that's accurate though I'm not exactly knowledgeable in all fandoms (Sherlock being the one I'm most familiar with). If I had to sum it up, it's about a man, Lucifer Box, who is
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working to get his painting career off the ground while moonlighting as a secret government agency for His Majesty's crown. He's fond of indulging himself, be it in food, drink, drugs, fashion, women or men and ends up tangled in a plot to destroy the world.Unfortunately, what stands out the most in my memory is the ridiculous character name of Jocelyn Poop. The missing agent is mentioned quite a bit, and while other characters did have funny or odd names like Miss Fullalove, Inspector Flush and Mr. and Mrs. Midsomer Knight, Poop takes the cake. Every time they referred to him, I was taken out of the story because I thought to myself "There is the word poop again." Ugh.
Anyway. The book was alright. Lucifer was a so-so character for me. He's feisty, flirtatious and decadent and his bisexuality added a note of interest, especially given the time period of the book. The plot was ridiculous and while clever, our protagonist had a fair bit of luck - but for me what's where the Wodehouse influence comes along (at least, based on my memory of the one book I've read).
I was mildly entertained, sometimes surprised (that whole part with the orgy...) but in the end, I don't care to continue on with the series and will likely get rid of the book eventually.
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LibraryThing member SharonMariaBidwell
With a nod to Mordecai this is a somewhat fun Edwardian suspense romp, but the story felt as though it went on too long and waned. Still well worth a read and entertaining. I particularly liked the characters.
LibraryThing member sarahlh
DNF'd about 60 pages in. Life is too short to suffer such an insufferable, narrow-minded bore of a protagonist who thinks himself a lovable rogue, and the story itself is rather flat and didn't trap my interest enough to keep going.
LibraryThing member andyl
Bisexual Edwardian secret-agent and a plot to blow up Italy. Gatiss didn't quite hit the mark often enough in this comedic novel.
LibraryThing member brittaniethekid
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
That said, this was the fastest I've read a book in a long time - not because it was an easy read, but because I had a hard time putting it down, it was so enthralling and entertaining. I hope that the next book lives up to the standard this one set for me.
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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 reveal itself towards the end of the book, I had a hard time remembering who was who by name and I read this in only a few days. This book also starts out more or less historically accurate for it's setting (late 1800s/early 1900s) but then it delves into more science fiction with the opium zombies and a steam-powered bomb contraption, as if Gatiss kind of forgot what he had already set up and decided it needed more excitement.That said, this was the fastest I've read a book in a long time - not because it was an easy read, but because I had a hard time putting it down, it was so enthralling and entertaining. I hope that the next book lives up to the standard this one set for me.
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Subjects
Awards
Gaylactic Spectrum Award (Shortlist — Novel — 2006)
British Book Design and Production Award (Literature — 2005)
Original publication date
2004
Physical description
352 p.; 5.16 inches
ISBN
0743483790 / 9780743483797